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I am thinking of getting a Garmin etrex 30X.I was thinking of using it to record my movements on my next hunt.However I do not like carrying too many items with me on the trail.I thought it would be nice to use it and create a journal of whereabouts.The GPS is expensive and I could use the money for other things.What are your opinions? One thing I might try is to keep a notebook in my day pack and take notes of the names of rivers, hills,and other points of interest so I don't forget them. | ||
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Gaia GPS app for iphone or android works for what you describe above. I think it's $40 for a premium membership and you don't need to buy a new device. I carried my phone with me all over Makuti and tracked our hunts, bait sites, etc. Justin our videographer used the same thing and he marked locations of springs and even "local" names for things like hills, valleys, etc. Just something to consider. | |||
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Your cell phone can track GPS coordinates (does not require a local data plan) which you can then generate a plot on Google Earth. ___________________ Just Remember, We ALL Told You So. | |||
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That is good to know,thanks.Now I just need to buy a cell phone. | |||
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You can purchase a basic Android phone via Amazon for peanuts - the BLU Advance A4 (unlocked) for $40 and has built in GPS. ___________________ Just Remember, We ALL Told You So. | |||
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I asked my brother about the cost of his phone and he said somewhere around 700/year.I said no thanks.Could that Android phone allow me to call home from Zim? Could I use it without paying such a high cost? | |||
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Yes. You will need to get a SIM card and a data package when you arrive in Zim. Make sure you download WhatsApp on your cell phone before you depart and then all calls are routed through your data plan via WhatsApp. You will need to call another cell phone with WhatsApp - it does not connect with landlines. WhatsApp is free as long as you have access to free WiFi. Otherwise, it takes a data plan on your SIM card. Usually $20 USD will be all that is needed. The other option is Skype if you need to call a landline. Again, you will need to set this up prior to leaving. Again, $20 USD on the account is generally all that you need. And lastly, you can purchase a voice and data plan when you purchase your SIM card in Zim. If you talk nicely to your PH, he can arrange all this before you arrive and all you need to do is plug in the SIM card into your new phone. None of the above requires you to have a Canadian cellular plan. ___________________ Just Remember, We ALL Told You So. | |||
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Thanks, Opus1! | |||
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| Administrator |
I have been using this model for years. I use it to mark animals shot, camp, and vehicle location when we leave it. | |||
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That is good to know,Saeed. | |||
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Same as Saeed, once the waypoint is created I turn off the GPS will only turn it on if needed | |||
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Me too. Been doing it for years and downloading the data to my computer to view on google earth. Very neat way to reflect back on hunts. . | |||
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George, you do realize it's 2018 right? Not 1988? | |||
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Welcome to Montreal. Set your watch back 30 years.  Vote Trump- Putin’s best friend… To quote a former AND CURRENT Trumpiteer - DUMP TRUMP | |||
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So I received a BLU Android A4.I also ordered a 25$ travel SIM card for Zim from Travelsim.com.I downloaded Skype and a 25 dollar credit from them.I downloaded Google Earth and Google Maps and used it to get my location coordinates.Will I be able to use it in the same way in Zimbabwe if there is no Wifi nearby? In other words will I be able to use it in the bush to get my locations or coordinates? When you mention GPS with the Android to you mean the Google maps application? | |||
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While the GPS does not require a data plan, virtually everything else you do will require a plan. Also, you may have wasted $25 on the SIM card. They may or may not work. Generally, it is best to purchase a new card in Zim for the carrier of choice - check with your PH/guide. Sim cards are generally free if you purchase prepaid voice and/or data with it. Once you have a data plan and are within network range, you can plot your GPS positions on Google Earth. Otherwise, just note your GPS coordinates and plot later. Also, you can tether off other phones (if you beg nicely) if your data is used up. Also, while you are in your WIFi area, make sure you have downloaded all the updates for your phone and Apps. They can chow data... ___________________ Just Remember, We ALL Told You So. | |||
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Thanks again Opus1.These terms are new to me and I am just starting to figure them out.What I want to know is will there always be an internet connection on my phone when I am in the bush? If so what will it be..Wifi? Or some other connection? If there is no internet connection how will Google earth or the GPS work? Is a data plan an access to the internet? | |||
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Only your PH will know for sure if they have cell coverage in the hunting area. Some camps do have a cell extender which boosts weak signals and then some camps and hunting areas are well off the grid. If you have cell coverage then you are golden. If not, just keep tack of your GPS coordinates. Also, don't forget to carry a plug converter for your charger. ___________________ Just Remember, We ALL Told You So. | |||
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I see GPS coordinates is another application.I now have that downloaded too! | |||
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| Administrator |
You are better off with a dedicated GPS like the eTrex. If you do take it, make sure you have spare batteries. I put the way points in and turn it off. That way it lasts a long time. If left on all day, you will need a new set almost every day - depending on how long your hunting day is! | |||
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I think your right,Saeed! | |||
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Biggest problem with WhatsApp in Zimbabwe is whether or not you have a signal where you will be and which service provider it is from. All the data in the world is useless without the signal, and there are A LOT of dead areas. In parts of the Zambezi Valley your best option is a Zambian MTN line. In other words, the smartphone is going to be problematic. I have a Garmin 12 which I have had for forever, and it's a great, light little waypoint GPS. | |||
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Does the Garmin etrex 30X come with a map of Zimbabwe? If so where can I purchase a map to download? | |||
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Have no idea what maps are available Go to their website and search it | |||
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Most of todays PHs and many of their trackers in Tanzania have one.They use them to find bulls shot the day before late in the evening..They can then find them the next day..Also useful to mark the spot where a good trophy was seen the day before or whenever.Came as a surprise to me some years ago.. The old trackers of yesterday didn't need one, then again they could actually track and they always knew where they were, todays magic tracker is a hoax by comparison..only a few real tracker left, but most hunters are clueless on that lost art. Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
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Tracks4Africa.co.za Don't waste your money on the Garmin Africa map. ___________________ Just Remember, We ALL Told You So. | |||
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I checked their site and found the Tracks4Africa GPS online downloadable map for Zim and Zambia.There is no mention if these are topographical maps. | |||
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I have NEVER seen a tracker with a GPS. I've NEVER seen a tracker that could afford a GPS. Go Duke!! | |||
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They don't need one - they have built in GPS systems.  | |||
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Unless its just for the hell of it or to plot their routes and kill points again for the hell of it, clients don't really need to carry a GPS. Most PHs have one (or more) and its primary use is work-related to mark springs, newly discovered crossings, important reference points like boundary markers and where they left the vehicle, etc. The topographical way-points of note are usually downloaded on the map of the hunting concessions. | |||
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I have a Garmin Oregon and I use it for almost everything. Camp, baits, sightings, tracks, kills etc. It is most helpful when you get off the truck tracking something, to mark the truck, then you can get a straight line back when you are finished with what you're tracking. I just turn it on when we drive out of camp and leave it on all day. MMP | |||
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Exactly!!! The notion of "many trackers" carrying a GPS is ridiculous. They don't need it, and it would be a major luxury item for a tracker. Go Duke!! | |||
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I always carry a GPS on my hunts in Africa. I mark camp just in case I'd ever need to find it on my own. Go Duke!! | |||
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Not necessarily. Trackers using a GPS unit can be useful. I know that Buzz has taught his trackers how to use GPS units to give locations and to enter locations. So if one of the trackers is checking something out, they can call on the radio, give the GPS location and the PH and hunter can navigate to them. Similarly, the trackers can be given a GPS location and use that to reconnect with the group. Particularly useful when you have multiple trackers and are trying to cover broad areas. Mike | |||
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Nice to have you back Mike. All our trackers know how to use a GPS. I normally take one spare, and sometimes give it to the trackers to find something we left in the bush like an animal we have shot. | |||
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Fulvio, Hey they just don't bring it out around clients, the days of built in GPS trackers and staff are mostly in the past..We believe what we want to believe...I will always remember when the trackers lost the trail, Allen Vincent would always be the one to find it..apparently Roy taught him well..  Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
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I bought a basic GPS from Cabela's 10 years ago for $ 100. I mark the firepit at camp, the vehicle whenever we get out to track and the downed animal if we have to come back later to recover. Otherwise I keep it off to save juice. I do this as a basic safety precaution in case I ever get separated from my hunting party or if I need to radio in my position. I have never needed it but it does provide peace of mind. STAY IN THE FIGHT! | |||
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Ray, Depends where the trackers are obtained: if its from the local village then its quite possible they might lose the trail but not if you have trackers from the Ndorobo or Masai, the former being the TZ equivalent to the Bushman. I have done numerous "tests" with the GPS to confirm if they were on track or not and while the heading may have been off by few degrees here and there, they somehow managed to correct the track and hit the spot in line of sight, which is what counts. | |||
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Most important things to mark in my mind are: 1) The truck every time you leave it 2) Camp and other camps or HQ of the outfitter if in the area 3) Where the main highway is Mike Legistine actu quod scripsi? Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue.  What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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I thought it would be nice be able to record my displacement on a tracking hunt on my GPS and then later trace that on a topo map.That way I can look back and not be so puzzled about where I was and what my hunt was like. | |||
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The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Hunting African Big Game Hunting GPS for Africa? What did you use it for?
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