[Closed] Home made GPS with mapping and tracking

well done that man! Does it have a sim in it?

You can use OS maps with OruxMaps, I use them...you just need to download them(well, create them), and they are free.

I'm a big fan of Oruxmaps as well...very good and also very battery friendly.

Get yourself an early version of MobAC (Mobile Atlas Creator) - version 1.8 or earlier...it allows you to use Multimap 1:25k maps of the UK and download them and stick them on the device...hey presto, all your usual ride haunts can now be done in 1:25k scale. You then stick them in your maps folder in Oruxmaps and it then reads it as an offline map.

That hope light mount is very ingenious!

Funny, I've been thinking about exactly what you've done. Good to see it works.

How do you find it in sun light? 5-6 hours sounds ok if that's on full screen brightness.

I use MOBAC for creating maps at the moment, but haven't found a way to integrate OS Maps into it...

All my OS maps are in qct format and that doesn't work nicely with MOBAC, I'd have to create the positioning data on the map or something and it's just a bit more effort than I want to spend. (Will check out an early version).

I don't have a sim in the phone, no. I've no plans to use data/phone. I carry my phone anyway in case of emergencies. However I believe that any phone, even without a sim, will phone 999/112.

Brightness in full light isn't great, unreadable at times. However I have not experienced any issues relating to this as I've always been able to shadow the screen for a few seconds if I need to check my position.

Try mm tracker. It's not available in the app store any more because mm didn't like it iirc but it allows you to do exactly what you're after while using your memory maps files.

Search the forum. Someone posted a link to the app which I downloaded and works fine.

Get an earlier version of MobAC (one that allows you to use Multimap 1:25k maps), then select your area and get it created...they are OS 1:25k maps...AFAIK, the licencing changed somewhere along the line and after version 1.8 (I think) of MobAC, Multimap was no longer offered - but I don't know where the issue was created...suspect it wasn't playing by the rules!

@Conan257 and @DickBarton

Have you tried using OruxMaps itself to create the maps? or is MobAC easier/better?

Pretty easy with OruxMaps [b]with WiFi[/b] connection;

-Select "switch map" from the menu (tap on the map icon)
-Now select Ordnance SM(UK) from the on-line list
-Tap again on the map icon and select "Map Creator" from the list

Now you can select the area you are interested and how many layers you want. The map will be saved and you can select it from the off-line list.

Nope, not tried using Oruxmaps...to be honest, the app does so much but I only use it for tracking (and sometimes bluetooth HRM)...I sometime check the map to see how the route looks but then I upload the route to a couple of websites...I'll give it a bash later I think.

That seems to work fine, but what I haven't tried is using it to cache maps before disconnecting from the wifi and driving an hour to where I'm going to ride... I've a ride in a new area on Wednesday so might give that a shot.

Can't find the files on my phone however...

Once the map is saved in the phone sd card you obviously don't need any internet connection. It should work fine. I just came back from a walk in the Cheviot hills and had no problems using a map created with the app, it was great in fact.

Go to settings and then check your map folder...at a guess, the map that is made within Oruxmaps will be stored there under another folder name...

They appear to be in the oruxmapscacheimages.db files...

Will have to ensure I scan around the whole planned route to cache all the maps needed. But I suppose once I've done the peaks they'll be in there for good...

They should be in the oruxmaps/mapfiles/ folder, in the sd card. At least, they appear there in my phone...

Do you have a file manager app installed in the phone? I think this is essential to ensure maps and other files are stored in the right folder when using OruxMaps. I use OI File Manager.

Nothing else installed on it... I've been using USB to do all the file related stuff.

I'll do both types of mapping for Wednesday and if it works with the OS maps then that will probably keep me happy...

How do you find the performance out of interest - the reviews suggest that given the low-end processor, it struggles to do some tasks. Also that the included software takes up a large part of the space available. I'd been thinking that if I got one, I'd need to root it so that I could take all the unnecessary (google, facebook, etc) apps off to free it up.

my old phone was a Motorola Defy and I was thinking off doing something similar.

As phone I found it was a bit rubbish. The low end processor couldn't handle lots of things going on in the background. I had to regularly go into the task manager and close everything or reset the phone to get a stable / consistent use from it otherwise it would just hang while it was thinking lots. Also weirdly found the phone struggled with WiFi turned on. But I guess thats not too much of an issue if you're going to use it as a GPS computer.

But from a reset with nothing running in the background it was fine. Apps would work fine and response to commands were quick.

Has anyone got some useful links on rooting a phone a removing the bit you don't want or need? I'm a massive noob when it comes to these things so a beginners guide to teach the basics would be nice.

All I have installed on the phone, from stock, is Oruxmaps, memory map and a GPS Compass.

Speed isn't amazing, but I've not noticed any issues with it. More than capable for this requirement.

There doesn't appear to be any modded roms for the device, so no chance of upgrading to a newer version of Android. I haven't rooted it as there really isn't much bloatware.

Wifi works sufficiently to browse the play store and download apps.

My only real issue is that OruxMaps doesn't work when the device is connected by USB. Very strange, but even the OM button dissappears.

Have you moved the OM app to the SD card? If so, connecting a USB might mean that the SD card is no longer accessible by the phone so the app can't be run.

I am now very tempted, particularly as there are a few Motorola Defy Minis on ebay for £33 posted with faults but faults that wouldn't be an issue - eg mic not working, SIM not working, etc.

I just thought I'd add the solution that I had been thinking of:

- waterproof phone (eg Defy Mini)
- thin, flat plate (Carbon fibre maybe 🙂 ) zip tied to stem
- velcro to hold the phone to the plate

This has the advantage that you're not modifying the phone at all except for sticking velcro to the back of it.

Actually, I wasn't planning on velcro - I was looking for the stuff that's like velcro but is made up of small balls on stalks (for want of a better word) that when pressed against the same material interlocks and provides a really firm grip. I've no idea what it's called though!

EDIT - this might be the stuff
http://www.godlyke.com/power-all/godlyke-power-all-accessories/power-grip

This is the stuff. 3M dual lock

http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/Product.do?method=view&n=1250&g=240183&p=147606&c=215&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=Base&utm_campaign=Tapes%20&%20Adhesives&gclid=COXigenyuLcCFc3HtAodQnAAnw

I'm disappointed. I was expecting more gaffa tape, tin foil and coat hangers.

That's always an option 🙂

Thats really cool cheers, you may have provided me with an alternative to a Garmin for a while at least.

On some bumpier descents, I'm not convinced velcro would hold steady enough to be honest... That other stuff may well provide what you need, if so it probably makes a better option than mine.

Good deal if you can find a "not-working, but working enough" model. I bought from an Amazon store at a price I was happy with, which is the important thing at the end of the day!

Don't think I've moved OM to the sim card, it doesn't really bother me that much to be honest, just something I have to work around.

Riding south of Hope, round to the west, up mam-tor, down from hollins-cross and around the north west back to Hope - Tomorrow. That will be another good test of its capabilities, especially since it might be a little damp!

Rooting this phone is easy: http://www.droidevelopers.com/f412/14403-defy-mini-root-success-alin-razvan.html. Did mine a few months ago, installed link2sd on it and can now pretty much install what I want. Makes it a brilliant device when you can now pick them up for £50-60.

The 3M Dual Lock 'velcro' I'm talking about it very solid - I read a review where someone had used it to fix a guitar pedal to the ground and then couldn't remove it 🙂

Well, I've ordered a Defy Mini - £34 with a broken mic which isn't an issue.

I'll report back once I've got it up and running. Thanks to the OP for piloting this for me 🙂

If anyone wants it, I've got an HTC Legend spare. The touch screen acts up a bit but apart from that works ok and might make a good GPS for someone. As a phone it would need unlocking. Just give me 10 euro for the postage.

Has anyone found an android app that will show bike computer type things - eg speed, distance, time and an offline map - basically like you can do on a Garmin?

Something like this:
[img] [/img]

mmtracker give speed and altitude (and a direction vector which can be handy!)

It's very small though I found in mm tracker.

[quote=clubber ]Has anyone found an android app that will show bike computer type things - eg speed, distance, time and an offline map - basically like you can do on a Garmin?
Something like this:

Have a look at GPS Essentials

It's very small though I found in mm tracker

All the time 🙂

Has anyone found an android app that will show bike computer type things - e.g. speed, distance, time and an offline map - basically like you can do on a Garmin?

Have a look at IPBike on Google Play. It's a very powerful and flexible app that you can configure to suit your needs and have a live update on a downloadable map. The interface takes a bit of getting use to but it's worth it. Free trial period if you want to try before you buy and the support from the developer is excellent.

Clubber, OruxMaps does all that and gives you the option for which bits of info you'd like displayed.

Worked great on todays ride, very very happy!

Out of interest for anyone thinking of doing the same. The only reason for choosing the Defy Mini was because of its waterproofing. I wouldn't go for a phone that didn't have this feature.

Ah yes, it would appear that Orux Maps does do it all very well...

This is exactly what I was looking for! I think I may be ordering a Motorola Defy Mini when I get paid on friday! Although I think I will be running View Ranger on it, which should provide all the functions that I want! How sturdy is the Hope light mount/Phone join? Any pics of it mounted on the bike?

Thanks

Adam

I'll get some other pics up at some point, but if I forget it wont be for 10 days or so.

Current iteration is solid. I've had to modify the case back slightly so that the metal washer sits underneath with the screw head. This has produced a slight "bow" on the case, and it applies some pressure to the battery. Don't believe that there are any issues with this.

Have had occasional rotation of the phone around the screw, but only when knocked and not while riding. Did some pretty hardcore descents yesterday and had no problems at all. Was also caught in rain, again no issues.

I think the important thing is finding the right screw, I have used a PC fan screw which was slightly long so trimmed it down. These screws are designed to cut their own thread into plastic and suit this application nicely.

I'll post a pic of mine too once it's set up

Glad to hear it held up ok! I was thinking of maybe aralditing a thin metal bracket onto the back of the case, as it would remove the issue of it spinning on its screw, we shall see, I am planning on ordering the phone tomorrow when i get paid. I will get some pictures up when i have sorted it!

Something I noticed last night - you can download maps to use offline directly in the app - eg you don't have to use MOBAC - as such you can download the OS maps (select Ordnance SM(UK) as the map and then click the map button (top right) and select 'Map Creator'. Then just select which levels of zoom you want) to use offline too.

Orux really is a very good app - takes some playing with to work out everything it does but I've found that I can set it up exactly how I want.

I haven't explored OM fully yet, so there may be better ways to use it. Also looking into viewranger next time I go on a local ride...

I tried to glue the mount, however had issues relating either to the plastics involved, or vibration, which led to the glue not being as firm a joint as I'd have hoped. This is why I'm not relying on glue to hold the thing on!

A proper 2-part adhesive would probably work better and might solve the issue.

Here are [url= https://plus.google.com/photos/101880824345682947366/albums/5668941486882439345 ]some pictures [/url]of my setup.

Xperia Active is still the best phone to use from a technical point of view in my opinion. Full waterproofing, ANT built in and a pressure sensor. About £150 in the UK. There is a commercial mount available but I go with the homemade. The only thing to change since the pictures is that I have a bit of string attaching the phone to the stem as a backup in case of a mounting failure. I also have a small cut-out on the bit of white plastic at the top to expose the pressure sensor as I have added a facility into [url= https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.iforpowell.android.ipbike&hl=en_GB ]IpBike[/url] to enable it to be woken up just by waving your hand in-front of the sensor.

For £150 I'd rather get a Bryton 50 or Edge 705...

I picked up a brand new phone from tescos last night for £38
Saw they had the deal online a month ago and went into my local big one and asked.
They were not out on display but she had 5 in stock 🙂
Just worth a shot if you have a Tesco extra locally

Are you using that as your main map? bit mental if so? Personally, I stick with paper maps, and GPS for when I'm lost to pinpoint location(memory map on the phone.)

Personally i find I can do most routes I've not done before with minimal reference to a map mind you, just purely from studying and remembering it. never really had the need for a handle bar mounted map..

My original need was to have a way of logging routes without using my phone, so as to save battery power for when it was needed.

But since this was fairly cheap, it allowed me to have a digital map with planned route displayed.

seosamh - I don't think anyone is advocating going out into proper wilderness with a phone as their only means of navigation. For me, I rarely ride places where I'm really at any risk of getting lost - I might just waste time if I do. I'm sure anyone going somewhere where there was real risk would be taking a backup map, etc.

numpty tech question here- would the defy phone with no sim work if wanting to use a live-tracking GPS app like endomondo, or is a sim and phone connection required for this?

thanks

Live tracking would require a sim. Although you could probably get a pay-as-you-go sim, the £10 or whatever would probably go pretty far...

or as I've considered, carrying your normal mobile with you (since I'll still always have that with me) acting as a wifi hotspot which the 'GPS mobile' could then piggy back on.

or as I've considered, carrying your normal mobile with you (since I'll still always have that with me) acting as a wifi hotspot which the 'GPS mobile' could the piggy back on.

cheers, conan, clubber.

so in the above, piggy back via bluetooth onto my basic cheapo Nokia?
would this possibly help with battery life issues mentioned on the other threads about live GPS tracking?

cheers

possibly but if it's a basic Nokia then you're unlikely to have a data contract (eg access to the internet). I guess it depends on how basic it actually is.

It won't do anything for battery life either - the GPS on the 'GPS mobile' will still be being used and in fact, since you'll be connecting to your normal mobile by wifi or bluetooth, you'll actually be using (a bit) more power.

OK ta.

Well I have bought a Defy Mini, it has a faulty speaker, but I am not too fussed about that! Hopefully it will rock up tomorrow and I can have a bash at making some sort of mount and giving it a try! Quite excited to give it a try!

I've done similar to the OP. A few points:

Defy minis are £38 sim-free in tesco at the moment.

The defy mini is [u]not waterproof[/u]. Though it is more splashproof than most phones.

Alpinequest is a good app for mapping and creating/following GPX tracks (needs the full version which is a fiver).

You can get OS/IGN etc. maps in the latest mobac with the appropriate map source script. I'm sure a little googling will see you right. Mobac is also good for creating GPX files to follow, but it's also quite easy to do in alpinequest.

Running a wifi-hotspot on your "proper" phone will run down its battery in short order.

Mate of mine did some OS maps for me. I use Trekbuddy with the maps loaded onto an SD card.

like this

[url= http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7299/8898763695_19da5cbe4d_z.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7299/8898763695_19da5cbe4d_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/17059060@N00/8898763695/ ]P1050201[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/17059060@N00/ ]eastham_david[/url], on Flickr

I have my HTC on sale at the moment.

[url] http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/fs-%e2%80%93-htc-desire-s-with-os-mapping-package-and-casemate-cover-%e2%80%93-pics [/url]

I find it works great with both the internal GPS or a bluetooth one (which saves the phone battery)

Defy minis are £38 sim-free in tesco at the moment.

I hope not! 🙂 I can't find them on their website...

I hope not! I can't find them on their website...

Yup! I have one right here that I got a couple of weeks ago. Also see cr500dom's post above. Not on their website though. In store only.

http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/motorola-defy-mini-39-instore-tesco-1540086

Yep fraid so, In store on wednesday I picked one up for £38
Wasnt on display, I had to ask, but they had a few in stock 😀

I found a dead link on ukhotdeals or something to tescomobile at £38 from 4 weeks ago, so I thought I`d chance a trip into the store and ask.

EDIT: that link there ^ 🙄

Running a wifi-hotspot on your "proper" phone will run down its battery in short order.

so just one (final) numpty question, the issue with the GPS tracking live on say Endomondo, is battery life, not really network/data usage?

I ask because if I try this for a few hours on my work phone and go over the limit our finance dept would no doubt give me a rollocking!

cheers

I`ve ordered a couple of cheap hard cases (just the backs really) from China / hongkong to make bike mounts out of.
That way I can have one fixed on the road bike and one on the MTB and just snap the phone into which ever one I am riding.

Now I just need to find an Ant+ HRM and Cadence/speed sensor for the road bike and I`ll be laughing

The more I play with Oruxmaps the more features there seem to be 😀

[url= http://www.handtec.co.uk/garmin-dakota-20.html ]This[/url] is where I got my oregan 450 from and love it. I'm not sure about the dakota but I know the oregon supports heart rate monitors and cadence sensors. The bike mount is a extra tenner.

Quick note about the Defy here, the original Defy is IP67 rated, the Defy Mini isn't waterproof at all.

There seems to be a lot of confusion over that issue. Some places say the phone is IP67, others do not. There are videos of it dunked in water...

It should, however, have no issues being rained on, or being splashed from the trail. I've certainly had no problem in rain and from mud...

so just one (final) numpty question, the issue with the GPS tracking live on say Endomondo, is battery life, not really network/data usage?

Not quite sure what you're asking here... tracking your route doesn't need data at all (no sim in my defy mini). If you want to "live track" publishing your route online to some service, that will use some data.

Now I just need to find an Ant+ HRM and Cadence/speed sensor for the road bike and I`ll be laughing

Don't think the mini does Ant+ though? Unless you know otherwise...can't find anything suggesting that it does...

There seems to be a lot of confusion over that issue. Some places say the phone is IP67, others do not. There are videos of it dunked in water...

As myself and ir_bandito say, the [b]defy mini[/b] is [b]NOT[/b] waterproof.

The motorola manual states this too. P4:

"Note: Your phone is not designed to float or work
underwater."

The Defy+ and original defy are IP67 (waterproof).

The mini does have some water resistance, but it's not supposed to be waterproof...(water may or may not kill it...)

Also see more comments here:
http://www.trustedreviews.com/motorola-defy-mini_Mobile-Phone_review

theirs stopped working after they dunked it thinking it was waterproof...

IA
Don't think the mini does Ant+ though? Unless you know otherwise...can't find anything suggesting that it does...

Ah ok, I was going from the software being able to support it...

Is there an Add on way of doing it ? bluetooth maybe ?
I know there is a plug in for the iphone to support ANT+ ?

cheers IA- yes, i was meaning live tracking and live posting so others can view from comfort of their home screen- do you know if this uses a lot of data, or just battery?
thanks

cheers IA- yes, i was meaning live tracking and live posting so others can view from comfort of their home screen- do you know if this uses a lot of data, or just battery?

Well that'll have to use some data, how much I don't know. I can't imagine it being very much data though it'll depend on the service.

To give some idea, for some work stuff we log GPS position data once a second. 3 hours of GPS log is under a megabyte.

Is there an Add on way of doing it ? bluetooth maybe ?

It's technically possible*, but not very practical.

(*you could in theory talk to an ANT+ transceiver over a BT->UART bridge, though I don't know if the software would support it, it'd maybe need new drivers or some kernel hacking on the phone. Or you could also connect one over USB where the device supports USB host/accessory profile, but I don't think the defy mini does)

EDIT: here you go http://www.selfloops.com/resources/tech-guides.html usb dongle for ANT+, don't think it'll work on the d-mini tho)

"Note: Your phone is not designed to float or work
underwater."

I just want to say thank you to everyone who has posted info in this thread. I've now got oruxmaps running on my low end handset and am loving it. Used it twice this weekend and i didn't know it was possible before this thread. Thanks!

Update,
The 2 hard cases (Just backs really) I ordered have arrived from China and HK, now need to sort out a bar mounting solution ?

Any Ideas on Light/accessory type mounts for bars ?
Cheers
Dom

Just search CRC or Wiggle in the "lights spares" section. You can usually find a handle bar clamp for a light for a few £'s that can be modded for other uses.

If I ever find time, I've bought the velcro alternative I mentioned and just need to actually put it all together. It is very grippy though so I'm expecting it to be ok.