BajaNomad - InReach/Earthmate

InReach/Earthmate

PaulW - 9-11-2017 at 05:26 PM

You that are using InReach in Baja give us your review of the map quality and completeness for the Earthmate map that is included with the InReach subscription.
So far I have been using them in the states in The San Juans and for travels along the high ways and wow I am very impressed. I have the app in my tablet and my phone so far. Tablet is best due to size.
Thanks, PW

WestyWanderer - 9-11-2017 at 11:38 PM

Paul,

DK will have better info because I know he has used one extensively lately, but we just got an explorer and used it on our last trip and was happy with it. It definitely doesn't have all roads, just main ones. We built a route at home on the computer and then uploaded it to the unit complete with waypoints for turns and that worked great.

David K - 9-12-2017 at 08:47 AM

I like the maps and I have posted several of my track maps from the DeLorme website.

What I don't like and have yet to learn a solution (would love to have one) is the frequent 'straight lines' between random track or message points that overfly the actual road traveled track lines.

The Erathmate map is an app on my cell phone that connects with the InReach device with all tracks, routes, and waypoints so that I have on my inReach is also on my cell phone.

My cell phone continues to be a live map/GPS even without the inReach device connected to it (via Bluetooth). The map is slightly different but similar.

The DeLorme map, online, lets you switch from topo map to satellite map. That way, I can pre-mark waypoints and roads I want to visit before my trip and they then appear on the inReach screen and the Earthmate cell phone app.

Here is the La Paz region topo map with my August track:

Here is the same but switched to "Aerial" from "Topo":

Now, one thing I don't (yet) understand is why I sometimes get a very detailed track (which I like) showing the exact road location as well as another track flying over that connects 10-minute sending points. This was just one trip to Punta Marquez, not two.

Most of the maps I zoom in on have just the 10-minute track points and not the 1 minute. The inReach is set to 1 minute, and I have never changed the setting, yet I get this dual track line. In addition, and more irritating is the random straight lines connecting very distant points, mostly from message sending locations (the square red boxes)???

I would love some help on how to fix that issue! Thank you!!

Anyway, I hope the images help show the mapping from the inReach device, as it looks on you home computer, after your trip!

ehall - 9-12-2017 at 09:07 AM

That double track is weird. Mine is set at 10 minutes and I don't get that.

ehall - 9-12-2017 at 09:10 AM

The map is about the same as Google Earth

mtgoat666 - 9-12-2017 at 09:41 AM

there are 2 tracks, one for logging, one for sending. you need to go into options and filters, and choose what to show.

David K - 9-12-2017 at 12:49 PM

Quote: Originally posted by mtgoat666

there are 2 tracks, one for logging, one for sending. you need to go into options and filters, and choose what to show.

No such option or I just don't see it. I can delete single messages (on the device, but not the website) or entire day's worth of messages and tracks...

The goal is to eliminate the fly-over track lines to/from message points that distract from the track line of the road or trail I was on.

Here is a good straight line example>>>

PaulW - 9-12-2017 at 01:52 PM

The question is about Earthmate without the InReach stuff.
Turn off your InReach and study the map and tell us the quality and detail. My question is not about the InReach straight lines posted.

With the InReach on you clutter up the map with the garbage lines the InReach creates and the result is you cannot see or understand the map. A feature that deletes the InReach tracks after they are saved would make it a lot better to share. That is without the duplicate tracks.

BTW. I have been using Earthmate sans Inreach for travels in the Colorado mountains and I sure like what I view and follow as I drive. Hoping Baja will be as good?

Who is using the Earthmate track feature? I have not figured it out, but supposedly you get all the breadcrumbs for your track.

ehall - 9-12-2017 at 03:06 PM

If the inreach owner sets it up on the website only the current track is shown. It can also be setup to show every track ever made with the inreach.

You have been able to use the earthmate app by preloading the maps?

David K - 9-12-2017 at 04:09 PM

Paul, I have my cell phone on and am looking at the Earthmate map over Baja. It has all my waypoints (same symbols as the inReach map), and blue message boxes as the inReach map has, as well as some of the track points, which show as yellow dots. Track lines are not shown, so it is cleaner looking than the online map (which I can change to drop the lines). The map has topo lines but they show best when zoomed in. It shows major arroyos, in blue.

I do not see any way to email the map I see to post here... Any help on how to save and send the phone screen image?

PaulW - 9-12-2017 at 07:18 PM

I have a similar picture on my phone. Doing the screen capture is on my to do list. Here is a starting place

Quote: Originally posted by David K

Paul, I have my cell phone on and am looking at the Earthmate map over Baja. It has all my waypoints (same symbols as the inReach map), and blue message boxes as the inReach map has, as well as some of the track points, which show as yellow dots. Track lines are not shown, so it is cleaner looking than the online map (which I can change to drop the lines). The map has topo lines but they show best when zoomed in. It shows major arroyos, in blue.

I do not see any way to email the map I see to post here... Any help on how to save and send the phone screen image?

PaulW - 9-12-2017 at 07:43 PM

Simple with my Android tablet
Shown with no GPS lock - indoors

screen shot -1.jpg - 141kB

David K - 9-12-2017 at 09:24 PM

Would you mind telling me the steps, my phone is an Android.

PaulW - 9-13-2017 at 05:45 AM

With my Tablet
press volume and power at the same time. Then go to your album and look for screen shots. No luck then do it over and hold the buttons longer. Keep trying until you get the touch.
Then send an email to yourself with your picture. When you get the email on your computer make a screen shot and save to desktop and then transfer to the forum message.
I noticed for what is posted the color was faded quite a bit.
If you have Gps lock you get the blue line from one of your trails like you mentioned prevously.

David K - 9-13-2017 at 08:48 AM

Paul, I have a Samsung Galaxy S5.
Sounds like I need to find out how to capture a "screen shot"?
I know how to take it from email to posting on Nomad... It is the first part (capturing the screen image to email) that I haven't done.
Thanks.

mtgoat666 - 9-13-2017 at 09:02 AM

Quote: Originally posted by David K

Paul, I have a Samsung Galaxy S5.
Sounds like I need to find out how to capture a "screen shot"?
I know how to take it from email to posting on Nomad... It is the first part (capturing the screen image to email) that I haven't done.
Thanks.

DK, have you heard of Google? 10 seconds to google the answer:

Here's how to do it:
Get the screen that you want to capture ready to go.
Simultaneously press the power button and the home button. ...
You'll now be able to see the screenshot in the Gallery app, or in Samsung's built-in "My Files" file browser.

woody with a view - 9-13-2017 at 10:00 AM

And, if any of you heathens graduate to an iPhone the process is identical. :light:

David K - 9-13-2017 at 11:48 AM

Quote: Originally posted by mtgoat666

Quote: Originally posted by David K

That's exactly what I was going to do when I got home. Thank you for the excellent answer. It works!

Earthmate Maps

David K - 9-13-2017 at 05:47 PM

Here is what Gonzaga Bay area looks like on my phone with the inReach data I have collected:

You can zoom in or out, a lot more topo data and arroyo names appear when you zoom in.
My data on the maps are
Waypoints (red flags): Papa's road jcn., Alfonsina's, Beluga, Sacrificio, Punta Final Resort, cross road, Molino de Lacy (just below map).
Message entries (blue boxes): Papa's Restaurant, his camping beach, Rancho Grande market and beach, where I camped between Sacrificio and Punta Final.
The car symbol is the roadside rest and view point at the bridge over Arroyo Santa María (that they call Arrastras).
The blue lines are my driving tracks. The yellow dots are track points. A few lines are those irritating flyovers I talked about before.

Here is how it looks when the phone is held in the normal way...

[Edited on 9-14-2017 by David K]

PaulW - 9-14-2017 at 08:27 AM

Well big disappointment there are no secondary roads shown on Earthmate. The Gonzaga screen shot below is close to the same as David's above. Zooming in does not show data than shown in the pic.

The next pics are for San Felipe. Somewhat better. Zooming in reveals some dirt roads both abandoned and currently used roads. Zooming around I find little detail and nothing in the washes. The coast roads are minimal, with no labels.

So the search continues to find good maps for Baja for use with the tablet/phone. My present solution is keep the GPS and use Murdock. Then use Earthmate/InReach at the same time to allow communication.

Gonzaga scree shot.jpg - 77kB

PaulW - 9-14-2017 at 08:37 AM

By the way David you can hide the InReach WPs and track to allow viewing them map while driving and viewing on the phone/tablet. Wont help much in Baja since there are minimal roads. But it sure works well here in the states with great back road coverage.
Glad to see you are hiding the straight lines for your posts. Now you just need to hide the WPs.

David K - 9-14-2017 at 08:42 AM

Well, no, not hiding any. If I zoomed in closer, you'd see some straight lines. I don't know how to eliminate them.
Also, how do you drop the waypoints and message points from Earthmate map?

PaulW - 9-14-2017 at 09:37 AM

There are two choice hide and delete.

You don't eliminate them you hide them from view. On Earthmate on your device go to settings an fiddle with the various settings. Easier to use Google to see how.

The way I understand what ever you do all the original data is stored on the cloud to allow recover later.

PaulW - 9-14-2017 at 09:49 AM

As was mentioned above go to your InReach account then map then choose filters for track and WPs and get rid of what you do not want to post. It is all reversible using the same filters.

David K - 9-14-2017 at 01:46 PM

Quote: Originally posted by PaulW

As was mentioned above go to your InReach account then map then choose filters for track and WPs and get rid of what you do not want to post. It is all reversible using the same filters.

So, the Earthmate map, while different, is locked to the inReach map... you have to get rid of (filter by date, etc.) the stuff on one to have it be clear on the other?

I sure hope to have someone share how to get rid of those straight (fly-over) lines connecting track and message points, miles apart, that have nothing to do with the road I drove or trail I hiked. They totally ruin the map to show roads traveled.

PaulW - 9-14-2017 at 02:56 PM

I managed to delete all my tracks. Bummer, Now I have to use the cloud to get them back (if possible?). Since my Google searches are inadequate my plan is to get involved in the InReach forum. When I get time.

David K - 9-14-2017 at 03:17 PM

Quote: Originally posted by PaulW

I managed to delete all my tracks. Bummer, Now I have to use the cloud to get them back (if possible?). Since my Google searches are inadequate my plan is to get involved in the InReach forum. When I get time.

Well, I had hoped to ask on an inReach forum myself. I did not find an active forum. If you do, please let me know. I think when Garmin bought DeLorme it killed the DeLorme inReach forum... I have been busy writing the book, so haven't made a huge effort to search for more forums.

ehall - 9-14-2017 at 03:49 PM

Quote: Originally posted by PaulW

Have you tried to go to your delorme login page on your computer and go to the Social tab and changed the setting to show all?