iPad and Navionics Question

[Chevy1217]

I use the I pad air 32 gig cellular I do have a plan but I don't use it on the charts GPS works on Puget sound for me from Seattle to Canada mainly use the cellular plan for email and music and Blogging Do not get a wifi model it wont work

[Chevy1217]

I have mine mounted in galley so seated in cockpit I can see it I use I Sailor a lot lets me mark fishing spots where my crab pot is and I have set as many as 45 different waypoints I keep it charged with a 12 volt cig lighter and a usb attachment uses very little power and on zoom pages move with you and I carry paper charts as well they give better clearance for bridge heights and channel widths also allow you to have some cruising music in the back ground I love it and can also be interfaced with the auto pilot as well

[Therapy]

I am going to try out SEAiq USA.

I have read for hours yesterday and today and will give it a go. (things change so fast these days by the time I download the chart for my area the whole shebang could be out of date!!)

I don't get out much these days but when I do I will try it out. Also, I am strictly local to Central West Coast Florida right now.

We shall see.

[bfranchini]

Just a heads up...
I was driving around looking for a specific address on my iPad and I noticed that it had GPS! But it's not a 3G IPad, how's this possible?
Well it turns out that if you have IOS 8 and you pair it with an iPhone using USB then you now have GPS. I tested it with the navionics app (US &Canada HD) and, voila! here I was in the middle of the lake.
No, it was not using the wifi or IP number, it was really using the iPhone's G PS because , when I turned of the pairing the data disappears. So IOS 8 and regulars cellular ipad + iPhone on IOS8. You have to love Apple, they are always full of little surprises. I was going to buy a Bluetooth GPS for the IPad...




Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by bfranchini

Just a heads up...
I was driving around looking for a specific address on my iPad and I noticed that it had GPS! But it's not a 3G IPad, how's this possible?
Well it turns out that if you have IOS 8 and you pair it with an iPhone using USB then you now have GPS. I tested it with the navionics app (US &Canada HD) and, voila! here I was in the middle of the lake.
No, it was not using the wifi or IP number, it was really using the iPhone's G PS because , when I turned of the pairing the data disappears. So IOS 8 and regulars cellular ipad + iPhone on IOS8. You have to love Apple, they are always full of little surprises. I was going to buy a Bluetooth GPS for the IPad...




Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

Thank you for that.
It can save a bundle when buying an i-pad.

[Sailorman Ed]

OK, I have my new Vesper AIS and new SH GX2000 to tie in so now need an iPad as my new display/chartplotter. I know I need the 3G/4G version but what generation? I want to get the AT&T GSM version to be able to use local SIM cards while cruising. I am a complete iPad newbe. And is 16 GB enough RAM to be only a boat computer? There will be a laptop (Windows) not connected to the boat.
And at what point does the battery need to be replaced?
Ed

[malanbennett]

To repeat what several others have said...

I have the more expensive iPad that is wireless phone capable. This model, not the lower priced one, ALSO has an independent GPS chip, operated by going in under "settings," then "privacy," then turning on "location services".

This unit also connects to wi-fi when it is available.

I have never signed up for the extra monthly cost of a wireless phone/data service.

I have the Navionics app. I have used Navionics when there is no cell service and no wi-fi. It works just fine.

Period. End of conversation.

[Jammer Six]

Originally Posted by malanbennett

Period. End of conversation.

Good luck with that.

[bfranchini]

Hi Ed
You need a cell phone enabled iPad but you don't need an account or a sim card. It's just that the GPS chip is only found on the cell phone enabled iPads. You don't even need a data plan. Just buy it and use it. Any mapping application will discover the GPS and locate you immediately. Get the latest one, much faster chipset.

In my case my iPad 3 is not GPS enabled but I tethered it to my iPhone and with iOS 8 it gets its location from the iPhone. The only glitch doing it this way is that the refresh rate is about 10 seconds late... Which, if you are sailing it doesn't really matter especially in my 16ft mini micro cruiser (I'll be buying a grown up boat next August) It takes much longer to plot your position on a chart and if you are. Really in a hurry to find out where you are, just use your iPhone with Navionics or some other Charting apps.

iPad batteries will last a long time, in any case you just don't change the battery, the unit is sealed... But iPad batteries are extremely durable and, if you take care of them they will last thousands of recharges, I have had mine for three years and I can still take notes at a meeting all day without having to recharge it, while it checks my email on wifi.

Now, the GPS chip. When activated it takes a lot of juice and will cut the time to deplete the charge by half, this also depends on the app you are using, Navionics is not too bad, but others are constantly polling the chip... So just mount it on a special bracket and keep it plugged in while you are using it, all you need is a car charging kit. Some people mount it on a swing arm in the companionway so,it's visible from the steering position.

Memory... The wonderful resolution of the retina display comes at a price... 32 Gb is ideal, 16 is on the poor side and may limit some of the things you wAnt to do.

Enjoy your iPad


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[a64pilot]

Or you can use a wifi only ipad with a bluetooth GPS, save the money and battery life. you must have an Apple compatible GPS, most aren't

[bfranchini]

A64 is also right :-) Look into Bad Elf, it's a USB GPS unit that will pair with the iPad, haven't tried it but, being the Hi Tech junkie that I Am I will probably buy one

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by Therapy

I am going to try out SEAiq USA.

I have read for hours yesterday and today and will give it a go. (things change so fast these days by the time I download the chart for my area the whole shebang could be out of date!!)

I don't get out much these days but when I do I will try it out. Also, I am strictly local to Central West Coast Florida right now.

We shall see.

So.

I just played with it a bit and it seems a bit clunky to me. Putting in my own waypoint in shows a big brown circle within a partial box frame. While it stays the same size no matter the zoom level when zoomed out there can be a whole bunch of them cluttering the screen. Maybe I am missing something. (probable)



To put in a waypoint in the SEAiq one double taps on the screen and it opens a screen that allows one to put in a name and add it to a route if one wants. A single tap on the screen puts a target reticle on the chart that shows it's gps location. Trying to double tap that same exact spot so the waypoint entry screen shows the exact same gps location has been impossible for me. Maybe I am just retarded. Figuring out how to get routes named is a challenge. There is a place to put a name in one place but the name does not show in the list of routes. Got me confused for sure.

I did not get the free Navionics app because I though all were saying one have to then buy the charts from them. Then my son comes in and shows me what he found. It is a free Navionics app that uses the free charts of the US that are easily available. (It finds them) (or he did - not sure)

He showed me a couple of quick and easy waypoints he put in and it looks cleaner to me.

I also get confused with vector charts. I guess I am just used to seeing a paper chart with everything on it. Having to tap on the info part to go to another screen that shows only what chart one is using with no useful info on the particular item in question confuses me.

Maybe I am just too easily confused.

Maybe I just need to stay on the couch and not venture out any more.

[bfranchini]

Sorry In my previous post I meant a Bluetooth GPS not a USB GPS


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[SailRedemption]

I bought a ipad 4 off eBay that was a 4G unit(I believe all the new cellular ready models have cell chips that work with all networks).

I'm glad I got the 4 because I was looking at the vendor list for the Miami boat show and I saw Snow Lizard. They make a waterproof case with an built-in battery for the ipad 4. It extends the ipad battery life and/or charges another device. Also, has a vesa mount on the back, similar to a TV mount I think. You can get a Ram mount to accommodate this.

Although it may be pricey, I don't think it's a bad deal as it extends you battery life, waterproofs the ipad and does this still at a fraction of the price of a new chartplotter, GPS (unless it's a built-in unit), cabling, mounts, etc.

I'll be looking at getting one in Miami in Feb...

http://www.snowlizardproducts.com/co...iant=786722963

- Ronnie...on the geaux

[Sailorman Ed]

bfranchini - yes, I understood that I needed the cell phone enabled iPad but did not need an account nor SIM card just that I wanted that ability to later get a local SIM card once we are out of the US. My Verizon phone works just fine here in the US. I already planned to add a UBS port at the helm to keep it powered up so will not worry about battery life for now. So does it matter if I get the original iPad(my son said not to get that), 2nd gen or 3rd gen? (4th is more than I need and more than I want to spend). There is a local 3rd gen with 16 GB for $300 but I do not yet know when the retina display came into being. I want to avoid bluetooth and the GPS puck will then need batteries to replace/recharge and the Vesper unit already is sending out a bluetooth signal.
I am using Navionics on my Android now and quite pleased with it.
Sailredemption - the Snow lizard looks pretty good but still pricey.
Ed