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High-tech hitchhiking

2,364 bytes added, 21:05, 15 July 2023
Update mobile map apps
There are a lot of technical "toys", that can help you to make hitchhiking easier, safer or just collect informations and statistics about your trips. A mobile version of hitchwiki is available at '''[http://m.hitchwiki.org/ m.hitchwiki.org]'''. You can also use your mobile device to browse hitchwiki.org offline: [[Hitchwiki:While offline]].
 
== Ipod Touch/Iphone ==
Regardless of the iDevice having a GPS fuctionality or not, you can find torrents online of GPS software which you can put on and use simply as maps. This is great because it means you basically know where most gas stations are on your route and don`t make mistakes of getting out too late in the middle of nowhere. Maps of Europe and Middle east are very good from the company IGO.
You can also put dictionaries on there and maybe the hitchphrases pdf.
You will need a jailbroken iDevice for this.
You can also put ebooks for reading whilst waiting long times for a ride. Things such as survival books are useful things to have on there and ebook format means they don't weigh you down.
== Mobile Phones ==
=== Android ===
Check out free offline maps apps with POI:
* [[Organic Maps]] (former Maps.me) - free, no ads, privacy-focused, open source, run by volunteers: download any country maps beforehand and use offline including navigation and search, simple snappy interface, Hitchspots.me imports ([https://organicmaps.app download])* [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.osmand OsmAnd] (- you can download maps of only 10 countries/states for free), very powerful with many features, but very complex and slow interface* [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.navfree.android.OSM.ALL Navfree] (- offline map but you need internet for address and POI search* [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mapfactor.navigator&hl=en_GB MapFactor Navigator] - able to download maps to device, audio navigation instructions continue when device is locked (good for motorbikes== iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch ==Organic Maps and OsmAnd mentioned in the previous section are available for iPhones also. Regardless of the iDevice having a GPS fuctionality or not, you can find torrents online of GPS software which you can put on and use simply as maps. This is great because it means you basically know where most gas stations are on your route and don`t make mistakes of getting out too late in the middle of nowhere. Maps of Europe and Middle east are very good from the company IGO.You can also put dictionaries on there and maybe the hitchphrases pdf.You will need a jailbroken iDevice for this.You can also put ebooks for reading whilst waiting long times for a ride. Things such as survival books are useful things to have on there and ebook format means they don't weigh you down. === Windows Phone ===Check out free offline hitchhiking apps:* My Hitchhiking Spots ([https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.myhitchhikingspots Android], [http://windowsphone.com/en-us/store/app/my-hitchhiking-spots/c094b3ed-6622-439f-95e2-9fcaf446be3f Windows Phone]) create records for your hitchhiking spots, save notes, waiting times and so on - all available offline.
=== Java Applets ===
** [http://www.mgmaps.com/download.php Download here].
== Internet tablets ==Nokia's 770s, N800s and N810 are pretty useful tools with an operating system based on Debian GNU/Linux. [http://www.gnuite.com/nokia770/maemo-mapper/ Maemo Mapper] is pretty good free software. The N810 has a built in GPS device and comes with map software that can download maps for most of Europe, North America and several other countries around the world. They are available from about 100 EUR on ebay. '''Nokia N900 offline hitchwiki Hitchwiki navigator'''===
As the [httpshttp://enwiki.wikipediamaemo.org/wiki/Nokia_N900/ Nokia N900] internet tablet smartphone reaches dumbphone feature phone price levels, it can also make for an offline Hitchwiki spot browser within Openstreetmap. The only difference with the website limitation is that HwHitchwiki's spot ratings and descriptions are missing for now.Here are the steps:
http://s16i.postimgimgur.orgcom/bihptdj85/MARBLE_HITCHWIKI_N900OYBnkRT.png
INSTALLATION<brdiv class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">'''Installation instructions''' <div class="mw-collapsible-content">
1.
a. Open App Manager and install Marble - Virtual Globe. (install help here http://userbase.kde.org/Marble/Maemo/Installation)<br>
2. Load the maps<br>
Quit App manager and open Marble, Top menu > Marble Virtual Globe Menu > Map View > Select Mercator and OpenStreetMap. This map is identical to the desktop version, including hitchhikers' launch padslaunchpads, also better known as petrol stations and highway resting areas. 3. Install a country for offline use - manually<br>Open Marble > Top Menu > uncheck Work Offline to allow internet accessTap on the map and move around the rest areas you will travel through. Zoom in and out for a more detailed map. Marble downloads and saves the area permanently on the phone. Alternatively, do a search: Menu > Go to... > press Return on the hardware keyboard.
Install a country for offline use - manually<br>Open Marble > Top Menu > uncheck Work Offline to allow internet access<br>Swipe and move around the areas you will travel through. Zoom in and out for more details. Marble downloads and saves the area permanently on the phone. Alternatively, do a search: Menu > Go to... > press Return on the hardware keyboard.<br>To cancel a route, Top Menu > Routing > Clear<br>Marble saves data in several folders: /.local/share/marble/maps/earthThere you can drop kml tracks in the folders tracking and routing.<br>OSM tiles are saved in the hidden folder: /.maps/OpenStreetMap I
Install a country for offline use - automatically<br>
Marble > Top menu > Routing > wrench icon on the lower right > select Monav > Configure > Install New > select country and Install. The download and installation will start.The map is saved in /.local/share/marble/maps/earth/monavNOTE: Auto-install works seems to be botched here, but . For some reason the tiles do not show up and I end up saving tiles the manual way by scrolling and zooming. This is probably also the way to get more up to date maps. For example the maps of France and Germany in Marble are from 2005. <br>
To download a car, bicycle or pedestrian map of a route, follow the directions at the paragraph 'Downloading Map Data' at http://userbase.kde.org/Marble/Maemo/OfflineRouting
53. Download On a PC, download Hitchwiki markers from [http://hitchwiki.org/maps/ maps]. Select Download at the bottom of the window and select a country. The file is named country-XX.kml. Download should start by itself, though sometimes it doesn't (e.g. in OSX). Try a different browser or OS in that case. <br> 6. Copy the file (s) country-XX.kml file to the N900 to the MyDocs folder. 7. In Marble > Top menu > Tracking > uncheck Show Track > select the small file icon (upper right between Clear track and the save icon) > MyDocs opens by default > select country-XX.kml file. Disable Kinetic scrolling for better performance.Marble adds kml files incremently, so more than one country could be loaded. To disable kmls, restart marble.
If In Marble gives a parsing error when opening > Top menu > Tracking > uncheck Show Track > select the kml small file, it should still open in Google Earth. Open icon (upper right between Clear track and click the file in the Places window once save icon) > MyDocs opens by default > Save as a select country-XX.kml file with a relevant file name. Copy the file to the N900 and try to open in Disable Kinetic scrolling for better performance.<br>Marble againadds kml files incremently, so more than one country could be loaded. This worked for meTo disable the kml layer, only accents are messed uprestart marble.
If Marble gives a parsing error when opening the kml file, Google Earth can still open it. Open and select the file in the Places pane > right-click and Save as a kml file with a relevant file name. Copy the file to the N900 main folder (MyDocs) or a folder of your choosing, and try to open from Marble again. This workaround worked for me, only the accents in names are garbled<br>The dots on Hitchwiki are replaced by the letter ''''a'''' in ''''a Hitchhiking spot in [place, country]' and are placed on the same spot as the dots'''.
84. Good hh spots such as petrol stations and parkings rest areas only appear at lower zoom levels. You might want to bookmark good these spots in the area you are heading beforehand. This will make quick lookups easierquicker. <br>
To do so, place the crosshair on the spot > press screen > Add bookmark > give a name. The bookmark now shows at all zoom levels.
The bookmark is saved to bookmarks.kml in:
/.local/share/marble/bookmarks
and can be edited in a kml editor, for example Google Earth. (Unfortunately the desktop version of Marble crashes when exporting the bookmarks.kml file.). Make a backup before you edit just in case.
95. ON THE ROAD<br>- When travelling make sure Marble is set to '''Work Offline ''' in the main menu! This stops Marble from automatically downloading missing tiles from an area that is opened. <br>- To save battery powerWith all apps, turn off wifi, gps and bluetooth. Select 2G off and GSM mode instead of Dual/3Gthe N900 lasts for 4-5 days. Some users say the phone is more energy-efficient when switched on permanently compared to turning it off when not in use, as the booting process drains the battery. A list on how to make a battery charge last longer [http://wiki.maemo.org/Make_your_battery_last_longer/ here]. With Marble switched on the battery lasts about a day. Bring a spare batteries and/or a mini usb-cigarette lighter charger in case there is an opportunity to charge during a ride. A standalone charger (Nokia DT-33 Battery Charging Stand) helps to charge 2 batteries at once if time is limited.<br>
- To toggle the gps, press screen > Info Boxes > Routing > globe icon. Note: this will also toggle the default internet connection. Set to wifi to prevent the phone connecting to expensive such as roaming 3G internet while on the road. Go to Settings > Internet Connections > Connect automatically > select WLAN. Search interval > select Never
<br>
- The kml file clutters the map at higher zoom levels. Load the kml file when preparing a route and use it to bookmark hh spots.
<br>
- To toggle fullscreen, press screen > Full screen
+ Current spot information from Hitchwiki<br>
+ Easy to add maps for offline use<br>
+ Forked from Debian, [http://i.imgur.com/6tt0M4Q.png Maemo ] is the most open source OS on a mobile phone, and still actively supported by the Maemo community
Disadvantages:<br>
- Max. 1400 1500 Mah battery available(Polarcell). Spare batteries are recommended for longer trips<br>
- Slower lookup compared to paper due to its 3,5" screen<br>
- Ratings and specifics of Hitchwiki spots are not included. This can be solved by converting the daily xml dump files to .aar, as explained [http://hitchwiki.org/en/Hitchwiki:While_offline#Aard_Dictionary/ here ] and open them in Aard dictionary. I'm still looking at this. </div></div> == Internet tablets ==Nokia's 770s, N800s and N810 are pretty useful tools with an operating system based on Debian GNU/Linux. [http://www.gnuite.com/nokia770/maemo-mapper/ Maemo Mapper] is pretty good free software. The N810 has a built in GPS device and comes with map software that can download maps for most of Europe, North America and several other countries around the world. They are available from about 100 EUR on ebay.
== Computers ==
=== Some downloadable mapping programs ===
* [http://marble.kde.org/ Marble Virtual Globe] - Online and offline maps on several platforms
* [http://earth.google.com/ Google Earth] - You need internet connection with this
* [http://worldwind.arc.nasa.gov/index.html NASA WorldWind] - You need internet connection with this
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