Tablet navigation

[Phil P]

I'm using a 3rd generation I-Pad, unconnected to cellular transmission (only using GPS from Satellites and WIFI at home to download maps) and running I-NavX with raster charts. Been using it for two years now. Mounted at the helm, this is my primary GPS with my older Raymarine GPS as the backup. I've had no real problems in direct sunlight (with a bimini) and I have a waterproof cover for rain. I can't speak more highly for the I-NavX app or the I-Pad in terms of accuracy and ease of use from NY up to Maine. I understand that difference between the GPS antennae in an I-Pad and the marine GPS units is that the I-Pad only connects to two or three satellites while the marine units can connect to something like nine different satellites. I haven't seen the need for that accuracy so far so I'm a big fan of the I-Pad.

If you have an I-Pad or an Android tablet laying around why not just give it a try and compare to whatever you have. There's nothing to lose.

 

[Finisterre]

I am an apple iPad user, so i'll speak to that , I have been using a number of boating app's over the last few years. The chart plotting specifically using Navionic's and Garmin's app. If anyone is familiar with Active Captain or subscribes, all their data is overlaid on with Garmin. It is a nice feature. With that said, i still have preferred Navionic's. As some of the postings mentioned, paper charts are going away as much as were all purist's. with the multiple electronics in our boats, including your portable electronics such as the iPad etc., they each provide a backup for each other. I think the argument that has been ongoing over the paper vs. electronics is settling into its own. In addition to charts, I use my iPad for my log's; weather and when i'm in a port/harbor where i can get either wi-fi or a good cell signal, entertainment, watching movies; or TV, or reading a book, It's pretty extensive. To the question of being able to view the device outside, the iPad is viewable in the landscape mode outside for me, even with my sunglasses on. I have a mount that hold the iPad when underway, powered by a small inverter (plugged in) since may of the navigation app's do consume power.

 

[ahmetb]

Has anyone had experience using a tablet for GPS navigation? Specifically the Nexus 7? If so, have you compared the 1st vs. 2nd generation? Is it accurate, in real time? I sure would love to see one in operation on Youtube. Thanks, Jen

Smartphones and tablets are great for planning, dreaming, checking anchor drag, doublechecking position, speed when you are not at the helm and a novice is steering.

I think I have a total of 5 or so Navigation application on our combined Ipad, Iphone, PC and Apple computers on board.

However for real on-help navigation, they are useless:

1. The LCD is not readable in daylight, even when you have a bimini, there are only a few angles you can use
2. They would have to be mounted solidly, and are much more vulnerable to the elements, they do deviate the compass if you have it within a foot.
3. Most importantly, they are useless when it rains. The screen can get washed out, the touch controls don't work with wet fingers, and they are not waterproof.
4. Their charger connections are not robust enough to endure the outdoor nature of navigation. If you don't charge them continuously, the demands of the GPS and navigation will drain the battery quickly, and you eventually will have to fiddle with a charger during a critical moment.

While cruising, I often use my Iphone and Ipad to check the position, or get more detail.
It us useful, gives additional security, is great entertainment, and I don't have to walk back to the helm if I am on Autopilot lounging on the deck. But, on the helm I have a trusted Simrad Chartplotter, that is always on, I can see under any condition, and will not fail if wet.

 

[Head Sail]

I ihave used the iPad with iSailor. Great app at a reasonable price for weekend sailing and local trips. I can't imagine going below deck to read a chart. There is a problem reading in bright sunlight but with sunglasses off it's readable. iPad has many more uses and eliminates bulky electronics. If I was sailing to Hawaii, I'd want something more rugged as backup.

 

[SVBOB]

Take a look at Pantech Element

We added a "chartplotter" to the BOB last year. It's the Pantech Element ($179 retail), a waterproof, shockproof tablet. Found the perfect spot above the helm and got a second Rino Mount for use on the instrument panel. The GPS accuracy is as good as my WAAS Furuno external antenna.
As a GPS nerd I know that the higher you mount an antenna, the better the accuracy, but on the water, rail mount is good enough these days with the addition of more GPS satellites up there. Even mounting the antenna on top of the mast won't really help in a fjord.
Given the accuracy of charts in Alaska, this tablet (as well as every other GPS sold today including your cell phone) far exceed National Mapping Standards, so the problem is the charts, yes paper too.

Bottom line: All charts need to be taken with a grain of salt and their accuracies known, no matter what format. But your tablet can certainly be as good as a $2000 chartplotter today.

 

[dziedzicmj]

I +1 on Ahmetb.
Any tablet is an office device (as is a smartphone) and it is not as rugged as any of the dedicated GPSs or chartplotters.

I think they are great as add-ons (to your normal arsenal of charts (paper or electronic)). They might even be considered as one of the backup solutions. But I am afraid that if you sail in any serious weather or serious sea state, you would rather have a decent GPS (even a small one) with the IPX-7 waterproof case than the most fancy tablet.

Btw. the cost of a tablet-based navigation solution is not any lower than of a dedicated GPS/chartplotter (unless you consider the $400-$800 cost of the tablet to be outside of the scope).

 

[greenflash]

Check out this blog for an excellent resource on marine apps. http://i-marineapps.blogspot.com. Also, Digital Yacht http://digitalyacht.co.uk offers some excellent products for interfacing tablets with chart plotters and everything else. I will be replacing the worn out cockpit chart plotter with an iPad with the iNavX app which integrates AIS as well data from NMEA boat instruments. It is the future. We will always have paper charts aboard.

 

[dziedzicmj]

One more thing. The GPS accuracy will not improve much between various devices. Most of the GPSs (and smartphones and tablets) use 1Hz chips (one measurement/second). Unless the GPS system itself is improved or you use much more sophisticated system on-board (e.g. what the AC used during the races in SF), your accuracy will be somewhere around 5-9 m (15-30 ft). As SVBOB said, your chart accuracy is probably worse.

 

[Bill1565]

Apple is correct. You need data activated to use the iPad for navigation. It does not use much, but it is necessary. I use the iPad on the Tennessee River. Works well, but I keep a depth finder running to cross check and have paper charts as backup. I tried using an iPad without data for navigation and it does not work.

This is wrong!

I used my IPad for. Navigation for a year without activation. When MS fist hijacked this thread, I turned off cell data to work thru the getting of a fix. I go months without caring about lat and Lon to 3 decimals, and had forgotten how to get them. Navionics, Garmin, google maps and even Apple maps work fin with no cell phone input. Apple says accuracy will
Be better with both cell and Bluetooth, but I don't notice any improvement. Ps I turned cell service off on my iPhone 5 and Navionics works there too.

 

[hoytx2]

iPad for navigation

I use an iPad with Navionics charts constantly. I have the iPad velcroed to my steering pedestal. (I also have a RayMarine console mounter chartplotter in the pedestal).
I may as well take the Raymarine and toss it overbaord...the iPad/Navionics is WAY better, more accurate, and easy to use. Navionics app costs $19.95...big whoop.
FYI...I also downloaded Navionics charts onto my iPhone 4 and double check the iPad. Dead accurate every time.

Has anyone had experience using a tablet for GPS navigation? Specifically the Nexus 7? If so, have you compared the 1st vs. 2nd generation? Is it accurate, in real time? I sure would love to see one in operation on Youtube. Thanks, Jen

 

[Bill1565]

So, Maine, did you ever get your fix?

 

[John3030]

I use a "Bad Elf GPS" that plugs into the iPad port. Odd name but it works when out of cell service range. Less error than the cell also.

 

[wufibugs]

Re: Tablet navigation- making charts obsolete??

There is one thing to consider regarding paper versus most within-our-reach plotters and pads: Scale. From what I understand, the necessity to do a good bit of zooming to make anything of a 5" or smaller screen diminishes the accuracy of these devices considerably vis-à-vis a paper chart. If recent, isn't the latter equivalent to a 300 sq. in. screen? I do agree that the newest generation of plotters can gives a series of overlays that provide a lot of vector information no raster chart can provide.

 

[John3030]

iPad GPS

Sorry for the drift but can someone tell me how to get a GPS fix on my 32GB iPad Air without wifi on and with no data plan activated? I have done this many times before and I know it works.. I know I am just missing something simple...

I thought I could access the internal GPS on a Verizon enabled iPad Air, like on past models, but so far it has me stumped and all Apple can tell me is that; "You need a data plan in order to use the GPS."......... I know this is not true.

A data plan does me no good when I am out of range of cell access, we're in Maine.........

I use a "Bad Elf GPS" that plugs into the iPad port. Works fine off shore. Odd name but it works.

 

[barryelwin]

Great as a double check. I have a "micro' chart plotter and the ipad 4 is faster and more accurate. However at this stage of development the basics of using a paper chart is still a good idea.

 

[Bill Roosa]

Unfortunately you would have to have a certified for nav system and get it installed by a certified installer and tested before you can throw away the paper charts. Thems the USCG rules.
Which is why I'm not a huge fan of all the electronic nav. paper charts are pretty cheap when compared to the electronic version. They are water proof, readable in all weather and light conditions and provide a format that I can read while at the helm and it is on the seat. also you can' all gather around the chart plotter and discuss the next days adventure like you can with paper charts.

 

[Ken Cross]

for you iPad guys

Where does the GPS signal come from. It looks to me (looking online) they have no GPS. I'm thinking of getting a tablet for the Admiral's birthday and I'm thinking we may as well have nav functions on it. Presently we use a Garmin plotter with a handheld and paper charts as a backup. I'm also stuck trying to figure out what size display and memory to get her. It doesn't help that I'm a cheapskate.
Ken

 

[FB111A]

I have been using my Verizon iPad for 2 years on the boat and I never hooked up the Verizon data plan. The built in GPS is part of the cellular receiver and you don't need to be receiving a cellular signal to have GPS reception and you need to have a Nav app loaded ( Garmin, Navionics,Polar Navy) to navigate with the GPS.If you want a tablet with GPS you need to get one with 3G or 4g capability, you just don't need a data plan to use the GPS. Coast Guard Navigation requirements only apply to CG inspected commercial boats. You can go to sea with nothing but your own eyes if you want to .Only Canada I think requires a relevant chart on board a pleasure craft. I could be wrong but maybe I missed something in sailing for 45 years. Al

 

[BCpilot7]

Has anyone had experience using a tablet for GPS navigation? Specifically the Nexus 7? If so, have you compared the 1st vs. 2nd generation? Is it accurate, in real time? I sure would love to see one in operation on Youtube. Thanks, Jen

I just bought the new Nexus 7 and it has a bright screen that works in daylight, not in direct sunlight. I used it on my Cat 36 on a sunny day, I blocked the direct sunlight and it worked great. Under a bimini or dodger it is easy to see. March larger than a small 4" GPS. I loaded Navionics $9.99 and it works great. Bouys and channel markers show up better than on a paper chart. I love it, the GPS is now the backup. Does not need cellular, only need WiFi for initial chart download to the device, then works like a big GPS chartplotter.

 

[Sailm8]

Bill 1565 brought his Ipad on my boat about a year ago. With my one crappy eye that still works I could see it fine in the cockpit. I have been an Apple user for eons due to my job in video and teaching so there was almost no learning curve. I bought the Ipad for my Admiral's birthday, ( she is a gamer and loves to play her games while we sail). My plan was to Velcro it to the cover of my radar at the helm but it has found its home in her lap as resident gamer/navigator. My old 186 Garmin GPS mounted at the helm is almost unreadable in bright daylight beside having a failing screen.

You do not need a data plan for the Ipad to triangulate your position using cell towers. You do need to choose an Ipad configured for a data plan in your area when you purchase it, but never need to activate it. When out of cell range it uses GPS satellites it operated.

My wife can play the Navionics software like a piano. The feature she really likes is the ability to take a picture with the Ipad of a landmark and it will appear permanently on the chart. New markers, landmarks, harbor entrances, can all be added on the fly. Pretty cool.
Personally I love the Ipad and feel that with my poor up close vision it has given me a level comfort and extended my years of sailing. Reading paper charts with a magnifying glass and flashlight was very difficult.