Good point. Do dedicated GPSs ever crash and become inaccessible? I would have
thought they'd be less likely to, being simpler, but memory cards can become
corrupt in any device.
Apart from a data loss like yours, one has to consider what happens if you're
relying on it to navigate at the time.
Peter Shute
Sent from my iPad
> On 7 Oct 2013, at 3:40 pm, ""
> <> wrote:
>
> Hi All,
>
> Peter, I second your comments regarding the usefulness of GPS functions and
> various apps on smart phones.
>
> One caution: if your phone is an iPhone and crashes, it is a complete black
> box. Last year I commenced collecting certain types of field data on an
> iPhone 4s. After turning the phone off at end of field trip, and then turning
> it back on it asked to be reset. This, allegedly, wipes all data. The good
> news is I sent it to a forensic data recovery expert in Sydney who cracked it
> (his first successful 4s crack) and recovered all data for $250. Much cheaper
> than redoing the data collection (estimate $4-6k).
>
> Lesson: even if you get back to camp at midnight, back up immediately to a
> computer, or cloud if in range.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Eric
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From:
> On Behalf Of Peter and Toni
> Sent: Tuesday, 1 October 2013 2:40 PM
> To:
> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] GPS for vocalisation recording
>
> I use several different Android smartphones and tablets for detailed GPS
> mapping. The modern smart phones are brilliant in heavy forest. Mine is
> capable of tracking more than 20 satellites, including the russian ones.
> Older GPS could only track 8 so quickly lost signal under cover.
> In heavy rainforest the phone kept a fix at all times when previous surveys
> had seen older GPS lose all signal. Every year the phones get more
> sensitive. For instance they will easily get a fix from inside a house, as
> long as there is a window in the room. Accuracy and repeatability are far
> improved from older dedicated GPS I have owned, although I am sure newer
> dedicated GPSs have also improved. I use Oziexplorer to manage maps and
> waypoints. It can download the waypoints to excel for easy manipulation.
> There are similar programs available for Apple. Battery life can be a bit
> short, but I also carry a small battery pack that can recharge the phone if
> out all day. Having your birding app, GPS and phone in one instrument makes
> juggling hardware a lot less of a problem. As long as you don't lose it or
> drop it.
>
> cheers
> Peter
>> On 01-Oct-13 12:41 PM, Merrilyn Serong wrote:
>> Garmin handheld GPS units are very good.
>> Here is a link so you can compare the different models.
>> https://buy.garmin.com/en-AU/AU/cOnTheTrail-cHandheld-p1.html
>> They are not cheap, but if you want a good one...
>> Cheers,
>> Merrilyn
>>
>>> On 1/10/2013 11:59 AM, David Richardson wrote:
>>> One of the points mentioned in the original post was that the GPS be
>>> capable of deep forest satellite acquisition.I don't know much about
>>> iphone or camera GPS functions but I doubt they would operate
>>> accurately in situations other than clear sky satellite
>>> acquisition.That is why a dedicated GPS unit,and a very good one at
>>> that,would be of more use.
>>> perhaps someone on list who has knowledge of this could post a relpy
>>> addressing that point?
>>>
>>>
>>>> On Tue, Oct 1, 2013 at 10:27 AM, Peter Shute <> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> I suspect that the main difference between a phone GPS and a
>>>> dedicated one, apart from not using up the battery of your precious
>>>> communication device, is accuracy. I'm told I shouldn't expect
>>>> better than 30m accuracy from an iphone.
>>>>
>>>> I suspect Google Earth coordinates can be off by that much too, if
>>>> the difference between the images of roads and the corresponding
>>>> linework is anything to go by.
>>>>
>>>> Peter Shute
>>>>
>>>> Sent from my iPad
>>>>
>>>> On 1 Oct 2013, at 9:06 am, "Martin Butterfield"
>>>> < <>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> If you don't have a mobile phone, my camera (Panasonic TZ40) has a
>>>> GPS function which - if activated - includes geocoordinates with
>>>> images. I suspect many other mid-range cameras now have this
>>>> functionality.
>>>>
>>>> It seems that the need for a dedicated GPS for simply recording
>>>> point locations is well gone.
>>>>
>>>> Martin
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On 1 October 2013 08:30, Peter Shute <<mailto:
>>>> >> wrote:
>>>> If you mean you want to save and name a way point so that you can
>>>> just read out the way point name into the microphone, then I would
>>>> have thought most would allow that. Some probably just automatically
>>>> number the way points, but you could read out that number.
>>>>
>>>> I just use my phone's GPS (have never tried a dedicated GPS), and I
>>>> read out the coordinates directly at each new location. I could mark
>>>> a way point and then later copy its coordinates into the metadata,
>>>> but it seems just as quick to type it out while I listen to the
>>>> coordinates I read out.
>>>> It gives
>>>> me two chances to get it wrong, but it also means the coordinates
>>>> aren't as likely to get separated from the recording.
>>>>
>>>> I'm hoping I can find a way to get the phone to read out the current
>>>> coordinates so I can just hold it up to the mic. That should
>>>> eliminate the first kind of error, but it's inspired more by
>>>> laziness.
>>>>
>>>> Peter Shute
>>>>
>>>> ________________________________
>>>> From: <mailto:
>>>> > [
>>>> <mailto:
>>>> >] On Behalf Of Roger McNeill
>>>> [ <>]
>>>> Sent: Tuesday, 1 October 2013 7:52 AM
>>>> To:
>>>> <
>>>> au
>>>> Subject: [Birding-Aus] GPS for vocalisation recording
>>>>
>>>> All,
>>>>
>>>> I know this has been raised a few times over the years, so apologies
>>>> for that, but the technology and brands keep changing and it is
>>>> difficult to keep up.
>>>>
>>>> I need a Handheld GPS to support my vocalisation recordings. The
>>>> main requirements other than the obligatory battery life,
>>>> ruggedness, light, international maps, deep forest satilite
>>>> acquistion, etc, is the ability to input multiple way points and
>>>> link them to a specific recording.
>>>>
>>>> Most of the units I see on line seem to have a detailed drill down
>>>> menu but what I am looking for is a compact unit whereby I can
>>>> quickly enter a location, note the 'location reference' in my
>>>> recording and then weeks later when I am back home, download that
>>>> way point into my computer when I am doing my Meta data?
>>>>
>>>> Up until now I have been doing it after the fact off Google Earth
>>>> and this is getting very old.
>>>>
>>>> Also, the ability to pre-load waypoints is probably standard, but
>>>> also required. I am a hand held GPS novice, if that is not already
>>>> evident by the questions, so any and all help is appreciated.
>>>>
>>>> Cheers,
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Roger
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Roger McNeill
>>>> Samford Valley, SEQ
>>>> ===============================
>>
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