GPS . ......on a tablet

[GrantD]

I don't mind buying a dedicated GPS next season.... though comments on that are welcome.

But I need to buy a new tablet anyway so thought I would try and get the best one for GPS/Navionics and a waterproof case

And maybe a Garmin GLO2..

Navionics seems to be £35 including UK/South coast maps for a year, fine for now

Having trialled Navionics on my (cracked) Huawei tablet and Motorola phone it looks good. Intuitive and informative.
Both appear to have internal GPS Sensors... not just A-Gps via the phone network.

But neither has a magnetometer compass sensor???

I get how they now where they are via gps but without a compass how do they know which way they are pointing?

Advice and insights appreciated, current favourite seems to be Samsung Galaxy tab 8 or 10.1 inch.

Does not have to go round the world, just maybe the UK and one day the Med......

Dedicated GPS advice request comes in March ?
Cheers

 

[cherod]

we use navionics on an i pad , it has integrated gps ( which is needed ) , it works very well .

 

[davidaprice]

The boat may well not be pointing the same direction as the tablet. I use Navionics and other apps on Samsung smartphone and iPad; I don't remember them rotating the chart as I move the phone around, would probably be very annoying.

These apps typically get your heading by comparing your current GPS position with where you were a few moments ago. So they can't draw a heading line if you're stationary.

 

[TSB240]

I get how they now where they are via gps but without a compass how do they know which way they are pointing?

Thats the big problem with a GPS it has no idea which way a boat is pointing if the boat is either stopped or moving very slowly.

Everybody should try motoring at less than half a knot and see if they can use their gps to hold a straight course. Even more fun when visibility is severely restricted.

Don't bin your compass yet!

A gps will be fine and show your direction of travel once you get up to a knot or two sog! Just make sure you are heading away from danger before setting off!

 

[laika]

My ipad *does* have a compass and moving the ipad about produces no effect on the little boat icon. As others above, I suspect any "direction" may be based on COG. Regarding GPS input I have a Garmin Glo but a few years back I was mucking about with Navionics on Android and discovered that it would use GPS over wifi:
Navionics SonarChart™ Live on Android
This was pre-AIS support when their sonar charts live was a New Thing and before I acquired an ipad. I'll try and do some experimentation later but it may be that Navionics will take GPS data from the same wifi source as AIS data

 

[snowbird30ds]

Check out londonchartplotters, they do ready to tablets loaded with all that is needed.

 

[Malish]

No standalone GPS knows which way you are pointing until you start to move, then it can calculate direction of travel.. try it with the one on your 'phone or in your car

 

[Baggywrinkle]

Be aware that not all Android devices are equipped with all sensors - and even if they are, navionics will not use them. Most now have GPS though.

For example my Samsung S20 has everything ... including a compass, but I need to be moving with GPS reception before Navionics will generate a speed and course, even when the Android system sensors know orientation and speed of the device.

This can be viewed as either good or bad, if the device is fixed in the boat, in a certain orientation, then it would be useful to have this information, however on a mobile device which changes orientation and position on the boat all the time as you carry it around, this would be a real pain in the butt.

You need to know the boats speed and heading, not the combination of both device and boat - otherwise moving or turning the device on board while using navionics would affect your boats position accuracy, heading, and speed.

The makers of the app know this and my observation of the behaviour of navionics, and particularly the comment above by TSB240 would indicate that there is a filtering algorithm running in navionics which is filtering out the device movement to obtain the boat movement - which is why it is only active above certain speeds and doesn't seem to reflect the device orientation at walking speeds.

My guess is this is exactly what TSB240 is observing.

I use Navionics on 3 Samsung devices (S20, Tab S2 and a Tab A) it has behaved wonderfully for years, but they are back-ups and cross references to my fixed chart-plotter and I run my autopilot from the chart plotter data, not a mobile device - don't know if this is even possible. I don't think I would trust it even if it was.

If you download an app like GPS Tools you can observe all the Android data your device can supply and find out what hardware sensors it has.

 

[RichardS]

My old smart phone did not have a compass so did not know one's heading, which meant that when I was using Google maps whilst out walking neither it, nor I, knew which way I was facing so I sometimes had to start walking in the wrong direction before the line would appear on screen and I could turn around and walk the right way.

My new phone, chosen entirely for me by my Son, does have a heading sensor so it knows exactly which way I'm facing, provided I hold the phone in front of me in the normal orientation. It means I can set off immediately in the right direction and so conserve my, much needed, energy.

Richard

 

[Baggywrinkle]

My old smart phone did not have a compass so did not know one's heading, which meant that when I was using Google maps whilst out walking neither it, nor I, knew which way I was facing so I sometimes had to start walking in the wrong direction before the line would appear on screen and I could turn around and walk the right way.

My new phone, chosen entirely for me by my Son, does have a heading sensor so it knows exactly which way I'm facing, provided I hold the phone in front of me in the normal orientation. It means I can set off immediately in the right direction and so conserve my, much needed, energy.

Richard

"provided I hold the phone in front of me in the normal orientation" is precisely why Navionics doesn't use the device compass.

 

[RichardS]

"provided I hold the phone in front of me in the normal orientation" is precisely why Navionics doesn't use the device compass.

But it is used in cars and works with Google maps so why shouldn't Navionics use it on boats?

Richard

 

[bluerm166]

Have a Samsung tab A 10.1 (and a new 10.5 as after buying discovered a repair possible on the old one ) using in a swing arm bracket mounted at the back of the hatch opening ,so high up under the sprayhood for spray and rain protection and shade.The 10 inch is great if your near vision is challenged and you want to read the depths !
The galaxy resolution is well worth having for nav (inc GPS) and general use.I keep it plugged in for daylong trips using Marine Navigator or Open CPN constantly and end up with perhaps 30 % battery.
PS you can probably use your cracked screen Huawei still using an OTG cable and mouse.A bit of a chore for navigation but not impossible.

 

[Jamie Dundee]

I’ve got an electronic compass on my MFD network so the plotters do know which way the boat is facing, even when stationary. I fitted it mainly to get radar overlay on my chart plotters.

 

[billcole]

Quite a few phone cases have magnetic clasps, in which case the phone compass is of limited use

 

[MoodySabre]

we use navionics on an i pad , it has integrated gps ( which is needed ) , it works very well .

I have Navionics on an old non-GPS iPad and it works fine with a Bluetooth GPS.

 

[GrantD]

The boat may well not be pointing the same direction as the tablet. I use Navionics and other apps on Samsung smartphone and iPad; I don't remember them rotating the chart as I move the phone around, would probably be very annoying.

These apps typically get your heading by comparing your current GPS position with where you were a few moments ago. So they can't draw a heading line if you're stationary.

God how stupid of me! Of course ?

This forum is so great.

Thanks

 

[GrantD]

My ipad *does* have a compass and moving the ipad about produces no effect on the little boat icon. As others above, I suspect any "direction" may be based on COG. Regarding GPS input I have a Garmin Glo but a few years back I was mucking about with Navionics on Android and discovered that it would use GPS over wifi:
Navionics SonarChart™ Live on Android
This was pre-AIS support when their sonar charts live was a New Thing and before I acquired an ipad. I'll try and do some experimentation later but it may be that Navionics will take GPS data from the same wifi source as AIS data

Thanks

I think Samsung will use GPS without a GLO just fine but the GLO might beef it up if A-GPS is unavailable further offshore??

Did you like your GLO??

 

[GrantD]

Be aware that not all Android devices are equipped with all sensors - and even if they are, navionics will not use them. Most now have GPS though.

For example my Samsung S20 has everything ... including a compass, but I need to be moving with GPS reception before Navionics will generate a speed and course, even when the Android system sensors know orientation and speed of the device.

This can be viewed as either good or bad, if the device is fixed in the boat, in a certain orientation, then it would be useful to have this information, however on a mobile device which changes orientation and position on the boat all the time as you carry it around, this would be a real pain in the butt.

You need to know the boats speed and heading, not the combination of both device and boat - otherwise moving or turning the device on board while using navionics would affect your boats position accuracy, heading, and speed.

The makers of the app know this and my observation of the behaviour of navionics, and particularly the comment above by TSB240 would indicate that there is a filtering algorithm running in navionics which is filtering out the device movement to obtain the boat movement - which is why it is only active above certain speeds and doesn't seem to reflect the device orientation at walking speeds.

My guess is this is exactly what TSB240 is observing.

I use Navionics on 3 Samsung devices (S20, Tab S2 and a Tab A) it has behaved wonderfully for years, but they are back-ups and cross references to my fixed chart-plotter and I run my autopilot from the chart plotter data, not a mobile device - don't know if this is even possible. I don't think I would trust it even if it was.

If you download an app like GPS Tools you can observe all the Android data your device can supply and find out what hardware sensors it has.

Thanks thats helpful

 

[GrantD]

Have a Samsung tab A 10.1 (and a new 10.5 as after buying discovered a repair possible on the old one ) using in a swing arm bracket mounted at the back of the hatch opening ,so high up under the sprayhood for spray and rain protection and shade.The 10 inch is great if your near vision is challenged and you want to read the depths !
The galaxy resolution is well worth having for nav (inc GPS) and general use.I keep it plugged in for daylong trips using Marine Navigator or Open CPN constantly and end up with perhaps 30 % battery.
PS you can probably use your cracked screen Huawei still using an OTG cable and mouse.A bit of a chore for navigation but not impossible.

Yeh

Actually the screen still works and it has internal GPS too, so the sensible, patient approach is to use it for the next 6 weeks

Though I want a new tablet too ?

See how much my tax free lump sum is when I cash it in next week ?

 

[GrantD]

I have Navionics on an old non-GPS iPad and it works fine with a Bluetooth GPS.

Which Bluetooth GPS?

Do you sail a Sabre?

Thanks