Smartphone GPS

[JimmyTheHuman]

I've driven and ridden many 10s of 1000s of KMs around Australia and several other countries with my iphone and sometimes a paper map. I cannot bring myself to buy a GPS...maybe one day...i do like them. But i dont need a huge screen or anything fancy.

 

I have an old Iphone 6 so its a cheap options for me. Put it on a mirror mount 12mm quadlock on the crossbar. Hotspot to my primary iphone 11 as required. I guess you could buy a cheap data sim for it if i needed to.

 

I use NavMii, its free. Has offline maps and radar/camera locations (small cost for radars) for most countries.

 

I run it in Radar Detector mode and buy the updated radar locations. It alerts you as you approach every camera location in Australia.

 

I also use the Dashboard Speedo mode. This shows you a GPS based digital speedo...i have been past hundreds of cameras on the exact speed limit without fines. Also very good as it shows you the current speed limit for your location.

 

Does turn by turn and i guess you could bluetooth the audio to your headset if you really wanted to.

 

Has other features some people would like, like sharing live trip tracking.

 

But, it doesnt do tracks/offroad in enough detail...it's biggest let down.

 

Whats the best offroad, offline maps app for the smallest cost for Iphone? I am trying to run the apps i need for adv riding on this one iphone and trying not to pay any huge dollars for apps. eg Hema

 

It would be extra nifty if it could be a dashcam and a GPS at the same time?

 

I am working on jailbreakin it and forcing it to startup and stop when the power is start/stop from the usb charger on the bike and lock to a single app, so if it gets stolen they cant do anything with it.

 

Any other suggestions?

Edited January 1, 2021 by JimmyTheHuman

[MikeCMP]

There is a huge thread on advrider about this, but I use and recommend the following.

 

get yourself an android phone. I am a iPhone user myself and prefer them, but there are more of the apps you want to use on android and they are easier to mess with. I would recommend a kyrocera duraforce pro or similar durable phone. It’s waterproof shockproof etc.  for software I use Locus pro almost exclusively. It allows simple import of .gpx track files, and will just stick the track on the screen as a line I can follow. 
 

I also stores tracks and points in a database which is cool. When the NEBDR was released all I had to do was go to the page tap on the link and Locus automatically imported all the tracks and POIs. 
 

For turn by turn nave I use OSMD or something similar I’d have to look at the name. I also have a super old Garmin 550 on the dash I use as a heads up display and to just route me on the street. I will not use it to nav me off road anymore, it always mangles the route.

 

hope that helps,

Mike

[Yammybound88]

check out Drive Mode Dash if you have an Android phone when you get a chance -http://drivemodedashboard.com

 

cheers

Edited January 1, 2021 by Yammybound88
added more detail

[Vtamb81]

If you go the Android route and want “rally” navigation you can go this route as well. 
 

https://youtu.be/7NdVDhr6KTk

Spoiler

[Yammybound88]

Yes same system, I saw the same video and downloaded the software and controller is on its way. All offline. Cool stuff.

 

Cheers

[365moto.eu]

Android and Osmand

[JimmyTheHuman]

I am sure Android is awesome. I did it this way as i have access to old iphones...with the jailbreak it now sleeps and locks when the bike is off and awakens and launches the app i want (Navmii). Simple and now i have a working GPS, turn by turn and radar detector for $7aud.

 

Process is simple for anyone else who wants to try.

 

1. Old iphone, do not update IOS, leave it on oldest version possible.

2. Jailbreak, i used checkra1n

3. install Activator.

4. Create a Power Disconnect action to lock, then sleep the iphone.

5. Create a Power Connect action to launch your app and trigger unlock prompt.

 

If your IOS is older you can quit running apps and then sleep, but this is not working in IOS14 for me.

The reason you want to sleep is the Iphone jailbreak is applied at boot, so your phone will work as normal if it powers down, but your automation wont work until you connect to a computer and re run the jailbreak. I am connecting to battery power and forcing sleep mode to solve this. Long term i will power from my power brick and change the power brick as i ride.

 

For sure its not perfect, but you want something cheap and you already have a device then it works very well.

[T7Tom]

I’m trying out the CI controller from Thork Racing (Portugal), now I’m waiting for the spring here in Norway. I did a test in the garage and it looks and works great. I only need to upgrade to a newer/bigger phone and fix it to the bar above the speedometer.

I use the mirror mount (sold separately), it’s not a lot of room on the handle bar to attach it in my opinion. 

Thork Racing have an amazing customer service, and shipping took only 1,5 days from Portugal. 

[NickT7]

Looks nice! I think about the same solution. I use locus maps pro for offroad navigation and with this setup its very nice to navigate. Only €195 for only the controller seems to be a lot of money. 

[Stefos]

15 minutes ago, NickT7 said:

Looks nice! I think about the same solution. I use locus maps pro for offroad navigation and with this setup its very nice to navigate. Only €195 for only the controller seems to be a lot of money. 

My thoughts exactly. I like the app and the device and if cost was reasonable I would probably buy,  but I think it is too much money. Must be really nice to be able to use your phone without having to remove your gloves every time you want to use it. Has anyone found a decent wireless charger for use in RAM mounts?

 

[MikeCMP]

2 hours ago, Stefos said:

My thoughts exactly. I like the app and the device and if cost was reasonable I would probably buy,  but I think it is too much money. Must be really nice to be able to use your phone without having to remove your gloves every time you want to use it. Has anyone found a decent wireless charger for use in RAM mounts?

 

I just bought a hondo garage perfect squeeze with the wireless built in. I had the regular version for a long time and it's the best phone mount in my opinion, holds the phone very well. Their wireless solution is completely waterproof as well. 

 

I like those controllers too. They are pricey. I have seen some other folks using inexpensive bluetooth joysticks for phones, can't find the links for them now, and pretty sure they are not waterproof either, but there are options.

 

I would suggest using a stylus, and put it on a retractable lanyard. so if you need to use the phone you can tape something with the stylus, and the lanyard will keep the stylus out of the way. When using Locus I rarely need to use the screen at all, only if a road is closed  and I need to find a detour, in which case we are often stopping anyway  

 

Mike

[Toei]

@MikeCMP I have a perfect squeeze (love it) and was thinking about doing the juicer upgrade.  I have an Android phone on order to use as GPS-only; Lotus and Osmand are the two apps I'm interested in so you're a couple of steps ahead of me.  A rider on advrider said (via pm) that his juiced squeeze couldn't keep up with the power draw when using Osmand.  Have you tried that combination much yet?

 

Also, do you do route planning on your computer for Lotus and/or Osmand?  If so, what do you use?

 

[duibhceK]

Pretty satisfied with my current setup: Ram X-mount, Cheap rugged chinese phone (Doogee S90Pro), ultrathin Qi charger, OSMAnd+

for creating routes on the laptop I generally use kurviger.de. Export as track (not route) to a folder on my OneDrive. Open the gpx from OneDrive on the phone and let OSMand deal with creating the navigation instructions from the track. That way I also have a whole library of old tracks at my disposal on the go.

[MikeCMP]

5 hours ago, Toei said:

@MikeCMP I have a perfect squeeze (love it) and was thinking about doing the juicer upgrade.  I have an Android phone on order to use as GPS-only; Lotus and Osmand are the two apps I'm interested in so you're a couple of steps ahead of me.  A rider on advrider said (via pm) that his juiced squeeze couldn't keep up with the power draw when using Osmand.  Have you tried that combination much yet?

 

Also, do you do route planning on your computer for Lotus and/or Osmand?  If so, what do you use?

 

I have an older Kyocera Duraforce Pro, and the wireless keeps up. He battery on my phone is actually prett much shot, so I think it’s harder for the wireless, but it keeps it topped off. It actually will fully charge it, then I think the phone switched to a lower charging rate when the battery it full and it will start to drain. This is using Locus at max brightness. It doesn’t always do that, so it could be I didn’t center the wireless properly that time either, but I suspect it’s bc the battery has some kind of internal discharge problem. It will drop 10 percent in a few minutes of use off the charger. So I think the juiced will work.

 

I just had a problem with it, in the spirit of being honest. I was getting ready to go on a weekend ride, went to put my iPhone in the holder to navigate using Waze, and the knob unscrewed, rendering it useless. I was disappointed since it was not very old. Luckily Honda replied quickly after I emailed them, and sent me a new one in the mail. They said they had a few cases of the red loctite not holding properly.

 

to plan trips, usually use a program on the iPad called guru or Gaia. It lets you drop a start and end point, and then drop some shaping points in between on roads you want to hit. My one friend likes to plan trips so he will do a lot of that, that app exports to gpx. Also grab lots of gpx tracks offline like the trans Ohio trail and stuff like that, and incorporate those dirt roads into other rides.

 

Mike

[Toei]

@MikeCMP That's some good feedback, I went ahead and ordered the juiced upgrade.  I've been using the basic perfect squeeze for 2.5 years with nary an issue, but I can see where you're talking about with the adjustment wheel coming loose.  Now I'm going to worry about cranking mine too tight!    I've also got the buzz-kill which is nice, and I like the AMPS mounting.  So it's worth it to me to stay with the Hondo stuff.  

 

Thanks also for your trip planning thoughts.