Outdoor Adventure USA

Due to the amount of topics we needed to discuss during the first net (on 8/28/14), it was necessary to extend the discussion to a second net. We will finish our examination of wilderness navigation techniques this week to include use of specialized in vehicle programs, APRS and hopefully get some input from those who have had experience with programs such as Ozi Explorer, smart phone apps, and others.

Here is the original post from a few weeks ago. Beginning with post # 7, there will be new information, unique to this net.


The net this week will focus on wilderness navigation, using a computer and a GPS. The field of navigation equipment, including software and hardware, is in a great state of transition. Some of the biggest players have left the market and created a vacuum which has been filled, in part, by many other innovative products. Mapping information is also going through great transitions, from the paper maps of the past to digital and satellite navigation tools.

Although navigation is important whenever we leave the pavement, the net will deal mostly with travel in areas that are new, where trip navigation and planning are particularly important. Knowing how to best travel to new locations, where to camp, where certain sights are located, etc, can all be accomplished using the navigation software we will discuss.

Even with all the new navigation aids that are available, the one thing that hasn't changed is the need that we have to safely navigate the wilderness areas that are abundant in the US. We will discuss those navigation products and methods we have used successfully and want to hear about others that are also being used successfully. Join us for the net.

Note: I started a thread several years ago concerning the use of laptop computers and GPS units while traveling. For those with the time to wade through the many posts (contained in 14 pages), it contains some interesting reading, see: viewtopic.php?f=22&t=39

Links

1. DeLorme Navigation Software - Topo North America - http://shop.delorme.com/OA_HTML/DELibeC ... tion=10742
2. Overland Navigator - http://overlandnavigator.com/
3. National Geographic TOPO! - (from Amazon) http://www.amazon.com/National-Geograph ... california
4. Terrain Navigator (for smart phone use)- https://www.terrainnavigator.com/
5. Ozi Explorer
6. Rugged Routes (more race and high speed racing oriented) http://ruggedroutes.com/

The following are pictures and screen shots of the in-=vehicle navigation programs we will discuss.

Picture #1 The computer displaying a map of the Anza Borrego Area - Collins Valley in Coyote Canyon
Picture # 2 Corresponding GPS view of the area in Picture #1 above
Picture # 3 Shows the hand drawn trails and information that can be placed on the map for trip planning

What if we just want to get lost?

Great topic!

For those with an iPad, a great application I've been using is called Gaia GPS. It uses the gps of the iPad and you can download USGS topo maps, and a number of other ones. You can create layers between them and play with the shading, put waypoints, etc. I think the greatest thing is that you get all the maps for free, you can select the area you want to download and you don't have to rely on cell network. I wish it let you trace a line and tell you the distance, maybe it can do it but I haven't found how to do it.

I haven't used any of the software and hardware Dave mentions above, I'm interested in hearing how those compare to Gaia.

https://www.gaiagps.com/map/#?lat=33.99 ... 917&zoom=8

traveltoad wrote:What if we just want to get lost?

I'll bet there's an app for that too!!!

First and foremost I want to say there is no substitute for: 1) doing your homework or pre-trip planning to include calling the local agency that is responsible for the area(s) you are going to visit and 2) understanding how to use a map and compass and then being able to use that knowledge in conjunction with electronic devices such as GPS and satellite imagery.

Call ahead and find out about the current trail conditions can save you a lot of headache and backtracking. Planning for those unexpected events is also a large part of a successful trip (if I have to turn around 3/4 of the way in and I only have gas for an additional 1/2 way back track you have now reached the PNR or the dreaded POINT OF NO RETURN scenario. Knowing your rig's capabilities is just as important as reading your GPS/Map.

Once you understand a TOPO and dabble with satellite imagery and things start to "gel" you are becoming "dangerous." Life is much easier when you understand the difference between Grid North, True North and Magnetic North. Screw those up and substituting one for the other could have devastating effects on your follow along (my map says one thing my GPS another, which do I depend on?). I like to say the GPS is my traveling primary means of navigation because it is fast and immediate, but my map should easily confirm what I believe is right on the GPS. If they don't match up, I think twice about continuing on until I can definitively confirm what I see on the GPS matches what I see on my TOPO and satellite imagery if I have "cut sheets" with me. Understanding how to read contour lines on a TOPO also helps you understand the terrain you are going to see and it sets you up to travel the ground before you even hit the trail. Broken down in legs I should see flat plains with hills to my left and right for 5 miles. I then transition to the top of the canyon were I will start to look for the pass that leads off to the NW. That trail will take me to point I cross the prominent ridge that was on my left during the trip and I should look for the ridgeline rode that heads almost due north... If you can narrate your trip like this before you even roll out you are way ahead of the game. And as they say, "The way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time." Don't look at the trip as one big trip but as several portions of the trip where you ID the hazards and points of interest for each leg of the movement and formulate a plan to negotiate those areas and also establish a sensible ETA to/through the area. Sometimes we expect more out of rigs than the terrain will allow and speeding things up to make up time can often lead to broken parts and problems along the way; better to show up early than to behind schedule and push your luck.

BTW: Here's how GPS helps science. http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/nature/p ... ey-solved/ for any of you who ever wondered about Death Valley's sailing rocks in the Racetrack Playa.

My technique, down and dirty: Look at Google Map and Earth and mark way points. Take way points and enter them into my thrift store find Garmin Street Pilot III GPS (settings have to match the setting in Google Earth; specifically mapping datum). Make calls as needed to agencies/internet search(es). Get maps, print satellite imagery and put it together on a clipboard as I would see it as I move along my route (legs of trip). Mapping datum and what you decide to use as your "north" is very important. I use magnetic north on all my calculations in case I have to go map and compass. I also use "features" to box my route in and always look at the If I go the wrong way and if I go too far. This is a very inexpensive technique but I have been working on it for years. Do not expect to follow my lead and plan a big trip and have it all fall into place for you. Short runs over moderate terrain will help to get you familiar and help to build confidence.

Handheld off my ride: Rino 120, Rino 530, Magellan Meridian...

Enjoy.

Another helpful tip is having known, distant, communication assets saved as waypoints so that when you need to, you can easily figure out the distance and azimuth to that station(s). This makes orientation of an HF/UHF/VHF antenna a little easier especially if you are on a trip that precludes your primary source of communication, the trusty cell phone...

The net this week will be the second half of the 8/28/14 net we started on wilderness navigation.

Topics to be discussed include:

navigation using APRS
navigation using other computer software, including Ozi Explorer and Overland Navigator
Navigation using specialiozed software for in vehicle use
navigation using smart phone and tablet applications

Here are pictures of my computer using maps which I created from USGS Topo.

Picture # 1
Picture # 2
Picture # 3

While many navigation and trip planning applications support the GPX format (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GPS_Exchange_Format) for both input and output, a handy PC program to have around if you use different navigation / planning applications is GPSBabel (http://www.gpsbabel.org/). The sole purpose of GPSBabel is to convert between the file formats used by different applications. It's indispensable for me as I use a handful of programs for their best features and find that GPSBabel allows me to share data between them.

I'd recommend that people with tablets take a look at Gaia GPS (http://blog.gaiagps.com/). While I run it on iPad, iPhone, and iPod, there is also an Android version. It provides access to a large and wonderfully diverse set of map formats, from the familiar Google roads to various topographic formats to various satellite imagery. Gaia GPS isn't as strong in trip planning / route creation as it is in map display, but can accept GPX files containing waypoints and tracks/routes generated by other programs.

And if your iPad or iPod doesn't have an onboard GPS, a Bluetooth GPS such as the Bad Elf (http://bad-elf.com/pages/be-gps-2200-detail) can provide a GPS capability for a number of devices simultaneously.

I'm relatively new to APRS, but while trying to piece together an offline APRS mapping display system, came across APRSdroid (https://aprsdroid.org/) which runs on Android. Combining an Android tablet or phone with APRSdroid, the Mobilinkd Bluetooth TNC (http://www.mobilinkd.com/), and (possibly cheap) HT radio, you'll have a complete APRS system, including position beaconing and reception, map display, and messaging, that doesn't require Internet connectivity. A version of APRSdroid can run with pre-downloaded maps (http://aprsdroid.org/osm/). My initial experiments using my wife's old Nexus tablet have been very positive.

Paul - KK6DYO@gmail.com