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GPS wandering

USSHornet

USSHornet

Well-Known Member
SH Member
Joined
Mar 25, 2018
Messages
325
Location
Kentucky
I have had a lot of issues with my onx app location wandering pretty badly.

I was recently in the woods scouting and tried to add a waypoint for my tree stand location and I swear the blue dot was literally wandering all over the map. I kept waiting for it to settle on a spot but it never did.

I put onx on the shelf and brought my old huntstand off the bench but today it did the same thing only not as bad as onx.

Maybe its getting blocked by tree cover but todays scouting trip was not the same place as before.

Any thoughts? I had cell service on but I didn’t think gps needed that.

Thanks a bunch. At this point Unless its cell related or tree cover I have no faith in locating my waypoints especially in the dark
 
I can't offer any help but I had the same issue this morning heading to a spot I knew but was trying to use OnX to navigate in the dark. I was in tall grass over my head with only a few tall trees as landmarks in the distance. I followed OnX and ended up about 500 yds off of where I really wanted to set up.
I used it on the way out and had to pause for it to catch up to known landmarks (trees).
I've used it before this way and it's been very handy for navigation through tall grass, cattails, etc. but this morning it definitely let me down.
I'll be tossing the Garmin back in the pack and keep the compass handy too for the next couple days I have off.
 
I have never been impressed with the accuracy of gps apps on android. I have tracked many "tracks" over the same spots that show wide variation visually on the app. It is plausible, that every gps signal has built-in variables that say "you never show actual location, you show location within 50 yards." Dive deep I think there is research to support this.
 
I had the same issue with OnX while doing some scouting a couple of days ago. Like others have said, I had decent signal the whole time, but after dropping a pin the dot would wonder around. I got to where I would just stand in one spot for a while trying to get the dot to stop moving before dropping the pin. Really annoying.
 
When you say wandering, how far? The best precision your phone can achieve under ideal conditions is about 5 m, or a 16 foot circle. Add in any tree cover it all and that precision doubles or triples.

Even survey grade $30k+ GPS systems will only give you precisions of 1 or 2 m in ideal conditions and 5+ meters under tree cover unless they have connection to a known base point which is how they get their centimeter accuracy.

The picture below is a good example. I left my track on while sitting in my tree. You can see my location jumped around in about an 80 foot circle.
CEE935F8-E691-4CB2-AC3B-259983F1A56D.jpeg
 
I used to geocache. Got into it mainly to get better at using a GPS for hunting.

If you look at the geocaching info, they don't or didn't encourage phones for it. But, I can tell you a good geocache coordinate will put you within arms reach if the cache.

A "good" coordinate is one derived from 3 coordinates averaged, with a couple of minutes in between each one to allow for drift. I use the same method to mark my phone pins on huntstand. Drop 3 pins using the "my location" option, then manually place a pin in the middle.

I've found it to be very accurate for hunting use. Within 10 yards.
 
Accuracy depends on gps component (aka phone), tree cover, and number of satellites currently overhead and in range.

Sent from my SM-G973U1 using Tapatalk
 
Jtaylor said:
I can't offer any help but I had the same issue this morning heading to a spot I knew but was trying to use OnX to navigate in the dark. I was in tall grass over my head with only a few tall trees as landmarks in the distance. I followed OnX and ended up about 500 yds off of where I really wanted to set up.
I used it on the way out and had to pause for it to catch up to known landmarks (trees).
I've used it before this way and it's been very handy for navigation through tall grass, cattails, etc. but this morning it definitely let me down.
I'll be tossing the Garmin back in the pack and keep the compass handy too for the next couple days I have off.
Click to expand...

I took a photo of my tree stand location to capture the gps coordinates because I can’t rely on the app. Using a compass and grabbing the degree location off my iPhone may be my plan b


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I had this issue with my previous phone... once I upgraded that the issue went away.... so I'm pretty sure it's a hardware issue....also... don't expect much from the $150 phones at costco...haha
 
I've noticed the pin on Onx will wander around a bit, so I let it settle down before making the spot. I don't use the pin to find the spot again. If I am going in in the dark and looking for a spot, I will us the Garmin 64st. I don't trust the phone. Last year I was way back and had the compass feature out and notice that things were not adding up. The I noticed that according to my phone the sun was setting in the east. So, either the phone was wrong, or the solar system was out of whack.

I also have added a little ball compass I bought from Eastern Wood Outdoors to my backpack. It was only a few bucks and I really like having it there.

I always assume the gps or phone coordinate is only accurate to about 30 yards, give or take.
 
Hossmiller said:
I had the same issue with OnX while doing some scouting a couple of days ago. Like others have said, I had decent signal the whole time, but after dropping a pin the dot would wonder around. I got to where I would just stand in one spot for a while trying to get the dot to stop moving before dropping the pin. Really annoying.
Click to expand...

I am thinking it should not be relying on cell signal. Maybe cell helps tho but I use offline maps because the cell is sketchy I thought gps was independent of cell but maybe not. Same here I stood still and my blue dot never settled down. It was moving wildly


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
GCTerpfan said:
When you say wandering, how far? The best precision your phone can achieve under ideal conditions is about 5 m, or a 16 foot circle. Add in any tree cover it all and that precision doubles or triples.

Even survey grade $30k+ GPS systems will only give you precisions of 1 or 2 m in ideal conditions and 5+ meters under tree cover unless they have connection to a known base point which is how they get their centimeter accuracy.

The picture below is a good example. I left my track on while sitting in my tree. You can see my location jumped around in about an 80 foot circle.
View attachment 74738
Click to expand...

Just like your photo it moved rapidly it didn’t do this in huntstand at that same location but it did yesterday so now I guess its poor cell or tree cover it did not move as bad yesterday and onx was using my offline map


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Nutterbuster said:
I used to geocache. Got into it mainly to get better at using a GPS for hunting.

If you look at the geocaching info, they don't or didn't encourage phones for it. But, I can tell you a good geocache coordinate will put you within arms reach if the cache.

A "good" coordinate is one derived from 3 coordinates averaged, with a couple of minutes in between each one to allow for drift. I use the same method to mark my phone pins on huntstand. Drop 3 pins using the "my location" option, then manually place a pin in the middle.

I've found it to be very accurate for hunting use. Within 10 yards.
Click to expand...

Thank You Thank You Thank You !!! Does cell signal assist or is it not reliant on cell that is the gps “chip” is independent but maybe less accurate without cell?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
USSHornet said:
I am thinking it should not be relying on cell signal. Maybe cell helps tho but I use offline maps because the cell is sketchy I thought gps was independent of cell but maybe not. Same here I stood still and my blue dot never settled down. It was moving wildly


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Your phone will attempt to triangulate with cell towers before it switches to GPS I believe. I would hate to navigate with my phone though accuracy aside a standalone unit has many other advantages.
 
TooheyBirdie said:
I had this issue with my previous phone... once I upgraded that the issue went away.... so I'm pretty sure it's a hardware issue....also... don't expect much from the $150 phones at costco...haha
Click to expand...

IPhone 13 Pro lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
NMSbowhunter said:
I've noticed the pin on Onx will wander around a bit, so I let it settle down before making the spot. I don't use the pin to find the spot again. If I am going in in the dark and looking for a spot, I will us the Garmin 64st. I don't trust the phone. Last year I was way back and had the compass feature out and notice that things were not adding up. The I noticed that according to my phone the sun was setting in the east. So, either the phone was wrong, or the solar system was out of whack.

I also have added a little ball compass I bought from Eastern Wood Outdoors to my backpack. It was only a few bucks and I really like having it there.

I always assume the gps or phone coordinate is only accurate to about 30 yards, give or take.
Click to expand...

Yea I need to go back to compass but somehow capture that data in my waypoint to use for my compass to get me to the location I have had same issues with phone and app telling me ofd stuff


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
elk yinzer said:
Your phone will attempt to triangulate with cell towers before it switches to GPS I believe. I would hate to navigate with my phone though accuracy aside a standalone unit has many other advantages.
Click to expand...

Learning that lol so I will use waypoints and in the notes put my reliable coordinates to use for my compass or whatever maybe go back to my Garmin and test that


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Battery saver mode can affect accuracy and as others have stated it could also be your hardware and a lower OS version. I had an issue on my android phone awhile back. updated app and my OS but it didnt clear up until i got a new phone that had a higher OS version. With Onx, also make sure you download offline maps and go offline when in field which also seems to help.
 
tracki.com

How GPS Tracker Works and Cell Phone Tower Triangulation Accuracy

There are 3 methods for pinpointing the location of Tracki GPS tracker using geo-location data. 1. Global Positioning System (GPS) capability, use signals from satellites to pinpoint location very accurately. 2. Wi-Fi by tracking routers MAC ID. If Tracki GPS tracker can't find a GPS signal it...
tracki.com tracki.com

I found this article. While it's a gps tracker, not a phone, they give a good description of how the different methods work and their respective accuracies.

But they don't talk about base station RTK systems, which is how very accurate GPS applications are used. You have a fixed, known location, GPS receiver that sends error correction information (difference between where gps says it's at compared to where it knows it actually is) to your GPS receiver to correct the error.

Sent from my SM-G973U1 using Tapatalk
 
I ran into this issue dragging my last deer out, I left the deer inna clearing that I "knew" and dropped a pin, when I returned with my game cart I had to wander back and forth a bit to find it, roughly 8 yards away from the pin, on the other side of some taller brush.

Likely goes without saying and slightly tangential but don't trust the compass arrow direction on your phone while standing still as well, for some reason phones need motion to have the compass work correctly. Likely it's gps based and needs to triangulate off of multiple towers (and if standing still it only has a single triangle and guesses which way you're facing). I use my cheap pin on compass, my key chain compass or my compass i carry in my pack when it's dark and direction of travel matters.
 
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