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Tech Question


mike.williams

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Going to a state park to hold a GPS tracking competition for Boy Scouts. We do not have enough true GPS units, like Etrex. I see that there are Geocaching and other GPS apps for IOS and Android. I was not aware that a smartphone can triangulate signals from satellites. This park has very spotty cell service. If all the scouts have a GPS app on their phone, does it mean they don't need cell service to use the app?

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Probably should be in "GPS" forums rather than "Getting Started", but...

 

This depends, to some degree, on the phones themselves. Cell service and satellite signals are unrelated.

 

Many (current generation phones) will still read satellites without cell signals, but some older-type models cannot.

Current phones I don't believe need any app at all, at least not for using the GPS chip. The apps are for geocaching/web access.

 

If trekking through desolate areas, they should be at least paired up anyway, right?

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Thx.

 

So there's a GPS chip in current phones that talks to satellites, and that's how mapping apps, like the native Maps app in IOS, work? Now it all makes sense. The scouts won't be in desolate areas, and will be in full patrols. Buddy system on steroids.

 

It will require each patrol to know how to use at least one phone's mapping app, and how to input coordinates, right? Or do you recommend a free app so they are all working from the same screens?

 

Understanding it's like asking what gas mileage I'll get without knowing car or driving conditions, what kind of accuracy can we expect assuming they can see 4 satellites and have a phone that's less than 2 yrs old?

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Depending on where you are, you should see more like 18 satellites. My Galaxy S5 gives me about 3 meters accuracy, very similar to my Oregon 450 GPS.

I guess you have some sort of orienteering type course set up for them? Most any newer phone should be able to do what you need, just be sure to have chargers for them afterwards. Using the GPS burns through the battery of mine.

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