GPS Locator/Tracking device

[Greenbank]

http://shop.zoombak.com/zbcart/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=182

Some people were looking for GPS tracking devices (so that friends/family can keep track of you on long rides such as PBP/LEL).

£100 for the device. £10 a month.

Interesting...

[urban_biker]

Very interesting - Its certainly something that has potential. I'd really like to see location GPS devices that can be linked - with appropriate permissions of course.

That way you use the device to follow your audax route but also see where others were on the route. Could be a lot of fun on a big ride and would be excellent for an organiser for example.

There are a lot of ways this kind of technology could enhance cycling.

[Greenbank]

I had thought of doing something homebrew myself:-

Software on phone grabs location from GPS unit over bluetooth.
Phone sends location and other info in SMS.
SMS is sent to a number that does SMS<->Email conversion (i.e. www.sms2email.com)
Email downloaded by computer at home and website updated.

I have some experience in this (having done something similar with work a couple of years back).

[Maladict]

No don't use one that's SMS based.  Useless in the middle of Wales.  You want a satellite based one:

http://www.globalcomsatphone.com/spot/

[andygates]

Thinking of homebrew: Thor the deer, who updates his position and track on Google Earth.

But a package that does it all is a nice idea.  Now, if they were to offer users the ability to make and join user-created groups and view everyone in the group, you'd immediately have the sort of thing urban_biker's talking about.

Call it Placebook.

[urban_biker]

This is not even clever technology. You could add this in a simple way to a standard mapping GPS. All you need is a two way radio as part of your GPS - say with a 2/3km range. Each GPS would have a unique ID and every 30 seconds it would transmit that ID together with its GPS position.

Anyone with the same kit could recieve that radio signal, decode it and plot the position of all recieved signals. The handset would have the ability to associate the unique id with a name so you could see whose signal you were receiving plotted on your map.

The system would probably need to use some kind of public key encryption to make it secure - but unless you knew who the individual was then the GPS info is probably not very interesting to you anyway.

[rower40]

Shameless plug for my brother's company...
http://on-trak.onspec.co.uk/

[Greenbank]

The reliance on a mobile phone network is an interesting point. There's certainly no signal out in deepest darkest Wales and I kept my phone turned off between controls just so it didn't run down its battery trying to contact a base station.

[nuttycyclist]

and what will be the cost of an SMS based one?

I know I'm a technophobe, but every month I get the phone bill at work and it shows a cost against both texts I sent.

What would be the cost after an Audax?

[Greenbank]

and what will be the cost of an SMS based one?

Depends on how frequently you send updates, and what kind of tariff you're on (business tariffs are notoriously expensive).

For £20 a month you could get a PAYG phone and get 150 minutes talking and 500 texts.

500 texts at once every 5 minutes is 41 hours. An update every 30 minutes would give you 250 hours.

[Craig]

It would probably be cheaper to use GPRS or 3G, instead of SMS, to send the position updates.
To send an email with the position should be less than 1KB, and most tariffs seem to charge about £3 per MB or so. Or 3 do a mobile broadband tariff for £10 a month for 1GB, which would give lots of position updates (though the coverage is probably a bit lacking for audaxing).

And there is software for mobile phones available that can do this, eg AFTrack (for Symbian phones).

[Greenbank]

The software we developed used GPRS (with SMS as a failback) to relay back the Voice/Video/Data QoS results. Cost wasn't an issue because the end-users were the mobile phone operators themselves and would only be charging themselves.

And there is software for mobile phones available that can do this, eg AFTrack (for Symbian phones).

Very interesting. I must enter the 21st century and get a phone capable of running some of that stuff.

[Maladict]

I've ordered a SPOT tracker.

"The S-band antenna amplifier degradation does not affect adversely the Company’s one-way “Simplex” data transmission services, which utilize only the L-band uplink from a subscriber’s “Simplex” terminal to the satellites. "

So hopefully it'll still work by the time LEL comes round. 

[Dave]

That SPOT looks very interesting. It's a bit of a shame that the tracking service (another $50 a year) only updates every 10 minutes, I'd have liked it to be a bit more often than that (1 min or less, ideally).

But, it does update straight to Google Maps, which sounds fantastic.

[Regulator]

This is not even clever technology. You could add this in a simple way to a standard mapping GPS. All you need is a two way radio as part of your GPS - say with a 2/3km range. Each GPS would have a unique ID and every 30 seconds it would transmit that ID together with its GPS position.

I think the Garmin Rino series can do just this, eg Rino 530HCx. Though I don't think it transmits your position automatically, you have to press a button to send it.
Note that the frequencies the Rinos use are designed for the US/Canada, so probably illegal to use in the UK.

I'm afraid you're right.  The Garmin Rhino is not legal in the UK, although I understand Garmin are working on a version that will be  

[Greenbank]

I think the Garmin Rino series can do just this, eg Rino 530HCx. Though I don't think it transmits your position automatically, you have to press a button to send it.
Note that the frequencies the Rinos use are designed for the US/Canada, so probably illegal to use in the UK.

It's something completely different.

It only sends your position data to other Garmin Rino users within the FRS/GMRS ranges. (maximum 2 miles for FRS, 14 miles for GMRS, and those are line-of-sight maximums).

[TimO]

The SPOT Tracker does look rather interesting, although I'd be a bit worried about triggering the 911 button inadvertently, since it looks like once it's turned on (which I guess it would have to be if you're using the SPOTcasting feature) all you have to do it hold down the button for a couple of seconds.  I would have thought that this could easily happen if the unit was in a pocket or bag.

I think I'd prefer it if you had a covered button, or it required some more complex series of operations to trigger it, especially since the only thing that appears to indicate that it has been triggered is a flashing LED.

[TimO]

Thinking about it, if you're a licensed radio amateur, you could probably use APRS to provide GPS tracking information.  There is still going to be a problem with reception in difficult terrain, but that's solvable with enough power, and large enough antennas!

[hazeii]

Been using a GPRS system built from modules for a year or so now; it's survived two South Downs Way record rides, couple of charity events and numerous MTB crashes. Basically uses a Garmin eTrex on the bars with a cellphone module under the saddle, updates the position on a Google maps page every couple of minutes.

Being GPRS-based the data charges are minimal, and with the 3" aerial  it works in valleys where cell phones have long given up (the aerials inside cell phones are hopelessly compromised by their limited size).

[NHRC Chris]

Oneof the guys in our cycling club is organising the Highclere Sportive and in 2009 they are offering riders the opportunity to use "Championchip tracking" Highclere Castle gets GPS rider tracking - RoadCyclingUK Rides news which seems exactly the right sort of thing for LEL etc.  You hire the kit and family etc can track you via the web.I watched it in use on a trial ride and it works great - gives a map view showing where you are, speed, heart rate if wired up etc.Not sure what the cost is for something like LEL but worth looking into.

[rogerzilla]

£25 isn't so bad, although it doubles the entry fee.  I've ridden most of those roads (I grew up in Kingsclere) and they're seriously overselling the "climb" to Hannington, though 

[NHRC Chris]

If, for example, LEL organisers could get a similar deal would riders take up the technology?

When I watched the website one guy got lost and you could see him going off down lanes, turning around and eventually finding the route again

Hannington is not too bad but the Faccombe/Combe Gibbet climbs are a rude awakening so soon into the ride.

[rogerzilla]

Oh yes.  I've always studiously avoided attacking Combe from that direction.