OnXmaps on Cell Phone

[mrklean]

Am 50/50 on if i want to buy a new GPS and get the OnXmap for it or use my cell phone with the app. I have talked to a few people who only use the App on there phones but wanted to get your guys opinions on that pros/cons how do you use it without cell service?

 

[Bugle 'Em In]

I have it for both. Not needed, but I do.

If you go the cell phone route, then you'll need to download the areas you are going to hunt before you go out of cell coverage. Incredibly easy to do.

If I had a new GPS w/ the awesome screens, I'd just have it on my GPS....and wouldn't bother with the phone. I say this mainly b/c of battery usage and you can always pop in a couple of AA's into the GPS quickly vs. recharging your cell phone when you're out in the middle of nowhere.

The guys at OnXmaps have made it very easy to use either method and have always been great at customer service should you have questions. Good luck w/ your decision.

 

[Flatland Crusoe]

I used the App in 2014 and the Chip in 2015 because I bought a new GPS for unrelated reasons. When I was using the app you couldn't use airplane mode to save battery in zero reception areas, but that has been updated with IOS 8 I believe. I like the GPS better because I can run my Garmin on lithium batteries for 2 days at a time and I have chronically terrible Iphone batteries. If you go the phone route just get a USB charger. I thought the GPS based interface was better than the App, but I can't imagine it will stay that way.

 

[bowhuntmontana]

I had the GPS and actually switched to the app. I find the app much easier to use, better screen resolution, and less clunky than the gps. I was using a Garmin Oregon 450, I believe. I have no problems using it in airplane mode as long as I have done the offline cache of my maps prior. Used it on two Montana hunts last year and several in Utah. I also like that it is just one device rather than two, as I pretty much always have my phone with me. In airplane mode it didn't seem to use much battery at all. It is subscription basd, so there is annual cost per state.

 

[----]

The app definitely makes sense, has way more power to add layers, and I think will be the way we use GPS in the future, but it's not yet as reliable and usable as the GPS with chip is.

The offline cache works, but it's very hard to know what you do and don't have cached, and there are glitches like mine not showing land ownership when I zoom in.

I also cover WAY too much ground for it to be feasible to cache detailed layers of where I'll be ahead of time. I need the whole state, which the GPS chip provides.

Last year I used it in Wyoming where I knew I'd be in one part of one unit, so was able to cache detailed layers, and for that it worked well.

I will say the ability to look at aerial imagery while in the field is HUGE, but I'm pretty sure there's other apps that provide that for a much lower price.

 

[7mm08mo]

I have the app because with a rmef membership it was free for one year and used it on my antelope hunt in wy this year and it was great. I also had service everywhere which I wasn't expecting. The only drawback I saw was battery life on the phone. It seemed to be very accurate on what was I public and private almost to the stepping over a fence.

 

[mrklean]

Thanks for the responses, here is my next question if you are in the middle of the wilderness elk hunting in a new area do you feel confident enough if you get turned around you could use the app to get back to your campsite/truck etc. or would you want a GPS or would you think they would work equally as well?

 

[vanish]

Thanks for the responses, here is my next question if you are in the middle of the wilderness elk hunting in a new area do you feel confident enough if you get turned around you could use the app to get back to your campsite/truck etc. or would you want a GPS or would you think they would work equally as well?

I don't use this particular app, but I use my phone as a GPS in wilderness. My phones (previously an iphone 4 and now a samsung galaxy S5) have both been MORE accurate than the real GPS I've tried.

Its an absolute must to download the maps ahead of time and turn off cell signal ( sim lock or airplane mode + gps depending on your phone ). Having cell signal on will kill your battery life. Don't use tracking either, as the constant updates hurt battery life.

 

[WapitiBob]

I spent the last 2 Elk seasons with 2 different guys and their phones. I have no desire to lose my Garmin Montana.

 

[HighDesertSage]

I think the GPS route is more functional for field use. I use the app for day hikes and stuff. Biggest problem is I can chew through a cell phone battery in about a day and a half, even in airplane mode.On a 5 day backcountry hunt it is useless to me. I don't want to have to pack in a charger either. Also, you have to download everything prior to going out. I think they are both useful and well worth the money, but if i had to just pick one the GPS wins hands down.

 

[8andcounting]

wow, some big changes.......... thanks

 

[mrklean]

Thanks still undecided i really like the fact on a Iphone your going to have a much bigger screen and i dont need to drop $300-$600 for a nice GPS i will use a handful of days a year, but i know i will need to get a power pack to recharge each day to every 2 days and part of me still feels a little more comfortable in a bad situation with an actual GPS. Glad i have plenty of time to choose still.

 

[MontanaWild]

If it's one or the other I'd go with the GPS. More durable, covers the entire state and batteries generally last much longer. I like to use both when hunting but definitely have had the app bug out or not show my cached layers on certain hunts. Satellite imagery can also be misleading. Plenty of hikes ended in turning around because that open hillside turned into a nasty mountain of 10 foot alders. Reading a topo is a very undervalued asset.

 

[Schaaf]

I have both, use both in the field also but I've found the majority of my time using the app happens when I'm sitting in a recliner curious about an area.

 

[WapitiBob]

Thanks still undecided i really like the fact on a Iphone your going to have a much bigger screen and i dont need to drop $300-$600 for a nice GPS i will use a handful of days a year, but i know i will need to get a power pack to recharge each day to every 2 days and part of me still feels a little more comfortable in a bad situation with an actual GPS. Glad i have plenty of time to choose still.

Anker Astro E5 16,000 mah

 

[Colberjs]

There are supposed to be big changes to OnXMaps coming pretty quick. Or so they say you might wait and see what they have up their sleeve.

 

[CHMD]

I like the app better, but would definitely choose the gps map chip if I could only have one. My reason is ive never had an iPhone with decent battery life, and the last two I've had shut down when they get cold. Even if the battery still has charge.

 

[teamhoyt]

I have both, the gps is what I rely on in the field but I really like to look at the imagery on the app when looking for good ground or when sitting on the couch bored

 

[WapitiBob]

The Garmin Montera had a good hi res display and ran on Android OS. Then it just disappeared and looks like no further development on that platform. Darn shame too.

 

[ewludwig]

If you get into a location dispute with a landowner, I have been told by a game warden states like WY will not recognize the location from a cell as proof. However, location using GPS is admissable in a dispute. I have not researched further to validate.

Therefore, I use the GPS even though would have preferred to use the app.