AFTrack + Magnalox: More fun with GPS — Nokia N71, Nokia N73 and Nokia N75

tspierings 01 Feb 2007, 09:03

I increased the funfactor of my N73 with the application AFTrack. This app provides all the funtionality you would normally use in dedicated (Garmin) GPS devices. Especially, when you are going off-road, this app provides you with all the necessary functions, e.g. storing waypoints, showing GPS coordinates, navigation on detailed maps, etc. A demo version of AFTrack can be found at:
http://www.afischer-online.de/sos/AFTrack/
I purchased the app at Handango. AFTrack has just been released for S60 3rd. Tracks can be recorded and uploaded in Google Earth.

The fun becomes even greater if you combine this with Magnalox (www.magnalox.net). You can upload recorded tracks (with AFTrack) in a free account (these are called Magnalogs). These tracks can then be shown in Google Earth, Google Maps, or with the map of the GPS device. It also allows you to attach pictures and stories to your route. In an animated view you "fly" through the track including time stamps and a graph with speed and elevation.
I identified a small bug with the upload of IGC files containing the points of my track, but there is an easy workaround for that. The developer already confirmed that this would be resolved shortly. See Magnalox Forum.

Another interesting site is GPSvisualizer. This allows you to upload GPS files in many formats and also shows the result in either Google Maps or Google Earth:
http://www.gpsvisualizer.com/

I am still a big fan of TomTom, but that's especially for planning and navigation ON the road from A to B. It does not provide any recording functionality.

ChemicalBrother 01 Feb 2007, 16:12

I quite like AFTrack, although I haven't had a chance to figure out what all the different things mean. I didn't realise you could use this with Google Earth, that's excellent!

Unfortunately for me, I have older N73 firmware and I didn't really have a problem with it (even with TomTom) until I tried AFTrack*. TomTom works okay with my external Bluetooth (infact it works better than it did with my Nokia 6630) but the Bluetooth connection just keeps dropping with AFTrack and one other GPS app I've since tried.

I guess I'll have to get onto my carrier/network about upgrading the firmware.

*just to make it clear, it's my phone that's at fault but I only noticed the BT problem once I used AFTrack. TomTom still works fine.

tspierings 04 Feb 2007, 16:31

I received a confirmation from the AFTrack developer that the issue with the IGC export file format has been identified and will be corrected shortly.

However, I noticed that the webmaster of Magnalox has customised the upload procedure, so uploads from AFTrack with the IGC format now work fine.

In AFtrack I also noticed that you have to reduce the number for "Pause on speed less than" from 50 to 5. With a value of 5, it doesn't lose the BT GPS connection anymore.

Just as an example. If you click on the link below, you see my bike ride this morning:
http://www.magnalox.net/log/no.php?lid=13800&fmt=G&t=0&z=8&ti1=100.21374999999979

Click on the Google Earth icon in the red bar and you will get the same route in Google Earth. Amazing.