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Chirp on a smartphone?


JL_HSTRE

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There apparently are some phones that have ANT+ or can have it added. The only Chirp specific app I know of is for the iPhone and maybe iPad and is called GeoBeacon. It requires additional hardware to work.

http://www.torontogeocaching.com/2011/08/09/geobeacon-garmin-chirp-on-an-iphone-or-ipad/

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/geobeacon/id449451508?mt=8

 

There are ANT/ANT+ apps in the Android Market, but I don't know of any Chirp specific apps.

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There apparently are some phones that have ANT+ or can have it added. The only Chirp specific app I know of is for the iPhone and maybe iPad and is called GeoBeacon. It requires additional hardware to work.

http://www.torontoge...iphone-or-ipad/

http://itunes.apple....d449451508?mt=8

 

There are ANT/ANT+ apps in the Android Market, but I don't know of any Chirp specific apps.

This 'dongle' solution requires a $80 Fisica key before you can use the applications. That's a lot of money for a feature that is already part of several existing handheld GPS solutions.

 

I still know of no smart phones that incorporate ANT+ hardware as a native feature.

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There apparently are some phones that have ANT+ or can have it added. The only Chirp specific app I know of is for the iPhone and maybe iPad and is called GeoBeacon. It requires additional hardware to work.

http://www.torontoge...iphone-or-ipad/

http://itunes.apple....d449451508?mt=8

 

There are ANT/ANT+ apps in the Android Market, but I don't know of any Chirp specific apps.

This 'dongle' solution requires a $80 Fisica key before you can use the applications. That's a lot of money for a feature that is already part of several existing handheld GPS solutions.

 

I still know of no smart phones that incorporate ANT+ hardware as a native feature.

 

Native ANT+ is in some Xperia phones:

http://se-xperia.com/sony-ericsson-first-smartphone-to-integrate-ant-technology/

API for Android app developers:

http://www.thisisant.com/pages/developer-zone/android-api

 

Not sure if these MicroSDIO/MiniSDIO cards do ANT+ or just ANT:

http://www.spectec.com.tw/sdant.html

 

Again, I don't know of any Chirp specific software other then that iPhone app. Don't know if it works with the app, but there is a cheaper ANT+ dongle for iPhone on Amazon.

 

For someone who has an iPhone and wants the ability to do Chirp caches, $80 is cheaper then buying a GPS that supports Chirp. For those looking to buy a smartphone, the iPhone 3GS is available from AT&T free with a 2 year contract and data plan. Even an iPhone 4 + dongle may be available cheaper then a new GPS that supports Chirp. (Those GPS units are not cheap, and I think are usually the high end model of their respective line. For example the Etrex 30 does it, the 20/10 don't. The 62s does, the 62 doesn't.)

Edited by EdrickV
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API for Android app developers:

http://www.thisisant...one/android-api

I have a number of the various Sony Ericsson devices that have ANT+ hardware. If anyone is feeling ambitious and want to write an app - I would be happy to test.

I forgot about apps. If there are no apps I guess the answer to the OP question about Chirp caches is can't be done.

 

It can be done with an iPhone and additional hardware. Beyond that, the technical capability seems to exist in some Android phones, it just needs supporting software.

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Very interesting topic...I was wondering something similar myself recently. Has Garmin published the protocol used for Chirp, or has it been reverse engineered by third parties?

 

At first, one would assume that Garmin would want to keep it closed so that one must buy Chirp hardware/software from them. However, it turns out that Garmin owns Dynastream Innovations, the creator of ANT+. So, any use of an ANT+ chipset would benefit Garmin anyway. Could be a good PR move for them to open it up if they haven't...

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I just got a Wahoo Fitness Key (fiscia) off of eBay last week. Purchased the GeoBeacon app for the iPhone and was able to pick up a chirp cache on my first try. The first one was a front yard chirp on their mailbox, so a nice easy first one. I will be trying a few more of the in the woods chirps in the next weeks to find out how consistent this is.

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I haven't bene able to find out if any app supports Chirp with Garmin's ANT+ dongle for the iPhone. Oddly enough, Garmin themselves only advertise it for use with Garmin Fit, and not any geocaching/chirp uses.

 

I have ordered Garmin's adapter and will let you know.

 

I tested the GeoBeacon software with Garmin's ANT+ dongle. It does not work with GeoBeacon.

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my iPhone has ANT+ built-in... It works with the Nike+ sensor that goes in the shoe.

 

Will this work with the GeoBeacon or do I still need the external Fiscia dongle @ $80 - seems a bit silly to have an external module when it is built into the iphone and the ipod touch

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Em

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The Chirp beacon itself is a Texas Instruments MSP430 16 bit low power controller, and NRF24L01 2.4GHz transceiver.

It can potentially communicate between 250kbps & 2Mbps.

Parts are stock, and very easy to come by. In theory, they could easily be reproduced, but reversing would be very difficult.

 

 

 

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