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Has anybody found an alternative to ViewRanger yet

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 webding 26 Mar 2022

Now that ViewRanger has been turned off has anybody found a suitable alternative yet??

 Flinticus 26 Mar 2022
In reply to webding:

Still using it with my puchased tiles!

 Tyler 26 Mar 2022
In reply to webding:

I witched too OS. The maps are fine (obvs) but I don't like it anywhere near as much and I've been using it for a couple of months now

 ScraggyGoat 26 Mar 2022
In reply to webding:

Just buy the whole of the Uk 1:50k from memory map or. Anquent. Down load the lot to your phone and your done. Price over tens years or more of use is peanuts.

In reply to ScraggyGoat:

Hmmm, except you're assuming that anquet and memorymap won't get bought out and killed off at some point.

 alibrightman 27 Mar 2022
In reply to webding:

I still use viewranger on my phone with the maps i bought.

If you're looking to buy some new maps, that's a different question.  Sorry I can't help there.

 alibrightman 27 Mar 2022
In reply to pancakeandchips:

How will they delete the app and the maps on my phone?

In reply to alibrightman:

With an automated update. Didn't you start getting the "launch openactive or continue to viewranger" screen at some point in the last couple of months? That could just as easily have been an update which deleted all your content and locked you out of the app. All you can really do to make sure this never happens is to use a firewall to stop viewranger from ever connecting to the internet.

 JDal 27 Mar 2022
In reply to ScraggyGoat:

> Just buy the whole of the Uk 1:50k from memory map or. Anquent. Down load the lot to your phone and your done. Price over tens years or more of use is peanuts.

Anquet are subscription only now. About the same price as OS iirc. I still have the old desktop program and all the maps I normally use, but the old Android app is no more so I've been forced into paying the subscription. 

 Qwertilot 27 Mar 2022
In reply to webding:

I think the subs are OK these days - they seem to be charged at the sort of multiple (5-10 years?) that you'd be vaguely looking at replacing the relevant maps anyway.

Currently using Ancquet to keep full UK 25/50k mapping on phone - the OS Maps/Outdoor Active offline mapping can't really do 'whole country'. OS maps for route planning and actually outdoor active (free version) for route recording/tracking.

They've actually quite good for that but with how long the battery life on GPS watches have got, that last might get moved onto one of those at some point.

We're obviously keeping our own local records/GPX files of the walks we've done.

 kinley2 28 Mar 2022
In reply to pancakeandchips:

> With an automated update. Didn't you start getting the "launch openactive or continue to viewranger" screen at some point in the last couple of months? That could just as easily have been an update which deleted all your content and locked you out of the app. All you can really do to make sure this never happens is to use a firewall to stop viewranger from ever connecting to the internet.

It was bundled in an update that preceded the message. I hadn't updated Viewranger for a few months, so it still works on my phone with my purchased, downloaded tiles. It is possible to download the previous version of the app and run it with your old tiles on the phone, a few folk have done that.

The App will doubtless stop being compatible and die with a future Android update though.

In reply to kinley2:

Yes, its still working for me too and I've also installed outdooractive just in case. My point was that when we buy access to data like mapping we're buying just that - access. Its not equivalent to owning a physical copy of an OS map which you can then buy and sell on the second hand market. The company you bought access from can take it away at any point. That's why I think its a bit dangerous to "buy" map tiles through an app and I prefer to use a subscription instead.

 GerM 28 Mar 2022
In reply to kinley2:

How do you download the previous version of the viewranger app?

Sounds interesting.

 Mike_d78 28 Mar 2022
In reply to webding:

I switched to Outdoor Active, they currently aren't charging me... not sure if I've been given some grace period as a viewranger user or if I've somehow been missed. Once they catch up with me I'll review my options. I'd been thinking that maybe OS maps might be a better long term bet? 

 deepsoup 28 Mar 2022
In reply to Mike_d78:

>  not sure if I've been given some grace period as a viewranger user

I was given a one-year 'premium' subscription to Outdoor Active, by way of compensation for losing the maps that I (thought I had) bought outright.  I think that was the case for everyone who had previously bought tiles or whatever through Viewranger.

OP webding 28 Mar 2022

Thanks all for the links and suggestions.

The ViewRanger feature that I miss the most is the ability to upload a .gpx file with points of interest and have them appear on your map.  I've got all the munros in Scotland marked, with the ones that I have done in a different colour, for example and all the cave entrances in the Yorkshire Dales which you can get from here http://cavemaps.org/data.htm.

So do any of the suprising number of alternatives have this ability - OutdoorActive allows you to move points of interest across from ViewRanger but they don't appear on the main map.

 StuDoig 28 Mar 2022
In reply to webding:

Anquet / OMN app does allow you to to that (I've got lists of bothies etc that I've added as a gpx file for example).  it lacks other good features of viewranger like ability to create a waypoint / POI and simply "goto" when out and about.  A simple function, but one that seems to be lacking in a lot of apps!

Cheers,

Stu

In reply to webding:

Yeah, it's really annoying that outdooractive dropped that functionality. I messaged the developers about it and got a message back saying that they're working on it, but who knows what that means. It's a pretty basic and essential feature.

 Flinticus 28 Mar 2022
In reply to Tyler:

Does OS have a 'point of interest' function?

A really valued feature under Viewranger.

I've now subscribed to OS (to use in tandem with my VR tiles) but do not see this function.

In reply to Flinticus:

> Does OS have a 'point of interest' function?

If you look at the OS Maps web version there’s a menu item called “places” which says “coming soon”. Based on OS’s previous responsiveness to user needs you shouldn’t hold your breath though, unless you’re Budimir Šobat who is the Croatian holder of the world breath holding record. 

 Tyler 28 Mar 2022
In reply to Flinticus:

I’ve not seen it but then I did not see/use that on Landranger either. 

 Harry Jarvis 28 Mar 2022
In reply to Tyler:

MemoryMap has a function which allows you to drop a pin and add text to it. Is this what people are looking for? 

In reply to Harry Jarvis:

GPX is a file format that supports either recording points of interest or routes. Its interchangeable between lots of different platforms and its been around for years so there's a lot of data out there to download. So, for example, I wanted to import a gpx file into OutdoorActive which is a list of all the munros so that each munro summit will have a point of interest on it on the map. In my opinion import and export of gpx is an absolutely basic function that every mapping app should have. Maybe memory map has it, I don't know.

 superturbo 28 Mar 2022
In reply to webding:

Gaia

 EdS 28 Mar 2022
In reply to webding:

you can do this on OA - on Pro anyway 

i've all the cave entrances and bothies on Viewranger via a .gpx files I imported.

You need to make sure they are in your VR account - VR webpage, my data, my Points of Interest

- then link your VR and OA accounts and then sync them. I did have a problem with my account not being properly activated - soon resolved.

Topo GPX, AlpineQuest (no OS maps) and OS app - all import the .gpx file easily

 Harry Jarvis 28 Mar 2022
In reply to pancakeandchips:

Thanks, I've been using GPS devices for at least 15 years, so I do have a reasonable idea what they do and how they work. What's less clear to me is what people actually want. MemoryMap allows the import of GPX files to show routes and tracks, so I presume it can do the same for individual places of interest, but this isn't a function I've ever had need of - I've just used it for plotting routes. I'm not really sure why anyone would need GPX files for the locations of Munros. 

1
In reply to Harry Jarvis:

It's just a nice feature for planning routes. I'm sat at home with an injury with nothing to do but tinker and plan hill days for some unspecified point in the future, so that's why I was trying to get munros marked on the map. A while back I was bagging nuttalls in Wales and having the tops labelled on a zoomed out map made it a good planning tool for trips.

Outdooractive can import routes but not points of interest, except through the convoluted way of importing them through viewranger first as someone else pointed out above.

Post edited at 18:21
OP webding 28 Mar 2022
In reply to Harry Jarvis:

> I'm not really sure why anyone would need GPX files for the locations of Munros. 

2 reasons:

1). If you zoom out to see the whole of Scotland I could easily see where the concentrations of munros that I hadn't done were because I changed the colour of the POI of the ones that I'd done.

2). Some of those tops are fairly flat so if you are up there in the mist you could click on the POI in ViewRanger and get it to take you straight to it.

It was of most use for finding cave entrances - I've spent an hour an a half combing a few hundred meters of moorland to find a tiny cave entrance a couple of times.

 EdS 28 Mar 2022
In reply to webding:

Extremely useful when we get a rescue.... At least you know which area to aim 

 Harry Jarvis 29 Mar 2022
In reply to webding:

> 1). If you zoom out to see the whole of Scotland I could easily see where the concentrations of munros that I hadn't done were because I changed the colour of the POI of the ones that I'd done.

I would have thought that zooming out to see the whole of Scotland would reduce the resolution to such an extent as to render the exercise somewhat pointless. Presumably areas such as the Cairngorms become little more than concentrated blobs of points of interest. 

> 2). Some of those tops are fairly flat so if you are up there in the mist you could click on the POI in ViewRanger and get it to take you straight to it.

You don't really need to have the point of interest in your GPS device if you've got the digital map and have plotted the route beforehand - simply follow the plotted route to the top. 'Clicking' on a POI in the mist sounds like a bad idea if Viewranger simply takes you on a straight line, regardless of the terrain between your position and the top.   

> It was of most use for finding cave entrances - I've spent an hour an a half combing a few hundred meters of moorland to find a tiny cave entrance a couple of times.

That I can believe.

5
 Harry Jarvis 29 Mar 2022
In reply to pancakeandchips:

> It's just a nice feature for planning routes. I'm sat at home with an injury with nothing to do but tinker and plan hill days for some unspecified point in the future, so that's why I was trying to get munros marked on the map.

But you've got a map. You don't need a GPX file to show you where the hills are. 

5
In reply to Harry Jarvis:

Of course you don't *need* it. If you've got a paper map you don't need an app either. However, extra functionality can be convenient and this feature in particular has been very useful to me.

 Harry Jarvis 29 Mar 2022
In reply to pancakeandchips:

> Of course you don't *need* it. If you've got a paper map you don't need an app either. However, extra functionality can be convenient and this feature in particular has been very useful to me.

I'm obviously missing something. You have a digital map - presumably it has a search function, which tells you where the mountains are. I'm not trying to be difficult, but having used digital maps and GPS devices for many years, I cannot think of a situation where a GPX file of a mountain top would have been of use. 

3
In reply to Harry Jarvis:

> I'm obviously missing something.

Yes, obviously.

1
 Harry Jarvis 29 Mar 2022
In reply to pancakeandchips:

> Yes, obviously.

Possibly because no-one has explained it. 

Here's how I use MemoryMap:

I can import a GPX file (from a site such as WalkHighlands). This opens in MemoryMap as a route. I  can import either to my desktop or direct to my phone. If I import it to my desktop, I can then export to my phone. I can print a section of the map showing the route. I can follow the route as I'm walking. I don't need to click on anything on my phone as I'm walking in order to follow the planned route. If I need or want to deviate from my planned route, I can see in real-time where I am on the digital map on my phone.  

Or, I can mark out my own route on MemoryMap on my desktop, save it and export it to my phone, and follow as above. I could create the route on the MM app on my phone, but it's much easier to do it on a bigger screen. 

Neither of these options requires a GPX file of a mountain top. 

Perhaps you could explain where I'm going wrong? 

3
 Baz P 29 Mar 2022
In reply to pancakeandchips:

In MM you can save a way point (called a Mark) its a flag which can be any colour, named anything you want and you can add a text box with a description if you like. This can be saved as a gpx file, just like saving a route or track. You can send it to the cloud which updates it to your phone/pad or just download to any device. I once did a similar thing recording trig points.

Not tried this but you can select "Go To" and a route to the mark will be shown from your current position. I assume that this will be a straight line so, like Harry Jarvis, I think this will be of little use taking terrain into account.

In reply to Harry Jarvis:

As already explained, a single gpx file can either save a plotted route or a point or a group of points. If you can't imagine a scenario where being able to easily share a group of points of interest then you're severely lacking in imagination. I gave you one example, someone else gave you another.

 Harry Jarvis 29 Mar 2022
In reply to pancakeandchips:

> As already explained, a single gpx file can either save a plotted route or a point or a group of points.

And as I explained in reply, I know this, to the extent that I use the route plotting facility regularly, and have done for many years. 

> If you can't imagine a scenario where being able to easily share a group of points of interest then you're severely lacking in imagination. I gave you one example, someone else gave you another.

The example of cave entries was very sensible and I happily conceded to that one. However, I still don't understand your example of the Munros. Why do you need gpx files to tell you where they are? MemoryMap has a decent search function. If I want to find a new location, I use this. It rarely fails. 

3
In reply to Harry Jarvis:

FFS, I gave it as ONE example of why you might want this feature. It makes it significantly easier to plan trips. Zoom out, see all the significant peaks in an area on a non-topographical map, zoom in and look for interesting routes to join them up. Zoom out, look at bothies in an area, zoom in and look at options for walks nearby or that link them together. I'm going to stop replying now because you're either a troll or just extremely thick.

 Harry Jarvis 29 Mar 2022
In reply to pancakeandchips:

> FFS, I gave it as ONE example of why you might want this feature. It makes it significantly easier to plan trips. Zoom out, see all the significant peaks in an area on a non-topographical map, zoom in and look for interesting routes to join them up. Zoom out, look at bothies in an area, zoom in and look at options for walks nearby or that link them together. I'm going to stop replying now because you're either a troll or just extremely thick.

Another option is that you and I use the available technology in different ways, both of which are perfectly sensible in the context of our own needs. 

Yet another option is that you still haven't explained why you need the gpx files to tell you where the hills are. I can do all the things you say you do, without the need for a gpx file. What's so special about having the gpx file? I don't understand what it makes 'easier'.

6
 deepsoup 29 Mar 2022
In reply to Harry Jarvis:

> Another option is that you and I use the available technology in different ways, both of which are perfectly sensible in the context of our own needs. 

Bit rich that mate - of the two of you, you're the one insisting the other is doing it wrong.

In reply to Harry Jarvis:

> And as I explained in reply, I know this, to the extent that I use the route plotting facility regularly, and have done for many years.

But you clearly haven't used GPX files to share a set of POIs. That's another use of GPX files, one that is neither route nor track. I have one for OSGB trig points, because my mate is a trig point spotter. It's much easier to use POIs to find trig points on a large area of mapping than it is to look for a little blue triangle. GPX POIs are also used for geocaching; in fact, that's how I use OruxMap's Geocaching function to find trig points; search by distance from current location, select, and plot on map.

Post edited at 16:30
 Harry Jarvis 29 Mar 2022
In reply to deepsoup:

> Bit rich that mate - of the two of you, you're the one insisting the other is doing it wrong.

I'm not insisting anyone's doing anything wrong, I'm just puzzled.

3
 Harry Jarvis 29 Mar 2022
In reply to captain paranoia:

> But you clearly haven't used GPX files to share a set of POIs.

That's true. 

> That's another use of GPX files, one that is neither route nor track. I have one for OSGB trig points, because my mate is a trig point spotter. It's much easier to use POIs to find trig points on a large area of mapping than it is to look for a little blue triangle. GPX POIs are also used for geocaching; in fact, that's how I use OruxMap's Geocaching function to find trig points; search by distance from current location, select, and plot on map.

All that I can believe - it's basically the same as the case of the cave entrances discussed earlier, which does make a lot of sense to me. It's the use of gpx files to identify mountains I don't understand. 

4
In reply to Harry Jarvis:

> It's the use of gpx files to identify mountains I don't understand. 

Then you're either not trying very hard, or you're trying very hard not to understand.

 Harry Jarvis 29 Mar 2022
In reply to captain paranoia:

> Then you're either not trying very hard, or you're trying very hard not to understand.

That's not really very helpful. I can find mountains on my digital maps using the search function. I don't know what you do with a gpx file of a mountain top. 

5
 Root1 29 Mar 2022
In reply to webding:

Topo GPS is really good, simple to use with many great features. £24 a year, but you only get 1:25000 maps. which I find ok. Streemap is available as are continental and New Zealand maps at a reasonable £3. Goto and routes have the bearing marked as well as distance on each leg which is very useful. There are few bells and whistles to complicate things. 9/10


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