Why is there a gap in my trip track line?

[bruce@handylogic.ca]

When GPS accuracy falls below Trail Boss's minimum acceptable value the trip recording is paused. Recording is resumed when GPS accuracy returns to normal. A warning symbol is displayed on the map at the last good position. That will be followed by a gap in the track line while the GPS quality was poor. Trail Boss will record these poor accuracy positions and display them as yellow dots, but they will not be added to your trip track.

The GPS receiver in your phone requires an unobstructed view of a large part of the sky in order to receive signals from as many GPS satellites as possible. The more satellites the receiver can listen to the more accurate its position solution will be. Conversely the fewer satellites the receiver can listen to the poorer the position solution will be. Anything that blocks the view of the sky can potentially interfere with GPS satellite signal reception. Being inside a building or car, in a canyon or in dense forest are some things that can cause GPS to degrade.

Dedicated GPS receivers sometimes have a better ability to lock onto satellites than the phone's internal GPS. We have used the Garmin Glo and Bad Elf bluetooth GPS receivers with good success. These are small devices that use a Bluetooth connection to send gps data to your phone. Trail Boss will automatically detect this connection and use it instead of the phone’s internal GPS.

There is an option in 'Trip Settings' on Trail Boss's Settings page that allows you to disable the GPS accuracy check. Select 'Continue recording when GPS signal is poor.'. WARNING: using this option could cause large inaccuracies in the recorded trip track.