Important difference here, a GPS is direct satellite navigation. Any smartphone app is triangulation beteween cellular provider towers which are line of sight.
Cell phone based navigation is great if you are in such fortunate locations to be with service bars enough to keep that connection. GPS is more robust when you leave the areas of cell tower coverage, be that by distance into sparse population areas, away from interstates or into terrain so up and down that cell service “shadows” break coverage. Know that GPS is somewhat line of sight as well, they are susceptible to signal degradation by heavy overhead foliage (springtime when leaves are pulpy and growing fast or wet from recent dew, rain) and atmospheric phenomenon between you on the ground and the satellites. The scene in Lone Survivor when Lt. Mike Murphy leaves cover to go out on an open rock area to make the satellite phone call for help demonstrated the same problem. These signal degradations always seem to coincide with the moments you usually have the greatest need for navigation or location advice. If you really want to maintain navigational awareness you may have to keep cellular or GPS based device information backed up with real map. Reporters here represent each of these ways to navigate, Patrick says he uses several (for contingency) which I practice myself. Many places I ride haven’t enough cellular coverage to provide continuous information. Don’t put your eggs in one basket as the consequences increase. Missing a turn in your own town is one thing but losing your way when circumstances have become more critical is another. I navigate the GAP trail by cyclometer using a crude set of mileage cues and related locations I tape to my water bottle. I am continuously aware of where I am along my travels, even in the dark zones to both cellular service and satellite by obscured overhead radio visibility. The trail is an unmistakable linear feature across a map(s). At those incremental trailheads or landmarks I can find support needs or services from a map or by phone as coverage usually exists at those locations. I don’t need to be running either my phone or a GPS for my continuous location that way. It even shows on Google maps so I don’t need much more complexity or paid services for accurate location identification. Andy Cheatham Pittsburgh -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
