iPhone GPS nav for use in organized rides

I'm thinking of using a new iPhone for navigating DS rides when a GPS download is needed.

Which app should I get?

What interface cable should I get?

How quickly will the iPhone discharge when tracking GPS signals?

Moose Racing now has an iPhone saddle mount. Can having the GPS receiver located between my thighs possible work?

I'm a iPhone GPS noob, school me!

Tons of info on this thread. http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=629033

I've taken mine on every DS ride recently.

MotionX GPS.

Interface cable for doing what exactly? If you're wondering how to import the track into the phone... best is to get them to email the track to you, or post it on a website, so you can download from there into MotionX. There are other ways, but that's usually the easiest.

Somewhere between 2 and 10 hours based on my testing, depending on how you use it. I usually have mine plugged into power, you'll want to do that if you can.

Seems like it'd work perfectly well to me. Not very visible there... but also protected from roost so it's probably a good location.

Why would a promoter ever post his tracks on the Internet? Perhaps he is going out of business.

Why would a promoter ever e-mail tracks before the customer has signed a release in front of him? He wants to get his insurance canceled.

In the past, it was plug your Garmin into the cable and they download tracks using MapSource.

With new generation units with Data Cards some promoters can use Explorer to copy .gpx file with tracks using card reader.

SnoPro753, the link you provided has been tremendously valueable. abhibeckert, thanks for the detailed answers. I'm going with MotionX-GPS, running on batteries. Also, I agree, getting the tracks emailed in advance is the easiest.

The website could always require you to authenticate yourself first.. and he could wait until after you've signed the release form before sending the email.

Well, an iPhone is not a Garmin device, so clearly that will never work.

The iPhone has strict data security policies in place that prevent this from being done. Allowing data to be read/written from a memory card is dangerous and leads to viruses, privacy issues, etc. You can read photos from an SD card on an iPhone, but they intentionally don't allow anything else - and I don't see them changing their mind. Far more likely Apple is looking forward to the day they can remove even photo import/export, once SD cards aren't used often anymore.

The only way to get data between an iPhone and a computer is by cryptographically linking up with a single PC running iTunes (similar to bluetooth pairing). This process is a bit of a pain in the ass and not practical for the beginning of an organised ride.

I don't see what is wrong with emailing the track, using mapsource or basecamp is just as insecure if the ride organiser is worried about it being redistributed.

A search on here will turn up bookoodles of threads on the same questions, but I'll make a couple of comments.

One of my local riding buds uses MotionX GPS.

Can't speak to the matter of an interface cable.

Battery life is dependent somewhat on the condition of your battery, and under constant use the iPhone will discharge after only a few hours of riding.

I bought an extra Otterbox from Amazon for $15 and took the belt clip off, drilled it with my Dremel tool, and mounted a 1" RAM ball so I can use it with a basic handlebar mount.

Finally, after experimenting with my iPhone for several local rides I went back to my Nuvi 550 and 76Csx because they are more robust, more accurate, and designed for use in the particular application. An iPhone will always be a compromise solution that can lay down on you and leave you in a bind where a dedicated unit with full maps will stand by you. Naturally, this is just MHO.

+1

There is no way anyone can make an iPhone robust enough. Even the connector looks like it'll break like a twig if mishandled. I have no doubt some people could use one on a bike, but I know I couldn't.