Another thread on safety, some useful info.

[Robin3]

I wondered if I could use my smartphone GPS to obtain Lat/Long position data, thinking that it could double as a handheld GPS in the ditch bag to give a position we could call in on the handheld VHF set. I wasn't sure if the GPS would still work offshore with no cellular connection so I asked the question of some geeks on another yachting forum in the UK.

Well the good news is that our Samsung Galaxy Note2 android phones' built in GPSs do work and a freebie App called GPS Test obtained free via Playstore and installed on each phone displays Lat/Long position coordinates clearly and also the satellites used data. I also tested this feature with the phone set in 'Airplane mode' which cuts down on it's battery consumption. We do not have a handheld GPS so this is a very useful feature on our phones (we have 2 note2's) which we can now use if we ever need to abandon ship and make sure that we remember to include one at least of our smartphones with the handheld VHF in our ditch bag ready to go... WE have a waterproof ditch bag and both cellphones and VHF have separate waterproof cases.

[Richard_W]

If you have a phone or device with GPS chipset/function built in, it does not need cellular towers/signal/sim for GPS functionality to work. The GPS works anywhere where GPS satellite signal can be received.

BTW, "airplane" mode kills GPS and other functionality, at least on Apple iOS devices, see: iOS: Understanding airplane mode

[Randy]

I like it thanks!

[Robin3]

Originally Posted by Richard_W

If you have a phone or device with GPS chipset/function built in, it it does not need cellular towers/signal/sim for GPS functionality. GPS works anywhere where GPS satellite signal can be received.

BTW, "airplane" mode kills GPS and other functionality, at least on Apple idevices, see: iOS: Understanding airplane mode

Well once again I am glad I dumped Apple and the hated Iphone in favour of Samsung and android.

Our Galaxy note 2s work fine and first fix time as displayed on the 'GPS Test' app was just a couple of minutes.

AIrplane mode did not kill the GPS on my phone when I tried it and the 'GPS Test' App clearly showed all the satellites listened to and their signal/noise ratios.

When I got the advice initially I was told by a UK geek that there are two kinds of chipsets that can be fitted in cellphones one of which needs an initial location to find a fix and the other which does it regardless of location, worldwide It probably follows that Apple bought cheap and once again SAmsung shows their superiority but that might just be my general hatred of rotten Apples showing. anyway it is free and easily tested as I found

[Robin3]

Just tested it again and it went to first fix in airplane mode in just 57 seconds, eat your core out Apple!

[Richard_W]

Originally Posted by Robin3

Just tested it again and it went to first fix in airplane mode in just 57 seconds, eat your core out Apple!

Huh ... what this has to to with Apple or quality of the product?

The airplane mode is just an automated way to switch the multiple services off. One familiar with the device settings menu can do switch any combination of any services on or off manually ... and keep them this way.

Good you tested it, and you know the GPS works in airplane mode on your device. Could be a nasty surprise.

[Randy]

It will allow my phone to work as a good backup GPS it seems.

[Robin3]

Originally Posted by Richard_W

Huh ... what this has to to with Apple or quality of the product?

The airplane mode is just an automated way to switch the multiple services off. One familiar with the device settings menu can do switch any combination of any services on or off manually ... and keep them this way.

Good you tested it, and you know the GPS works in airplane mode on your device. Could be a nasty surprise.

sorry, but I have unhappy history with Apple such that my final sign in password after so many resets that I lost count, as well as patience, became APPLESUCK5 as they insisted on some uppercase characters and at least one numeral. I Paid $800 to ditch our Iphone 4s's and also dump Sprint and it was worth all of that but it still didn't recover all my contacts and stored emails that Apple systems lost, wiped out somewhere in the 'cloud' between my laptop and the phone.

[Lake-Effect]

A few caveats with relying on smartphones for ditch-bag GPS

- smartphones have shorter battery life than most handheld GPSs
- you can use standard batteries on many handheld GPSs
- hand-held GPSs are usually more water-resistant than smart-phones*
- assuming you normally have GPS data from your nav instruments, your handheld GPS will already be in your ditch-bag (with fresh spare batteries), whereas in a ditch situation you'd have to remember to grab the phone

Just some comments. Of course, you can't place a call with the handheld GPS

* I have a SONY xperia go which alleges will survive 30 minutes immersion in up to 1 meter. Still, not exactly mil-spec

[Randy]

Yeah it'd need a little solar charger

[Richard_W]

Originally Posted by Robin3

sorry, but I have unhappy history with Apple such that my final sign in password after so many resets that I lost count, as well as patience, became APPLESUCK5 as they insisted on some uppercase characters and at least one numeral. I Paid $800 to ditch our Iphone 4s's and also dump Sprint and it was worth all of that but it still didn't recover all my contacts and stored emails that Apple systems lost, wiped out somewhere in the 'cloud' between my laptop and the phone.

Sorry you perceived the best practice as a nuisance. That requirement happens to be a good password management ... much better than "password" or "12345" for a password.

I bet your contacts and calendars still reside in your iCloud account ... a matter of signing in and syncing them do your Mac laptop and then archiving/exporting them to your hard drive for import to a different device/system.

In any case, let's focus on GPS and phone as a GPS device rather than bashing of Apple or any other brand ...

[Robin3]

Originally Posted by Lake-Effect

A few caveats with relying on smartphones for ditch-bag GPS

- smartphones have shorter battery life than most handheld GPSs
- you can use standard batteries on many handheld GPSs
- hand-held GPSs are usually more water-resistant than smart-phones*
- assuming you already have GPS from other instruments, your handheld GPS will already be in your ditch-bag (with fresh spare batteries), whereas in a ditch situation you'd have to remember to grab the phone

Just some comments. Of course, you can't place a call with the handheld GPS

* I have a SONY xperia go which alleges will survive 30 minutes immersion in up to 1 meter. Still, not exactly mil-spec

I intend buying a battery pack thingy I saw somewhere that apparently recharges a cellphone to xtend it's charge life if it starts to go flat, but I get 48hrs routinely from mine anyway after a full charge WE have some aquapak waterproof cellphone bags to keep our phones and a similar one for the 'water resistant' handheld VHF in plus a 100% waterproof ditch bag for everything, that we have always put our essential stuff in whilst voyaging from our passports via car keys to wallets money and credit cards on the assumption we will at some stage get back to need them again

[Richard_W]

Originally Posted by Randy

Yeah it'd need a little solar charger

There are also these hand cranked chargers with USB port. Don't see much talk about using them on a boat. With so many idevices being used as GPS/NAV equipment these days the hand crank charger should be next to spare batteries in one's ditch bag ... me thinks.

[Robin3]

Originally Posted by Richard_W

Sorry you perceived the best practice as a nuisance. That requirement happens to be a good password management ... much better than "password" or "12345" for a password.

I bet your contacts and calendars still reside in your iCloud account ... a matter of signing in and syncing them do your Mac laptop and then archiving/exporting them to your hard drive for import to a different device/system.

In any case, let's focus on GPS and phone as a GPS device rather than bashing of Apple or any other brand ...

It was A Microsoft not a Mac laptop synced to the cloud, an Ipad and an iphone that refused to recognize my username or passwords that would allow access to the cloud,, this why I had to reset the password so many times I lost all will to live. OH and I do not use dumb passwords either which is why I gwt a tad peed off when Apple screwed up yet another good one by refusing to let me log in and of course you are not allowed to use the same password more than one time as it irritatingly kept telling me as it has it seems an infinite memory.

Anyway back to things boaty.....

[StuM]

For 20 bucks or so, well worth stuffing in the grab bag:

wind up phone charger | eBay