Spotwalla.

#1
Hi.
I am new to this system, so therefore i have a question or two.
Since i created a account, got SWConnect for my iPhone and all is set. Is it really just to start up the program and then click "Enable Tracking"?
Seems almost to easy to be reliable to me.
Can it run in the background, so I still can use my phone for music?
Once I am done with my route and want to log it, do i just "Disable Tracking" and all is good?

If this really is the case, i must be honest and admit, i am impressed.

Or just in case, am i missing something important?
 

paulcb

Premier Member
#2
Yes to all of the above. Try it and see. My only problem with it is that I sometimes forget to enable tracking. When travelling/rallying, I set a reminder early every morning to turn it on.
 
#3
Yes to all of the above. Try it and see. My only problem with it is that I sometimes forget to enable tracking. When travelling/rallying, I set a reminder early every morning to turn it on.
Ok, thats fantastic then.
Are the completed tracks uploaded and stored under my profile online, or do I have to do this manually. I would be terrified to erase a vital one for a certification later on.
 

paulcb

Premier Member
#4
I'm not a SW expert, but...

Login, go to Trip manager and create a new Trip. Fill in the appropriate info, paying attention to the active dates, and the click Create at the bottom. All tracks made during that time period will show on the map when you view that trip. Also, go into Device Manager and make sure your phone is active.

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I create a trip that covers the entire year so I can see all my rides at once. I also create separate trips for each rally and IBA ride so I can see them individually. Your spots will show up in ALL trips that are active relative to the dates you set for each trip.
 
#5
I'm not a SW expert, but...

Login, go to Trip manager and create a new Trip. Fill in the appropriate info, paying attention to the active dates, and the click Create at the bottom. All tracks made during that time period will show on the map when you view that trip. Also, go into Device Manager and make sure your phone is active.

View attachment 6200 View attachment 6201

I create a trip that covers the entire year so I can see all my rides at once. I also create separate trips for each rally and IBA ride so I can see them individually. Your spots will show up in ALL trips that are active relative to the dates you set for each trip.
 
#6
Ok, but that gives me something else to ask about.
If I have to create my trip before driving it, what about D-tours due to roadwork or so, will that come up as a error then? I presumed that once tracking was activated, the Road was open and just being recorded, or am I wrong?
 

paulcb

Premier Member
#7
It's called a trip, but you don't plan the route in SW, it just records and drops points wherever you go. SWconnect records the spots and sends them to SW. SW then maps them.

Here's a link to my public rides. You can click on each trip to see how it maps them.

https://spotwalla.com/publicTrips.php?un=paulcb

After displaying a trip, click on the trip name and then Adjustments to filter for dates (active trips only) and % of spots shown.

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#8
Ok, so let me get this right. You plan a trip within a timeframe, maybe + a few hours, hit tracking and you are on!
once the time of the trip is run out, tracking stops? All of your trips, are the result of you using Spotwalle every time?
Did you manually insert the comments on the map?
You use Spotwalle as a trip log, I guess?
 

paulcb

Premier Member
#9
If enabled, SWconnect will continue to track/record, even if the time/date has ended on your SW trip. I'm not sure if those "extra" recorded spots will show up if you create an new trip to include the dates/times outside of the first trip. I don't know how much SW and SWc are connected... I "think" SWc is dumb and just records and send the tracks to SW, independent of what SW is doing with them.

I only record/track my travels when on a trip, not riding around town or commuting. I don't do any trip planning in SW. There are ways to import routes (i.e. GPX files) into SW, but I've not done that... I just use SW as a trip log.

Note that SWc is just one device option to get tracks into SW. InReach and SPOT are two other devices that do the same thing, but are dedicated trackers, not an app on a phone. They are not limited by cell service like SWc is. Also note that if your phone loses cell service, SWc will continue to record your tracks and then upload them to SW when you get back into a service area.
 
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#10
Right.
Thank you for using a little time to explain it to me. Once the season starts again, I will have to start playing wit it.
‘Have a nice weekend.
 

CB650F

Premier Member
#12
If I recall correctly, you don't need to set up the trip before you leave. You can make a trip using an earlier date and time. Then Spotwalla will just collect the data it has for that time and show you what you've already connected.

I would definitely suggest familiarizing yourself with it before making an IBA ride. You don't have to be on your motorcycle. Just hop in the truck and run down to the grocery store to make a small track. It won't be very detailed, but it will give you a better idea of how the process works.

Other than that, I can just mirror what Paul said. That's exactly how it has worked for me.
 

Stephen!

Flivver Flyer
Premier Member
IBA Member
IBR Finisher
#14
Yes to all of the above. Try it and see. My only problem with it is that I sometimes forget to enable tracking. When travelling/rallying, I set a reminder early every morning to turn it on.
I run Bubbler (the Android equivalent) 24/7. Uses very little battery and I never have to get to an end of a trip and think "Wish I would have had Bubbler running."

One result is a pretty messy "Show All" Spotwalla map.... :D


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paulcb

Premier Member
#15
Yeah, I guess I could run mine 24/7, but don't really want all those points on my map... just want to see and relive where I've "travelled" by motorcycle. Don't really want to see and relive my commute. ;)
 

EricV

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#16
Some key points. Spotwalla accepts your pings. You can have overlapping 'trips' on SW. I have a 10 year 'trip'. I create shorter trips if I want to document a specific time frame to share with others. This way I can always go look at past time frames and see my pings. I don't have to have a dedicated trip running for any given time. I typically won't share that 10 year trip with others. I create shorter trips to cover a ride I want to share with other people.

The app on your phone is on your phone. Turn it on or off when you want to utilize tracking and see things on Spotwalla. That's the easy way to manage your displayed pings on Spotwalla. Or, like Stephen, leave it always running and you'll always have a range of pings you can share by creating a trip after the fact, (I think that's possible, I haven't tried in a long time). Regardless, you can have a shorter trip within a longer trip on Spotwalla, it doesn't care.
 

kwthom

=o&o>
Premier Member
IBA Member
#17
<...> Or, like Stephen, leave it always running and you'll always have a range of pings you can share by creating a trip after the fact, (I think that's possible, I haven't tried in a long time). <...>
Confirmed that works exactly as noted. New phone recently; installed Bubbler, but didn't activate it beyond confirming it worked soon after I got other things set up on the new device.

Went on a local lunch ride last weekend & had Bubbler GPS running. I plotted that ride for the first time today, and it was there.
 

djlambert

Premier Member
IBA Member
#20
sorry but i too am new to spotwalla .so my question is using swconnect and i just purchased an inreach. when the units are activated do they send to spotwalla automaticaly or is there another step ?