Navionics on Tablet

[Andibs]

Being of an age where IOS, android, Whatsapp, Twitter, etc means absolutely nothing, some advise please.

I am looking at buying a tablet (Levovo 10 seems popular on here) as a secondary plotter and to put Navionics on it.

Do I need to buy a card or download?

Confused

 

[duncan99210]

When you choose whichever tablet has taken your fancy, one of the steps to get it set up for you to use will require you to establish an account with the App Store (Apple) or Android store. You then visit the store on line, choose the app you want and download it directly to your tablet.

 

[TopBanana]

I believe the Navionics app itself (Boating HD) is free, but the mapping is based on an annual subscription rather than a one-off fee. That put me off.

 

[[163233]]

I believe the Navionics app itself (Boating HD) is free, but the mapping is based on an annual subscription rather than a one-off fee. That put me off.

If you don't re-subscribe at the end of the year you can still use the charts you've downloaded you just can't update them or download new areas.

Try to remember to do an update just before the sub runs out and download everything you can fit in storage.

 

[asteven221]

I would recommend to go for it. I have Navionics on a few devices being relatively cheap. Works really well and really handy, especially passage planning at home. I have noticed that the old versions don't nag me about subscriptions nor connecting to the internet and work fine on an old iPhone 6 and an old Samsung 10.1 tablet. The latest version I have is on a Samsung Galaxy Edge phone and it does nag me a bit regarding a subscription, but not too much. It also wants me to connect to the internet, however I ignore the requests and it doesn't seem to cause any issues and everything works fine. It knows that the subscription has expired so clearly it doesn't really care. I suppose the chart updates won't work but for my purposes I am okay with that.

I recently bought a low cost plotter for my W10 laptop from the Windows Store called i-Boating. It is dreadful and a waste of money and a world away from Navionics. I reviewed at their request and gave it a one star rating which seems to have vanished from their web site! I wonder why?

 

[bitbaltic]

Navionics splits its offering between cartography for chart plotters and computer software (eg PC Plotter) and for mobile devices (iPad, iPhone, Android).

In the first case Navionics supplies only the cartography and the plotter or PC vendor is supplying the software. You buy this cartography by buying a blank SD card from navionics, downloading the chart pack you want, and installing it on the plotter or computer.

For mobile devices you download the cartography and the software (an app) from the Apple/google store.

If you have both forms of cartography the accounts are completely separate, as the mobile app versions work through your Apple/google account and the plotter/computer account is direct with Navionics themselves.

Mobile app cartography is much cheaper than SD card cartography because, as Navionics control the software you use to display it, they can limit functionality (e.g. AIS overlay). They can’t do that when you buy your cartography to use in a third-party product, so you are paying more to be able to do more with it.

 

[Daverw]

The other thing to know is to use plotter sync to sync routes etc that you have done on your tablet you need Navionics subscription on both, a pain an£ cost but I use this a lot.

 

[Andibs]

Cheers folks, very useful indeed. Does app cover all of the UK or do you have to select the region's you want?

Andy

 

[Sticky Fingers]

All of UK and some of near Europe. Echo the points made above, it's very good for the money and the subs at £40 a year with daily updates and corrections is a bargain in my view.

 

[Spyro]

Cheers folks, very useful indeed. Does app cover all of the UK or do you have to select the region's you want?

Andy

The app which is free is just the app you select the areas you require and download the charts, that's the bit that costs money. Uk and a bit of Holland is the one you want if you are in the uk. As said before you can pay once and it continues to work even if you don't resubscribe ever year. It just means you can't get updates. If you can live with that it's a very cheap way of electronic navigation. Make sure you can keep your tablet on charge while not on shore power.

 

[PetiteFleur]

I've been using the Navionics app on a 10" android and it's excellent. England & Holland HD, but I do subscribe to yearly updates, £29.99 from memory. Make sure your tablet has GPS - some don't, and it's essential.

 

[Sticky Fingers]

One frustration is that the Navionics HD app requires a tablet (regardless of screen res) and won't run on a large phone (regardless of screen res), so if you want Navionics on both you have to accept either (a) paying twice or (b) non-HD resolution on your tablet which is barely acceptable IMHO.

Also, minor point maybe, but if you have an Android phone and an Apple iPad, or an Apple phone and an Android tablet, you'll have to pay twice no matter what.

 

[Daverw]

Not sure what you mean by tablet only, I run on both iPad and iPhone with the same app with same subscription, only pay once for the app and works well on both

 

[Sticky Fingers]

Not sure what you mean by tablet only, I run on both iPad and iPhone with the same app with same subscription, only pay once for the app and works well on both

You must be using the non HD version of the App then, I guess?

 

[SiteSurfer]

I've used the HD version for tablet and the phone version for 6 years now, I think I still have a little way to go before the cost becomes prohibitive against a chart plotter.

They have added some stuff in the last year or so which is 'nice' but I wish that Navionics would implement some form of AIS overlay, it's technically achievable as I have it on iNavx and iSailor and would make this little app really the best all rounder. Now if they could add some form of nmea send routines too - for transmitting waypoint and route data to my autopilot...

 

[Tam Lin]

I use Navionics on my iPad and like it. One thing though. I have it mounted on a bracket so I can see it from the cockpit. It is not easy to see in the sun and if the sun shines on it for any length of time it can overheat and shut down.

 

[gilesfordcrush]

I run Navionics on an iPhone and an Android tablet - I have paid twice for this, about £30-40 each I think. Compared to buying a chart plotter, the annual fee is a complete bargain. If you consider how much you would pay for a plotter, I can't see why people object to paying a bit for a decent navigation app. You can also use Navionics on your PC - via their website.

 

[Daverw]

You must be using the non HD version of the App then, I guess?

Boating HD version on IPad and phone just shows Boating, both look the same and use either when on boat, often the phone as it’s generally closer to hand, otherwise chartplotter at helm always on anyway.

Just find it easy to do routing and planning at home and use navigation software on PC to plan tide timings and this also uses Navionics charts

 

[ghostlymoron]

I've had basic navionics for years at a cost of about 12 quid. It saved my life once so I consider it very good value.
It works well on my Samsung Tab E, hd version would probably, no definately, be much better and an update wouldn't come amiss as it would show all the wind farms that have sprouted up since I bought it, but I'm far too cheap to do that. (I don't sail offshore at the moment anyway).

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

When you choose whichever tablet has taken your fancy, one of the steps to get it set up for you to use will require you to establish an account with the App Store (Apple) or Android store. You then visit the store on line, choose the app you want and download it directly to your tablet.

In view of what the OP says in Post#1, it should be mentioned that the Android store is called "Play Store"