GPS Tracking Websites?

I’m planning another long ride this year and want to periodically (hourly?) auto upload my position to a web based map (via SMS?) for others to follow progress in real time and show the history of the route. Googling, there seems to be loads of options:

– I could use my SPOT but it would mean leaving it on all the time (batteries)
– I could buy a GPS tracker thingy. Do they upload automatically and what about batteries?
– I could use Android and Google ‘Check In’ automating the process with Tasker to avoid running the GPS constantly. Does ‘Check In’ keep history to show a breadcrumb trail accross a map?
– I could do something wierd with Android/Tasker/SMS/frogs eyes/bat wings etc…

Anyone got any ideas on this please?

Will you always be where there’s a mobile signal and are you prepared to pay for international mobile data charges if you’ll be abroad?

I wanted something similar but drew a blank.

I have a Holux 1200E GPS logger that will read all day, about every 10 seconds. I wanted it to talk to my android phone (via bluetooth) so that say every 6 hours it read the data and then whenever it had a free (cost) data connection (say at a wifi bar or hut) it would upload all that data automatically to a web page for all to view. I wanted to avoid using the GPS on the phone as that eats batteries and sometimes I might want my phone turned off.

Surely someone must be clever enough to write something. I guess it’s not a million miles away from what Endomondo does?

C

garmin sell a gps tracker device now – no idea if it meets the criteria, though.

I’ve got a Garmin GTU 10 Tracker. Does everything automatically as long as there is a mobile signal. There’s even an app so that people can follow your progress in real time. Battery can last a month depending on the settings. Bikeradar reviewed it a little while ago.

Here’s the review http://www.bikeradar.com/MTB/gear/category/accessories/gadgets/gps-devices/product/review-garmin-gtu-10-gps-enabled-tracking-device-11-45339

@redfordrider. Hmmm thanks for that. 20 hours battery, 7 days history and $200… I’ll be riding in the US and unfortunately the units are country specific (according to the blurb) so will be useless when I get back.

My preference is to use an Android phone to check in or sms somewhere every so often via Tasker. Does anyone know if check in saves a breadcrumb history or if there’s a site I can sms coordinates/location data to to do the same?

I can get a local SIM to look after the comms side just need to know where to send my stuff…?

I’ve got a bit of experience at doing this on a bike.

There’s a bunch of sites that’ll do it for you from a mobile, though battery life is a big issue (especially if you want frequent updates).

SPOT is the (fairly obviously) choice if you’ve riding out of mobile range.

For hourly updates in a cellular area, mobile is fine.

Watch out for any apps that keep the GPS continually active though – that’ll eat battery life.

Top tip is probably: test it first!

Hazii,

that looks fine, but not really what I’m after. The problems I have with it are the weight and the data-cost.

I would be using it mainly abroad, TransAlping and stuff so it must weigh nothing. I already carry a smart-phone and a Holux M1200E gps logger so was hoping for something that could be written or setup to work with these (only). Your ETrex is way too heavy, my logger is 53 grams and logs for 12 hours at logging every 5 seconds.

Being abroad data charges will be a problem. What I was hoping for was for one of the units to store the log (for say 8 or 12 hours) then when the phone has a wifi signal (which would be free, normally in the hut or B&B that night), it would send all the days points, automatically (so it would do it whenever I atched onto a free wifi), so that friends (and me when I return to the UK) would have a record of where I had been.

Endomondo would do that of course if only a phone would hold charge for 24+ hours (but it wont) so is there a way to get the logger to communicate to the phone on that basis and leave the phone Endomondo-ing but without the phone GPS?

C

Sounds like your set-up should work the same way as that Garmin tracker – it’s basically just a question of how you get the co-ords from your phone/GPS unit to the website. I took the crude approach of reading the raw data out of the Garmin, and sending it over GPRS to a webserver which processed into into Lat/Lon for Google maps – but then I wanted it realtime (well, every 90s).

Assuming your phone can already read the track log out of the Holux (which I know zip about), can you just upload it as a GPX file or whatever? So the phone is off except when you want to upload your data. Processing the uploaded data into an online map is pretty easy if you know gmap, and there are sites out there that’ll take a GPX file and draw it online for you.

I use this Android app.

http://www.greenalp.com/RealTimeTracker/

You can set it up to send your location as often as you wish.

I’ve just started using strava.
I’m still using my old Symbian Nokia with sports tracker to log my rides then export to a *.GPX file and upload to strava, works really well…

They have iPhone and Android apps available to download….

I’m using the Free version which has some nice features.

give it a whirl…

Can you get an external battery for your phone? I have one for my iPhone 4 and it allows me to track a full day skiing in the alps with 2 GPS apps running.

What do folk use for Tour Divide etc? They do just this, and seem to last for months. Aidan would know…

Tour Divide etc are SPOT trackers – they are relatively large and looks like the current model uses 3xAAA (which still need replacing). Satellite is really the only option if you’re out in the middle of nowhere.

SPOT tracker

The battery life on SPOT units is pretty long. I have used one in northern Greenland and had it on for over a week transmitting before the batteries ran out. Not familiar with the rest but SPOT is a good option. You could even stop say 3 or 4 times a day and send a message from it to manually update your location. that way the batteries will last for months.

With all GPS units, because the signal is at about 1.5GHz they tend to eat power when active; and with GPS it’s not possible to wake up quickly, take a fix and go back to sleep – i.e. you can’t wake a GPS up for a second, take a fix, and go to sleep for a minute.

So it seems there are two operating points – either keep the GPS on all the time, or wake up every N minutes/hours, take the fix and go back to sleep. For long battery life, obviously it makes sense to wake up as rarely as possible.

Plus, of course, it takes a burst of power to transmit the co-ords (either to satellite, or via cellular) once you’ve got them.

It sounds like you would be best with a SPOT. The batteries last at least 1 week in continuous use, you don’t need to plug them in to recharge, you can just take spares or grab AAAs from any shop.

They’re not an amount of weight that would concern me.

They’re proven to work quite well.

They set up a tracking page for you that you can share/embed.

What’s not to like?

Oh yeah, and I tried one of those garmin trackers for a few days.

I got more accuracy and better updates from Google Lattitude on my Android phone. Didn’t like the Garmin at all.

ChrisE

What’s the battery life on the Holux like?

I get 10+ hours with having it in a pocket in my sack

C

I’ve just bought one. What phone are trying to connect it to?

I have a HTC desire. Up to now I have just used the Holux and the software you get with it to convert it to gpx then post it up when I get home. The M1200E is good, on Ebay they are only about £30 (from China, wait 4 weeks). The main thing is the size and 53g. Also can charge with a tiny, tiny USB charger I carry on long multiday rides that charges the phone too. On it’s own it will log about 15 days at 10 hour days.

C

I already have a SPOT but I wanted to cut down on stuff to be carried. I’ll check out those two web based GPS sites above. Keep em coming. Ta.

tested it to run til flat. It did 10h44m02s

C

@ chrise. what was run ’til flat?

yes that was not fully charged (but prob 97/98%) run til it stopped (flat)

C