GPS tracker that works with PM

[adrianlambert]

Any tips on something that works quickly and simply?

[Kirk Baker]

Any tips on something that works quickly and simply?

I haven't personally bought one in years and the one that I have is no longer available.  A quick search for devices that produce GPX log files finds these two devices:

Holux RCV-3000
GlobalSat DG-500 Data Logger

Based on their descriptions, they both sound easy to use and are able to be connected via USB to download the GPX log files.  PM should handle these files just fine in the Import GPS Coordinates feature.

HTH,

-Kirk

[tgray]

Not sure if it is exactly simply, but I use my Garmin GPS running watch.  Set the activity for Hiking or Walking and once it syncs to the Garmin website, download the GPX file from there.  Also not as cheap as the devices listed, but it was something I already had.

[dennislinden]

Since most of us already use a smart phone of some type, take a look at this very inexpensive app.

https://galileo-app.com/ 

[FVlcek]

The smartphone approach would work, but I guess the main idea with trackers is that they do not consume a lot of juice, and can work for many days on one battery (since they do not need to be polling for location every time, just once per x minutes). For example, for some long mountaineering trips I used SPOT messenger (which is a bit overkill for just GPS tracking since it's sattelite messenger with SOS functionality, but when you are alone in the wilderness it can be helpful to be able to send an SOS even without any cell coverage), which can work for something like 14 days while getting GPS every ten minutes and even transmitting the coordinates over sat link back to home with 4 AAA cells. I would then download the GPX from their website. I guess just a tracker could be quite smaller and run for just as long, when it would not have to transmit over satlink, just save the log. Try that with a smartphone

[FVlcek]

Although I have yet to find a simple GPS logger with customisable intervals of saving the data points (10 or even more minutes is quite OK for photography for me) that would work that long, since most models seem to be made just for running and things like that, with a tiny built-in rechargeable battery that has much smaller capacity than few AA or AAA cells I use the spot since it's just what I had available from other activities, although obviously, being sat messenger with uplink, it's subscription based and way overkill and pricy for gps logging only.

Something that takes two rechargeable AA cells (or similar capacity Li-Ion battery) could last a long time, if it did not have any screen and just recorded the log at some longer interval. My Garmin has a battery life of about 20-30 hours with two AAs and that's with screen, and recording interval much much smaller (and of course works as a logger as well, I can customise the interval even for every 10 minutes, just it's not wieldy for use purely as a logger device, since it has no button lock, too big and all the extras drain more power than a simple logger).

[Signor]

As Kirk from Camera Bits noted, anything that does GPX files.

The trick is to check out Hostimonials and find something that makes it easy to get those GPX files out. In my experience, especially on macOS, that can be a pain, even for bluetooth enabled trackers. You want something that also has at least a smartphone app to control parameters like the sample rate. And since I guess your smartphone doesn't do GPS (hence the need for a tracker) perhaps something that allows you to use your phone as a navigational aid.

Aren't the complete majority of the modern GPS trackers compatible with PM? At least that's the impression that I was under after reading up on it.

[Kirk Baker]

Aren't the complete majority of the modern GPS trackers compatible with PM? At least that's the impression that I was under after reading up on it.

Any device that produces a .GPX file should be compatible with PM's Import GPS Coordinates feature.

-Kirk

[211Oakland]

As Kirk from Camera Bits noted, anything that does GPX files.

The trick is to find something that makes it easy to get those GPX files out. In my experience, especially on macOS, that can be a pain, even for bluetooth enabled trackers. You want something that also has at least a smartphone app to control parameters like the sample rate. And since I guess your smartphone doesn't do GPS (hence the need for a tracker) perhaps something that allows you to use your phone as a navigational aid.

[adrianlambert]

Thanks all, I must remember to turn on notifications when I post!! I'll check out the Holux GlobalSat devices. I'm also now looking for a bluetooth tracker that works with the WFT-E7 transmitter as canon state they are built for this task - I had no idea! I'm (mostly) an architectural photographer so most of my photography is done with this device these days so that I can get wired tethering to an iPad, so adding GPS at source would probably be a better solution. BTW I only view the images on the iPad via shuttersnitch to look at framing and focus in detail, then ingest from the cards via PM when back at base. I'll start a new post about the WFT-E7 though.