Damn Paper Charts . . . I Hate Paper Charts !

[SaltyMonkey]

Originally Posted by kb79

how're you gunna plot a DR on your ipad?

with a crayon

err DR? Whats that when I have an elecrik GPS chart?

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by kb79

how're you gunna plot a DR on your ipad?

They don't need to they just follow the little arrow on the screen which tells them where to go.

[kb79]

i guess i'm a little confused... the OP was suggesting carrying the ipad as a convenient way to store "paper" charts. saltymonkey and rebel have a good point though - basically it's just a redundant chartplotter, not coupled to the battery...

i guess i'm just not seeing how the ipad has anything to do with paper...

if you're the kinda guy who needs paper charts to feel prepared, then i can't see how the ipad has you covered.

i s'pose my point is that, despite best intentions to the contrary , the idea of having an ipad for paper charts really just boils back to the old debate of paper vs. electrons.

if one agrees that paper charts are prudent, i don't think an ipad solves the problem.

[rebel heart]

As far as a good way to store paper charts, I'm lucky enough to have two full chart drawers so they don't need to be folded. Otherwise I'd store them in pvc-ish tubes, the lighter the better. Have some good paperweights handy to keep the edges down.

[SaltyMonkey]

Well, if you are off the grid...say in the middle of the pacific...whats a chartplotter gonna do for ya, or a kindle? Turn it on once or twice a day...see blue everywhere and a dot. Scroll out to planet. Turn it off. Keep to next waypoint on GPS. Hopefully you'll just be plotting on celestial paper pads and conserving precious battery charging juice.

When you are maneuvering closer to shore where real time info may be important, then it comes on. But we're talking a smaller amount of use time over the course of a longer journey. Cost effective? PC based seems the easie$t since you need it for so many other things, but need some way to dupe that info to the cockpit where you will be. Doesnt get around the fact that you will probably need a chartplotter for a radar unit if you get one. And also having paper charts too. iPad? might be ok but i dont want it in the cockpit in any weather.

[hellosailor]

Chart on a Kindle? OK, if you think a really small screen with no colors is enough information for you. You're going to see about 1/3-1/4 of what fits on a letter-sized page and having a tabloid (or larger) chart page to look at gives you a lot more information about what's more than a stone's throw away.

iPad? "The iPad is not dishwasher safe! Don't ask me why I know this." [John Colbert]

Just make sure to put a lanyard on it, so you can't drop it, and a ziplock bag to keep the spray off.

Commercial chart books still have reasons to exist, they aren't such a bad alternative, especially if you have the vinyl case to keep them dry. By all means, plot electronically, print it out and take it above deck. Throw it out when you move on if you can't store it. But the chartbook still makes a good compromise on deck.

[rebel heart]

I'm going to frame the newspaper cut out of the first guy who ends up on the zuniga jetty while piloting with an ipad or kindle.

[daddle]

Originally Posted by rebel heart

There are a lot more people hitting rocks staring into chart plotters than using hand bearing compasses and paper charts.

Nice. I love deception thru bad statistic calcs: almost nobody uses hand bearing compasses and paper charts. Got any facts to back this up?

[daddle]

Originally Posted by rebel heart

My $0.02: ...folks with chart plotters and laptops in the cockpit don't even own a hand bearing compass, let alone use it frequently. Which means your CBDR skills are getting rusty.

How is a hand bearing compass used in dead reckoning? It is not. A compass bearing to a known landmark gives an actual line of position, not a dead reckoning position.

[daddle]

Originally Posted by kb79

how're you gunna plot a DR on your ipad?

Well you're not supposed to draw anything but revisions on your charts either, according to the true salts out there.

I learned to do DR and celestial and such on overlays. And you can just as well plot it on graph paper, or if one is a trig wonk it can be done with just numbers scribbled on a sheet of plain paper.

Yes, DR is trivial to plot on MacENC. A bit of a trick on the iPhone but not impossible. But we'd assume those are dead if we're resorting to DR.

[daddle]

Originally Posted by rebel heart

As far as a good way to store paper charts...I'd store them in pvc-ish tubes

Aaaack! Rolled charts? Madness lies on that heading.

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by daddle

How is a hand bearing compass used in dead reckoning? It is not. A compass bearing to a known landmark gives an actual line of position, not a dead reckoning position.

CBDR doesn't have anything to do with deduced reckoning.

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by grunzster

perchance - On the other hand the Kindel is $130 cheaper. Even more when you factor in that Amazon doesn't charge tax, plus free shipping. It's the same size screen, although black and white, but has much better battery life. Also the Kindle comes with free 3G. On the other hand, I'm not sure if you can zoom the screen. If you can, then I think the battery life alone would make it the winner for this purpose.

The Kindle can show pdfs but one cannot change the font size. One cannot zoom either. Charts in pdf format used on the Kindle would be pretty useless.

[Sailor954]

[QUOTE=ActiveCaptain;493796]Not true. If it were true, it would be powerful enough to defibrillate you which would kill you. I'm sure there are some odd cases where a piece of electronics close to a strike generated a field that did damage through air. I don't think it's something to worry about.


Active Captain, I believe your in error on this.

It's called Induced Voltage and I can assure you that it is very real. I have seen it first hand. Although not even close to being a direct strike on GAME PLAN, we suffered several fried circuit boards on the TV, GPS, and the RADAR. All of these were turned off and the GPS was a handheld portable.

Now, this is rare as all lightning strikes are but,,, they are real.

[off-the-grid]

Originally Posted by kb79

i s'pose my point is that, despite best intentions to the contrary , the idea of having an ipad for paper charts really just boils back to the old debate of paper vs. electrons.

if one agrees that paper charts are prudent, i don't think an ipad solves the problem.

Yeah, except you're all ignoring the Kindel which is what I'm leaning towards...if I was to go this route. Much better batter life than the iPad, and it doesn't have a gps antenna, so it' not the same old argument. It really is just using electronics to view paper charts.