two things drove me to a plotter. Display of radar and weatherproofing. I can use an Ipad down below.... When I get one.
Can't use the new Garmin app on a 1st generation I-pad. Apple is NOT supporting IOS 6 on the first gen pads. The Garmin app is built in IOS 6. According to the internet and you can believe everything on the 'net (right?), the First generation I-pads don't have enough power to run 6. Oh well, I'm not upgrading just because Apple wants me to. Besides, I ticked off at Garmin at the moment about not supporting my chartplotter anymore. I'd rant about it but it's a WHOLE nuther topic.Check out Garmin's Blue Chart Mobile, just released. The app is free but charts cost: both the East and West Coast of US for $29.99. It also has activecaptain as a cruising guide.
I have Navionics, Navimatics, and Jeppersen's Plan2Nav but on initial usage Garmin's Blue Chart seems to have the most potential.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/garmin-bluechart-mobile/id523635526#
Ronbo
If yo go into settings and turn on "airplane mode" that will cut down power useage. quote]
I second this. The salesman told me the same thing after I mentioned that I will not be using the cellular plan with it, just the GPS. If you do not turn off the cellular mode, it will constantly search for a signal.
Pic shows difference. We can both see the chart on Ipad, don't need to get our nose up to the Ipad and look through bifocals like we do with the Raymarine. And the zoom capability is awesome.Navionics is the same stuff as on my Raymarine A50D but brighter, clearer. and BIGGER. yes depth countours, color differentiation of shallows etc.
He's wrong. Only the non-3G iPad are WIFi location only.My 'research' and discussions with local 'Apple tech' seems to indicate that the 'gps' function on iPads is not 'true' GPS but rather a dependent primarily on WiFi/cellphone connections .... GPS 'adjacent' is not really GPS and if one is not within range of a reliable Wifi source, the reporting of GPS signal during transits beyond Wifi/cellphone signal is 'stored (within the iPad) and delayed' ... therefore such 'accuracy of actual position would be highly suspect' when beyond the normal range of such 'towers'.
Can anyone using an iPad for navigation beyond WiFi or cellphone tower range confirm this?
GPS is scheduled in the future to be eventually be replaced with NAVSOP (Navigation via Signals of Opportunity) .... based on 'expected' signals that regularly broadcast ... radio stations, etc. However this is only in the development stage.