RE: Free Phone App for emergency GPS co ordinates etc

[Matthew Willis <>]

I once made the mistake of going off-track in Namadgi relying on a GPS app and downloaded maps stored on my phone. I had a backup power supply. None of this helped me at all when I lost the phone from my pocket while going through heavy scrub. Without backup navigation tools and with the loss of line of sight that can happen almost instantly out there, I was totally lost. Luckily a friend had convinced me not long before to buy a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB). It was - quite possibly literally - a life saver.

Phone-based apps can be excellent, but my advice is not to rely on them as your all-in-one solution if deviating from constructed and maintained tracks. As well as the PLB, I won't go anywhere away from signed and frequently-trod trails now without a GPS receiver (they can be had from around $200), a compass and a decent topographic map (and various other emergency bits and pieces). GPSr batteries will last a lot longer than a phone battery and PLBs have batteries that last unused for about seven years and when activated send a very precise location signal (automatically picked up by the rescue coordination centre) for at least 24 hours continuously.

I realise this group is about birding and not some of the hiking done by other groups I belong to (like the Canberra and Brindabella Bushwalking Clubs) but since the topic came up, I hope no-one minds me throwing my two cents' worth it.

Cheers

Matthew

On Mon, Feb 1, 2016 at 1:57 PM, Martin <> wrote:

One point to bear in mind is that many GPS type apps chew batteries rather quickly.  It's no use having the coords if the phone won't work.

Martin

Sent from my iPhone

On 1 Feb 2016, at 11:27, David Rees <> wrote:

Re map apps. I have been using 'Memory Map' for Off-line topo /street and HEMA maps on my PC plus on the phone/tablet for a while now.  Works good in Australia, and in NZ and the UK from experience. On Andriod app is free plus base 1:250,000 map of Australia can be downloaded free also.  On Apple I think you have to pay a small fee. 

Young ones need to understand that such apps work with off-line maps loaded in advance onto your phone and don't need a data connection to operate - sort of essential in rural Australia.   package will give GPS read-out, tracking etc.

From experience many Sat phones have a feature that will simply send current GPS data as a text.

David

On Mon, Feb 1, 2016 at 9:39 AM, Baird, Ian <> wrote:

Agreed, very useful and worth having for emergencies.

Also, as many will know, there are also apps for IOS/Android mobile phones which allow topographic maps to be used anywhere eg. Mud Map 3 – but these and the downloadable maps cost money.

Ian B.

 

From: kym bradley [
Sent: Monday, 1 February 2016 8:29 AM
To:
Subject: [canberrabirds] Free Phone App for emergency GPS co ordinates etc

 

May be a handy app for people like myself who go bush,  as you never know what could happen  I am sure they would have it for android as well

 

Safety first

 

 

The app displays the GPS coordinates of the phone's location, which a caller can read to the emergency operator.

 

https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/emergency-+/id691814685?mt=8

Emergency + on the App Store - iTunes - Everything you ... itunes.apple.com Description Save the app that could save your life. ‘Emergency +’ is a national app developed by Australia's emergency services and their Government ...

 

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