expoweb/handbook/essentials.html

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<h2 id="tophead">CUCC Expedition Handbook</h2>
<h1>Essential GPS information</h1>
<p><b>SAFETY</b>. Everyone gets lost on the plateau. Don't get lost for long as this causes rescue plans to be initiated. 
So get this essential data onto your phone (or handheld GPS). 

<p><b>SAFETY</b>. Turn on <b>location tracking</b> in Google Maps (or OsmAnd) before you leave the car park and share your location with someone you know at basecamp and also with someone you know at top camp. This will show your last known location if you walk into an area of bad signal.
<p>
We have a regularly-updated  file of the wiggly tracks of the paths we regularly take: from Loser Alm car park to the col, top camp and Homecoming cave,
and from top camp to Fisch Gesicht H&ouml;hle and to Tunnocks's, Balkonh&ouml;hle and Organh&ouml;hle. 

<p>[It also has the Austrian "kataster boundaries": these are <b>not paths</b> but separate areas with 
different mapping designations. 
These are the smooth, curved lines.]

The file also includes  all the cave entrances for the entire Schvartzmoosk&ouml;gel system (SMK).</p>
<a href="http://expo.survex.com/expofiles/gpslogs/essentials/essentials2019.gpx"><img src="essentials-screenshot.jpg" alt="screenshot of the GPS file"></a>

<p><b>Don't be misled by the apparent simplicity</b> of the above tracks. The plateau is very broken and an almost unbroken 
extent of cliffs, holes and imapssable dwarf-larch scrub ("bunde" as it is known on expo). 
You can be 5m from the route and have lost it entirely.

<h2>How to get this essential data onto your device</h2>

<p>Either
<ul>
<li><a href="#sideways">Download the data to your phone from an online GPS app</a> - recommended
</ul>
<p>or
<ol>
<li><a href="#down">Download the GPX file from the expo server</a> - hard
<li><a href="#up">Upload the GPX file to your device</a> - harder
</ol>

<h2 id="sideways">Get GPS essentials from an online service</h2>
<b>BEING UPDATED - OUT OF DATE FILE</b>
<p>Try this link 
<a href="https://www.wikiloc.com/outdoor-trails/carpark-stonebridge-27029006&utm_source=social&utm_medium=twitter.com&utm_campaign=badge">
Wikilocs</a>
from where you can download a short version of the file (track and one waypoint at StoneBridge only) 
or a Google Earth trail (you need to create a Wikiloc account first <em>and be logged-in</em> 
when you click on this). Or here is another <a href="https://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/download.do?id=27029006">direct download link</a>.


<h2 id="down">Download the GPS essentials file from the expo server</h2>
<p>The most recent 2019 GPX file can be downloaded from here: 
<a href="http://expo.survex.com/expofiles/gpslogs/essentials/essentials2019.gpx" download>essentials2019.gpx</a> (596K).
<p>
Phones have a problem with a simple link like that. 
<h2 id="up">Upload the GPS essentials file to your device</h2>
<p>
This is where it gets tricky because every device and phone app does this differently.


<h3>GPS phone apps</h3>
<p>
This should work the same way whether you have an iPhone or an Android phone.

<p>We do not have a recommended app as there is nothing we have found which quite does quite what we need. We are using
<a href="http://www.gpsessentials.com/">www.gpsessentials.com</a> and <a href="https://osmand.net/">OsmAnd</a> so try one of these first. If you discover a good app, tell everyone about it.
<p>
Visit the <a href="http://www.gpsessentials.com/">www.gpsessentials.com</a> website and read the manual (top left, on the menu bar: "Manual") for how to do this. 
Except that the manual doesn't tell you.
<p>The OsmAnd documentation says:
<ul>
<li>"The simplest way to view a track you've downloaded is to tap on it in your device's file manager and choose to open it in OsmAnd. After that, you'll see the track in My places - My tracks or in the Dashboard - My tracks."
</ul>

<p>
More documentation on this to follow...


<h3>Modern Garmin handheld GPS devices</h3>
<p>
Connect the GPS device to your laptop (or the expo laptop) using the USB cable. A folder will open on the laptop showing the contents
of the device. 
You will see a subfolder called "GARMIN". Open the folder "GARMIN" and copy the file essentials.gpx which you 
downloaded into that folder.

<h3>Old Garmin handheld GPS devices</h3>
<p>
These need the Garmin communication protocol to import cave entrance locations (waypoints) and paths (tracks). 
You can't do it by simply copying files.
This means that you need special software on your laptop in addition to a USB cable that 
connects your laptop to the Garmin device.
<p>
<figure><a href="https://www.cablestogo.com/learning/connector-guides/usb">
    <img src="t/usb-minib-5pin-m-c.jpg"' 
		alt="mini-USB socket" 
	/></a>
    <figcaption><em>mini-USB b socket</em></figcaption>
</figure>
If your Garmin has a <b>mini</b>-USB socket, rather than the usual micro-USB found in phones, then you might have an "old" Garmin handheld, but some modern handhelds still use this old socket.
<p>Once you have the right cable and connected your handheld to your laptop:
<ul>
<li>On a Windows machine, use "GPSbabel for Windows" which has an easy to use graphical user interface: 
<a href="https://www.gpsbabel.org/download.html">download GPS Babel</a>
<li>On a Linux machine the core gpsbabel command line utility is probably already installed; 
but there is no simple, easy to use graphical interface. 
Instead you must use other software such as QGIS or Viking (download using your usual Linux software installer) 
which uses gpsbabel to talk to your device. 
If this doesn't work then there are no useful error messages from Viking.
</ul>

<h2 id="down">Nerds only: getting the <i>very latest</i> GPS essentials file </h2>
<p>
We create a new version of this essential GPS data during expo and as expoers discover new entrances and 
devise new routes to reach them.
<p>
To regenerate the <i>most recent version</i> which contains the cave entrances discovered during expo 
you will need to ask someone who is competent in logging into the server and running scripts. 
<p>The data is in the version control system repository ::loser:: in
<pre>
	loser/gpx/
</pre> 
and is generated from the survex data by a script. It is best to do this on a laptop which has the entire ::loser::
repo downloaded onto it (e.g. the <i>expo laptop</i>) rather than on the server itself as the server can run out of memory doing this.

<p>The most recent track data will have been uploaded by an expoer into e.g.
<pre>
	expofiles/gpslogs/2019/MichaelSargent/col-to-homecoming-msargent-2019-07-14_18-38_Sun.gpx
</pre>
<p>and this will need to be hand-edited into script-generated essentials.gpx file.

<p>The most recent 2019 GPX file can be downloaded from here: 
<a href="http://expo.survex.com/expofiles/gpslogs/essentials/essentials2019.gpx" download>essentials2019.gpx</a> (596K).<br>
This is actually entirely hand-edited from original tracks. The only survex data it uses is the entrances waypoints which are exported
by the script which has been hand-edited in. It also has the kataster boundaries hand-edited in.

<p>Last year's (17 July 2018)
can be downloaded from here : <a href="essentials.gpx" download>essentials.gpx</a> (190K). 
(This is a symlink to loser/gpx/essentials.gpx).


<hr />

<ul id="links">
<li><a href="index.htm">Expedition Handbook</a>
<ul>
	<li><a href="survey/index.htm">Surveying guide</a> - Overview</li>
	<li><a href="look4.htm">Prospecting guide</a> &ndash; Overview</li>
	<li><a href="rescue.htm">Rescue guide</a></li>
</ul></li>

<li><a href="../index.htm">Back to Expedition Intro page</a></li>
<li><a href="../../index.htm">Back to CUCC Home page</a></li>
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How Do I sections added to handbook 2018-07-16 17:36:16 +01:00			`<html>`
			`<head>`
			`<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" />`
ugh 2018-08-04 12:39:43 +01:00			`<title>Essential GPS information</title>`
How Do I sections added to handbook 2018-07-16 17:36:16 +01:00			`<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../css/main2.css" />`
			`</head>`
			`<body>`
			`<h2 id="tophead">CUCC Expedition Handbook</h2>`
Using essentials.gpx in the field 2018-07-17 18:58:28 +01:00			`<h1>Essential GPS information</h1>`
Bodged GPS essentials documentation - needs more work 2019-07-16 10:17:07 +01:00			`<p><b>SAFETY</b>. Everyone gets lost on the plateau. Don't get lost for long as this causes rescue plans to be initiated.`
			`So get this essential data onto your phone (or handheld GPS).`
GPS apps stuff and more URLs 2019-12-05 02:27:01 +00:00
			`<p><b>SAFETY</b>. Turn on <b>location tracking</b> in Google Maps (or OsmAnd) before you leave the car park and share your location with someone you know at basecamp and also with someone you know at top camp. This will show your last known location if you walk into an area of bad signal.`
Bodged GPS essentials documentation - needs more work 2019-07-16 10:17:07 +01:00			`<p>`
			`We have a regularly-updated file of the wiggly tracks of the paths we regularly take: from Loser Alm car park to the col, top camp and Homecoming cave,`
			`and from top camp to Fisch Gesicht Höhle and to Tunnocks's, Balkonhöhle and Organhöhle.`
How Do I sections added to handbook 2018-07-16 17:36:16 +01:00
Bodged GPS essentials documentation - needs more work 2019-07-16 10:17:07 +01:00			`<p>[It also has the Austrian "kataster boundaries": these are <b>not paths</b> but separate areas with`
			`different mapping designations.`
			`These are the smooth, curved lines.]`
How Do I sections added to handbook 2018-07-16 17:36:16 +01:00
Bodged GPS essentials documentation - needs more work 2019-07-16 10:17:07 +01:00			`The file also includes all the cave entrances for the entire Schvartzmooskögel system (SMK).</p>`
			`<a href="http://expo.survex.com/expofiles/gpslogs/essentials/essentials2019.gpx"><img src="essentials-screenshot.jpg" alt="screenshot of the GPS file"></a>`
Using essentials.gpx in the field 2018-07-17 18:58:28 +01:00
Bodged GPS essentials documentation - needs more work 2019-07-16 10:17:07 +01:00			`<p><b>Don't be misled by the apparent simplicity</b> of the above tracks. The plateau is very broken and an almost unbroken`
			`extent of cliffs, holes and imapssable dwarf-larch scrub ("bunde" as it is known on expo).`
			`You can be 5m from the route and have lost it entirely.`

			`<h2>How to get this essential data onto your device</h2>`

			`<p>Either`
			`<ul>`
			`<li><a href="#sideways">Download the data to your phone from an online GPS app</a> - recommended`
			`</ul>`
			`<p>or`
			`<ol>`
			`<li><a href="#down">Download the GPX file from the expo server</a> - hard`
			`<li><a href="#up">Upload the GPX file to your device</a> - harder`
			`</ol>`

			`<h2 id="sideways">Get GPS essentials from an online service</h2>`
			`<b>BEING UPDATED - OUT OF DATE FILE</b>`
			`<p>Try this link`
and again 2018-07-29 09:13:41 +01:00			`<a href="https://www.wikiloc.com/outdoor-trails/carpark-stonebridge-27029006&utm_source=social&utm_medium=twitter.com&utm_campaign=badge">`
			`Wikilocs</a>`
Bodged GPS essentials documentation - needs more work 2019-07-16 10:17:07 +01:00			`from where you can download a short version of the file (track and one waypoint at StoneBridge only)`
			`or a Google Earth trail (you need to create a Wikiloc account first <em>and be logged-in</em>`
			`when you click on this). Or here is another <a href="https://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/download.do?id=27029006">direct download link</a>.`

Using essentials.gpx in the field 2018-07-17 18:58:28 +01:00
Bodged GPS essentials documentation - needs more work 2019-07-16 10:17:07 +01:00			`<h2 id="down">Download the GPS essentials file from the expo server</h2>`
			`<p>The most recent 2019 GPX file can be downloaded from here:`
			`<a href="http://expo.survex.com/expofiles/gpslogs/essentials/essentials2019.gpx" download>essentials2019.gpx</a> (596K).`
			`<p>`
			`Phones have a problem with a simple link like that.`
Using essentials.gpx in the field 2018-07-17 18:58:28 +01:00			`<h2 id="up">Upload the GPS essentials file to your device</h2>`
			`<p>`
			`This is where it gets tricky because every device and phone app does this differently.`

Bodged GPS essentials documentation - needs more work 2019-07-16 10:17:07 +01:00
lights and phone charging 2018-07-27 12:12:19 +01:00			`<h3>GPS phone apps</h3>`
			`<p>`
			`This should work the same way whether you have an iPhone or an Android phone.`

			`<p>We do not have a recommended app as there is nothing we have found which quite does quite what we need. We are using`
			`<a href="http://www.gpsessentials.com/">www.gpsessentials.com</a> and <a href="https://osmand.net/">OsmAnd</a> so try one of these first. If you discover a good app, tell everyone about it.`
			`<p>`
			`Visit the <a href="http://www.gpsessentials.com/">www.gpsessentials.com</a> website and read the manual (top left, on the menu bar: "Manual") for how to do this.`
			`Except that the manual doesn't tell you.`
			`<p>The OsmAnd documentation says:`
			`<ul>`
			`<li>"The simplest way to view a track you've downloaded is to tap on it in your device's file manager and choose to open it in OsmAnd. After that, you'll see the track in My places - My tracks or in the Dashboard - My tracks."`
			`</ul>`

			`<p>`
			`More documentation on this to follow...`



			`<h3>Modern Garmin handheld GPS devices</h3>`
			`<p>`
			`Connect the GPS device to your laptop (or the expo laptop) using the USB cable. A folder will open on the laptop showing the contents`
			`of the device.`
			`You will see a subfolder called "GARMIN". Open the folder "GARMIN" and copy the file essentials.gpx which you`
			`downloaded into that folder.`

Using essentials.gpx in the field 2018-07-17 18:58:28 +01:00			`<h3>Old Garmin handheld GPS devices</h3>`
			`<p>`
Bodged GPS essentials documentation - needs more work 2019-07-16 10:17:07 +01:00			`These need the Garmin communication protocol to import cave entrance locations (waypoints) and paths (tracks).`
			`You can't do it by simply copying files.`
			`This means that you need special software on your laptop in addition to a USB cable that`
			`connects your laptop to the Garmin device.`
lights and phone charging 2018-07-27 12:12:19 +01:00			`<p>`
			`<figure><a href="https://www.cablestogo.com/learning/connector-guides/usb">`
			`<img src="t/usb-minib-5pin-m-c.jpg"'`
			`alt="mini-USB socket"`
			`/></a>`
			`<figcaption><em>mini-USB b socket</em></figcaption>`
			`</figure>`
			`If your Garmin has a <b>mini</b>-USB socket, rather than the usual micro-USB found in phones, then you might have an "old" Garmin handheld, but some modern handhelds still use this old socket.`
Bier book documented 2018-07-27 16:05:43 +01:00			`<p>Once you have the right cable and connected your handheld to your laptop:`
Using essentials.gpx in the field 2018-07-17 18:58:28 +01:00			`<ul>`
			`<li>On a Windows machine, use "GPSbabel for Windows" which has an easy to use graphical user interface:`
			`<a href="https://www.gpsbabel.org/download.html">download GPS Babel</a>`
			`<li>On a Linux machine the core gpsbabel command line utility is probably already installed;`
			`but there is no simple, easy to use graphical interface.`
			`Instead you must use other software such as QGIS or Viking (download using your usual Linux software installer)`
			`which uses gpsbabel to talk to your device.`
Bier book documented 2018-07-27 16:05:43 +01:00			`If this doesn't work then there are no useful error messages from Viking.`
Using essentials.gpx in the field 2018-07-17 18:58:28 +01:00			`</ul>`

Bodged GPS essentials documentation - needs more work 2019-07-16 10:17:07 +01:00			`<h2 id="down">Nerds only: getting the <i>very latest</i> GPS essentials file </h2>`
			`<p>`
			`We create a new version of this essential GPS data during expo and as expoers discover new entrances and`
			`devise new routes to reach them.`
			`<p>`
			`To regenerate the <i>most recent version</i> which contains the cave entrances discovered during expo`
			`you will need to ask someone who is competent in logging into the server and running scripts.`
			`<p>The data is in the version control system repository ::loser:: in`
			`<pre>`
			`loser/gpx/`
			`</pre>`
			`and is generated from the survex data by a script. It is best to do this on a laptop which has the entire ::loser::`
			`repo downloaded onto it (e.g. the <i>expo laptop</i>) rather than on the server itself as the server can run out of memory doing this.`

			`<p>The most recent track data will have been uploaded by an expoer into e.g.`
			`<pre>`
			`expofiles/gpslogs/2019/MichaelSargent/col-to-homecoming-msargent-2019-07-14_18-38_Sun.gpx`
			`</pre>`
			`<p>and this will need to be hand-edited into script-generated essentials.gpx file.`

			`<p>The most recent 2019 GPX file can be downloaded from here:`
			`<a href="http://expo.survex.com/expofiles/gpslogs/essentials/essentials2019.gpx" download>essentials2019.gpx</a> (596K).<br>`
			`This is actually entirely hand-edited from original tracks. The only survex data it uses is the entrances waypoints which are exported`
			`by the script which has been hand-edited in. It also has the kataster boundaries hand-edited in.`

			`<p>Last year's (17 July 2018)`
			`can be downloaded from here : <a href="essentials.gpx" download>essentials.gpx</a> (190K).`
			`(This is a symlink to loser/gpx/essentials.gpx).`


How Do I sections added to handbook 2018-07-16 17:36:16 +01:00			`<hr />`

			`<ul id="links">`
			`<li><a href="index.htm">Expedition Handbook</a>`
			`<ul>`
			`<li><a href="survey/index.htm">Surveying guide</a> - Overview</li>`
			`<li><a href="look4.htm">Prospecting guide</a> – Overview</li>`
			`<li><a href="rescue.htm">Rescue guide</a></li>`
			`</ul></li>`

			`<li><a href="../index.htm">Back to Expedition Intro page</a></li>`
			`<li><a href="../../index.htm">Back to CUCC Home page</a></li>`
			`</ul>`
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