Cheapest chartplotter that will mirror to an ipad

[Gixer]

Off to the boat show this weekend and am considering buying a chartplotter for the cockpit. The main feature I want is to mirror the display onto my iPad so I can have one screen above and one below.
From what I can tell the Raymarine Element and Garmin UHD don’t do this so I need to look at the next level but they seem to mostly touch screen only. Then you go up another step but this gets out of my budget.

Any recommendations or have I missed something?

 

[KompetentKrew]

The B&G Vulcan chartplotters do this, but I can no longer in good conscience recommend them due to the flaky Android viewer app.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Garmin plotters do this. It works very well for us. We are apple users, can’t vouch for android devices. The bit you are missing, it does work with UHD plotters. It works with ours, and Garmin list all the modern plotters as compatible.

 

[vas]

have tried this mirroring feature from garmin to both android and ipad, but I cannot say I've enjoyed the experience.
Good when it works, slow to reconnect once mobile device goes in screen blank mode, so I'd guess you have to spent sometime and configure the mobile device to never blank screen or go in battery saver mode to be able to instantly get into this second screen not having to do 3-4 button/touch presses and wait 10-20sec. This means mobile device must be in constant charging mostlikely.

Disclaimer, this was 3-4yrs ago, maybe things are better now (I doubt!) Try to simulate in the exhibition the above scenario (wont take long, connect, leave idle for 2mins for screen to blank and see how quickly you're back in nav screen.

V.

 

[Gixer]

Garmin plotters do this. It works very well for us. We are apple users, can’t vouch for android devices. The bit you are missing, it does work with UHD plotters. It works with ours, and Garmin list all the modern plotters as compatible.

Thanks for that, I looked in the manual and it didn’t mention mirroring only using the app for firmware updates and updating the map. can I ask which model of Chartplotter you have?

 

[Refueler]

Off to the boat show this weekend and am considering buying a chartplotter for the cockpit. The main feature I want is to mirror the display onto my iPad so I can have one screen above and one below.
From what I can tell the Raymarine Element and Garmin UHD don’t do this so I need to look at the next level but they seem to mostly touch screen only. Then you go up another step but this gets out of my budget.

Any recommendations or have I missed something?

I looked at 'mirroring' but in the end opted to make life simple. My Chartplotter feeds GPS / AIS data via NMEA cable to my WiFi plexor. My Tablet has OpenCPN installed .... the GPS / AIS data is rec'd by tablet via WiFi and used on the OpenCPN display.

I use the Tablet as general indication while plotter does the real nav.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

I looked at 'mirroring' but in the end opted to make life simple. My Chartplotter feeds GPS / AIS data via NMEA cable to my WiFi plexor. My Tablet has OpenCPN installed .... the GPS / AIS data is rec'd by tablet via WiFi and used on the OpenCPN display.

I use the Tablet as general indication while plotter does the real nav.

We do much the same nav wise, 2 up in a performance multihull it’s often hard to leave the cockpit.

I think there's a setting to prevent the tablet from sleeping while the app is active, I will check that and how it works, not there til next week now.

We have a 1222 plus. We use the mirroring largely for passage planning in bed, tbh. We have HDMI to a screen too, which we again don’t often use. The plotter is just that much better than other options, especially now we are fully Garmined up. Our wind instruments are the last piece of the puzzle, Mrs Chiara can now go into full anxiety mode over true wind.

 

[Neeves]

Much of the cost of a chart plotter is in the screen. Option a small screen and you will save, a lot.

If you are now going to use a tablet, which does so much more than a Chartplotter, you can have a larger tablet, rather than a larger Chartplotter.

The options then become different - what is the smallest chart plotter you can tolerate knowing that the large screened tablet will need some protection from the elements.

We use an old Simrad NSS 7, with radar, and their WiFi unit and an iPad Pro. Cannot fault it. All the variables on the plotter are available on the tablet. The tablet holds all my photos, receives email etc etc and is 13" vs 7" for the plotter. 7" we find more than adequate for tight navigation - and why do you need the big picture when you are in a complicated river entrance....?

Jonathan

 

[PaulRainbow]

Garmin plotters do this. It works very well for us. We are apple users, can’t vouch for android devices. The bit you are missing, it does work with UHD plotters. It works with ours, and Garmin list all the modern plotters as compatible.

You are mistaken.

The UHD MFDs are part of the Echomap series, these do not support the "Helm" function. Your 1222 Plus is part of the GPSMAP series, not a UDD device.

Garmin do not list all modern plotters as compatible with the "Helm" function, see here ActiveCaptain App Compatibility | Garmin Support

 

[Chiara’s slave]

You are mistaken.

The UHD MFDs are part of the Echomap series, these do not support the "Helm" function. Your 1222 Plus is part of the GPSMAP series, not a UDD device.

Garmin do not list all modern plotters as compatible with the "Helm" function, see here ActiveCaptain App Compatibility | Garmin Support

I beg your pardon. I realised a short time ago that some features might not work, was heading here to say.

 

[dansaskip]

My Furuno plotter (GP 1870) does this via an app Nav net, and it works but I confess I don't use it much.

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

Much of the cost of a chart plotter is in the screen. Option a small screen and you will save, a lot.

If you are now going to use a tablet, which does so much more than a Chartplotter, you can have a larger tablet, rather than a larger Chartplotter.

The options then become different - what is the smallest chart plotter you can tolerate knowing that the large screened tablet will need some protection from the elements.

We use an old Simrad NSS 7, with radar, and their WiFi unit and an iPad Pro. Cannot fault it. All the variables on the plotter are available on the tablet. The tablet holds all my photos, receives email etc etc and is 13" vs 7" for the plotter. 7" we find more than adequate for tight navigation - and why do you need the big picture when you are in a complicated river entrance....?

Jonathan

The common wisdom, these days, is to have the weatherproof, sun-viewable plotter in the cockpit, and the tablet down below.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

The cheapest Garmin is therefore a GPSmap 723. Can be had for £900 from the usual suspects. We bought ours from ebay. Not something I’d normally do but it worked out great. New in the box, I tested it on the bloke’s drive before paying. Less than half price.

 

[PaulRainbow]

Off to the boat show this weekend and am considering buying a chartplotter for the cockpit. The main feature I want is to mirror the display onto my iPad so I can have one screen above and one below.
From what I can tell the Raymarine Element and Garmin UHD don’t do this so I need to look at the next level but they seem to mostly touch screen only. Then you go up another step but this gets out of my budget.

Any recommendations or have I missed something?

You should also ask "why do i want to mirror the plotter?"

The Echomap series does not use the "Helm" feature (mirroring). It also does not support radar. It does cost less than the GPSMAP series MFDs and does include charts, which makes it a very economical solution. You can still use a tablet below, with the Active Captain app', but in stand alone mode, using charts downloaded from Garmin for free, because they are included with the MFD. You will not be able to directly share waypoints etc or to see any other data shown on the MFD, such as depth, wind etc.

So, if a stand alone plotter, with no depth etc is suitable, the Echomap may well be a good choice. If the MFD will be showing depth etc and you want to see that on the tablet, the Echomap is not suitable, i would suggest a GPSMAP in that case.

I do not subscribe to the "fit a tiny MFD at the helm" school of thought. IMO, the helm display is the primary source of data when sailing, so i'd want a decent size screen there. Adding a low cost tablet down below makes for a very cost effective second display.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Ours is at the helm. I wouldn’t want it elsewhere, nor would I want it smaller. Things might be different if we sailed a bigger boat fully crewed, but with just 2, navigation is done in the cockpit, on the go. If there’s timing info we’ve worked out during planning, we might write it on the bulkhead, just like we would the racing mark list when it’s given out on VHF.

 

[Refueler]

Interesting subject ... main nav and secondary ....

I know I am not only one with a smaller boat than many ... and with a tiller - makes siting main gear a jigsaw puzzle.

My Main plotter (Onwa KP39A) is mounted just inside companionway on the engine box to port. I can see it from cockpit - can rotate it to view / use from dinette.
I have considered bulkhead mounting fwd cockpit - but to port is the Contest compass ... so thats not suitable ... to stbd - I have dual depth / speed with reasonable space below - BUT immediately behind that area inside cabin - is my main engine start / relay box ....
Also mounting there would mean using substantial mount to allow removal at end of season or through bulkhead meaning permanent.

My solution therefore is the WiFi plexor allowing the less than ideal plotter location - but roving use of the tablet. I have to admit - I also have access to full ECDIS charting on PC so that gives me as much as data as anyone can use !!

My mate Steve practising nav !!

For anyone interested - thats a swivel mounted cockpit table ... can be centred for dining or swung to port to provide chart table. Removable when not needed.

I have considered a swivel mount at transom ... where I can have plotter but still removable ....

Idea being an arm fixed at transom centre, can swing to port or stbd with a second folding arm to bring plotter to viewing position. When plotter not mounted - all folds back against pushpit.
Others I know have a swivel mount in companionway that can be swung across ..... but I'm not so cool with the hanging leads etc.
But at end of day - I revert to use of existing .....

 

[GHA]

I have to admit - I also have access to full ECDIS charting on PC so that gives me as much as data as anyone can use !!

Crumbs - didn't even know you could get type approved EDIS charting on a laptop - is that really what you mean? Any links to the software if so?

 

[Gixer]

I beg your pardon. I realised a short time ago that some features might not work, was heading here to say.

No worries,

You should also ask "why do i want to mirror the plotter?"

At the moment I have the iPad with Navionics down below, I have had the iPad on deck but it scares me as its so fragile. I want a bulkhead mounted Chartplotter which will talk to the iPad to share routes and waypoints. Basically when I'm doing around the cans racing I want to know where the mark is and how far way, etc, without going below. I would also like to plan a route at home and then just add it to chart plotter when onboard.

I guess it doesn't need to mirror and I could use a chart plotter as a stand alone device, but as some plotters do offer mirroring I'm trying to decide if to spend the extra.

 

[Refueler]

Crumbs - didn't even know you could get type approved EDIS charting on a laptop - is that really what you mean? Any links to the software if so?

Sorry ... as a Commercial User - I cannot give you such link or info.

Type Approval is based on the use and Vessel intended for.

The nearest I can give you - note this is NOT what I was posting about - is TELChart ... which is one of the only systems available to the non Commercial market as well as professionals. It uses CM93 v3 and updates. You need to pay for it though.
OpenCPN and others cannot use v3 as its heavily encrypted and no longer folder based as v2 previously.

 

[Jodel]

Raymarine Axiom+ will do this. I have the Axiom next to the chart table and a mount for the iPad next to the wheel. If I was to do it again I would reverse the positions as it is very easy, on a nice sunny day, for the iPad to overheat and auto shutdown just when you need it.