# Smart phone apps?



## ROBIE (Jul 10, 2012)

Anyone know of any good smart phone apps dealing with survival or prepping? 

Which ones do you use? what type of phone? 

Are they free or paid for? 

I've a droid with the Army survival manual, the SAS manual, compass, hiking apps and flashlight. 

Whats your view/opinion? 

Robie


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## camo2460 (Feb 10, 2013)

Don't mean to hammer you my friend, but if you're going to rely on a smart phone app, you're not going to survive. Start reading the posts here on P/S, get some good survival books, plant identification, etc. etc. If you drop your smart phone or you can't charge it your goose is cooked.


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

What the heck is a smart phone ?????????


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

This reminds me of that guy asking about how to use an app to live off the grid...!


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## Justaguy987 (Mar 2, 2013)

If I am using an app to post this, does it mean I am doomed? Better put a backup smart phone in the faraday cage!!! J/K.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

Justaguy987 said:


> If I am using an app to post this, does it mean I am doomed? Better put a backup smart phone in the faraday cage!!! J/K.


Its not the same if you have real live paper books to fall back on. When the SHTF a smart phone becomes a paper weight. Or something to throw at that pesky critter in the garden.

I use my computer often for research and the like. I do not expect to use it when SHTF. I have a large private library of books. My friends think of me as the book keeper... If they need a book but can't find it I will have it in my collection- regardless of topic. Plus I love the feel of a book in my hands.


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## gabbyj310 (Oct 22, 2012)

I too love books.In fact I will buy books when I'm hungry.WTSHTF there will be NO internet and all these "kids" won't know where or how to live without their phones,computers and games.....A good book will "TEACH" you and there is comfort in being able to go back and check any kind of information you may need.I buy just about any book I can!


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

gabbyj310 said:


> I too love books.In fact I will buy books when I'm hungry.WTSHTF there will be NO internet and all these "kids" won't know where or how to live without their phones,computers and games.....A good book will "TEACH" you and there is comfort in being able to go back and check any kind of information you may need.I buy just about any book I can!


I was chatting with my mom on the phone this morning about how she still has some stuff in her old classroom she needs to get. I asked her if she had a set of World books I could have for Roo... She then told me that one of the first papers/reports she had her students do was in class using the encyclopedias she had stock piled on the shelves. Not one of her students even understood how to use the damn books! She taught junior high until this past June.

Its just sad...


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## Justaguy987 (Mar 2, 2013)

I almost bought a set of the last printed edition of the encyclopedia Britannica. So sad to see their paper edition go the way of the dinosaur.


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## Marcus (May 13, 2012)

You'd be much better off geting an old encyclopedia set from the early 20th century. Those had a lot of stuff about how things worked.


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## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

Prepared Society has an app. Plus there are a few survival apps, first aid apps, camping apps, etc. that have some very good information. But first you need a very durable rugged use smartphone case, a solar charger, a battery backup charger, a faraday cage and printed copies of all the data you have on your phone. Lots of people intend to use their iPhones, Kindles, iPods, Nooks, iPads, etc. post SHTF, and they will be able to do so effectively as long as they prepared accordingly and understand that they are not going to last forever.


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

I am thinking of buying a "smart phone" with no service just to load apps on. I think having one could be a good idea. Not to depend on but in addition to everything else we have. I am not afraid of any new technology but I would Never depend on it.


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## Lake Windsong (Nov 27, 2009)

ROBIE said:


> Anyone know of any good smart phone apps dealing with survival or prepping?
> 
> Which ones do you use? what type of phone?
> 
> ...


I second what Sentry said about both the PS forum app and solar charger from experience. The PS app is easy to access. And when we have power outages, my solar panels have been very useful for charging our phones so we could text even when calls wouldn't go through, and charging a small battery powered tv for local news/weather.
I like my flashlight app. And I temporarily save pdf files in adobe reader that I find/read online while we are out and about to send to the printer later.


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## GrinnanBarrett (Aug 31, 2012)

There are some apps available and many of them are just reprints of the US Army manuals like 21-76. Anything you have on your phone you need to consider as spare time reading material. A HARD COPY of books is a must for anyone serious about survival Nuclear War Survival Skills by Kearney is available as an App. It is also available in hard copy and a free download on the web. It is cheaper to buy a printed copy than to print it off yourself. 

The SAS survival guide by John "Lofty" Wiseman is available as well. I again would want hard copy as well. Survival Feeds gets you into blogs like JWR's, Survival Mom, and SHTF -plan. 

A lot of the apps are pretty rudimentary and just reprints of FEMA, Military and other common lists. GB


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

There are apps of bird calls, predator calls, animal calls that could be handy. With over a half million apps no one knows what all is out there. You might as well say the list is endless.


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

hiwall said:


> I am thinking of buying a "smart phone" with no service just to load apps on. I think having one could be a good idea. Not to depend on but in addition to everything else we have. I am not afraid of any new technology but I would Never depend on it.


A basic iPod (cheaper than the phone) would do the trick. Or, maybe a basic 7" tablet running Android would do it too. I finally got a tablet that runs Android (something or other flavour of the week), still trying to figure out how it all works. :eyebulge:


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## Jerry D Young (Jan 28, 2009)

I'm a believer in using every technology available to give me the best chance to survive any type of disaster. A smart phone is just another tool in addition to computers, tablets, thumb drives, cameras, voice recorders, paper and pencil, magazines, books, encyclopedias, knives, BOBs, BOLs, BOVs (A direct comparison: Would you choose not to use your BOV for getting ready for the PAW because it might not work in the PAW? Just as a smartphone might not work in the PAW?)

I'll take every advantage I can get, even if it is only a onetime training session I can get on my phone that I might not be able to get elsewhere.

Thanks to those that listed apps. Just got my first smart phone this month and I, too, am looking for useful prep apps, for when the phone is working.

I have found scanner apps that let me listen to and keep track of events in many areas that I couldn't possibly hear any other way while trying to avoid trouble in a city or other area. Yes, a good trunking scanner in the vehicle would do nearly the same thing, and be available whenever you have power in the vehicle. But it won't get me other towns so I can monitor the goings on where my family lives. Sure, you can do the same thing on a computer linked to a wifi or hard wire internet connection, but the smart phone lets me do it mobile.

Just my opinion.


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## Boomy (Mar 17, 2012)

ROBIE said:


> Anyone know of any good smart phone apps dealing with survival or prepping?
> 
> Which ones do you use? what type of phone?
> 
> ...


Robie- ignore them. They are cursed with one track doomsday minds where the only disaster that can happen involves the grid going down. Reality is that there are other survival situations outside of prepping for a grid colapse.

I personally have-
*SAS Survival Manual*- which is the entire book on your phones memory. Yes it takes up a massive amount of space but it is available even with no *, E, 3G, or 4G. So if you find your self in a backwoods off the grid situation or an urban of the grid situataion, you still have all the info at your finger tips.

*Spyglass*- Handy little gadget for navigation. It uses the phones camara to zoom in on distant points of interest to help with navigation. Also tracks your GPS corordinates. Plus a plethera or other stuff that I haven't needed yet. On the downside, anything that uses the GPS feature will drain your battery tremendously. I used it to help survey property lines on a BOL this weekend.

*Google Earth*- it does require internet access, but these days you'd be amazed on where you can pick up a signal. This app has gotten me out of a few jams. From navigating on West Galveston Bay, to find a way out of the foothills south of Canyon City, CO, to what is on the otherside of this patch of woods while hunting in the Sam Houston NF. I have used it in real world situations and found it very valuable.

*Text*- texting works on a different frequency than audio calls. In a grid down/or partial down i.e. 911 or post hurricane situations (Gulf Coast) it can be the only way to get a messege in or out. When in doubt try.

BTW- before the naysayers start up about GPS not working off the grid. They are wrong. Modern smart phones have real GPS and they will work off the grid. Maps and sat photos require a signal unless the app downloads the images ahead of time like *Giai GPS*. They're maps are old but they are maps. Trust me I've been off grid enough to have tested it out plenty. - Boomy


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## Jerry D Young (Jan 28, 2009)

I went looking for more prepper apps and found a few. The full SAS Manual for $5.99, my first paid app; a "Swiss Knife" app with several useful features, a couple related to prepping; a hiking app; and now that I've double checked, I'll look for Spyglass.

Thanks again for those that posted and gave me ideas.

Just my opinion.


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## spregan (Aug 6, 2011)

Kindle is a nice app to have. Prepper books that we like, aren't in high demand by the general public. That means you can get them on the cheap. Once the books are downloaded, you don't need an Internet access to view them.


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## Jerry D Young (Jan 28, 2009)

I check this place twice a day for free prepper Kindle books. Don't always have anything new, and the free only lasts 24 hours or so. Sometimes 48 hours. I've found a few that were good, several that were a waste of the bandwidth.

http://preputilityvehicle.blogspot.ca/

Just my opinion.


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## Justaguy987 (Mar 2, 2013)

Boomy said:


> BTW- before the naysayers start up about GPS not working off the grid. They are wrong. Modern smart phones have real GPS and they will work off the grid. Maps and sat photos require a signal unless the app downloads the images ahead of time like *Giai GPS*. They're maps are old but they are maps. Trust me I've been off grid enough to have tested it out plenty. - Boomy


Giai GPS? what system is this for? I am looking for something that works off grid on my apple phone and still show maps. Showing all the newest roads is not important, because that is not where I will be. Old maps may be old, but they are still maps and will still get me close enough to figure out where I am.


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## Boomy (Mar 17, 2012)

Justaguy987 said:


> Giai GPS? what system is this for? I am looking for something that works off grid on my apple phone and still show maps. Showing all the newest roads is not important, because that is not where I will be. Old maps may be old, but they are still maps and will still get me close enough to figure out where I am.


Topo maps- the last topo survey that the gov did was in the late 1960's. Giai uses maps from an older generation than that. On the brightside I have found old features that are no longer listed on maps like old lakes that are gone.


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## Jerry D Young (Jan 28, 2009)

Boomy said:


> *Spyglass*- Handy little gadget for navigation. It uses the phones camara to zoom in on distant points of interest to help with navigation. Also tracks your GPS corordinates. Plus a plethera or other stuff that I haven't needed yet. On the downside, anything that uses the GPS feature will drain your battery tremendously. I used it to help survey property lines on a BOL this weekend.


Do you have any links or information to help me find this app for an Android phone? Found one called Spyglass, but it is a microscope type app, not long range telescope, and doesn't have the other features you mentions.

Any help would be much appreciate.


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## Padre (Oct 7, 2011)

ROBIE said:


> Anyone know of any good smart phone apps dealing with survival or prepping?
> 
> Which ones do you use? what type of phone?
> 
> ...


Well first of all can I offer my apologies for all the "preppared folk" who want to pass up a potentially ENORMOUS prep tool!

GRANTED, ALL ELECTRONICS ARE FRAGILE BY NATURE, and subject to breaking, drowning, zapping, and starvation (DC power); and so all things being equal a gun, canteen, or tarp is probably a better bet. BUT if you are like most people and you are going to have a smart phone ANYWAY why not plan to prepare it to be a HUGE force multiplier.

1) That being said, biggest smart phone prep is a good case. And otterbox or some other quality case will make your phone essentially indestructible--some even provide water resistance.

2) As far as which phone, for prepping reasons I chose the phone with the largest battery capacity--at the time the droid razr maxx which has almost 20 hrs of straight talk time. You might also consider the new Motorola DEFY, which claims to be submersible and water/dust resistant. All that being said, get a good case!

3) As far as apps, here is one, Google maps. Sure its pre-loaded on the phone but did you know you can download captures of the maps to your phone so that it works even without mobile data.

4) Also: Hiker (it works with GPS so it will continue to work without data), Edible plants, RSOE disaster alerts, the SAS manual, Survival guide, First Aid guides, etc.

5) Some apps you might not think of:
Flarecaster--which at the touch of a button can text a pre-programmed message to a group of people. Think of group bug out applications

Walkie Talkie/Intercom apps--make sure you get one that will work without wireless data. If it works with WI-FI you could wire up a secure coms network for your retreat with a few smart phones and a few routers (which would be in ready supply post-SHTF).

Finally don't forget plain old DOCs, I have a 3gig library containing survival manuals, my counties Emergency management plan, frequency lists for local coms, scans of personal documents, manuals for my cars, guns, appliances, etc. This is pre-loaded on a number of mobile drives, my computers, but also my cells.


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## Boomy (Mar 17, 2012)

Jerry D Young said:


> Do you have any links or information to help me find this app for an Android phone? Found one called Spyglass, but it is a microscope type app, not long range telescope, and doesn't have the other features you mentions.
> 
> Any help would be much appreciate.


Don't know, couldn't find it on Google play?
Personally I use an iPhone so I just go to the appstore .


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

Padre said:


> Well first of all can I offer my apologies for all the "preppared folk" who want to pass up a potentially ENORMOUS prep tool!
> 
> GRANTED, ALL ELECTRONICS ARE FRAGILE BY NATURE, and subject to breaking, drowning, zapping, and starvation (DC power); and so all things being equal a gun, canteen, or tarp is probably a better bet. BUT if you are like most people and you are going to have a smart phone ANYWAY why not plan to prepare it to be a HUGE force multiplier.
> 
> ...


Never mind ... you would not understand any way ...


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## Justaguy987 (Mar 2, 2013)

Boomy said:


> Topo maps- the last topo survey that the gov did was in the late 1960's. Giai uses maps from an older generation than that. On the brightside I have found old features that are no longer listed on maps like old lakes that are gone.


Awesome, but I can't find it by that name in the App Store for my iPhone.


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## Boomy (Mar 17, 2012)

Justaguy987 said:


> Awesome, but I can't find it by that name in the App Store for my iPhone.


Sorry (dyslexia) Gaia GPS


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## ussrebyrd (Jul 16, 2013)

ROBIE said:


> Anyone know of any good smart phone apps dealing with survival or prepping?
> 
> Which ones do you use? what type of phone?
> 
> ...


There ok 4 general reference.But you need to invest in some books


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## Jerry D Young (Jan 28, 2009)

Boomy said:


> Don't know, couldn't find it on Google play?
> Personally I use an iPhone so I just go to the appstore .


Spyglass isn't available for Android. Well, there is an app call spyglass but it is just a magnifier app.

I did find something quite similar I am going to test out. It is a pay app, but looks like it will be worth it. Back Country Navigator Pro $9.99

Thanks for checking for me.


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## drfacefixer (Mar 8, 2013)

Jerry D Young said:


> Spyglass isn't available for Android. Well, there is an app call spyglass but it is just a magnifier app.
> 
> I did find something quite similar I am going to test out. It is a pay app, but looks like it will be worth it. Back Country Navigator Pro $9.99
> 
> Thanks for checking for me.


I used to use that program, you just have to download the area map first before you're there where you wont have data. It gave me great topographic maps for free when I used it. I used it to have geographic reference of remote areas that I may be driving through - incase I broke down and had to walk. It might be a backup if you were planning a hike, but my phone wouldn't have lasted.


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## Jerry D Young (Jan 28, 2009)

One of the keys to using a smartphone for serious uses is to have charged back up batteries, 1 12v charger, a solar charger, and hopefully, an external high mAh power supply. While they work for many of these apps without cell service or WiFi, they still need the juice to run, and some of the apps are high draw.

Just my opinion.


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## Geek999 (Jul 9, 2013)

hiwall said:


> I am thinking of buying a "smart phone" with no service just to load apps on. I think having one could be a good idea. Not to depend on but in addition to everything else we have. I am not afraid of any new technology but I would Never depend on it.


Try an iTouch or an eReader.


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## jestaq (Oct 12, 2012)

Knowledge and experience are the best survival tools. Personally my favorite app (beside this one of course) is instructables. Its an app that teaches you how to do many projects with a wide variety of topics. Many are very helpful. Also wiki how is a good one.


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## Jim1590 (Jul 11, 2012)

This about sums up the thread so far:






Of course I say that in all jest as I check my new android for another angry birds game after putting my kindle down and listening to the TheBlaze on the roku in the background


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## FatTire (Mar 20, 2012)

This has my attention...

http://www.iphoneinformer.com/9965-inteliscope-rifle-turns-iphone-into-ar-15-rifle/


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