£21.11 for a Handheld Chartplotter

Neddie_Seagoon

Neddie_Seagoon

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Just installed Navionics Marine UK:Holland on my Android phone (Nexus S, 4" screen).

£21.11 inc VAT. Fast, clear, amazing value. UK, IoM, Ireland and the Dutch coast. Set waypoints, measure distances, POI, download GRiB etc.

Probably does everything I need of a chartplotter except drive the autopilot. Can't imagine that I'll be bothering with anything else most of the time. Makes "traditional" chartplotters and electronic charts look very overpriced.
 
Charts are downloaded and installed on the phone when you buy, location is determined by GPS in phone. So once installed not dependent on mobile signal, no different to any other handheld plotter.
 
Shame you can't actually plot a course with waypoints getting bearings and distance to the waypoints, isn't it? :D

It is great value but it ain't a hand held chartplotter, it's great for pub planning but you still need charts for any sort of actual passage planning.
 
snooks said:
Shame you can't actually plot a course with waypoints getting bearings and distance to the waypoints, isn't it? :D

It is great value but it ain't a hand held chartplotter, it's great for pub planning but you still need charts for any sort of actual passage planning.
Click to expand...

I always carry paper, but I don't understand your comment. I can set up a route of waypoints, see route distance, distance and bearing from GPS position to chosen waypoint etc.

Perhaps you have an earlier version? Try setting up a waypoint, then tap on it. You should get a pop-up saying "Tap for more info". Tap in the pop-up and you get a menu including "Distance from GPS" which gives distance & bearing from current location. Works for me.
 
You can't plot a route of more than 1 waypoint with Navionics. It's not like Imray or iNavX where you can put in any number of waypoints and set up any route between them.

Navionics also won't tell you thing like XTE
 
snooks said:
You can't plot a route of more than 1 waypoint with Navionics. It's not like Imray or iNavX where you can put in any number of waypoints and set up any route between them.

Navionics also won't tell you thing like XTE
Click to expand...

First route I set up was 5 waypoints, apparently you can set up 99 waypoints in a route, and save up to 100 routes. FAQ here: http://www.navionics.com/MobileMari...tegoryID=51&ViewCategoryID=0&SubCategoryID=11

No, it doesn't do XTE. I've only used XTE on simple GPS, never bothered on a chart plotter where one can see deviation from route so easily. I'm sure it doesn't do other things either, but none that I normally use in day to day boating. TBH if I wanted advanced GPS functions I'd use on of the GPS apps. 99% of my use for a GPS chartplotter is "what's there", "what progress en-route" and "what's my lat long to update the paper plot". It doesn't display the current coordinates, but other apps do (I have a nice free compass app that also shows position).

Frankly, if all one used it for was "what are the local hazards" it would still be outstanding value, but in addition to the charts it does route & track & tides & currents etc. Quite enough to help navigation (and rather more than my Simrad).
 
How do you change distance units? Supposed to be via menu, but it only displays depth units.

On the ipad, that is.
Philip
 
Neddie_Seagoon said:
Just installed Navionics Marine UK:Holland on my Android phone (Nexus S, 4" screen).

£21.11 inc VAT. Fast, clear, amazing value. UK, IoM, Ireland and the Dutch coast. Set waypoints, measure distances, POI, download GRiB etc.

Probably does everything I need of a chartplotter except drive the autopilot. Can't imagine that I'll be bothering with anything else most of the time. Makes "traditional" chartplotters and electronic charts look very overpriced.
Click to expand...

I got the iPhone version last year, it's been really good to have.

I plotted 7 way points on a trip to the Scillies last summer, it gave all the tidal information and became quite handy on occasion.

I only took it at first for interest but found it to be quite useful, so I use it quite a lot for planning and reference, the track is very interesting but you get straight lines between points where I'd turned the phone off.

I want to get a tablet next and download it on to that.
 
The routes are only on the chart and just numbers. They are not waypoints that you navigate to. For that you need to add markers, which are more like a traditional waypoint with lat and long that you use to plan a route with bearings and distances to each point.

I have the most up to date versions on my iPhone and iPad and I've played with them lots :D
 
Toshiba AC100.

Does anybody know if Navionics run on this computer under Android 2.2?

Navionics doesnt know, Toshiba doesnt know.

I havent bought anything yet but I would rather have a 10 inch screen
 
Download it and see. If it doesn't work you have 15 mins to uninstall it for a full refund. If you install it from Android Market that is.
 
My HTC Desire is 2.2 and it runs fine.

Tell the shop why you are buying the computer and sort out beforehand that you can return it if it doesn't work. Then take it home, download and try (do it on W-Lan or the 15 mins might run out before you've installed it). If it won't run it should be pretty obvious - de-install and give the thing back.
 
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I think you're all missing something very important. For many of us (inc. me) a chartplotter is something with a big bright screen that sits securely above the wheel in the cockpit, can take a soaking from rain or spray and often these days is also the source of NMEA GPS input to the VHF and other gizmos. I honestly can't see a smart phone playing any other role than an emergency back-up...same comments for an iPad or similar. Now tell me why I'm wrong :)
 
Navionics Version 5.3.1 runs fine on my Dell Streak under Android 2.2.2

I agree with Bluedragon though - unless you got a very good case such as an Otterbox or an AquaPac I wouldn't even consider using the phone unless I was inside a saloon or below and even then I'd be wary. I know from bitter experience that both the iPhone and the Dell can be written off by a ridiculously small amount of water in the wrong place. Just the drips off a very wet set of Oilies' could do it. If anyone says "that means it won't work in the rain" then I know of a few phones that have stopped working because of comparatively light rain.
 
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