marine GPS for my android phone

[brad minda]

I will be moving my boat from Alameda in the SF Bay to Stockton in about two weeks. It's going to be a fun 80 mile sail. I would like to be able to track and monitor my location on my android phone. This would be helpful especially in the delta where one wrong turn can get you either lost or aground. I have the charts but an actual location would be helpful as well. Any recommendations on apps that people have tried liked and disliked

 

[Jongleur]

Most GPSs will give you lat and lon. Then you
plot, like in the olden days.

 

[19thol]

I like MX Mariner, use it on my phone and a tablet. Got me through a narrow channel in the dark with no problems

 

[Brian D]

If you want just GPS with nothing else, then I suggest GPS Test or GPS Status. Both are on Google Play. Both will give you speed, compass heading, GPS Time, and each has some features that the other dosen't.

If you want charts, then as mentioned MX Mariner is good. So is Marine Navigator. Both use NOAA charts that are free.

 

[Franklin]

I have used Plan2Nav and Navionics and Navionics has more accurate charts where I have been (GoM, C sea, Bahamas and South Pacific). Ask the guys around your area what they think of Navionics.

 

[Joe]

Navionics is as close to a real chartplotter app as you can get, imho. There's a free trial version... but I'd go ahead with the full year subscription and the boat speed and course overlay upgrade.
WARNING.... be aware that visibility is near impossible in bright light on a cell or tablet... Works really well inside cabin though.
Does not require an internet connection to work.

 

[Stu Jackson]

in the delta where one wrong turn can get you either lost or aground

Good luck with whatever chart app you choose, or none.

Many of us went to The Delta before (gasp!!!) both Loran & GPS, and used paper charts only. We didn't get lost. Why? Because the buoys between Vallejo and Pittsburgh and very, very good and within sight of each other, and once past Pittsburgh if you have trouble navigating (which means counting islands!!!) then you have other issues!

Going aground is something else, so study tides and the moon phases.

It's way fun up there, enjoy the trip and the whole area. We've been going up almost every other year on average for the past 35 until we moved north last summer.

 

[freeheelbillie]

iNavX is a good one too.

 

[The Garbone]

I would get paper also. We took a week long trip using ISailor, moisture killed the phone after about 4 days of sailing and had to do the chart with bearings and landmarks. Put the phone in a bag of rice after getting back and a week later it was all good.

Nothing beats a chart real plotter IMO.

 

[freeheelbillie]

I would get paper also. We took a week long trip using ISailor, moisture killed the phone after about 4 days of sailing and had to do the chart with bearings and landmarks. Put the phone in a bag of rice after getting back and a week later it was all good.

Nothing beats a chart real plotter IMO.

Agreed, always good to have redundancy in your Nav plan. Charts, Chart plotter, compass, even mobile based apps. Side note; LifeProof cases are solid even in the harshest salt water conditions...you can even get a PFD for your phone as they are water proof to about 6'.

 

[Bill Roosa]

None of the commercial GPS/chart plotter solutions meet the USCG requirements and you HAVE to carry paper charts. To get an electronic solution you would have purchase a VERY expensive system and get installed by a certified installer. Thats the law. embrace the horror that is paper charts and learn to use them. I find that those "sign here" post it stickers are great at keeping track of my position on paper charts.

 

[brad minda]

I thank you all for the great advise. I do have paper charts and have used them as I have sailed the delta a fair amount but I also like some redundancy. thanks again

 

[Johnb]

Brad,

Follow the ship channel once you get past Benicia but be aware that if there is Navy activity at Port Chicago you need to head away from it. Read and absorb the charts for the area just past the 160 bridge because there is a whole lot of shallow water there and the channel markers are not that close.

That is a wonderful area, especially in the warm months. We try to make at least one trip a year there.

 

[frankies56]

I had the navionics app, well it was great as long as you are within distance of a cell tower. I use a 5 inch chart plotter and have and old hand held held gps as back up, I did learn to read a sextant years ago but well I dont cross the atlantic anymore.charts are great but at night they are hard to see the markers. oh yea what about crab pots and lobster pots to what a pain

 

[Franklin]

I had the navionics app, well it was great as long as you are within distance of a cell tower....

interesting because mine work 2000 miles from land.

 

[frankies56]

Franklin, are we talking about the cell phone or the chart ploter ?

 

[Brian D]

If your cell phone has built-in GPS, any of the apps mentioned should work. There is the AGPS (Assisted GPS) that the cell phone towers provide, and they do speed up getting a fix. However, any device that has a GPS receiver built-in will give you a fix on your chart app.

 

[frankies56]

That is interesting, Brian I had my phone with a marine app and it basicly was useless just keeped spining around looking for a signal. what app do you use ? thanks

 

[Brian D]

I use a Samsung Galaxy Tab which has no cell capabilities at all. It has MX Mariner and Marine Navigator. Both available from the Playstore. I also have as GPS only tools, GPS Test Plus and GPS Status.

If you are using Android, get the GPS Status app and see what it does. If it is working, go in settings and turn off GPS and Networks (if you have these) and use GPS only.

If you have an iPhone, you will have to do some looking around. I don't know what is available for iPhones.

 

[frankies56]

Thank you Brian, I will try on my android.keep you posted