Satelite tracking

garybaldy · Post by **garybaldy** » 12 Dec 2008, 4:48pm

Hello,

Where I work all our vechicles can be tracked, giving speed, route, direction etc. Does anyone know if there is a company that provides such a system for bikes. Of course it would have to be much smaller and lighter than those fitted in our HGV's, but would it be possible? It would certainly be interesting to watch a sponsered end2end ride etc.

It could also help to recover a stolen bike.

Any thoughts??

thirdcrank · Post by **thirdcrank** » 12 Dec 2008, 4:56pm

It's certainly available - that's what the little tags are dangling from the front hubs of bikes in the Tour etc (having said that, I've not watched more than a few minutes of pro bike racing for several years so it may have moved on.) I think they do (or again have) done something similar with runners in the London Marathon. Whether it's available or even viable for an individual rather than the organiser of a big event I just don't know. I think the price of the tracker anti-theft system for cars is quite steep.

wheneverican · Post by **wheneverican** » 12 Dec 2008, 5:07pm

that is soo spooky. I have just posted a new topic somewhere else on the forum about the same thing!
I am doing the LEJOG next spring and "need" a primary school to be able to see my progress a few times a day.
I have a phone and a GPS, memory map of GB plus topo GB so am trying to think how all this can talk to each other and delivery a pinpoint location of where i am! Most of this technology seems to involve you calling a mobile number and then it relaying a GPS waypoint back that can be pinned to a map - too complicated for me and the school.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers
Simon

kwackers · Post by **kwackers** » 12 Dec 2008, 5:14pm

wheneverican wrote:that is soo spooky. I have just posted a new topic somewhere else on the forum about the same thing!
I am doing the LEJOG next spring and "need" a primary school to be able to see my progress a few times a day.
I have a phone and a GPS, memory map of GB plus topo GB so am trying to think how all this can talk to each other and delivery a pinpoint location of where i am! Most of this technology seems to involve you calling a mobile number and then it relaying a GPS waypoint back that can be pinned to a map - too complicated for me and the school.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers
Simon

If your mobile phone is switched on, there are systems that can track it. Might be worth seeing if one of those is suitable.

speedsixdave · Post by **speedsixdave** » 12 Dec 2008, 5:23pm

I have a Sony alpha 100 DSLR camera, and was looking for accessories on the Sony website the other day. They do a little GPS dongle for geo-tagging your photographs. It apparently will work with any camera. How it works is this (I think):

1. You pop the GPS reciever (about as big as a C-size battery, by the looks of it) in your pocket when you go out. It records the time and your position from GPS satellites all the time.

2. You take photos with your digital camera. The camera records the time as part of its exif data.

3. You connect GPS dongle and camera to your PC, and download the photos through Sony's special software. The software reads the time the photo was taken from the exif data, then checks with the GPS data to find out where you were at that time. The software then writes that location to the photo's exif data as a geotag.

4. You can use this geotag to locate your photos with google earth, and then presumably upload or email that information to someone.

5. They click on the dot on Google earth, and up pops your photo.

Looks like genius to me. About £70-100, I think. I shall be getting one when the Bank of Kate allows. Review here.

lauriematt · Post by **lauriematt** » 13 Dec 2008, 11:25am

wheneverican wrote:that is soo spooky. I have just posted a new topic somewhere else on the forum about the same thing!
I am doing the LEJOG next spring and "need" a primary school to be able to see my progress a few times a day.
I have a phone and a GPS, memory map of GB plus topo GB so am trying to think how all this can talk to each other and delivery a pinpoint location of where i am! Most of this technology seems to involve you calling a mobile number and then it relaying a GPS waypoint back that can be pinned to a map - too complicated for me and the school.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers
Simon

i use http://sportstracker.nokia.com/nts/main/index.do to record a route i have cycled....and you can simply upload it wirelessly to your account.

i dont think you could run it all day showing your location because of battery useage...but im sure if you had a play with it you could update your location 2 - 3 times a day

yakdiver · Post by **yakdiver** » 13 Dec 2008, 2:04pm

Spot GPS

Post by **Mick F** » 13 Dec 2008, 3:20pm

Brilliant!
"I want one of those!"

Somebody on here earlier on in the year was asking the same question, and received a good answer, and was setting something up for his forthcoming E2E. Sadly, I don't recall whom or when or even if it happened.

But great idea nonetheless, and seriously, I want one!

yakdiver · Post by **yakdiver** » 13 Dec 2008, 3:58pm

"spot"has been tested by one of our members of a kayaking forum and it really does preform as stated in the advert I think it would be very good if cycling MTB as well as hill walkers in remote areas