Is the Iphone 4s the perfect Smartphone GPS for Remote Mountain Hiking?

[marti124]

The JMT (John Muir Trail) does not have cell service for about 98% of the 211 mile trail, common to any hikers doing hiking in remote mountains (I'm on the JMT each summer for a month). Lots of places in the Catskills and Adirondacks (where I do a lot of weekend hiking), same situation.
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The Iphone is a great multi-purpose device but up to and including the Iphone 4, if you had GPS on, you also minimally had search-for-Edge cell service on (which drains the battery as there is no cell service, so the phone would keep on searching, draining...).

Anyone on the board have an Iphone 4s? I've hated the fact my Iphone 4 does not allow me to have the GPS on without at the same time having Edge search on (I could turn 3G search off but not Edge). This looks like I can turn off all cellular data services-only off and keep the GPS working. Does anyone on the board have a Iphone 4S and can they confirm? I love having the GPS feature on only for times when you want your photo to have the GPS location tags embedded in the photo, and when you're doing passes full of snow for miles. (Otherwise, I'd want the GPS search off.) I have complained to Apple numerous times, maybe they've listened. Anyone know for sure? Ps, do you know about the Adirondack State Park - GPS Map Navigator map app for the Iphone?

See the article about this:
http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/15/iphone-4s-lacks-enable-3g-switch/

 

[mtruman]

Can't comment on the iPhone but I can say that the Android phone + GPS app that I currently use is darned near perfect for hiking. I have a Droix X2 on Verizon with the Backcountry Navigator app. The app was $5.00 and is a real bargain for how good it is. It gives you the choice of two different USGS sets and MyTopo maps for the US and also has options for numerous international locations. My preference is the MyTopo set since the maps themselves are very clear and detailed and they include most all the trails in the Whites. I didn't follow the whole length of the JMT but the trails around Yosemite are certainly well covered.

The app let's you specify a region and derail level and download the maps to the phone for offline use. With the phone in airplane mode to conserve battery I easily get a full day plus. Last weekend after a 9-1/2 hour hike regularly cheating the GPS, taking a few pictures with the phone camera and temporarily turning data service back on to upload them I had 50% battery left. I don't even bother to carry my dedicated GPS anymore. Only obvious downside is not being able to carry spare batteries (unless it's via a phone charging pack). I'm looking at getting a solar charger with rechargeable batteries for that purpose.

Sorry, I know this didn't answer your question but I figured I'd share my solution. Interested in hearing what others are doing as well.

 

[MichaelJ]

I'll let you know mid-November, when I'm finally eligible to upgrade.

I'd still be careful of draining battery that might be needed in an emergency.

An aside for iOS 5 users: with the new iMessage service linked into the message app, it's possible that in an emergency you may think you're sending a text message (SMS) but in fact it's trying to use cellular data service (3G, Edge, etc…) to talk directly over the internet to a server to the recipient. It's important in an emergency situation to note your coverage; SMS messages will work when almost nothing else does (discussed frequently here) as they're simply little payloads on the messages your cell phone is constantly exchanging with the towers anyway. Sometimes they even work when a call wouldn't, since they're just 160 characters, not the full stream of a phone call.

So what it all means is ... in the woods with iOS 5 and iMessage, make sure the recipient's name is green, which indicates SMS will be used, *not* blue.

 

[DougPaul]

Just saw a comment comparing an Iphone 4 to a dedicated GPS receiver on news:sci.geo.satellite-nav from Alan Browne (a very knowledgeable GPS user):

My tests of its [Iphone 4]tracks against a WAAS GPS recorder show (in controlled, open sky areas with good ground truths) 2 - 5 m on the WAAS GPS receiver and 15 - 20 m on the iPhone 4.

Thread: http://groups.google.com/group/sci.geo.satellite-nav/browse_thread/thread/3895ef898357c5f0#

Sounds like the Iphone 4 has a poor quality GPS. (Dedicated consumer GPSes generally have a 10 m spec.)

There are other comments in the thread to the effect that the 4s includes GLONASS (the Russian "GPS" system) along with GPS. I have seen no comments on the relative performance.

Doug