GPS on a Smartphone

[student]

I'm looking at getting a GPS unit to run Lakemaster or something equivalent for Lake of the Woods. My question is can a person use the GPS options on a smart phone to accomplish this?

[pureinsanity]

Is it an android phone? If so than there is an app you can buy to accomplish this.

[pureinsanity]

Check this out. A video by Dtro and the apps he uses for fishing

[DTro]

Here's a good read for you too:

http://www.hotspotoutdoors.com/forum/ubb...Dro#Post2390546

[student]

Thanks for the info.

[student]

This might be a dumb question but.....The gps capabilities of a phone are seperate from coverage, right? I won't have a problem using the GPS on a remote lake?

[pureinsanity]

nope. with a smart phone you pay for a 30 dollar unlimited plan usually. No other charges should be racked up for use of the fishing apps or the google maps GPS

[CAMAN]

I don't believe he's asking about additional charges, I think he's asking about if he'll be able to use GPS even if he doesn't have a cell signal. And yes, you can use it, the GPS on Smartphones uses satelites and not the cell network to triangulate your position.

[DTro]

This is from Navionics site:

Q. Do I need to have cellular coverage to use the GPS function?

A. With the Android phones , location technology is built into the device. Your approximate location is determined using available information from cellular network data, local Wi-Fi networks (if you have Wi-Fi turned on), and GPS (GPS not available in all locations). Once you have downloaded Navionics Mobile applications to your Android phone, they are resident on your device and are a reliable tool to access charts even when not in cell range.

Q. How does the Android phones calculate my position?

A. The Android phone calculates your position using its internal GPS, as well as any additional available signals i.e. Wi-Fi and/or cell. The Navionics Mobile app does not require Wi-Fi nor cell signals to function, only the GPS in order to show your position.

Q. Can I navigate with the Android phones if there is no internet connectivity?

A. An internet connection is only needed to download Navionics Mobile to your Android phones. Once downloaded, the map resides on the Android phones allowing you to view Navionics Mobile Maps with the smartphone's internal GPS.

[pureinsanity]

I guess I should have re-read it. Yes you can use it on a remote lake with out cell coverage. But from what Dtro posted it sounds like the GPS isn't going to be available everywhere. But in most cases you should be able to use it.

[CAMAN]

They just say "Not available in all areas" for things like tunnels and places with no clear view of the sky. But GPS satellites cover the entire world so you shouldn't have any issue as long as you can see sky, and out on a lake shouldn't have any problems.

[Marcus Taplin]

I have this app on my droid, and it is the best 15 bucks I have spent! It works great, I tested it out yesterday when I was checking lakes. The only down fall to it, is it doesn't zoom in as far as I would like it to. But, for 15 bucks it a hell of a deal. Don't have to drop $300-$400 on a GPS and another $100 on a lake chip. The GPS is also a different part of the phone and doesn't run off your cell phone towers, but rather the satellites in the sky.