Android tablet and gpx file - navigating

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robgul
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Android tablet and gpx file - navigating

Post by robgul »

I've been trying to find an answer ... but can't find one - hopefully the combined wisdom here may know??

I have a Nexus 7 tablet - 2013 vintage (running Android 5.1.1) - what I want to do, for cycle touring, is:

Use the tablet in the map case on my bar-bag showing a reasonably detailed map (Google or OSM would be fine) and be able to load a pre-plotted .gpx file of a track (plotted using Memory Map on a PC, saved as a .gpx)

The complete map of the UK needs to be stored in the tablet (i.e. NO data connection_
I'm not bothered about turn-by-turn etc - just the position marker moving as I ride along will be just fine.
Battery life may be an issue, but I do have a battery pack to connect


I've looked at quite a few Android apps (Google, AlpineQuest, Viewrianger, MapsME, Citymapper ) I have the complete OS 1-50,000 in AlpineQuest .. but that doesn't seem to allow a gpx file to be loaded and followed.

I also use a Garmin Edge Touring with my own gpx files (with the 1-50000 OS for the UK and Garmin EU Cycle map or Velomaps for European countries) - that all works fine BUT the screen is a bit small - I like the "wider awareness" of the larger tablet-sized map view.

All suggestions appreciated ...

Rob
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freeflow
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Re: Android tablet and gpx file - navigating

Post by freeflow »

Try Locus Maps or OSMand. Both will follow a gpx and have offline maps.
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al_yrpal
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Re: Android tablet and gpx file - navigating

Post by al_yrpal »

Osmand. It will guide you along an imported .gpx file if you wish, but if not you can set it to keep your position in the middle of the screen. It will also record your route as a .gpx.

Al
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bikes4two
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Re: Android tablet and gpx file - navigating

Post by bikes4two »

I used to use AlpineQuest and you loaded the GPX track in the Landmarks folder and off you went.

However, I've moved on since then and like you I hankered after a bigger screen and now use a waterproof Android phone with 4.5" screen as a dedicated GPS (no SIM card - running in airplane mode for 10hrs screen-on runtime - cost £70)

The two apps I really liked were OSMand+ and LocusMap Pro with the latter having a good on-line manual.

If you search this forum for either of the above apps you will see there are enthusiastic adopters of both :D
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matt_twam_asi
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Re: Android tablet and gpx file - navigating

Post by matt_twam_asi »

Another vote for OsmAnd.
Pickers
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Re: Android tablet and gpx file - navigating

Post by Pickers »

I note that the routes are plotted on a PC using Memory Map - can I ask, is this your PC? Memory Map comes with 5 licences, I use it to plot my routes and use it on an Android tablet and an old Iphone 4 (both by the relevant app) in exactly the way you describe.
I've no experience of the other apps, except for using some OSM mapping in the low countries last year (I have MM maps for GB and France). Didn't like it much.
I also use an Edge Touring, like you I find the screen too small. I've also had a few problems with it which means I'm not inclined to trust it.
simonhill
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Re: Android tablet and gpx file - navigating

Post by simonhill »

As an aside, the latest version of Android for your tablet is 6.0.1

You are running a fairly old version for your Nexus.
Bez
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Re: Android tablet and gpx file - navigating

Post by Bez »

bikes4two wrote:a waterproof Android phone with 4.5" screen as a dedicated GPS (no SIM card - running in airplane mode for 10hrs screen-on runtime - cost £70)


Which phone is that?
garibeet
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Re: Android tablet and gpx file - navigating

Post by garibeet »

I use a motorola phone running android, with oruxmaps. You can import OSM mapping from sites such as openfiets etc to use offline. I had a touring edge for a while and found it far to fiddly, small screen too. did nothing my phone can't do, and the phone does it better imo.
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bikes4two
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Re: Android tablet and gpx file - navigating

Post by bikes4two »

Bez wrote:
bikes4two wrote:a waterproof Android phone with 4.5" screen as a dedicated GPS (no SIM card - running in airplane mode for 10hrs screen-on runtime - cost £70)


Which phone is that?


The Doogee DG 700 - I bought mine with 2 extra batteries for those touring times when I'm well away from electricity :o Being able to swap batteries is a distinct plus versus those phone where you can't do this, as eventually a phone battery's performance will wane to the unusable level at which point you may end up ditching the phone (Apple users often weep at this point :D :D :D )

The battery life running LocusMap pro in Airplane mode is good - today I rode and had the phone on for about 7hrs running the screen at 80% brightness (which is adequate for sunny days as per recent experience in the South of France), recording my track and the battery still showed as having 37% remaining.

I got mine from Gearbest dot com's EU warehouse but I note it's out of stock but give Amazon and eBay a whirl.

WARNING - DON'T repeat DON'T get one from a China/non-EU based source as you'll end up paying +20% on the purchase price :(
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sjs
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Re: Android tablet and gpx file - navigating

Post by sjs »

robgul wrote:I've been trying to find an answer ... but can't find one - hopefully the combined wisdom here may know??

I have a Nexus 7 tablet - 2013 vintage (running Android 5.1.1) - what I want to do, for cycle touring, is:

Use the tablet in the map case on my bar-bag showing a reasonably detailed map (Google or OSM would be fine) and be able to load a pre-plotted .gpx file of a track (plotted using Memory Map on a PC, saved as a .gpx)

The complete map of the UK needs to be stored in the tablet (i.e. NO data connection_
I'm not bothered about turn-by-turn etc - just the position marker moving as I ride along will be just fine.
Battery life may be an issue, but I do have a battery pack to connect


I've looked at quite a few Android apps (Google, AlpineQuest, Viewrianger, MapsME, Citymapper ) I have the complete OS 1-50,000 in AlpineQuest .. but that doesn't seem to allow a gpx file to be loaded and followed.

I also use a Garmin Edge Touring with my own gpx files (with the 1-50000 OS for the UK and Garmin EU Cycle map or Velomaps for European countries) - that all works fine BUT the screen is a bit small - I like the "wider awareness" of the larger tablet-sized map view.

All suggestions appreciated ...

Rob


I recommend Maverick. The pro version (just a few pounds) has a lot of options for downloading and storing offline maps, including OS 1:50 and 1:25k, and will display gpx's created elsewhere for use in walking or cycling, keeping the current location in the centre of the screen.
gloomyandy
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Re: Android tablet and gpx file - navigating

Post by gloomyandy »

bikes4two wrote:
The battery life running LocusMap pro in Airplane mode is good - today I rode and had the phone on for about 7hrs running the screen at 80% brightness (which is adequate for sunny days as per recent experience in the South of France), recording my track and the battery still showed as having 37% remaining.


Was the screen actually on/visible for all of that time, or did you have to touch a button or something to see it? Impressive battery life if it was on all the time.
nirakaro
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Re: Android tablet and gpx file - navigating

Post by nirakaro »

I tried Osmand, but found it ran horrendously slow on my (reasonably recent) tablet. MapsMe won't take .gpx files, but you can convert them online to .kml and display those.
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bikes4two
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Re: Android tablet and gpx file - navigating

Post by bikes4two »

gloomyandy wrote:
bikes4two wrote:
The battery life running LocusMap pro in Airplane mode is good - today I rode and had the phone on for about 7hrs running the screen at 80% brightness (which is adequate for sunny days as per recent experience in the South of France), recording my track and the battery still showed as having 37% remaining.


Was the screen actually on/visible for all of that time, or did you have to touch a button or something to see it? Impressive battery life if it was on all the time.


Yes, the screen was on all of the time I was cycling but I usually turn the screen off at coffee/food stops (and if I really need to squeeze the run-time I might switch the GPS off during these breaks or even turn the phone completely off but generally my long days are shorter than a full charge :) )

So to reiterate, the phone is in Airplane mode, Bluetooth off, no WiFi on and no SIM card fitted (I don't think there wold be much difference to power consumption if there was a SIM card fitted as long as the phone is in Airplane mode. I'll find out in July because I'm fitting a THREE SIM into the GPS phone for cheap data whilst I cycle back home from Genoa, so I'll update this post as necessary).
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bikes4two
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Re: Android tablet and gpx file - navigating

Post by bikes4two »

Having now completed the 1,000 mile / 19 day ride back to the UK from Genoa, here is the update I promised:

The DG700 performed wonderfully apart from when I left it on the handlebars in the hot sun one lunchtime (ambient temperature about 34DegC and the phone is BLACK) and the LocusPro app lost connection to the maps on the SD card which were then corrupted (re-loaded map files from my 'other' android phone via bluetooth where I had a complete backup of app, maps and tracks)

Anyway, back to the point: the battery life was great in that even after a '9 hrs on the road' day, there was still about 15% battery left so I never needed to use either of the 2 spare batteries that I carried (along with the cache battery too - talk about belt and braces :cry: )

I did indeed fit a THREE SIM in the DG700 and I would occasionally take the phone out of airplane mode to pick up any emails/messages etc. From my non scientific observations I would estimate that leaving the phone with airplane mode off (i.e. as you would normally have the phone to receive calls/texts etc), I would guess that the phone's battery would be reduced by maybe an hour, so run-time would be typically 8-9 hrs rather than 9-10hrs.

The whole tracking/mapping experience was so much better with the DG700/LocusMap than when I've used a Garmin :)
Without my stoker, every trip would only be half a journey
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