Share My Creation COMPASS ULTIMATE

Yet another compass application? Well, Yes and No. The idea behind COMPASS ULTIMATE is to combine the possibilities of today's technology of a modern smart phone with an old-fashioned compass. The goal is to use all available offline information to give the user as much independence as possible from modern online navigation tools. The software can be used while hiking, on a boat, in a plane, in a car or in a train. A connection to the internet or mobile network is not required. Maybe this is also a nice way to give your old smart phone a second chance. The name of the software is intended to indicate a goal, not the current state of the software. Navigation and use of the software is highly dependent on the user's understanding. You should know about the basics of navigation on earth, especially GPS.
In first line the software was developed to support your freetime activities with navigational information. COMPASS ULTIMATE is free of advertising and works up to Android version 11 at the moment.

Range of functions:
- clearly structured 3D user design
- 3D compass rose incl. north index
- Complete documentation included within the software
- Use of a combination of gyroscope und GNSS informations to display following data in realtime:
- Calibration accuracy of the internal gyros
- Amount of satellites to get a position fix
- 3 modes for measurements (metric, imperial, nautical)
- Accuracy of the GNSS data used
- Height above sealevel (or WGS84 ellipsoid depending on availability)
- Inclination / declination
- Movement direction (heading or bearing)
- Longitude / latitude
- Speed of movement
- Two separated distance counter (odometer)
- 5 multifunctional buttons für configuration, setup and controlling of the app
- 8 background layer free to choose of
- Several configurations for displaying fonts on the displays
- Wakelock control
- 2 general modes of work (Hiking-Mode / Car-Mode)
- In connection with GNSS optional display of sun and moon on the compass rose
- Graphical representation of the twilight times and the phases of the moon
- Timezone information
- Complete Integration of the WMM (World Magnetic Model)

The software is donationware. So take your time, test it, if you like it and you find it useful or it is inspiring you to something new, please donate some money. I invested hundreds of hours to make it work.
The software is not available at the google playstore. You can get it directly from my website.
Please download and read the description of that very complex app. It is more inside than you may think, so using it in a right way is essentially for your own satisfaction while using this app. This is not an app you can install and immediately use all of its functions without knowledge. All is written within the documentation.
A very special THANK YOU from me to the following members of the forum:

Klaus Christl (Switzerland) for helping to implement various software mechanisms for smooth rotation and visualisation
David Erez (Israel) for developing a class to decode the coefficient file of the world magnetic model (COF file) and sharing his software with me
Johan Schoeman (South Africa) for the idea and programming principle of the 7-segment design elements and some small elegant code snippets used within this software, testing this software again and again (below the equator everything changes, you know... )
Erel Uziel (Israel) for the great application development interface B4A
Hans Zekl (no forum member, Germany) for his patience with me and his support in my development of the "spherical trigonometry for ANDROID", which is used in the astronomical calculations of this programme.

Cheers to all of you, hope you like my app, it's function and the graphical design (honestly, I am bored by "flat" 2-dimensional app-designs and love to convert a smartphone by using good graphics and 3D-effects into something totally different in the same way I hate all the daily-changing policies of GOOGLE).

Yours, BlueVision
Berlin, September 2022

 

[BlueVision]

Version 1.24 uploaded
It's fixing a calculation bug, causing the app to crash when GNSS is turned on. (Negative declination values with active WMM can result in a negative heading (bearing) value).
So if you already downloaded and installed the application, pls. take a new copy and install it.

A huge thank you to Johan Schoeman for hunting this bug together with me.

 

[Sifu]

Looks very good! Awesome graphics!

 

[BlueVision]

Version 1.29 uploaded
Compatible now with Android 14, GNSS-library replaces the outdated GPS-library
It's supporting now BEIDOU, GALILEO, GLONASS and GPS.
The used magnetic model is near to it's end, as soon the new model is available it will be integrated into a new version.
The actual version of the program is made for newer versions of Android, not supporting the outdated GPS library (making installation impossible).

Functional Enhancement: By clicking the "SATS"-display, a list of currently used satellites of the available GNSS-system becomes visible.

 

[BlueVision]

Version 2 is available now.​

New features:
- TMH (TAKE ME HOME)
TMH is a newly integrated navigation function that guides the user directly to the destination using aerial navigation. The distance and direction to the destination point are displayed. This function is supported by a completely new integrated waypoint management system. This makes COMPASS ULTIMATE the first choice for geocaching.
- WMM 2025
The Worldwide Magnetic Model support already available in the previous version has been updated with the latest available model (COV file WMM2025).
- SMALL BUGFIXES

TMH-principle in detail:
TMH stands for TAKE ME HOME. TMH is nothing more than a rudimentary navigation system based on saved waypoints and the use of mobile satellite navigation. The idea behind it is as follows: If you want to return to a certain location later, you save the coordinates of this location in a waypoint list. COMPASS ULTIMATE is then able to guide the user back to this location. This is a very useful function, especially for outdoor use or geocaching. In principle, a ‘virtual rubber band’ is stretched between the user's current position and the selected destination. Of course, COMPASS ULTIMATE does not know the current surrounding conditions and cannot access map material. Due to the nature of the terrain, detours may be necessary if, for example, a mountain or body of water needs to be avoided. TMH works in both compass modes (car mode and hiking mode).
How does it work?
TMH works largely without additional operating elements from the user's perspective. Instead, TMH functions are initiated via clicks and long clicks on existing control elements. TMH only works if satellite navigation is switched on. Another prerequisite is the existence of saved waypoints. A maximum of 16 waypoints can be saved, and each individual waypoint can optionally be protected against unintentional deletion. If the waypoint list is full, the oldest unprotected waypoint is deleted when a new waypoint is saved in its place.
Creating waypoints option 1 (storing the actual position):
When satellite navigation is switched on, long-click on the logo within the compass rose. In the appearing panel, enter a freely definable name that adequately describes the waypoint. There are two buttons for saving this waypoint. The left button saves the waypoint in the list, while the button on the right is doing the same and protects it additionally against unintentional deletion from the list.
Creating waypoints option 2 (storing coordinates of a waypoint other then the actual position):
All statements in option 1 also apply here. Option 2 enables navigation to a destination that has not yet been visited. The coordinates (if known) can be entered in COMPASS ULTIMATE, especially for geocaching or finding less-known places in nature. The coordinates must be entered in decimal format. This format is widespread and is used by Google Maps, for example. If the location was found within Google Maps, the coordinates published there can be used directly. The same applies to the locations of geocaches from popular forums.
Once the waypoint name has been entered, simply click on the Latitude or Longitude fields below the field for the waypoint name. At this point, the current location coordinates are displayed in the fields as an example and only need to be modified accordingly. This generally eliminates the need to enter the decimal point and the sign. This new waypoint then only needs to be saved as with option 1.
Retrieving waypoints and activating the TMH function:
To call up the waypoint list when satellite navigation is activated, simply click on the logo within the compass rose. The list of 16 waypoints is displayed. A waypoint can be protected against unintentional deletion by longclicking on its name. A lock then appears in front of the waypoint name. Long-click again to remove the deletion protection for this waypoint and the lock disappears again. Use the button at the bottom of the panel to exit the waypoint panel. The button below the waypoints (clear all unlocked waypoints) deletes all unprotected waypoints permanently from the list.
TMH is activated by clicking on a waypoint in the list. The inside of the compass rose shows the lettering TMH and the distance to the destination is displayed underneath. This display switches according to the selected unit of measurement (metric in km, imperial in mil, nautical in sm). If the distance falls below 1000 metres, the display is automatically refined (metric in m, imperial and nautical in ft). A red arrow on the compass rose indicates the direction to be taken to the destination. See the picture below this text.
Turning the TMH function off:
- Reaching the target: If the distance to the target falls below 20m (about 65 feet), TMH switches off automatically; an acoustic signal informs additional about the arrival
- Clicking on the compass rose when the TMH function is activated displays a query, TMH can be stopped manually
- TMH switches off automatically when exiting COMPASS ULTIMATE
- TMH switches off automatically when satellite navigation is deactivated

Please consult the documentation integrated in the app or download the HTML file describing the app. The app is very complex and may not be easy to understand straight away.

Cheers to all of you, BV