New Android Sailing App : SailFreeGPS

[danblu]

Well seems an awful lot do call them a compass. They tell where you are currently headed or maybe where you have been headed which is better than a magnetic compass because the gps one has factored in any leeway. I don;t know any sailers here that prefer the magnetic compass over gps course Stum. The magnetic compass is good to take a bearing but is pretty useless at determining the direction one is traveling in.

[Alan Mighty]

Originally Posted by StuM

To answer your final question. I would. How else do you check whether risk of collision exists when you see a vessel in the distance? How else do you get an accurate bearing on a object when doing coastal navigation?

+1 on that!

I buy mobile devices that include a compass sensor for just those reasons.

In my bunk, a quick glance at the compass display (e.g. via Fred's app) on my mobile phone shows me the heading of the vessel (whether at anchor or on passage).

And a mobile device equipped with a compass sensor can run a star identification app, so I can double check what navigationally important star is that.

When I'm considering a house and plot for purchase, I can use the genuine compass sensor to tell me direction inside the building so I can consider the aspect (e.g. which room gets the afternoon sun).

GNSS + travel-derived direction is hit or miss on most of those.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by danblu

Well seems an awful lot do call them a compass. They tell where you are currently headed or maybe where you have been headed which is better than a magnetic compass because the gps one has factored in any leeway. I don;t know any sailers here that prefer the magnetic compass over gps course Stum. The magnetic compass is good to take a bearing but is pretty useless at determining the direction one is traveling in.

Surely that depends on what you are using the number for. You frequently need to know a lot more than the direction you are traveling in on the water. You imply that COG is the only important direction anyone needs to know and seem to imply that a bearing is not useful.



Both have their uses. The GPS direction is good to project your current COG assuming that there is no change in wind/tide/heading, it is pretty useless at determining whether another vessel is on a collision course or for pilotage when checking clearing lines, clearing bearings, safe tracks etc.

[danblu]

Well I assumed these folks would know.

[pegasus2]

Thanks Fred for you this Great App. i'll to tranig this pur in the comming Season of we sailing around adriaatic

best regards Gerhard

[pegasus2]

..... sorry for the typing mistake

Gerhard

[GL-WindPower]

Stand-a-lone compass? Look for an app called WindCompass. The icon is blue, has a rooster setting on top of a wind index. Pretty cool. I'm in the USA, not sure where it all works and don't. The compass list the wind speed, gust for your location, shows your GPS coordinates and bearing in addition to a bunch of weather info for your current location.


I didn't create the app so can't make any changes.

[wackerb]

Originally Posted by StuM

Danger! Beware of scope/feature creep.


I really don't see any point in combining an anchor watch into the current app. Speed/heading is pointless when anchored and drift from a spot is pointless when sailing.


There are plenty of good anchor alert apps already out there.

I don't know who appointed you the scope police, but the OP said he was considering an anchor watch in an earlier post.

Since nobody sails continuously and just about every boat anchors at some point an anchor watch is hardly pointless.

Please tell me the name of an anchor watch that allows manually positioning the location and does not require a separate SIM, using either the boat's network or something like Iridium to send the alarm, especially when at a foreign and/or remote location. I haven't been in my home US port in over a year.

[danblu]

Fred I think an M or T in the course heading would be great , to indicate true or Magnetic.

[Fred31]

Hello again,

Reading your post, I notice that I didn't answer to a question. I Haven't planned yet to develop SailFreeGPS for iOS. This would imply for lo a new development almost from scratch :-(
And in addition I have no iOS device.

Fred

[Fred31]

Hello,

I have just released a new version wich

• takes care of each size of screen (small, normal, large x-large)
• tests if Localisation is enabled or not on device

I let you tell me if it works...

Fred

[Fred31]

I attach to screenshots for the new readers of the thread







Fred

[Fred31]

Hello,


I am changing the "Settings layout" in order to be more explicit and more evolutive.



https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...ic.sailfreegps


Fred

[Fred31]

Hello,


I was developping the new "settings screen" and I am not confortable with the result ...
Here is the old one



And a draft of the new ones.





Which one do you prefer ?


Fred


https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...ic.sailfreegps

[hodgmo]

Originally Posted by Fred31

Hello,

I was developping the new "settings screen" and I am not confortable with the result ...

Which one do you prefer ?

Fred

https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...ic.sailfreegps

I'm satisfied with the current one, but the new ones look good as long as they offer the same functionality. Nice work, thanks!