Messages

Thank you. I'll wait for release.

I find some trouble with Locus. Actually I don't know is it really Locus trouble, but before using Locus I didn't have this trouble. After 2-3 hours of working, recording track my phone rebooted. I get this trouble 3 times already. I have no idea why phone reboot. I am using internal GPS, preassure sensor. ICS 4.0.3, SE Xperia Active.

I always use manual calibration by entering the current altitude, not the sea level pressure. Locus then calculates a sea level pressure and works with it further to calculate the current altitude.

How do you know your current altitude? SRTM sometimes has incorrect altitude. You can use it in flat field without trees, buildings, etc. In other case you can't get precise actual height. Entering current sea level preassure you always get correct altitude.

First - did you select GPS altitude correction (by default in Android altitude has about 30 m shift)?
Second - you must "recalibrate" altitude when GPS get right height. Automatic calibration use first height data from GPS, usually this data is incorrect. When you have good GPS signal you must turn it off and than on - altitude will recalibrate.

But, of course, most accurate is manual calibration by entering sea level preassure. You can get this preassure from METAR data of the nearest airport.

I am using "Use NMEA data" and get actual height (of course with jumps). The source of problem is inaccurate height limited by GPS technology. The solution is to use pressure sensor. All other methods will work more or less in the flat open field but useless in difficult situations, I think.

Pressure sensor is not very bad: phone has Internet connection and it's not a problem to calibrate time to time pressure sensor using METAR data of nearest airport. Of course if you are not in the middle of Africa where no airports with METAR data. But you can calibrate sensor when get SRTM and GPS height almost the same.

After track recording you now can write height data from SRTM in Locus! Open Track information window, click on down-right button with two cogwheels and choose "Set height".
I agree to use combination of GPS and SRTM but also don't forget about most precise method - pressure sensor. On that devices that can use it (Sony for example).

I think menion think what to do with users who can't use pressure sensor. That users who can use it still will use pressure sensor. Nobody will disable pressure sensor altitude :-). I hope even add some methods to automatic calibration. But that users who can't use pressure sensor want to have precise altitude too. This topic is also about how to do it.

Now I am using pressure sensor and compare height with SRTM data (pressure sensor calibrate using METAR). Sometimes difference is about 2 meters, sometimes more than 10 meters. So SRTM data not very precise. But GPS height, especially in the town or forest,  is very inaccurate, all the time jumps up/down. Btw using SRTM data is good idea (when you can't use preassure sensor, of course). Better GPS filter not a solution, right - you'll get slowly change height and wrong height (GPS height sometimes is very inaccurate).

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First 5 GPS locations using for calibrating pressure sensor are very inaccurate. In about 1 minute after GPS start hight is more accurate. But if I start GPS inside the building I'll get inaccurate height until go to open air. So it's difficult to calibrate pressure altimeter by first GPS locations. Maybe better calibrate using SRTM and GPS. Now I can calibrate by SRTM but only manually in preferences - it's difficult to make calibration on every program start.
So really now I compare dynamic height by SRTM, GPS height and when the difference is small I turn GPS off/on and pressure sensor calibrated correct automatically.
Of course re-calibrate during writing track is bad idea.
I want to see function to quick calibration of pressure sensor. Maybe manual calibration when I see that GPS height is correct, but not in deep preferences menu. Maybe by SRTM automatically. Mabe by GPS height but compare with SRTM and when the difference is too big don't calibrate.

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I test different methods to calibrate pressure sensor. The best and most accurate way to calibrate pressure sensor is set up pressure at sea level by METAR (thanks to bebe814). Maybe can add automatic calibration using nearest METAR data? If not now, please, can you add a button for quick enter sea level pressure (now I must do it deep in preferences).

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I still test Locus in different situations. Today I see dramatically fast preassure fall during day from 1023 to 1010 mmHg. So it's very important to re-calibrate altimeter periodically. But how to make it better? I don't know . Of course it will be great if Locus in future can calibrate using nearest METAR data and check pressure every hour. But in hight mountines no Internet connection for check METAR. But I can download SRTM data and put it to my phone. So for calibration compare height of SRTM data and GPS height and calibrate when both height are almost the same. And repeat calibration time to time.
Does anybody know how solve problem with altimeter calibration in GPS devices like Garmin, for example?

Thanks for fixing many bugs in 2.9.2.
Now when BT GPS lost coordinates (for example when undeground) Locus BEEP and vibrate as I select in preferences. But when Locus lost connection with BT GPS (for example when battery discharge or turn BT GPS Off) Locus has only pop-up notification "Connection lost" but no BEEP or vibration. Can you add BEEP also for lost connection with BT GPS? Thanks.

Yes, looks like it's distance between previous and target track point. But in real life sometimes I can't go exactly as track drown and must skip some points - so maybe better if I see distance to next track point . Sometimes I can go out ftom track point - so distance must increase (now I get something like WRONG DISTANCE).
Thanks.

I find 2 bugs.
1. Incorrect distance to next track point during guiding. I make a screenshot. As you can see distance to the next track point is 582 m but at the top of the screen I see 194 m. I don't understand why? Sometimes this distances are the same (as they must be) but sometimes different and I don't know what 194 m means.
[attachment=0:zguxkzis]Screenshot_2013-02-22-15-40-18.png[/attachment:zguxkzis]
2. I select to start GPS always when Locus start. But sometimes Locus starts with GPS off. The problem is when GPS not start automatically blue cursor on screen always has direction to the North (but usually it must show my direction of moving). Even when map rotated it still has direction to the North. Only after restart Locus and automatic GPS start this cursor show my direction. But restart Locus is not easy - I must stop recording track (even if I want to have one track of my trip), wait export it, then read export report, close seport, close Locus, start Locus, begin record new track. On current screenshot cursor works fine.

Locus did'n inform when lost bluetooth GPS (only BEEP when connected, when disconnect no notification). When lost coordinates from internal GPS Locus BEEP, but when lost external BT GPS don't BEEP, why?

Yes, it's great news for me! Thank you.

And what about more easy and quick STOP RECORDING? Without opening keyboard (accindentally I some times rename track name) and click OK, then opening report and also I must close it.

Thanks.