New Android Sailing App : SailFreeGPS

[Fred31]

Hello,

Here is attached the new layout.

Fred

[Alan Mighty]

Fred: ca va!

We took version 1.0 for an outing two days ago.

Quite superb resolution of speed changes.

I look forward to updating to your next version.

Merci beaucoup!

[StuM]

Getting even better with every version.

[edsailing]

Originally Posted by StuM

Getting even better with every version.

Brilliant app, I'm immensely impressed with the way you have picked up on comments and implemented changes so quickly.

Many, many thanks!

[barryglewis]

Thanks Fred, looks good, will try it out in a couple of weeks when leave Tangier for Med
Barry
Risky Business

[danblu]

Hi Fred hey could one "page " be just a compass that could be set true or magnetic?
I have tried to find a gps compass but have not had any luck. I mean with a gps onboard who would use a magnetic compass unless stationary?

[Fred31]

I will have to add an option to dismiss magnetic compass presentation.

Fred

[danblu]

Great stuff Fred. The problem I have is I need glasses to read the compass so having a digital compass with large lettering would be a boon.

[GL-WindPower]

Great app Fred. Concentrate and enhance what you have now. Add later after all the bugs are worked out. You will never be able to provide everything everyone wants. You will never ever able to fix the fact that someone needs glasses. You can go insane trying to keep up with all the suggestions so take development as a pace your comfortable with.

[danblu]

I'm sure I'm not the lone ranger in needing glasses. they are a real problem aboard especially for people who don't need them for long range vision. Fred asked for feedback. Platitudes and flattery help not the designer. Only hard facts do. Thanks for hearing me Fred.

[rowboatload]

Great app. If you put in an anchor watch with alarm, make the alarm as loud as possible so we don't have to try sleeping with our aids running.

[danblu]

I have searched for hours for a simple android compass that gives heading underway via gps in numbers, large loud and clear without success. Seems the people that design these have never been to sea. They all have a traditional compass rose with small n s e w or small numbers and most need phone or tablet to have a compass (useless in my experience). A page on Fred's app that just gave the numbers would be great.

[wackerb]

Looks great and the adjustable averaging beats the commercial version in Navico chartplotters.

If you do an anchor watch please implement a way to move the center point.

And an alarm via email as SMS requires a separate SIM card from the one on the phone to receive the alarm. Or, maybe, Iridium SMS? In a foreign land it is a pain to have to get two SIMs just to have an anchor alarm.

Thanks.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by wackerb

Looks great and the adjustable averaging beats the commercial version in Navico chartplotters.

If you do an anchor watch please implement a way to move the center point.

And an alarm via email as SMS requires a separate SIM card from the one on the phone to receive the alarm. Or, maybe, Iridium SMS? In a foreign land it is a pain to have to get two SIMs just to have an anchor alarm.

Thanks.

Danger! Beware of scope/feature creep.


I really don't see any point in combining an anchor watch into the current app. Speed/heading is pointless when anchored and drift from a spot is pointless when sailing.


There are plenty of good anchor alert apps already out there.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by danblu

Hi Fred hey could one "page " be just a compass that could be set true or magnetic?
I have tried to find a gps compass but have not had any luck. I mean with a gps onboard who would use a magnetic compass unless stationary?

There is no such thing as a "GPS compass".


A GPS direction is NOT a compass. It is the direction of your track over the previous x updates. A compass is a device which points in a fixed direction regardless of how you are moving.



Calling a GPS calculated course direction a compass heading is dangerously misleading.



To answer your final question. I would. How else do you check whether risk of collision exists when you see a vessel in the distance? How else do you get an accurate bearing on a object when doing coastal navigation?