PDAs for navigation

[Trevethan]

Palm OS I think is easier. The latest version OS 5 is pretty swift -- Connection to PC is easy via usb, infrared or bluetooth, depending on the model you buy.

You'll find any amount of teh sorts of software you are looking for available -- sites like www.handango.com will give you an idea.

It plays games fairly well -- don't tend to play much, but have a decent chess and backgammon game on there, plus a few little word games.

The major drawback of the Garmin is the battery life -- it has a big screen that is very bright and the battery life suffers as a result., but when navigating its connected to the charger.

Away from the charger I can get three hours continuous navigation (the GPS can suck power too).

Palm is about to release some new models so they might be worth a look and combine with a Tom Tom blue tooth powered GPS aerial.



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[Sea Devil]

No -

Navigation is planning then using the most suitible equipment for fixing your position and finding your destination - GPS does this better than any other method -

Pilotage is about fixing your position very accuratly then finding your landfall very accuratly - gps linked to a system like C-map or a chart plotter does this better than any other system.

Seamanship is the ability to work up a position via other means than electronics if the electronic system fails.


<hr width=100% size=1>http://www.michaelbriant.com/sailing

 

[Talbot]

Nope, but I did simplify what I do for those hard of hearing!

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[Birdseye]

I've read all these posts and am no nearer knowing whether a PDA will be a beneficial add on to the paper charts / gps I use, and if so which PDA system.



<hr width=100% size=1>this post is a personal opinion, and you should not base your actions on it.

 

[Ships_Cat]

My views boiled down:

- I find a PDA useful for putting JPEG chartlets from portions of charts covering unfamiliar anchorages, etc for use just as one would if one brought the chart into the cockpit as a reminder of where the dangers, navaids, etc are. No GPS connected. I would not rush out and buy one for this purpose, but as I use PDA's for other reasons, it is a handy use of them. It is also easy to do here in NZ as all our electronic charts are next to free, and TIFFs of them are free - so can easily make up little chartlets at no cost.

- If you plan during your passages (and for any yacht going further than the bay I don't see how that can be avoided), you will definitely be disappointed as you really cannot do anything much more on them but watch yourself sailing between waypoints and the screen is miniscule. If you don't use waypoints (in my experience most yachts don't because of the nature of their management) then I would think you would be disappointed. If one plans on board before departure, then one may as well navigate the passage using those on board planning tools (eg paper charts, ESC).

- If one does all planning at home and then go for a sail in an easy environment so planning on board is not required eg the wind never changes to head you, sea/weather conditions do not make you change your route or destination, etc and pilotage is not very important, then a PDA would suffice (but there are much better alternatives). Otherwise it will be just a toy with one doing most nav tasks on paper charts or ECS (if had). All in my view.

I could not comment on the UK, but here I would think that if one was involved in a maritime accident in anything other than what could be considered a "day boat" and you were navigating primarily with a PDA, you would be looked at quite seriously. That would not be so if navigating primarily with paper charts or an ECS.

I have never used them for road nav, but from my other mapping uses, and the comments of many others, including some on this forum, they really shine for that (which is, of course, a fixed A to B route type environment).

If you want some forum reading as to what systems there are and what the bits and pieces all mean then <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.ipaqhq.com/forums/index.php>http://www.ipaqhq.com/forums/index.php</A> is an excellent PDA forum site and it has a GPS section.

John

<hr width=100% size=1>I am the cat but I am only 6.

 

[Talbot]

Reluctantly I must agree with Ship's Cat about the PDA onboard. They can undoubtedly have a use, butt there are much better tools available. The tool that suits you will very much depend on how you do your planning, and what sort of sailing you do.

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