Stupid phone

[perma]

So I’ve been using my phone as a GPS with GOHUNT maps much like any other person in this forum may be doing. I ran into two issues where my map would show me in a completely different direction. I’m no Lewis and Clark but I have a good sense of direction of where North would have been for the mountain range I was on. I moved down a few yards and it went back to normal. Went back to the same spot and it went awol again. I thought it was maybe the app but my compass was also incorrect.

I also noticed that the app also jumps around on my location. It takes it a good 30 seconds to accurately locate where I’m at.

So I’m at a crossroad of whether or not I have a phone issue, which I should address, or do I go back to the ol Garmin Montana and put up with the extra weight and subpar battery.

 

[BackofBeyond]

Was the compass an app on your phone, or a separate handheld compass?

 

[perma]

Was the compass an app on your phone, or a separate handheld compass?

On the phone

 

[duckhunt]

My onx has done weird stuff like that. I had the compass setting set wrong and it would try and take me the exact opposite of the direction I wanted to go. Im not sure if gohunt has the same type of setting.

 

[ccc23454]

Was your phone in airplane mode? If its looking for signal and trying to use data mine have always done weird things where signal is weak.

 

[perma]

Was your phone in airplane mode? If its looking for signal and trying to use data mine have always done weird things where signal is weak.

I flip-flopped between both but mostly cellular signal.

 

[BackofBeyond]

Was your phone in airplane mode? If its looking for signal and trying to use data mine have always done weird things where signal is weak.

^^this^^

You can always try the deal (at least with an iPhone) where you hold it face up, then move the phone in a horizontal figure 8. That resets the internal gps unit and seems to help.

 

[OntarioHunter]

Strange stuff can happen. My rifle was "lost" at Toronto's Pearson Airport when I returned from Africa last August. The AirTag in the gun case showed it was at various places in the baggage terminal and then suddenly it was at a bus shed on the edge of the passenger vehicle parking lot. Yikes!! Is someone stealing my gun? A few minutes later it's back in the baggage terminal. Obviously it never left there. Glitch. The device uses nearby Apple products to triangulate the location with available cell towers. It's good but not foolproof.

 

[Dougfirtree]

It seems like certain locations make these glitches more common. I have one spot I hunt, where it's common for Onx to show me I'm 5 miles from my actual location then finally get it right after about 30 seconds.

 

[perma]

^^this^^

You can always try the deal (at least with an iPhone) where you hold it face up, then move the phone in a horizontal figure 8. That resets the internal gps unit and seems to help.

At the risk of looking like a doofus, I will try this when I go scouting this year.

 

[JoMo]

I’ve had some issues with my onx pointing wrong directions but I’ve learned I think there is interference from the magnets in my bino harness since I am typically holding my phone right by my chest when looking at it. I’ve gotten in the habit of holding my phone out, away from my body and making some figure 8 motions while twisting the phone around a few times before using the phone to navigate anywhere and that has solved the problem for the most part.

 

[perma]

I’ve had some issues with my onx pointing wrong directions but I’ve learned I think there is interference from the magnets in my bino harness since I am typically holding my phone right by my chest when looking at it. I’ve gotten in the habit of holding my phone out, away from my body and making some figure 8 motions while twisting the phone around a few times before using the phone to navigate anywhere and that has solved the problem for the most part.

It just dawned on me that this is probably the most likely issue. My OR harness has a big magnet in the flap and a pocket between the harness and my chest....