Garmin's BlueChart Mobile for iPhone and iPad

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Cotemar

I do not see any Canadian chart coverage

Thanks Cotemar. That's what I feared. Too bad. iNavX gives access to Canadian charts.

BTW, where do you find the actual charts? Garmin uses Canadian charts in their other products, so it would seem odd not to include them here. And they claim full Great Lakes coverage. Without the Canadian data this is a bit misleading...

[MarkJ]

wait



It's only planning.... You can not navigate a route on this software!

[Cotemar]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

wait
It's only planning.... You can not navigate a route on this software!

Its a full Chartplotter that follows your route using the iPad internal GPS antenna

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by Cotemar

Its a full Chartplotter that follows your route using the iPad internal GPS antenna

I don't think it is.

Plot a route. That fine. Now try to activate that route. You can't.

So there's no projected course, no cross track error, no GOTO, No MOB, ETA, VMG etc. only the the GPS track.


So it's not like iNavx etc.

Have another look at the detail in AppStore and it says: Plan and view your routes.
It doesn't say navigate them.


If you can get it to navigate or activate a route please tell me how. Because its a great program otherwise!


Mark

[sabray]

I have not tried it yet but.
Here is a cut from the Garmin site.
When on board, you can use the Garmin Wi-Fi adapter to connect your iPad to your networked Garmin chartplotter and wirelessly transfer your routes, waypoints and tracks between your iPad or iPhone and chartplotter. Once underway, the wireless adapter will also allow your iPad to be used to “follow the boat” along its route by wirelessly sharing the GPS location from the Garmin marine network. This is the most accurate way for passengers to see the boat’s progress and position from anywhere on the boat when the iPad’s assisted-GPS is unavailable.
Are you using a 3G ipad, a gps dongle or one using the cellular network for locations? Could be the difference.

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by sabray

This is the most accurate way for passengers to see the boat’s progress and position
[/COLOR]

For PASSENGERS not for the captain!

I have the GPS iPad.

Yes it will put the track on the Garmin but it won't NAVIGATE a route. You need to upload the route to a chart plotter which you have also bought charts for, to navigate.

Get it and test it and you'll see what I mean. But you don't need to buy the charts till you see what I mean.

[LostAtSea2011]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

Have you/can you upgrade to IOS6?

I guess I can't upgrade to IOS 6 on my old IPad .

[Capt.Don]

Mark,
I don't see any way to activate the route. I'm still experimenting.

Also, it is interesting to note that the initial boat settings have boat fuel at 100 gallons and burn rate at 1 gallon/hour. The decimal point is greyed out, so you can't enter partial gallons/hour (e.g., .3 gallons/hour). I guess they don't expect sailboats to use this app.

I was anxious to use this app - I'm becoming disappointed.......
Don

[Exile]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

For PASSENGERS not for the captain!

I have the GPS iPad.

Yes it will put the track on the Garmin but it won't NAVIGATE a route. You need to upload the route to a chart plotter which you have also bought charts for, to navigate.

Get it and test it and you'll see what I mean. But you don't need to buy the charts till you see what I mean.

For passengers yes, as well as the off-watch captain/crew & single-handed captains taking a short snooze down below. It won't navigate a route, but at a glance can tell you your heading & track, and therefore if you're following your route. No? Wonder if it has alarm functions, for e.g. off-course, anchor drag, depth, etc.?

[Capt.Don]

Originally Posted by Exile

For passengers yes, as well as the off-watch captain/crew & single-handed captains taking a short snooze down below. It won't navigate a route, but at a glance can tell you your heading & track, and therefore if you're following your route. No? Wonder if it has alarm functions, for e.g. off-course, anchor drag, depth, etc.?

Sure, but all of the popular nav apps show route and GPS position - even the low-cost apps using free NOAA charts. I'm with Mark on this - I wanted to see tracking information, so we can use this in lieu of (in addition to) expensive chartplotters.
Don

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by Exile

Wonder if it has alarm functions, for e.g. off-course, anchor drag, depth, etc.?

No alarms, no XTE etc.

I hate the iNavX because of the way to make a route you have to add each way point and then edit them together. And the whole program is slow.

The garmin one making the route is good and the program works fast.... But then it doesn't have to think much unlike iNavx and others.

Oh well. Typical Garmin.

[MarkJ]

No AIS either... For those with Bluetooth AIS.

[Capt.Don]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

No alarms, no XTE etc.

I hate the iNavX because of the way to make a route you have to add each way point and then edit them together. And the whole program is slow.

The garmin one making the route is good and the program works fast.... But then it doesn't have to think much unlike iNavx and others.

Oh well. Typical Garmin.

I've been leaning towards Navionics. Their raster charts are nice and the nav module gives the route info. I don't like the way iNavX handles the charts and it is a bit clumsy.
Don

[Exile]

So the bottom line is that, assuming you already have a Garmin chartplotter, one must buy the $200 wi-fi unit to have everything the chartplotter offers (except alarms)? Either way, it's pretty cheap redunancy I suppose.

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by Capt.Don

I've been leaning towards Navionics. Their raster charts are nice and the nav module gives the route info. I don't like the way iNavX handles the charts and it is a bit clumsy.
Don

I think Navionics is only a planner too. I was thinking of buying it, but when this thread and Garmin issue came out I had a look at Navionics and it definitely says planning...

At least the Garmin one was free, then buy the charts where the Navionics you fork out the $59 then find out its only planning.