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Timwhy Samba Member
Joined: January 01, 2009 Posts: 4002 Location: Maine
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Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2015 11:55 am Post subject: Locating the sun for solar charging while camping |
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Wondering if anyone is or has used the Sun Surveyor app or something like it. Only a few dollars to get
the fully functioning app and you are in business. I like to plan ahead, and for the most part I am a
reservation making kind of guy. This app will help me long before I arrive at any campsite, it will
make parking my Westy so much easier. No more will I have to survey the campsite for the best
position to catch some rays. Using the GPS feature you'll be able to see what a site looks like and
see where the Sun will be at all times. The app also gives the location of the Moon and the information
will help when planing out picture taking.
http://www.sunsurveyor.com/ _________________ '15 Audi A3 Quattro
'09 VW Tiguan (dead)
'87 VW Westy
'91 Tin Top
'90 Cabby
What the Westy wants the Westy GETS
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_search.php?search_author=Timwhy&show_results=summary
http://www.youtube.com/user/TIMWHY2?feature=mhee |
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SCM Samba Member
Joined: January 26, 2011 Posts: 3111 Location: Bozeman MT
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Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2015 12:02 pm Post subject: |
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I can see that being pretty fun for some folks. I've once used Google Earth to figure out where best to put my tent on a backpacking trip. But other than that, I'm not techy or patient enough to want to use it. _________________ '91 Westfalia GL Automatic (GTA "Turbo" Rebuild w/Peloquin) and 2.3L GoWesty Engine |
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djkeev Samba Moderator
Joined: September 30, 2007 Posts: 32518 Location: Reading Pennsylvania
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Merian Samba Member
Joined: January 04, 2014 Posts: 5212 Location: Orygun
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Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2015 2:40 pm Post subject: |
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I have indeed used "something like it" - an hp 67 pocket computer/calculator that I programmed and skied into various alpine study sites for microclimatology studies (!). Just like a Svea stove or frostbitten hand, I stuck it into my crotch to warm it up so it would read the magnetic tape card strips for the programs.
Here is the Bottomline:
sun often rises & sets beyond east & west - unless you are right on a solstice, those are just rough guides
the sun position is a pretty complicated trig. calc. but maybe east & west will be enough for you - it depends on the off-axis efficiency of your panel's cells
the app will want to know your location, but might be able to get that before you turn off into the back country - should be easier in maine than in the Western US
it is only a few bucks so why not try it out |
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EL31415 Samba Member
Joined: December 13, 2009 Posts: 192 Location: Los Angeles
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Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2015 3:33 pm Post subject: |
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A lot of the navigation/Gps app only need clear view of the sky no need for Internet connection.
And a good sun tracker app will not need any internet connection at all.
I haven't tried this specific app. But use many topo app in iOS and android with no internet.
You can use google map offline just type "ok map"
Unless you are a geek and like to make thinks more technical than they are. Just look at the sun and shadow around you and place the solar panel accordingly _________________ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1985 Westy |
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Timwhy Samba Member
Joined: January 01, 2009 Posts: 4002 Location: Maine
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rowan Samba Member
Joined: March 18, 2007 Posts: 131 Location: Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
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Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2015 4:05 pm Post subject: |
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Navigational Apps NEED cellular connections to determine location thus planetary locations.
No Cell Service...... No App......
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Not true depending on the phone. My phone speaks GPS and navigation apps work just fine with no cell connection. _________________ Rowan
89 Syncro - Juniper Mackenzie
09 Honda Fit - Finnie
17 Ram ProMaster - John Hordle |
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Timwhy Samba Member
Joined: January 01, 2009 Posts: 4002 Location: Maine
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Merian Samba Member
Joined: January 04, 2014 Posts: 5212 Location: Orygun
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Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2015 4:49 pm Post subject: |
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some (maybe all newer?) cell phones contain GPS antennas and can get sat signals - but my iPhone 4s did a very poor job of geolocating itself, even on paved mtn roads
my new iPhone 6 might be better at it - we'll see
a real GPS unit will do a lot better
but the key thing might be whether the app uses cloud services for lookup tables or does its own calculations internally - |
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FNGRUVN Samba Member
Joined: October 27, 2007 Posts: 2237 Location: Fort Collins, CO
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Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2015 7:38 pm Post subject: |
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Just one more thing to keep Americans preoccupied with their phones and not what's going on around them. _________________ "Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote." - Benjamin Franklin |
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Wellington Samba Member
Joined: September 21, 2004 Posts: 1884 Location: Montreal
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Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2015 7:51 pm Post subject: |
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I like my"toys", but I like to get away, and like the simple life. No gadgets, no cell, I don't even use the radio. I like silence. |
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IdahoDoug Samba Member
Joined: June 12, 2010 Posts: 10247 Location: N. Idaho
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Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2015 11:25 pm Post subject: |
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Interesting. Sorry for the slight hijack, but others would benefit from this use of high tech and Vanagons.
Last summer while planning a surprise trip in the Van with my wife, I hit on the idea of using Google Earth to find spots to pull off and stealth camp. The trip was through British Columbia, so the object was to look at imagery and find dirt roads off the rural highway we'd be traveling on that either led to nowhere, or quickly had another road to turn on or something likely to provide a spot to park for the night. It worked great. After a few minutes, I would also look for a screen of trees to be sure passing headlights would not easily light up our bright yellow van. You can even use the 3D effect to see how a spot would be on the other side of a rise from the road and thus both quiet and not visible.
Then, I compared a significant feature in the road, such as a sharp left curve or a bridge on my paper map and penned in the spot. That was because there is no cell access in many spots, so we use maps or the GPS. I did the marking (also marked the GPS) because everything looks different when you are there - especially at night.
With Google Earth, you can look at a promising road, then scan down it a mile or two and find a home - realizing it is a rural driveway. Something you'd not know turning down it at night and likely really piss off the owners when you are discovered. Or actually see the remains of a bunch of big bonfires and tire tracks and realize you'd found the local high school party hangout - not a good choice.
Ended up in a couple pretty nice places and I had a back up as well in case we either got a late start, or something was amiss when we arrived.
YMMV _________________ 1987 2WD Wolfsburg Vanagon Weekender "Mango", two fully locked 80 Series LandCruisers. 2017 Subaru Outback boxer. 1990 Audi 90 Quattro 20V with rear locking differential, 1990 burgundy parts Vanagon. 1984 Porsche 944, 1988 Toyota Supra 5 speed targa, 2002 BMW 325iX, 1982 Toyota Sunrader |
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atomatom Samba Member
Joined: May 15, 2012 Posts: 1867 Location: in an 84 Westy or Bowen Island, BC
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Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2015 12:20 am Post subject: |
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the app you want is google skymap - not google earth. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.stardroid&hl=en
i don't think it needs an internet connection. you just wave it around and it shows you the names/locations of the stars, including the sun. _________________ 84 Vanagon Westy, 1.9L, California raised but defected to Canada. |
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