I’m in the market for a new hand held GPS. I only climb modest summits so what would people recommend?
A mobile phone. I have an android one which has downloaded maps that show my position. The free version is limited in waypoint number.
These are maps from the Australian Geographic Survey Dept, not Open Toppo Maps which is on the phone but has inaccuracies.
There are other maps for hikers which have good accuracy but I don’t normally use those.
It also runs Google Satellite maps which I use mainly in checking access when planning. If I can see the track I’m confident it exists currently.
I do have a Garmin GPS navigator thing but the phone is superior in its screen size and has the ability to run SOTAWatch3 when I reach my destination.
73
Ron
VK3AFW
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For what reasons do you want a GPS? To get a reliable Grid Reference / Position Data? To record a track? To use in emergencies?
Understanding what functions you want, would help the community inform you of what products might be appropriate.
That said, I concur with Ron VK3AFW; a modern mobile phone has good GPS accuracy and reliability and can do most things any other product can.
Regards,
Dave
G7SAT
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A modern mobile phone is not a suitable walker’s GPS for the simple reason you cannot use them when you wear gloves, the touch screens do not work when they are damp / wet and the phones are not waterproof. That renders them TOTALLY unsuitable for walking in UK weather.
Now I use my phone a lot running software using OpenTopoMaps as a cross check to a real GPS which is waterproof to IPX7 (withstands immersion in 1m of water for 30mins). It has big buttons you can work with gloves on.
Sadly mine is old so it has a small screen and I now need glasses (not rainproof) to read it.
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Andy,
Why do you allow your Wx Bureau to dish up such poor conditions. The UK isn’t broke. Surely it can afford some fine weather. Even one day a fortnight?
I am past hiking/operating in the rain. If it’s not going to be fun I’m staying home.
Last century, when we could not afford weather proof gloves we wore washing up gloves underneath the heather ones to keep our hands from going wrinkly. Surgical gloves would be better. ISTR there is a whole topic in SW that addresses the gloves and wetness issues.
73
Ron
VK3AFW
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Ron, thanks for giving me a genuine LOL moment 
That’s a very Australian perspective. In the UK you have to be prepared for rain in the hills, even on a dry summer day.
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I use paper maps, either laminated or in a plastic bag. The battery never goes flat. On the very rare occasion I’m temporarily mislocated (never lost) I have an app on my phone to give me an OS national grid reference.
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I just use my phone. I have an app with 1:25,000 topographic maps loaded, so I don’t need any cell coverage. It’s waterproof, although using it with gloves or in heavy rain can be a bit tricky. That said, I almost never go to the mountains unless the sky is clear anyway.
In any case, I’ve found that 99% of the time, I don’t need to use any controls. I just unlock the phone and refresh my position to check if I’m on the right track, that’s it. I’ve covered thousands of kilometers this way without any issues. I definitely never looked back at my Garmin GPS with its tiny, low-resolution screen, slow processor, and proprietary maps.
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Hi Bryn,
If you have a limited budget and walk only modest hills then I agree with Ron @VK3AFW and Dave @G7SAT about using your mobile phone for GPS-based route navigation. I’ve been using Ordnance Survey’s OS Map app on my Apple iPhone [at around £20 subscription per year] for many years [it’s great on the big hi-def colour screen]. The detail in their 1:25k topological maps is world class and has often helped me stay on course in feature-poor landscapes.
Notwithstanding the benefits of a dedicated standalone GPS device, I’ve never found they justify the initial outlay and on-going costs of a separate device.
Re Andy @MM0FMF 's OTT response about needing to use with gloves, most of the time I’m merely glancing at my phone screen to confirm my position is correct and not having to type anything. Taking a glove off for 15s is what some of us budget-limited folk have to do. We’re not at home to Mr. Cissy, are we.
If you’re worried about the risk of immersing the device in 1m of water, then (Andy) I suggest you stop walking whilst checking the phone and don’t stand over or near bodies of water. In heavy rain I recommend a MM0FMF-type solution, put your phone in a 0.5p see-through plastic bag.
Old School types use to say “What if you lose your phone?” as an argument for taking paper maps but of course you could lose the latter too. If I’m doing an unfamiliar walk I’ll take a paper map as a backup.
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I have a basic eTrex10, with no maps and no subscription. I find it useful in three ways:
It will record a track as I walk in, which can then be used to “backtrack” out in poor visibility on an unfamiliar summit.
It gives an accurate grid ref to spot me on the paper map that I have with me.
It allows me to import tracks posted by others on eg sot.las.
However, it is only rarely used…
On my phone, I have the free “OS Locate” app, which gives an accurate grid ref, and also provides a quick way of texting my location home, eg if I have changed plans since telling family where I will be going.
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£35 in my case. Oh and remembering to recharge a pair of NiMH AA cells.
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You’ve already admitted it’s a crap solution (small screen that you can’t read without reading glasses), where as my iPhone 12’s large screen means I don’t need glasses to read it. What mapping is it using? Is it free? Annual subscription? You’re not really doing a fair comparison without revealing that.
Mobile phone (and all touch screen) compatible gloves are now very common, especially using online stores like Amazon, and come in both summer and winter weights. I prefer fingerless gloves, so I have dexterity operating a radio and writing in a log, I use these gloves at the moment, which is only fingerless on the tip of the thumb and index finger.
I personally haven’t had a problem with rain or water on the screen, but that may vary between phones. Many phones are now rated with pretty high IP ratings. I have had a google pixel 6 pro for almost 4 years, and it is rated as IP68; dust-tight and tested for immersion in 3 meters of water for at least 30 minutes. Many phones are rated IP67 or higher these days.
I use my Pixel6 for all my SOTA activations; I tend to use the SOTLAS page for tracking a path to a summit in real time (especially when I am walking a previously reported track or path). In my humble opinion, my pixel6 is totally suitable for walking in UK weather. I’ve bought a case that provides serious drop protection too: I’d recommend Spigen cases all day long, using them for a couple of phones now with no deaths or cracked screens!
In case the sun does come out, I find I can read the Pixel 6 pro screen in bright sunshine with no issue either 
Just my humble opinion…
Dave
G7SAT
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It wasn’t in 2007 when I didn’t need glasses. I bought a backup from eBay as the joystick became harder to use after 12 years. Originally I used the SMC maps for it but a 2nd hand backup bought from eBay, the £35 one came with the OS maps which made it an even biglier bargain. I use that one now as the main and the original is the backup.
Have some, worn out the touch screen finger tips on them when using phone and walking the dog.
Pixel 6? £999 new ISTR, iPhone 12? Similar. If you don’t drop a grand on a phone but buy something cheaper you can buy a plethora of used GPSs and a new phone every 3 years and still be quids in 10 years down the line.
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I got the Pixel 6 Pro, when it had just come out, but I could justify it as I need a smartphone for work. After nearly 4 years, it’s still going strong and I have no intentions of changing at the moment.
It looks like you can get refurbished pixel 6’s for less than £150, so in reality they are probably cheaper than a brand new GPS. The added advantage with a phone is that if I drop or lose my phone, I can use someone else’s phone to track mine (assuming my phone still has a data connection).
Horses for courses!
Dave.
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Cheap phones like my Xiaomi 13t are ip68, for 300€. They last 5 years minimum. The screen and processor are infinitely better than Garmin prehistoric devices. Imo.
Bonus point: you save the trouble of carrying another device and it’s associated weight.
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For hill-walkers and others in Scotland, sound advice on preparing for trips up the mountains is provided by Scottish Mountain Rescue and others.
Some SOTA Activators use robust solutions such as GPS handhelds, Garmin InReach, and so forth for added ‘protection’ when out on the hills. There is a view that these are only necessary for long or remote trips. But the reality is that even on a short trip, not far from civilisation, things can go wrong, and they could make the difference between survival or not.
Long experience shows that treating mobile phones, and their networks, as a victory for style over substance pays long-term dividends. In bad weather, when the mains power goes off, etc they don’t remain QRV for long.
There is plenty of evidence that you can get away with a ‘pound shop’ approach to mountain safety for years on end. Equally, many families know the pain of growing up without a parent or sibling who departed long before their time.
Is it worth spending a few hundred quid to improve your chances of remaining on this Earth for another 30+ years?
Only you can answer that.
Dave
https://www.scottishmountainrescue.org/mountain-safety-advice/
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I’m with Ron @VK3AFW on this one.
Use a waterproof mobile (many are these days) and carry a battery bank to top it up.
I’ve got a drawer with several handheld GPS devices and they just don’t come out any more.
Agree that the touch screen can be challenging in the rain. But I just wipe it off and stand with my back to the wind to keep it sheltered from the rain if I need to. I’ve been out in some pretty foul and well below freezing weather in the last few years and I’ve never needed (yet) to pull out the back up mini GPS unit (I have carried a Garmin Geko 201 for a long while), or the paper map I have in as well. I admit I have used the paper map at times, but usually because I want a wider view than the phone screen can provide.
I DO have proper mapping on my phone though! I make sure I buy, or licence for a period, the best Topo mapping I can find. In the UK that’s OS Mapping. I am currently using Topo GPS topo-gps.com on my Samsung S21.
If you do feel the need to back up a Smartphone, then a little Garmin Etrex SE will do what my old Geko does for me. Note there’s no mapping on these little devices, you do still need to use them in conjunction with a map and basic nav skills.
In fact… having decent basic nav skills is probably the most important thing - regardless of use of a GPS, Smartphone or paper map.
If you haven’t got those skills (I am not suggesting YOU do not) then get yourself on a couple of days course. They are fun and get the basics across well.
I used to work on courses in the Peak District and in Eryri (was Snowdonia), often following the National Navigation Awards Scheme levels. The Gold level is pretty much the same nav only standard as needed for the UK Mountain Leader award.
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