Using an Ipad as a plotter

[John100156]

Further to this I have looked into buying both the Imray charts and/or the
Navionics charts via the App. store. The reviews of the Navionic sets are appalling, apparently crashes are almost automatic and support very poor and you are charged for a new download to put things right. I have down loaded an Imray trial to my PC and it appears that it does not have the ability to show detail of harbour approaches etc. - it just seems to replicate a fairly standard size paper chart with limited ability to zoom in. I have also come across NUNO Navigator charts which seem to be the business. Their only drawback appears to be that you have to buy the whole of the UK for £120 and I only want the North Sea in the short term. They are so confident that allow you short term use of a fully funtioning set on a trial basis. I think they look marvellous but I am sure that you will all know different

Odd, Navionics charts on my iPad and also as used on my old Raymarine C80 have never crashed, the only thing I can think of is that they bought an iPad model with insufficient memory? As you can see from my posts above, the detail is excellent.

Don't get me wrong, there are problems with screen brightness in the sun, but otherwise as a back up the Navionics/iPad, assuming you already own one, is great IMO. Also the new Raymarine display can output to it via Bluetooth. Perhaps Raymarine on the fly and iPad below, yet to see the Raymarine kit but hope to at SIBS.

 

[Paddingtonbear]

Using Ipad as a plotter

Thank you all so much for your help, especially John100156. I have just bought the Imray charts for the North Sea which will more than 'do' me for now. As noted they have all the detail that I will need. Will let you all know how I get on on 03.10.

 

[John100156]

You may find the following link useful, I hope to look at this Raymarine MFD at the boat show. Anyone else looked at it yet?...
http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?deskto...m&feature=player_embedded&v=0pjVMPo4ivU&gl=GB

 

[Grumpybear]

I have had and used the Navionics app for UK and northwest Europe for a year with no problems. I have just been offered the updated version for £44 (original was £26). the reviews for the updated issue were uniformly scathing so I won't bother. I don't want the built in links to magazine articles anyway!

 

[FistralG]

You don't need a 3G Ipad. The GPS in it is not good anyway...

what are you basing this on? The GPS on mine can locate me in the conservatory at home. How accurate do you want it to be?
I've also used it to navigate using Navionics charts and it has always placed me accurately.

 

[PCUK]

Ipad GPS won't work at 30,000 feet and is far slower to lock-on initially and doesn't use as many satellites. If your pad GPS works OK for you that's fine. Just that BadElf is technically better and can be remotely mounted for even better reception and allows pad to be kept in dry location..

 

[snooks]

Ipad GPS won't work at 30,000 feet

Not really a problem on a boat though is it?

If anyone has iNavX It's worth bearing in mind that when the app updates, you have to download the updated charts as well.

So while the app can be updated via 3G, you need a wifi connection to get the charts. all well and good if you can find one, but they aren't as commonly found as 3G

 

[PCUK]

Glad someone spotted my ironic comment Snooks!

 

[ffiill]

For you urbanites out there obsessed with your Ipads and iphones please remember that the ability to use any online facilities is non existent with no coverage here in the Highlands.Similarly in much of Wales or for that matter according to Radio 4s You and Yours in Cambridge!
They are a completely useless piece of kit and not worth the money unless you are urban based.
It amuses me no end hereabouts to watch visitors balancing on walls;standing in the middle of main roads;climbing trees to try to get mobile phone reception let alone G3.
The small print from the mobile phone service providers amuses me no end-we cover 90% of the population of the UK is the usual standard-wheras a more honest statement might be 40% of the UK

 

[John100156]

Well, there were no Urbanites when I was out to sea en route from Gib to Catalonia? The iPad does not need to connect to the Internet/WiFi for a signal when using Navionics, it has an inbuilt GPS just like the one built into conventional navigation equipment, albeit not as powerful, but you can also buy a plug in GPS attachment which I believe improves strength/coverage.

I suppose that we all have different things that amuse us, such as making Luddite comments (not anyone on this Fprum of course) despite never having owned or tried the iPad/Navionics App. I am certainly not an Apple eater, I am interested in receiving both positive and negative comments on any system, it helps me and I am sure others make an informed choice.

Don't you just hate it when you make honest comments and give sincere opinions on matters and then get battered! I have seen this on other Forums, you can always tell which ones, loads of members but only a few commenting regularly, others fearing retribution if they disagree. This is not normally the case on YBW thank goodness.....

Obsession seems more to lie with the iPadophobes....... My perspective:-

IPad Pro's

1) Lots of different Apps
2) Navionics App is cheap and I believe a great standby tool.
3) When I frequently fly Ryanair, I can easily get it in my hand luggage.
4) Very good for processing day-to-day emails.
5) Very good for access to Internet if connected to WiFi.
6) Great for wirelessly streaming music to my Stereo on the boat using Tunebite
7) Looks like Raymarine have developed a streaming App so you can wirelessly watch videos and play music on their latest displays.
8) Market forces will certainly lead to developers writing lots of new Apps for this device.
9) GPS attachment possible.
10) Keeps the Grandkids quiet for hours.
11) Great for fast viewing, emailing and sending boat pictures.
12) Excellent capacity for storing/viewing hundreds of boat/maintenance PDF files.
13) Wirelessly transfers files very fast from PC to iPad via IE when connected to WiFi.

IPad Cons

1) Apple seem to be ripping people off taking 30% return on cost of Apps, Etc.
2) Screen difficult to see in bright sunlight.
3) Needs a cover to make it waterproof.
4) Touch screen not that good to use when at sea - only good for backup system for now.
5) You can lose the Navionics display if you don't set it up right
6) Does not run Flash - this is a real negative.
7) Expensive, but see 10) above - worth every penny.

On balance, it's a really great but expensive piece of kit. I love it at the moment but it goes to the Grandkids as soon as something better comes out.....

 

[double_ender]

We used our iPad on our last five week trip on the West Coast Scotland. We use Memory Map software with raster charts It was very good We loaded all the charts for the area and downloaded all our waypoints routes and tracks which we had on memory map on the PC. Excellent maps and on our small boat with deckhouse we could see the ! from the cockpit. Memory map app costs about £25 and all charts for the UK under £50. As they are the same as the paper charts it is easy to see the position on the paper chart. We have the iPad with the built in GPS which I felt was best.

 

[snooks]

For you urbanites out there obsessed with your Ipads and iphones please remember that the ability to use any online facilities is non existent with no coverage here in the Highlands.Similarly in much of Wales or for that matter according to Radio 4s You and Yours in Cambridge!
They are a completely useless piece of kit and not worth the money unless you are urban based.

Ah the beauty of a comment made with no actual experience of the products they are trying to put down

My wife and I managed to blog our way around the west coast and up to Orkney last year just using our urbanite iPhones. How did we do that?

I had mobile signal on Orange at the mouth of Loch Eriboll, or may be it was my imagination

You don't need a phone signal to use an iPhone or iPad as a chartplotter

 

[Vara]

You don't need a phone signal to use an iPad or iPhone as a plotter.


This addresses the biggest mis conception about the iPad, if the charts are loaded into the machine ( they aren't on the built in maps app), it works fine and seems to be as accurate as my "proper" plotter.

I tend to travel around the UK quite a lot and cos i'm sad I carry 3 different sim cards and with the exception of the lake district I've always managed to get a useable signal for e-mail and social networking.

Just had a thought, my iPad is wifi/3G , can't speak for the wifi only one.

 

[PCUK]

If ffiil wasn't so amused he might have time to check his facts (or should I say fictions!)

 

[franksingleton]

I am an innocent abroad in these matters but have read all the above with great interest.

I see that there are two ways of getting Navionics charts - via X-Traverse or from iTunes. The latter seems a little cheaper than the former.

What are the pros and cons?

 

[snooks]

Navionics is a self contained app.

INavX can use a number of different charts, of which Navionics from X Traverse

INavX was designed to be used for navigation and can display AIS data with the appropriate hardware. Navionics wasn't and can't.

If you want to navigate using an iPad get iNavX. If you want an app with charts to show you where you are, get the Navionics app.

 

[franksingleton]

Navionics is a self contained app.

INavX can use a number of different charts, of which Navionics from X Traverse

INavX was designed to be used for navigation and can display AIS data with the appropriate hardware. Navionics wasn't and can't.

If you want to navigate using an iPad get iNavX. If you want an app with charts to show you where you are, get the Navionics app.

Thanks. Perhaps I am being more than usually dim, but could you please flesh out your last para.

 

[snooks]

Ok, let me show you what I mean.

From my bed in East London I want to navigate to a point in the Solent, a 60 odd mile trip.

Here is that trip on Navionics
All looks good until you zoom into a usable level of zoom....

Hang on, where am I going now?

Do the same thing with iNavX

And you have the directions at the top of the screen along with a little red blob to aim for

 

[scottie]

Navigate with IPAD..
Snooks a Tom Tom would be better still but for marine application putting a route in would do all you want and give the detail .
This was not one your usual objective comments presumably you are suffering from midge withdrawal symptoms!

 

[snooks]

Navigate with IPAD..
Snooks a Tom Tom would be better still but for marine application putting a route in would do all you want and give the detail .
This was not one your usual objective comments presumably you are suffering from midge withdrawal symptoms!

It's the sun and warmth, it's getting to me!

Seriously though, some people do want to use an iPad to navigate with, the same way that some people want to use a sextant. If, and that's a big if, you do want to use an iPad to navigate with, iNavX is the best app to do that with. It's also the most expensive. But if all you want to do is look at charts and have the whole of the UK with weather and tides in the palm of your hand, Navionics's own app is a lot cheaper and more than up to the job.