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Date/Time: 03/28/2024 02:56PM
GPS mapping from phone

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Previous Messages:
Author Message Text
pbthorne 03/11/2019 06:48AM
Thank you all for the great information! For me, a lot of the fun is in planning the trip and this forum looks to be a valuable tool! It's great to have a community of like minded people that are willing to share their knowledge and experience.
bfurlow 03/10/2019 09:57PM
Most of the time I just use maps. Last year I used Navionics and it was great except I kept on checking my position to see if it was right or not. Came in handy maybe once when I was looking for a portage. Good for seeing depth when fishing tho!
Bushman 03/10/2019 12:02PM
I used Gaia on my Iphone in airplane mode and it worked great.


I didn't use it a lot but once when we had left Lower Basswood Falls and headed north into Crooked lake there was a spot where we should have veered left but went right and we ended up into a large bay in Canada. I checked my paper map and didn't recognize that size of a bay on our proposed route so I opened up the app on my Iphone and sure as heck it showed us going the wrong way.


I used it a few more times cutting across the top of Crooked Lake just to be sure as we didn't have time to be backtracking.


As far as battery % it hardly used any.
scotttimm 03/08/2019 02:24PM
pbthorne: "Atb- You seem to be very knowledgeable about BWCA and about modern tech for the adventure. I am new to this forum and to BWCA but have my first trip planned this year. I am currently looking for the best app for the trip. Have you found one that is all inclusive with GPS location, portages, campsites, and bathymetry?
Secondly, I see you have used the Vexilar SonarPhone 1) Do you think having this or something similar is beneficial and/or necessary? 2) Why did you choose the Vexilar model? 3) Did you consider or have you used any other models such as ReelSonar iBobber or Deeper Smart and if so what are your thoughts on them?
Thank you in advance for all your assistance and for sharing"

I used Huntstand App last year with my iphone in airplane mode, because I was worried about one section at the end of the trip with lots of islands - and I'm glad I did! Huntstand is free, you can select a section, mark a route, mark potential campsites, etc. This summer my wife, the girls and her cousin will be coming in to meet us from a different entry point. I will have this on their phones ready to go, in case they want to have backup with their map and compass.
johndku 03/08/2019 01:59PM
I'm going to go against the grain and say you won't need a GPS or other application. I don't begrudge those that want to take one,to each their own.
However I don't think there's any place so remote in the BWCA that you could get really, truly lost for very long. Even in the remote areas you're probably going to run into other groups on a daily basis.


Have the correct maps, a compass, pay attention to where you're at, and you'll be fine. Enjoy the scenery. Part of my fun is losing my phone for a week, but if that's not for you, that's OK too. I got semi-lost one time, just me and my 9 year old, half the fun was figuring out where we were, took us about 2 hours to get straightened out, but we weren't concerned. Heck, we have a canoe, tents, food, fishing equipment, ability to make fire, etc. at our disposal and we were supposed to be roughing it.


If you get a chance, Google up "Lost and Found, BWCA Canoe Trip", there's a humorous Youtube video of a group that got lost on the Granite River route, (wasn't us), that will give you a good laugh and a feel for what tripping is like.



pbthorne 03/07/2019 12:24PM
Atb: "I use MotionX and Navionics. I have a Vexilar SonarPhone device, which is a transducer that pairs to your phone to work as a fishfinder. When connected to Navionics, it also makes/improves bathymetric maps, which is awesome. Navionics also has a photo feature where it will display your photos where they were taken, nice for the big lunker pics!



Whatever you use, be sure to download the map tiles you need in advance, before you lose connectivity. Otherwise, you will be SOOL.



Interesting to hear about Gaia and Google Maps here...I'll try those on my July trip.
"



Atb- You seem to be very knowledgeable about BWCA and about modern tech for the adventure. I am new to this forum and to BWCA but have my first trip planned this year. I am currently looking for the best app for the trip. Have you found one that is all inclusive with GPS location, portages, campsites, and bathymetry?
Secondly, I see you have used the Vexilar SonarPhone 1) Do you think having this or something similar is beneficial and/or necessary? 2) Why did you choose the Vexilar model? 3) Did you consider or have you used any other models such as ReelSonar iBobber or Deeper Smart and if so what are your thoughts on them?
Thank you in advance for all your assistance and for sharing
pbthorne 03/07/2019 12:08PM
Atb- You seem to be very knowledgeable about BWCA and about modern tech for the adventure. I am new to this forum and to BWCA but have my first trip planned this year. I am currently looking for the best app for the trip. Have you found one that is all inclusive with GPS location, portages, campsites, and bathymetry?
Secondly, I see you have used the Vexilar SonarPhone 1) Do you think having this or something similar is beneficial and/or necessary? 2) Why did you choose the Vexilar model? 3) Did you consider or have you used any other models such as ReelSonar iBobber or Deeper Smart and if so what are your thoughts on them?
Thank you in advance for all your assistance and for sharing
Raue3600 06/14/2018 10:32AM
Thanks all
Atb 06/13/2018 09:41AM
I use MotionX and Navionics. I have a Vexilar SonarPhone device, which is a transducer that pairs to your phone to work as a fishfinder. When connected to Navionics, it also makes/improves bathymetric maps, which is awesome. Navionics also has a photo feature where it will display your photos where they were taken, nice for the big lunker pics!


Whatever you use, be sure to download the map tiles you need in advance, before you lose connectivity. Otherwise, you will be SOOL.


Interesting to hear about Gaia and Google Maps here...I'll try those on my July trip.
UncleBuck 06/13/2018 09:39AM
I use Terra Map on an iPhone 6 Plus in airplane mode. I used it exclusively last year and I've promised myself that I would NOT do the same this year. The app works fantastic but I found that I was ALWAYS looking at it. That really took some of the fun out of navigating and looking around more at the scenery. The GPS really became a crutch for me. On the other hand, it sure helped out when we were paddling across a wind-blown Seagull or when trying to find a hidden portage.


I also take a nice Anker recharger. I'd plug my phone in at night (which was usually down to 40% or so by then...guessing....but not scary-low) and the recharger easily lasts the week.


Oh, the best thing about the GPS is that my trip is logged-as long as I remember to start the log in the morning.
marsonite 06/13/2018 08:52AM
I use Topo Maps as a really easy way to download USGS quad maps and find your location.


nofish 06/13/2018 08:50AM
I have both HuntStand and Navionics on my phone. In the BWCA I use the Navionics maps for fishing and it works well without service. When having no service the only issue may be that it can take a little longer to establish a connection with a satellite for gps otherwise once connected it should work just fine.
SouthernExposure 06/13/2018 08:36AM
We used the map app from HuntStand on my iphone last week to navigate Seagull and Alpine, two lakes with a large number of islands. It has Google maps preloaded and places you via GPS on the map. You can also layout paths through the island mazes and pinpoint campsites and features before you go. It is a free app and proved to be a very valuable addition to the trip. I still carried maps and a compass as a backup.
IndyCanoe 06/13/2018 08:34AM
On advice from others in this forum, we used Gaia last year on our first trip into BWCA, and it worked great. For us it did provide that peace of mind to make sure i read the map correctly. I have also had success using motionX GPS but i seemed to like the interface of gaia a little better. Both work in airplane mode, just make sure you download the maps for the area ahead of time. I was able to find links in older threads that allowed me to download the gpx file with all of the portages and campsites that i uploaded to my phone.


If you are going to use it often bring a portable charger. I have an Iphone 7 just using it occasionally to get a bearing on a portage or a campsite didn't use much battery life. One of the days I wanted to test out the function that would guide me to a waypoint. Used it for maybe 30 minutes, I can't remember the exact battery % but i do remember that it was significant.
GearJunkie 06/13/2018 07:46AM
Raue3600: "Who has had success in airplane mode with your phone or what APP maybe good to download. A little piece of mind for staying the course would be nice since it is our first trip. While in Rocky Mountains All Trails App was nice with positioning. "


You can download the entire BWCA via google maps. Upper left hand corner there’s three flat lines. Click that and then go to “offline maps”. Then custom map. From there drag the square to the area of the BWCA you want to save “offline”.


It will stay saved for offline use for 30 days I believe. From there you can use maps normally within the pre saved map area only without a connection.


Use the drop pin feature and the hit the “save” icon to mark camps, portage’s, fishing spots, etc...


I use maps this way to map out my territory for work all the time. The only thing I’d says it cant do is actually give you a path to follow. Which isn’t really needed in my opinion due to the zoom feature and how accurate the signal is.
Raue3600 06/13/2018 07:14AM
Who has had success in airplane mode with your phone or what APP maybe good to download. A little piece of mind for staying the course would be nice since it is our first trip. While in Rocky Mountains All Trails App was nice with positioning.