iPhone use in the bush questions...

[Brandon Pattison]

I see a lot of people take these with them. Is it because you know you have service here or there or what? I find their weight heavy and their use un-needed but I am open to ideas. I have also found that the GPS doesn't work on mine with no signal - explain that one to me. I ask this as a recent thread was started asking about external chargers. They have many different mAh ratings. What is the phone's mAh to begin with as a reference? If a guy was to get a solar charger what is a good, simple, lightweight brand and what output do you need? Has Apple figured out a way to use it as a sat phone or for use as a SPOT-type device with texting options? Am I five years early on technology? If I was going to take mine in the bush I would turn it off when not in use so I would think that it's battery would last a very long time if you limited your use when it is on.

 

[Weston]

I carry mine for a few reasons, I use a ballistics program on rifle hunts... I use it to pair with my SPOT connect to send messages if I need to spend an extra day in the woods. I use it for emergencies if I have service (rarely). I use it as an alarm clock. I use it as my camera. I have a mophie battery case and leave my phone on airplane mode. I can typically get about 6 days out of that, if I need more I bring another external battery.

 

[slim9300]

iPhone 5 has 1,440 mAh battery.

The GPS works while you have no signal or your phone is broken. The GPS on my 4 and 5 have been just as good or better (ie. accuracy & speed of acquisition) than my Rino 530HcX and that is saying a great deal.

I use Gaia GPS and pre-download USGS Topo and aerial photos. The image quality is far superior to my Garmin and the maps are free (once I paid the initial $10 at the time).

I take a New Trent 5,500 or 9,900 mAh external battery depending on the trip.
I usually get 2-3 days of use from my phone with moderate use but turning it on airplane mode when not in use. I will often use it at night to play poker or scout for the following day.

The SPOT Connect allows you to text custom SPOT messages with your smart phone. I just use my regular SPOT for checking in. I would rather have something proven and simple.

I keep the phone in a ziplock bag in my pocket just as a pre-caution.

Over the last two years I have realized that I like taking pictures during the hunt thus having something to look back on (something I never did before). I was lucky enough that my partner took my avatar picture with my iPhone this last year on the top of the mountain about half way to the truck, right at sundown. It was a quick, "Hey take this and take a few pics" moment and I am forever grateful I carry the phone in my hip belt pocket at all times now while hunting.

I have the 'best' / lightest solar setup (Nomad 7 w/ Guide 10 battery pack) and it's pointless for what we do unless you can leave it at spike camp every day. The battery pack will charge your phone once before needing to be recharged in the sun. There is no point to carry something that weighs 22.8 ounces when you can carry an external battery that will fully charge your phone at least 5 times (maybe 6 depending) for 9.23 ounces (without maintenance or BS). I guess unless you plan on staying for weeks on end.

The alarm clock is very nice.

Any other questions?

 

[Coyote Commander]

I carry mine because it takes pretty damn good pictures. I dont usually take many photos, but every once in a while I find something neat to snap a pic of, and I have been known to kill something every once in a while. I was gonna buy a small camera, but seeing the photo quality of the iphones, I figured why the spend the extra money for something I use sparingly?

I leave it off. Turn it on to snap a few pics, than turn it off.

 

[Rick Leathley]

Its a multi Use Item. Phone, camera, GPS (pre download the maps. Gaia, GPS hiker, Trimble outdoor, Delorme earthmate), and entertainment device.

I have an Delorme Inreach that pairs with my iphone so I can send and receive text from phones or Emails anyplace in the world.

 

[Wrench77]

Check out the lifeproof cases for the iPhone if your worried about your phone getting wet or beat up in your pack. I've been using one for about 6 months and I love mine. They are a little pricey but certainly cheaper then buying a new phone.

 

[Becca]

Check out the lifeproof cases for the iPhone if your worried about your phone getting wet or beat up in your pack. I've been using one for about 6 months and I love mine. They are a little pricey but certainly cheaper then buying a new phone.

+1

The life proof case is so awesome, I leave mine on all the time. On trips it's great to know I have drop, crush and water protection already on my phone and can throw it in my pocket for easy access to music, audiobooks, apps or documents ( like tide tables for coastal trips!) or a back up camera. I do double up by storing it in a small roll top dry bag on float trips, but that's only because I am paranoid

 

[DeepMauka]

iPhone question...do you have to pay more to use the GPS on your iPhone or does it come standard and free to use?

 

[PABowhunter]

Your phone's GPS is working now...Big Brother is tracking you-for free. You would pay for some of the GPS apps, but I'm sure that some are free. Google Earth is also free. Another benefit of using your iPhone for pictures is that they are geotagged. You can look back and see where a picture was taken. These pictures can be opened with GPS mapping software, and are useful for scouting. GPS is disabled in airplane mode, but the camera is not. Photos taken while in airplane mode are not geotagged.

 

[Brandon Pattison]

Very good posts/responses and thank you. I have the Garmin 62SC (I think) and it has a camera and obviously a GPS. I don't know which one would be better but I like the idea of it having the same batteries as my camera. That said, if I get rid of my GPS and camera and just take my phone with an external battery I might be able to lighten the load. Trial time!

So is the Gaia app the best GPS software?

InReach has the ability to receive text messages?

 

[slim9300]

Your phone's GPS is working now...Big Brother is tracking you-for free. You would pay for some of the GPS apps, but I'm sure that some are free. Google Earth is also free. Another benefit of using your iPhone for pictures is that they are geotagged. You can look back and see where a picture was taken. These pictures can be opened with GPS mapping software, and are useful for scouting. GPS is disabled in airplane mode, but the camera is not. Photos taken while in airplane mode are not geotagged.

The GPS photo tracking can be turned off permanently in settings if anyone is curious. Keep in mind that if you take a picture in your 'secret' hunting area and post it on the net, it's possible to get the GPS coordinates via the Exif info. This is not something I want happening for obvious reasons.

 

[TheRambler]

I also find the iphone to be a great multipurpose item. Phone, camera, electronic maps, gps, weather, radio, backup flashlight, alarm, notes, and the list goes on and on.

I believe the Iphone battery is around 1,400-1,500mah.

Your phones GPS works as long as it is not in airplane mode, and you dont have it turned off in settings.

There are several free gps apps you can get if you dont want to pay for one. In my experiences with most of the apps out there the only difference between the pay and free versions of the same app are usually only the difference in amount of map tiles and waypoints you can save.

Depending on terrain around you the iphone gps is usually just as good as any other stand alone gps, this changes when the terrain gets steeper and your down in a valley type of area. A larger gps antenna is needed in those gases, but otherwise the iphone works flawlessly IMO. Your gps position will be extremely accurate if you also have cell service, but you don't have to have cell service to use the gps, without cell service its as accurate as any other gps out there.

The lack of a large gps antenna isnt a big deal for me, because i am not trying to use the iphone to navigate all the time with. I use it periodically to just confirm my location, so i can wait until i climb out of that valley if needed.

I am a big fan of having my iphone along on trips, a truly great multipurpose item, and it allows me to save some weight by leaving things like a stand alone camera and gps at home, note pad etc.

 

[jags]

Can you set waypoints and such with the phone GPS? I'm assuming the android phones can do most of the same in terms of GPS?

 

[Rent Outdoor Gear]

The GPS photo tracking can be turned off permanently in settings if anyone is curious. Keep in mind that if you take a picture in your 'secret' hunting area and post it on the net, it's possible to get the GPS coordinates via the Exif info. This is not something I want happening for obvious reasons.

Slim, can you walk us through turning it off please in settings and tell us how to see the "Exif" info so we can see if our photos are tagged? Thanks!

 

[velvetfvr]

I only bring it to take pics of the hunt. And if I run into signal so I can give everyone home a jingle to say I am doing ok etc.

 

[Rick Leathley]

Very good posts/responses and thank you. I have the Garmin 62SC (I think) and it has a camera and obviously a GPS. I don't know which one would be better but I like the idea of it having the same batteries as my camera. That said, if I get rid of my GPS and camera and just take my phone with an external battery I might be able to lighten the load. Trial time!

So is the Gaia app the best GPS software?

InReach has the ability to receive text messages?

Yes you can send or receive Text 160 charters long. These are not generic premade text. The Inreach also greatly boost the GPS signal of your phone.

 

[rodney482]

I have screen shot maps of my hunting area

Camera

Video camera

Flashlight

Survival guide

Firstaid app

Send text in certain spots

Predator call (where legal)

GPS (with signal)

Watch

Sunrise/sunset tables

Balistic calculator

Gear lists

 

[TJB]

I used my iphone on a recent scouting trip of my elk hunting area. I used the trimble hunt GPS app and it worked great. Be sure to download the map of your area while you have cell service or are hooked to wifi. Trimble also gives you the option to download an entire 7.5 minute topo map for any CO GMU for around $4. I found it great having the option to toggle between an aerial bing map and also a topo map. My GPS signal came in fairly well in thick timber with less than a minute wait time on most occasions. There was never a time when it couldn't pi. I toggled the phone to airplane mode when not in use. I also used it as my camera and a flashlight for minor duties in the tent at night. After a full two and a half day (two nights) scouting trip I had just under 50% battery left. I was skeptical at first as using it as a stand alone GPS, but it worked great. I will however also carry a topo map and compass as my backup plan.

 

[TheRambler]

Iphone-settings-privacy-photos Here you can turn off specific apps that can access the geotaged photo information

The second and main place is
iphone-settings-privacy-location services- camera This will disable for the camera app itself, you can also turn off any other apps you wish as well. Note some apps such as facebook where you can take and post a picture directly will still capture the geotag information unless you switch them off as shown in the first line of this post.

Note: don't disable location services for your gps app or your gps app wont work. I.E. if you want a specific app to use the phones gps then dont turn it off for that app

 

[slim9300]

Slim, can you walk us through turning it off please in settings and tell us how to see the "Exif" info so we can see if our photos are tagged? Thanks!

Turning photo tracking off on your iPhone...

Next is identifying if the images are imprinted with the GPS coordinates on your iPhone... (If you text me a pic, I can track it here also) The actual coordinates can be viewed on a PC very easily. Kind of scary huh?