Nexus 7 with MX Mariner which is a port of the open source OpenCPN. Mine is wifi only. The charts are downloaded and updated at home.
Tablet navigation
- Thread starter jenquay
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On our iPad which does not have a data plan only wifi I got plug in GPS unit from bad elf. This fits into the apple slot at bottom of iPad and picks up GPS info from the satelites just like a regular GPS unit it even has an adaptor to allow charging. A little pricey but cheaper than a marine chartplotter . Worked well up and down the east coast this year
I've just completed a 400nm delivery trip, navigated by Navionics chart on Acer A100 Tablet (Android).
Day time under bimini on full brightness setting is adequate. Night time on really really minimum brightness is still too bright. On a whole response of screen update is acceptable. Navionics chart for my area is good. I won't use it as the only source for navigation as it is not water proof nor robust enough.
I always have my trusty Garmin 76cx running same time.
Day time under bimini on full brightness setting is adequate. Night time on really really minimum brightness is still too bright. On a whole response of screen update is acceptable. Navionics chart for my area is good. I won't use it as the only source for navigation as it is not water proof nor robust enough.
I always have my trusty Garmin 76cx running same time.
Here it is, an IPad , Garmin Blue Chart *Mobile* app, and a Garmin GLO (trademark) GLONASS GPS, and you're cook'n!
For the IPad Garmin Blue Chart *Mobile* app...~$45, the Garmin GLO GPS receiver ...$100. This is my answer to my Nav station setup below. The GLO GPS receiver was introduced last summer. Forget data use, the GLO works via Bluetooth and is very accurate. FYI, It does work off other map apps (Google, Navionics etc.). It is also a very small device.
To educate you more on this super Nav device go to
www.garmin.com/support
Once charged via 12 volt lighter or USB charger it is good for 12 hours...more than a days sailing or motoring.
Check it out! I guarantee you'll be impressed.
For the IPad Garmin Blue Chart *Mobile* app...~$45, the Garmin GLO GPS receiver ...$100. This is my answer to my Nav station setup below. The GLO GPS receiver was introduced last summer. Forget data use, the GLO works via Bluetooth and is very accurate. FYI, It does work off other map apps (Google, Navionics etc.). It is also a very small device.
To educate you more on this super Nav device go to
www.garmin.com/support
Once charged via 12 volt lighter or USB charger it is good for 12 hours...more than a days sailing or motoring.
Check it out! I guarantee you'll be impressed.
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WIFI and cell are not even close to being reliable. Most of us have chartplotters...Raymarine, Garmin, Lowrance etc.. They all get there signals from satellite, *NOT* WIFI or cellular. The Garmin GLO is not a "dongle"! It is a legit stand alone GPS receiver of both WASS and GLONASS transmissions. Garmin is employed all over the world and this latest piece of technology really puts IPads as close to full GPS functionality as close as can be possible. I have both Navionics and Garmin Blue Charts on my IPad and with cellular, not so much, actually never wifi no doubt could get my bearings. What I now have with the Garmin *GLO* GPS receiver is even better satellite reception that employs Bluetooth communication. I do not have to pay cellular costs and worry about losing cellular signals and wifi I can't even fathom relying on. I sail in the North West of US and Canadian waters...so many cellular dead spots, in some very hazardous, and some very remote areas. Give this new electronics some time and I guarantee it will be a very popular add on for IPads. Again, check it out on line...it does not mention it anywhere as being a "dongle". Cheers!
I think people are still confused about how the ipad finds a position. Again:
You do not need a service plan but you must have cell plan ready ipad. It will triangulate a position using cell towers WHEN IN RANGE. Out of range it uses built in GPS. From what I have read, the cell tower "fix" is more accurate since the travel time of the positioning data is less. When you move out of cell range it seamlessly switched to GPS.
I did 700 miles last spring using the ipad and Navionics and had no problems. I did not use it at night. I need to check out if it is too bright or not.
You do not need a service plan but you must have cell plan ready ipad. It will triangulate a position using cell towers WHEN IN RANGE. Out of range it uses built in GPS. From what I have read, the cell tower "fix" is more accurate since the travel time of the positioning data is less. When you move out of cell range it seamlessly switched to GPS.
I did 700 miles last spring using the ipad and Navionics and had no problems. I did not use it at night. I need to check out if it is too bright or not.
We added the samsung tab 10.1 to our collection of stuff. Uploaded a free ap and noaa charts. It works great, even in daylite as a second display. Plotter is behind the helm, difficult to see for others in the cockpit. Tab can go anywhere and second crew can monitor position, course, speed, etc. We also keep a chartbook open and place a small sticky arrow on our position wherever we go, even in the ICW.
Great contribution to the thread with the Garmin Glonass device, Kite Runner. While on topic of devices, what is the proper way to charge these devices onboard? Is a cigarette lighter and 12v plugin adequate or are there power issues with using those? I have read other threads where the cigarette plug 120v inverters for laptops can be problematic, just checking to make sure no problems with the little USB lighter plug devices.
Some 12 v plugs are 1 amp out. This is not enuff to keep up with a full sized iPad running continuously. Some 12 v plugs put out 2.1 amps. These will run a full size iPad and charge it up too. We got ours at Home Depot but I have also seen them at Walgreens
This is what Bill was talking about. Plugs into a cigarette outlet.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Power-Ge...ual-Port-Adapter-20155/203367662#.UpnvvKV7Bbw
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Power-Ge...ual-Port-Adapter-20155/203367662#.UpnvvKV7Bbw
JonnyQuest,
The unit's power supply is a lithium battery. There are two ways to charge it. 1) using the supplied USB to device connector employing either a computer or a 12 volt lighter USB adapter or radio as your power source...you choose! 2) using the supplied 12 volt plug in adapter with the USB connector. I'm so aware of cellular and getting a fix through triangulation, but, I'm also aware of *out of this world data charges*. I personally rely on the satellite signals that transmit to the millions of chart plotters worldwide. I like the fact, that this unit is stand alone, talks via Bluetooth, and is able to pick up WAAS and GLONASS...not bad! I have tested it using Garmin Blue Chart Mobile on a Gen 2 IPad which seems to be the best combo out there if you read reviews. In the reviews you will read of the "hair trigger" on/off switch...which it does have. In my case (sailing) I will mount it high at my nav station below deck where it gets plenty of signal and leave it. I have a 12 volt plug in and a JVC radio that has a USB connector on the front that outputs 1 amp...which is plenty of juice to charge "on the fly" and all at the cabin's nav station which is what I want this set up for...on deck at the cockpit I employ a Garmin chart plotter. Hopefully, this explains *MY* take on this device which I wanted to share. I'm not going to get into manufacturer bashing...it just does what I want...without hassle and extra costs! I have attached some pics. I hope they can be viewed.
Cheers!
Kite Runner
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The iPad or iPhone has no clue whether it is connected to a 12V source or to a 120V source as they charge on DC anyway.
They charge at 5.0 - 5.2V and require 2.1A - 2.4A at 5.0 - 5.2V for optimal charging speed.... Most 12V car adapters, until very recently, did not put out 2.1A - 2.4A. Most put out 1.0A max and were intended for iPhones not iPads. A charge source that has less than about 1.5A may not even keep up with the iPad when it is operational or at best take 20+ hours to charge.
The current iPads ship with a 5.2V X 2.4A 120V AC to DC wall charger. If you want the same speed as this then you'll need to match those specs on a 12V cigarette style USB char charger. Using an inverter is very a inefficient way to charge DC devices. It can actually make your charging upwards of 35 - 40% less energy efficient.
Here's an example of a 12V 2.4A capable USB car charger for an iPad.
Anker Dual 2.4A USB Charger
FWIW I run my iPad with data and WiFi turned off. The GPS works fine but seems far slower to update position than a standard plotter or HH GPS...The Garmin or other external GPS units seem to provide faster accuracy & updating (I am sure accuracy is close or the same but the speed it updates throws me for a loop)...
I've had the chance to do a number of side by sides with a dedicated GPS and my iPad. The dedicated GPS is very fast to update even at car speeds. My Android phones GPS also seems far faster to update than my iPads internal GPS...
Using wifi and data here in Maine is all but useless so one needs to be prepared to not depend on it. I would not personally want to depend on the internal GPS on my iPad. Bad Elf, now Garmin and others such as Dual have external plug in or BT GPS devices...
They charge at 5.0 - 5.2V and require 2.1A - 2.4A at 5.0 - 5.2V for optimal charging speed.... Most 12V car adapters, until very recently, did not put out 2.1A - 2.4A. Most put out 1.0A max and were intended for iPhones not iPads. A charge source that has less than about 1.5A may not even keep up with the iPad when it is operational or at best take 20+ hours to charge.
The current iPads ship with a 5.2V X 2.4A 120V AC to DC wall charger. If you want the same speed as this then you'll need to match those specs on a 12V cigarette style USB char charger. Using an inverter is very a inefficient way to charge DC devices. It can actually make your charging upwards of 35 - 40% less energy efficient.
Here's an example of a 12V 2.4A capable USB car charger for an iPad.
Anker Dual 2.4A USB Charger
FWIW I run my iPad with data and WiFi turned off. The GPS works fine but seems far slower to update position than a standard plotter or HH GPS...The Garmin or other external GPS units seem to provide faster accuracy & updating (I am sure accuracy is close or the same but the speed it updates throws me for a loop)...
I've had the chance to do a number of side by sides with a dedicated GPS and my iPad. The dedicated GPS is very fast to update even at car speeds. My Android phones GPS also seems far faster to update than my iPads internal GPS...
Using wifi and data here in Maine is all but useless so one needs to be prepared to not depend on it. I would not personally want to depend on the internal GPS on my iPad. Bad Elf, now Garmin and others such as Dual have external plug in or BT GPS devices...
Thanks Maine Sail!
Your information on charging iPads is good to know. I too have a similar 12 volt adapter with the 'lightning' connector especially for the iPad. I hope I didn't confuse the topic in my last blurb. I like the 1amp USB output on my JVC, It wasn't something I was specifically looking for in a radio but it does charge iPhones, iPods and my new Garmin GLO nicely, even though for the Garmin GLO I prefer the 12 volt plug in supplied by Garmin...it has a much much longer cord as you can see in my pics.
Thanks again for your specs on the Mac stuff!
Kite Runner
To Main Sail....
The Bad Elf GPS unit plugs into your iPad and turns it into/enables GPS w/o any type of cell or wifi service. Which makes extending battery life great. You can use it with your online charts that you have already downloaded. I'm not an expert w mine, just got it. But quite a tool.
http://bad-elf.com/
Bob
The Bad Elf GPS unit plugs into your iPad and turns it into/enables GPS w/o any type of cell or wifi service. Which makes extending battery life great. You can use it with your online charts that you have already downloaded. I'm not an expert w mine, just got it. But quite a tool.
http://bad-elf.com/
Bob
I've just got the Dual xgps160 puck, and am using the Nobeltec app with the Canadian charts. Unfortunately, given the "white" water up here in the north for a while yet, I was reduced to taking the 4x4 vessel on a cruise to the port of Starbucks to check it out. Travel time 33 minutes, and the xgps registered almost 5000 data points in the log file. This thing works like a charm, AND, it acquires satellites in the house. A 2 storey house. That implies that it'll be just fine plugged into the USB port on the nav table, and with a published 33 foot range for the Bluetooth, gives yet another line item to the bigger boat cost/benefit ratio.