I phone 4

volvopaul

volvopaul

Well-Known Member
Joined
1 Apr 2007
Messages
9,067
Location
midlands
hotmail.co.uk
I m sure there are lots of you out there with these phones, but does anyone actually use the navionics app to navigate, or is it just a toy to play with in the pub when your missing your boat?, reason is after my long battle with "3" mobile co they have actually offered me a new phone FOC , would this new toy be of benefit as I have.

Sat nav in the car built in.
Sat nav in the van.
Mobile BB with my laptop
3 plotters on the boat.

Im not that much of a techno guru, I dont have endless long lunch breaks where I get bored and have time to play, yes clients I bet your happy to hear that!.

I first met richie off this forum when I did his sea trial he had the nav on his iphone yes I was impressed, but does it realy work??.
 
It definitely works and the charts are same as any basic Navionics but it's still a very non-water-proof plotter with 3" x 2" screen. You can get some Android phones with a noticeably larger screen but the same applies, just to a slightly lesser extent. You can navigate by them but any who uses one for serious pilotage is a brave man or woman (or a stupid one perhaps).

If you've got a dinghy and you put it in a dry bag then it's probably OK but otherwise I wouldn't even call it a back up. Battery life, etc. all mean it's just not reliable.

Doesn't mean I wouldn't get one of course - I've got it on my old iPhone and my new Android but I also have a handheld waterproof gps even though I only crew and don't have my own boat.
 
Hi Paul,

I still think it's great, really handy to use as an additional tool in conjuction with Almanac, charts and chartplotter though as grumpy og says I wouldn't use it for navigating alone.

Best feature for me is having all the tide tables, tidal curves and flow information at the press of a button. Tho possibly that's just because it's simple for a newbie like me with the complicated Solent / Poole tide areas. It's also easier to use than the plotter when you want a quick overview of the passage and for checking waypoints.

And as you say, it's pretty neat when you're at home missing the boat
 
I find the best and most useful apps are iDrifter or Anchor Alarm.

Both excellent to set at night and keep next to the bed, always handy when you wake during the night to check were the boat is in relation to where it was when you turned in, without having to get out of bed.

The internal GPS does not seem to have a problem obtaining and maintaining a GPS fix through the hatch above the bed.

They both have a very audible alarm if the boat moves outside a preset area (ie anchor drag).

My Garmin plotter has an anchor drag alarm, however it is not possible to hear it when in bed at night, (boat is 45 foot), so the iPhone is perfect for this.

Graham
 
"windfinder" is the most usefull app on SWMBO's i-phone.
a lot more user friendly then windfinder on my Nokia E72.

The navionics app is very handy for the tide tables, and tidal stream graphs, and usefull for passage checking when you'r not on the boat,

I wouldn't think of using it for navigation. (too small, not practical)
 
As someone who uses the iphone 4 for business,

It really is a very, very good "tool" the things I regularly use it for business wise:

  • Phone (obviously)
  • Email (again obviosuly)
  • 5mb Camera with flash take great pics for reminding yourself of something on a boat or hull number etc.
  • Dragon dictation - great free app
  • Day tides - great free app
  • Social network - manage all our company tweets/facebook etc thru an iphone app
  • Shipfinder free - neat AIS app
  • Docs to Go - open up virutally any documnet you recieve by email
  • Calendar intergration over the web with google calendars so no need to dock etc with main pc
  • Unit coverter app - ft to mtrs to fathoms etc etc
  • Torch if stuck without one
  • Track currency
  • Manage mutilple email accounts very easily

I was a bit of an anti iphone having always had nokia high end phones but the iphone 4 really does make life very easy and has some great features. It is not perfect but is is good for me.

Trick with it is to look for free apps as many cover what others charge you for, keep it updated with the latest software updates.

FYI - I have the 32gb version on Vodafone and 3G coverage is very good indeed.

If your in Port solent feel free to pop in and have a test of it.
 
I have the 3gs - so a little behind the times - the 4 has a much better screen and is more powerful ...

I have Navionics on the 3gs - but I don't use it to navigate - at 6-8 knots you really don't want the screen on the whole time as it drains the battery .. that said - it is useful to have a glance if you're not in view of the plotter - and the other apps are also handy to have ...

regarding the waterproofness (or not!) of the iPhone - there is a product called iDry which is a big waterproof case for the phone - it doesn't float, but does keep your phone dry and you can still use it (the screen - not the buttons on the side) - so you could (in theory) fall overboard, use the GPS app to get a lat & long then call the CG to get a friendly LB to come and pick you up (if you've got mobile signal!) ... I don't intend on testing it though!
 
fireball said:
regarding the waterproofness (or not!) of the iPhone - there is a product called iDry which is a big waterproof case for the phone - it doesn't float, but does keep your phone dry and you can still use it (the screen - not the buttons on the side) - so you could (in theory) fall overboard, use the GPS app to get a lat & long then call the CG to get a friendly LB to come and pick you up (if you've got mobile signal!) ... I don't intend on testing it though!
Click to expand...

Overboard also do an Ipod pouch which is totally waterproof AND floats (I've tested this, curiousity!) - Perfect size for the iphone, you can attach headphones through the waterproof socket gland so you can listen to tunes or (more importantly?) make a phone call if necessary and close enough to shore - It either hangs on your neck by a lanyard or wraps round your arm with the armband (supplied) - no loss of sensitivity from the screen through the pouch. Always kept mine on me when I was kayaking or fishing from my wee Lifeguard RIB, invaluable as a GPS reading if you need it.

Bought an HTC desire now, but the pouch is just as effective for it! :)
 
I wouldn't use the iPhone to navigate: the screen is too small. But the iPad is a different thing. I went from Ostende to London and back this summer, purely on the ipad with iNavx and navionics charts.

The Navionics app is more of a browser, the iNavx app +navionics charts is an actual navigation suite.

As for keeping the ipad waterproof: I have a silicone case for it, which deals with bumps, and if I use the ipad outside, I put it in a 99c ziplock bag.
 
Navionics Tide Predictor does not work IMHO!

This might come across as a little sad but...

This summer I have compared all of the tidal prediction apps for the iPhone and cross referenced them with my Reeds Almanac, the Admiralty Easy Tide online programme and what is actually happening in my home port of Lymington in real life.

The Navionics App for iPhone Tidal predictions were some of the worst in terms of time and height accuracy, out by as much as 2 hours in some cases. With height it was not so bad, maybe 5-10cm.

This test was done for 10 different days in 5 different locations using Standard and Secondary Ports.

The most accurate App out there for Tide Times and Heights to correlate with the Admiralty and UKHO is and app called Boastie.
 
Hi Paul,

As you know my day job is Corporate Acquisitions Manager at Vodafone so I can speak with some authority when it comes to all things mobile!

My professional advice to you would be..... go on, get one - you will love it :D:D

And no, I am not connected to Apple in any way!
 
Hi mate, as you know i've just got one and very impressed! Not used the chart yet, looking forward to it maybe this weekend. It does save lugging the laptop around! The only thing is as we both work outside, they are on the fragile side but get a good case and all is well. Hey mate got to keep up with the tec!!
 
Richie said:
Hi Paul,

I still think it's great, really handy to use as an additional tool in conjuction with Almanac, charts and chartplotter though as grumpy og says I wouldn't use it for navigating alone.

Best feature for me is having all the tide tables, tidal curves and flow information at the press of a button. Tho possibly that's just because it's simple for a newbie like me with the complicated Solent / Poole tide areas. It's also easier to use than the plotter when you want a quick overview of the passage and for checking waypoints.

And as you say, it's pretty neat when you're at home missing the boat
Click to expand...

Agreed. The I4 and Navionics is an excellent 'what if' and "how far" tool when away from the big plotter (in fact for quick planning it is better) and the tides and current information is valuable (I don't need it to be accurate to within 15mins and 10cm, I don't boat to those tolerances).

Do I use it for in flight plotting - no - but then the additional cost over what I'd spend on its other functionality was about £15, and it has repaid that many times over.

I also use the Boatie app daily, and the recent update improved that as well.
 
tamarind said:
Hi mate, as you know i've just got one and very impressed! Not used the chart yet, looking forward to it maybe this weekend. It does save lugging the laptop around! The only thing is as we both work outside, they are on the fragile side but get a good case and all is well. Hey mate got to keep up with the tec!!
Click to expand...

I was only getting one to keep up with you!
 
kcrane said:
Agreed. The I4 and Navionics is an excellent 'what if' and "how far" tool when away from the big plotter (in fact for quick planning it is better) and the tides and current information is valuable (I don't need it to be accurate to within 15mins and 10cm, I don't boat to those tolerances).

Do I use it for in flight plotting - no - but then the additional cost over what I'd spend on its other functionality was about £15, and it has repaid that many times over.

I also use the Boatie app daily, and the recent update improved that as well.
Click to expand...

Hi Kevin, looks like after my long battle with 3 mobile they are going to end my contract and start a new one, when you look at smart phones they are around £30 per months so the only add on for an I p4 is 99.00 well worthhaving over buying just another phone.

Sorry I didnt make sunday for cakes, was renewing some linings around the master bed that had gone damp.
 
Sundowner Portofino said:
The Navionics App for iPhone Tidal predictions were some of the worst in terms of time and height accuracy, out by as much as 2 hours in some cases. With height it was not so bad, maybe 5-10cm.
Click to expand...


agree with you that the tidal data on some points in the Navionics database is not accurate, or not correct,
(I assume its the same database for Navionics I-phone app, or Navionics on a real chartplotter.)

for the diving I'm mainly interested in the tidal stream data, and this data is
easyly available on the plotter in the boat, (or on the I-phone the evening before for the dive planning)

I usually check the tide times with a completely different local source, (harbour office, ..) so I know if the data in the plotter for that point is usable or not.

We do this for the diving in Holland Oosterschelde, Belgium Northsea,
and very recently UK Cornwall and scillies,
I-phone (and plotter) tidal stream data was usefull.
 
IMHO, it is a useful thing to have on your phone, but not for primary marine navigation use. It's too slippy, not waterproof, short battery life, and utterly useless if it is out of range of cell network (ie it takes too long to acquire a fix unless it also has a mobile signal).

However, I find it very useful when walking around foreign cities, directing taxis, and more recently found it fun to have on board a cruise ship holiday. Beware though that it will savage your phone bill if you leave international data roaming turned on for too long and use it. I'm with Vodafone, so just turn data roaming on for a few mins while I cache the local steet map area into memory and then switch data roaming off. I've heard of folk unknowingly clocking up bills of £1000s in just a few days accessing the internet (ie web browsing, email, map app, etc). The navionics app doesn't effect data roaming charges as the entire map is stored in the phone unlike the iPhones map app which gets the map data constantly over the internet (expensive when data roaming).
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top