Tablets and I Pads Running Navionics

[Sandgrounder]

A little advice please.
The boat I recently bought second hand has an array of elderly electronics including GPS but no plotter. The cost of replacing all of this and upgrading is more than I want to incur just yet. I was proposing to install Navionics onto a tablet and see how I get along with that before committing to anything more permanent.
Does the use of Navionics along with the devices in-built GPS require mobile coverage limiting it to a mile or two offshore at most? If so what do you do; simply switch to paper?

Any advice gratefully received

 

[steve yates]

No, they work fine, no mobile signal required, but they must be gps enabled. Check that first.

 

[Sandgrounder]

thanks

 

[GHA]

Android tablet worth considering as well, so you can run Opencpn. Word is the o charts will be available for Android before long. http://o-charts.org/shop/index.php?id_category=8&controller=category&id_lang=4

I have a Sony Xperia which was something like £180 ebay ex display. Bright and waterproof, so they say

 

[BelleSerene]

Works fine, but I've found it's really a distant second best. iPad screensaver kicks in/ battery runs out/ you're pressing buttons to get the thing to wake up just when you really need sone nav feedback. A friend and I both wanted to go that route but found it's too painful in practice.

BTW, if your iPad doesn't have GPS you can use an inexpensive Bluetooth GPS receiver to tell it where you are.

 

[wully1]

Works well. I really only use it with Antares charts when close in. I bought a cheap iPad holder from flea-bay for under a fiver and clamp it to the binnacle with a spare motorbike Ram mount.

...And for planning / dreaming when off the boat with the Navionics app.

I can stream the plotter screen to the iPad if I want but rarely do.

 

[temptress]

Works fine, but I've found it's really a distant second best. iPad screensaver kicks in/ battery runs out/ you're pressing buttons to get the thing to wake up just when you really need sone nav feedback. A friend and I both wanted to go that route but found it's too painful in practice.

BTW, if your iPad doesn't have GPS you can use an inexpensive Bluetooth GPS receiver to tell it where you are.

don't know why you say it is difficult. All you need to do is organize a way to power/charge conveniently. We have completed 1/2 our circumnavigaion using Susie's iPad with my Android tablet as a fall back.

 

[Tam Lin]

don't know why you say it is difficult. All you need to do is organize a way to power/charge conveniently. We have completed 1/2 our circumnavigaion using Susie's iPad with my Android tablet as a fall back.

Yes, just set up a power socket from your 12volt system. BTW you can turn off the screensaver in settings!

 

[Puggy]

Hi Sandgrounder.

Can I suggest you look at Navlink from Digital Yacht. Apart from the fact i found the creation and editing of routes to be easier, and the display of routing information to be more informative, the main thing is that when used with an AIS receiver transmitting NMEA information via a WIfi hotspot such as the Digital Yacht WLN10-HS you can overlay AIS information on to the app, which is really useful.

You need to think about charging in the cockpit. You need a high output USB socket: one that can deliver 2.1 amps to the iPad. Often the poor connections made by elderly car charging sockets in the cockpit mean that they struggle to deliver this and you will find that the iPad either charges too slowly to be useful or the charger actually only slows the rate of discharge (extending the glide in flying parlance). You can get waterproof high output USB sockets off eBay and wire into the electrical system with some decent new cabling and all will be fine. Look at Griffin Survivor cases for your iPad which are very good.

Good Luck

Puggy

 

[ashtead]

Have used iPad with Navionics for some years but as a back up to chartplotter and works well provided you remember to download the relevant chart areas from Navionics prior to sailing. Only downside is it cannot handle AIS overlay but may not be a concern for your sailing area so not as useful as pairing an iPad with the chartplotter so if you do eventually buy a chartplotter look for one that can pair as a real advantage IMHO . I am not certain it has the same degree of chartplotting sophistication as you can achieve with a Navionics chip in a plotter but others might be better placed to comment as I haven't explored our chip version that much?

 

[NUTMEG]

I have a SH180i in the wheelhouse, but most of the time use my iPad mini, plugged into a charger, as it is easier to see. I have the CP zoomed out and the iPad zoomed in so to speak. I have navionics and Imray installed.

Being a motor sailer weather and sunlight are not an issue. But Navionics + IPad work really well.

Steve

 

[Oldfellah]

I prefer my ipad mounted in cradle in cockpit to my plotter. I have a small powerpack bought from ebay that can be connected to the ipad when in use to ensure that I always have it powered. The one advantage of this over using the boats batteries is that should I have a power loss/failure on the boat I still have got my ipad and Navionics as back up.

 

[[3889]]

I know I'm in a minority, perhaps of one, but I use Navionics on a 5.2" phone as my primary electronic navigational tool despite having a fixed plotter , a PC with plotter and a 10" Xperia on board.
The phone is ip68 waterproof, charges quickly and battery lasts longer than I do. It's on hand in the galley, off watch or on the foredeck and is easy to shade in bright sun. Can also be used one handed. Though I need 1.5 reading glasses I can read the screen without visual aids.

 

[duncan99210]

If the OP is considering an iPad just a note to remember that the iPad being used must be one with a SIM card slot, as only those iPads have built in GPS. No need for a SIM card to be fitted for the GPS to work. I've got Navionics on iPad and iPhone: it provides more up to date charts than I have for the plotter as well as a backup independent of the boat electrics.

 

[DaveyG]

I use the i-boating app on android, it's a free app but about £23 for charts. The benefit over Navionics is that you can overlay AIS. Works really well.
We have a chartplotter as backup but it's a little small/far away to be used as primary

 

[Vega1447]

Hi Sandgrounder.

Can I suggest you look at Navlink from Digital Yacht. Apart from the fact i found the creation and editing of routes to be easier, and the display of routing information to be more informative, the main thing is that when used with an AIS receiver transmitting NMEA information via a WIfi hotspot such as the Digital Yacht WLN10-HS you can overlay AIS information on to the app, which is really useful.

You need to think about charging in the cockpit. You need a high output USB socket: one that can deliver 2.1 amps to the iPad. Often the poor connections made by elderly car charging sockets in the cockpit mean that they struggle to deliver this and you will find that the iPad either charges too slowly to be useful or the charger actually only slows the rate of discharge (extending the glide in flying parlance). You can get waterproof high output USB sockets off eBay and wire into the electrical system with some decent new cabling and all will be fine. Look at Griffin Survivor cases for your iPad which are very good.

Good Luck

Puggy

The Griffin Survivor case doesn't seem to be fully waterproof or to have a waterproof charging port?

Is there any supplier for the latter? Thanks.

 

[Puggy]

Hi Sandgrounder.

Fair point. I started with the life proof waterproof case on my iPad and my one did allow a charging lead through but it wasn't waterproof. However I found the case too bulky and it cut down the light from the screen too much making it hard to read. However it is worth a look. You are right the griffin case doesn't have a waterproof charging port. I found this not really to be a problem as it was mounted vertically and was protected under the spray hood.

P

 

[clutters]

I've got Navionics on my Iphone and Ipad and both work great, I take the Iphone to bed on longer passages so i can keep an eye on how the crew are doing course wise.

The Ipad remains plugged in at the chart table and always on. The 12v power socket suitability can be a problem as mentioned so I have a powerbank fully charged as backup which tends to be appreciated by others on long passages. It's a 24000mAH which is more than plenty for Channel hopping if that's your game.

As far as I'm aware all Ipads come with GPS even the non cellular, you do need to download the maps for the area you'll be sailing before you go out of range of wi-fi and/or cellular but you don't need cellular coverage for them to work.

I'm super happy with this setup and have no issues though the furthest I'll go is Uk - Channel Islands so can't speak for longer passages.

 

[Puggy]

As far as I'm aware all Ipads come with GPS even the non cellular,

This is an interesting point and I think you are right. I also use my iPad with the Sky Demon app for flying and whilst the internal GPS is ok-ish it can be slow to react and also slow to acquire if there is no cellular service. I use a Bluetooth gps unit which provides a much more accurate and stable gps position to the iPad via Bluetooth. I use the (expensive) Bad Elf Pro+ which works really well but Garmin make much cheaper units which I am sure are just as good. However on the boat this hasn't been such an issue as I tend to be coastal and only going a max of 7kts rather than 110kts.

Using an external GPS can extend the battery life on the iPad. You don't have to switch off location services on the iPad to use it, the application automatically uses the most accurate location data or receives, however if you do switch off, battery life is further extended.

Best wishes Puggy

 

[Puggy]

I have managed to find the name of the waterproof iPhone 6s Plus case I use on my bike. This you can have a watertight charge the phone whilst in the case. It works really well. No reason why you can't use this on the boat. Have a look at www.cellularline.com. No connection etc.