Trail Sense

Android User Guide Book GitHub

Settings

Units

The units can be adjusted in Settings > Units. By default, the units are set based on your device's language settings.

Sensors > Compass

Compass settings can be found in Trail Sense Settings > Sensors > Compass. Some devices may not have a compass sensor, but you will still be able to set declination.

Azimuth

The current compass direction (azimuth) is displayed at the top of the compass settings. As you change settings, it will update to show the new direction.

Calibrate

The reported accuracy of the compass is shown. If it is low, you can click this option to view instructions on how to calibrate.

Source

Smoothing

To reduce noise in compass readings, you can increase the smoothing setting. If using a source that has a gyroscope, a value of 1 is recommended. Otherwise, experiment with increasing this value until the compass appears to be working correctly when you rotate your phone. However, if you increase the smoothing too much, Trail Sense may ignore real compass changes.

True north

To display true north instead of magnetic north, enable the "True north" setting. This will adjust the compass reading to account for magnetic declination, and it will match most maps.

Magnetic declination

Magnetic declination is the difference between magnetic north and true north. You should ensure this is correct regardless of whether you are using true north or magnetic north.

Auto adjust declination

Enabling the "Auto adjust declination" setting will automatically adjust the declination based on your location.

Declination override

If you would prefer to manually set the declination, you can disable the "Auto adjust declination" setting and use the "Declination override" setting to set the declination. You can find the declination for your location on most maps or online. You can also click the "Set override from GPS" option to set the declination based on your current location (only sets it once).

Sensors > GPS

GPS settings can be found in Trail Sense Settings > Sensors > GPS. If your phone supports it, multiple GNSS systems will be used (such as GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and BeiDou).

Location Source

You can choose to mock your location by disabling the "Auto adjust location" setting. This will enable the "Location override" setting where you can manually set your location.

When "Auto adjust location" is enabled, the location will be determined by your device's GPS.

Require satellite fix

To get a more accurate location, Trail Sense requires at least 4 satellites to have a fix. If you are having trouble getting a location, you can disable this setting to allow for a location with fewer satellites (or if your phone does not support satellite counts).

Cache

Trail Sense automatically caches your last location to quickly load details in certain tools. You can clear this cache temporarily using the "Clear cache" option in the GPS settings.

Sensors > Altimeter

The altimeter is used to measure altitude. To adjust altimeter settings, go to Trail Sense Settings > Sensors > Altimeter.

Elevation

The current elevation is displayed at the top of the altimeter settings. As you change settings, it will update to show the new elevation.

Source

GPS + Barometer settings

GPS settings

Barometer / manual settings

Sensors > Barometer

The barometer is used to measure air pressure. It can be used to predict the weather or determine your altitude. To adjust barometer settings, go to Trail Sense Settings > Sensors > Barometer.

If you have the Weather Monitor (see the Weather tool) enabled, you will see a chart of the barometric pressure history as recorded by your device. The colored line represents the calibrated pressure while the gray line represents the raw pressure. When you adjust the settings, the chart will update to show the new calibrated pressure. The goal is to have the colored line smoothly follow the gray line.

Sea level pressure

Barometric pressure changes with altitude, which makes it difficult to compare pressure readings from different locations. To make pressure readings more consistent, enable the "Sea level pressure" setting. This will adjust the pressure reading to what it would be at sea level. Using this setting will increase the accuracy of weather predictions.

Smoothing

To reduce noise in pressure readings, increase the smoothing setting. A value of around 15% is recommended. However, if you increase the smoothing too much, Trail Sense may ignore real pressure changes.

Factor in temperature

To get a more accurate pressure reading, you can factor in the temperature. This will make the reading more prone to noise from your phone's thermometer, but it will also give you a more accurate reading of the actual air pressure.

Barometer offset

To calibrate the barometer, you can adjust the barometer offset. After tapping on the 'Barometer offset' setting, enter the current pressure as reported by a reliable source (must match your "sea level pressure" setting - most weather websites report sea level pressure). This will adjust the current pressure to match the reported pressure. Note, if you are using sea level pressure the calibration accuracy will vary with the GPS accuracy.

You can click 'Reset calibration' to reset the calibration of the barometer. This will remove any offset that was previously set.

Sensors > Thermometer

Thermometer settings can be found in Trail Sense Settings > Sensors > Thermometer.

Source

On most phones, you should use the historic temperature source as it will be more accurate.

Smoothing

To reduce noise in temperature readings, you can increase the smoothing setting. If using the historic temperature source, this is normally not needed.

If the Weather Monitor (see the Weather tool) is enabled, you will see a chart of the temperature history as recorded by your device. The colored line represents the calibrated temperature while the gray line represents the raw temperature. When you adjust the settings, the chart will update to show the new calibrated temperature. The goal is to have the colored line smoothly follow the gray line.

Updating recorded temperatures

If you change the temperature source to "Historic", you can choose to update all previously recorded temperatures. This will replace the old temperatures with the estimated temperature from the historic data. This is useful if you previously recorded temperatures with the sensor and then switched to historic temperatures.

Calibrating

  1. Reset the thermometer calibration in Trail Sense.
  2. Put your phone in a cold place for 10 minutes.
  3. Note the temperature shown in Trail Sense as the minimum phone temperature.
  4. Note the actual temperature of the cold place using an actual thermometer.
  5. Put your phone in a warm place for 10 minutes.
  6. Note the temperature shown in Trail Sense as the maximum phone temperature.
  7. Note the actual temperature of the warm place using an actual thermometer.
  8. Go to the Thermometer sensor settings in Trail Sense and enter the minimum and maximum temperatures you recorded, along with the actual temperatures you recorded.

Caution: Refer to your phone's manual to identify the designed operating temperatures, do not exceed these when performing calibration.

Sensors > Camera

Camera settings can be found in Trail Sense Settings > Sensors > Camera.

Augmented reality projection

The projection method determines how points get displayed onto the camera view. If you are experiencing issues with the points not aligning with the real world, try changing the projection method.

Sensors > Cell signal

Cell signal settings can be found in Trail Sense Settings > Sensors > Cell signal.

Refresh signal cache

Your phone reports the current cell signal strength, but it may be outdated. You can choose to forcefully refresh the cell signal cache to get the current signal strength. This feature is only used by the Paths tool (Backtrack) when Settings > Paths > Record cell signal is enabled.

Privacy

Privacy settings can be adjusted in Settings > Privacy.

Note: Trail Sense does not use the Internet and all data is stored locally on your device.

Errors

Some tools such as Navigation and Astronomy display error banners at the top of the screen. These banners can be disabled in Settings > Errors.

Experimental

Experimental features can be enabled in Settings > Experimental. These features are not ready for general use and may not work as expected.

Backup / restore

When switching to a new device or reinstalling the app, it may be helpful to backup your data and settings. This can be done in Settings > Backup / Restore.

Tools

Settings for each tool can be adjusted in the Settings > Tools section. For more information, see the guide for each tool.

Theme

Theme related settings can be adjusted in Settings > Theme.

About

You can find additional information about Trail Sense in Settings > About.

Quick action

You can enable the Settings quick action in the settings for the tab where you want it to appear.

To use the quick action, tap the quick action button and settings page for the active tool will be opened. Long press the quick action to open the app settings.

Safe mode

If Trail Sense crashes multiple times in a row, it will enter Safe Mode. For now, this only disables the Photo Maps layer in the Navigation tool, but more features may be disabled in future updates. You will be able to access Settings and disable any features that may be causing the issue. Safe mode will disable automatically after 20 seconds.