iPad and Navionics Question

[DisasterZone]

Sorry my typo, agreed that GPS does NOT require wifi.

[GPSNavX]

Part of the problem is the Apple "Maps" app does require an internet connection. This requirement is not for the GPS receiver, but instead to download the map tiles in real-time. So this leads to the confusion of requiring a WiFi or cell connection to navigate. iNavX and most other nav apps do not have this requirement as charts are pre-downloaded when an internet connection is available.

[Jammer Six]

Okay, cool. GPSNavX, will the system work on the iPad Mini?

[GPSNavX]

Yes, iNavX is compatible with iPhone, iPad, iPad mini, and iPod touch.

[Jammer Six]

Well, I think this is going to come down to which one fits better in a pocket on my rain jacket.

Thanks for your answers, GPSNavX-- I'll be buying another copy soon.

[GPSNavX]

Any app that has been previously purchased can be installed on all your iDevices. In other words no need to purchase an app more than once.

[daddle]

The Apple employees are simply afflicted by the same sloppy thinking and terminology that pops up on CF. Lazy thinkers call the mapping voice in their car and the chart plotter on their boat a GPS. Then people get confused...

It seems like my iPhone really wants a cell tower when starting to get a GPS fix. It can take some fiddling to get the first iNavX fix each day. The compass function has the same issue.

[GPSNavX]

The GPS receiver on the iPhone's prior to the iPhone 4 do take longer to get an initial fix if without cell tower assistance. The iPad 3G/4G models do not need the cell tower assistance to quickly get a fix.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by GPSNavX

The GPS receiver on the iPhone's prior to the iPhone 4 do take longer to get an initial fix if without cell tower assistance. The iPad 3G/4G models do not need the cell tower assistance to quickly get a fix.

Some A-GPS devices, especially, mobile phones, are configured to prevent the GPS from working if there is no data connection -- that is to conserve processing resources.

The IPad is indeed A-GPS like the IPhone, but it is not so configured. The GPS will definitely work without a mobile phone connection. In fact I have never had a SIM card in mine, and use it all over the place, including far out of sight of land. It works fine.

A-GPS uses cell data and sometimes special servers to speed up time to first fix, and to offload some processing. See: Assisted GPS - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

People get confused about the relationship between mobile phone capability and GPS capability on the IPad because the respective devices happen to be mounted on the same module, a cheap commodity device produced in vast quantities for mobile phones. After 9/11, all mobile phones sold in the U.S. must have some kind of location device so that emergency services can determine the location of people calling 911. Just because GPS and mobile phone devices are mounted on the same module doesn't mean they depend on each other to function.

[Jammer Six]

We're making great progress.

Now I need an armored-waterproof case. Preferably one that can slip a mini into a breast pocket.

I'll be shopping for a new foul weather jacket soon, and one of the criteria will be that the system I buy, inside its armor, can fit easily into a pocket on the outside of the jacket.

[simonpickard]

Man this iPad GPS question comes up everyweek.

ANY 3G iPad has FULL GPS.
If you're near cell towers or wifi devices it'll lock faster (few secs) and then the full satalite based GPS will kick in after about 10-20secs like any other GPS device. If you're off shore you won't get this faster lock but the GPS will work fine.

Now... In terms of solar charging- I've used a few and there's only one that I can say really worked. It's built like a tank as well, waterproof, extreemly well built. I own two and love them to bits: Solar JOOS

Regards,
Simon

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Jammer Six

We're making great progress.

Now I need an armored-waterproof case. Preferably one that can slip a mini into a breast pocket.

I'll be shopping for a new foul weather jacket soon, and one of the criteria will be that the system I buy, inside its armor, can fit easily into a pocket on the outside of the jacket.

If you haven't tried it, I suggest you should be cautious about assuming that your IPad will be extremely usable in wet, or indeed any outdoor conditions. The touch screens don't work all that well inside waterproof covers, and the screen is not too visible in sunlight. It is not remotely comparable in usability, and moreover (but this is a matter of the software) functionality, to a real chart plotter. You can buy a superb state-of-the-art Simrad NSS plotter now for under $1000.

I use my IPad to supplement regular plotters. I love it for that, but I use it only below or under the spray hood.

I am just in the process of acquiring an entirely new navigation system, built around the B&G Zeus MFD's. These share with the Simrad plotters the very cool new functionality that allows you to mirror the MFD on an IPad connected wirelessly. And not just view, but fully control the MFD and even the autopilot (!) through the IPad (it's called "GoFree"). So long live the IPad on board! But beware of its limitations.

[Jammer Six]

This is a club environment-- I take whichever boat I charter that day.

So the system has to move with me from boat to boat. I don't like the hand-held units I've looked at for the same reason I don't like my iPhone-- the screen is too small for my old eyes.

The way I have this thought out, I'll have my iPad for primary, my iPhone for backup, and my paper logs and charts for bailout. Plus whatever electronics the boat has.

At my age, to be completely honest, I tend to trust the paper over everything, but I've been watching, and I admit that the electronics have come a long, long ways towards being truly useful. I also admit that they fill a lot of blind spots in the paper systems, and I watched one of our favorite dive captains get us out of a fog bank in British Columbia by using GPS to get us "close enough" to where we could see through the fog.

Now, to me, that's amazing.

And worth adding to what I already know and use.

I also watched another B.C. dive captain maneuvering by GPS over a known underwater ridge, and then he said "sometimes, you have to use the 'look around and see where you are' system".

And this is Puget Sound. Basic, emergency navigation in Puget Sound consists of "go east."

But my paper logs, charts and I are training for the day when we'll head north, and break out of Puget Sound into the big water.

[harmonysimone]

Originally Posted by AirBoyzT

Couple Question, looking at getting an iPad and the navionics app. Does anyone know if you can get the 3G iPad (because that is the only one with GPS) and still use the GPS without paying for a 3G subscription?

Also does anyone know if they make a solar power charger for the iPad?

Thanks!
-Aaron

Hey there!
My husband and I use the Navionics app on our iPhone and iPad (3G) - no wifi or data required! The GPS will work without cell coverage or a data plan. It is the only navigation tool we've used on our trip down the Pacific coast and it's been fantastic. We're headed to Mexico tomorrow - I'll let you know how the GPS works once we're international. Just a quick tip - the iPhone apps are cheaper and work just as well on the iPad when enlarged (if you want to save some dollars).

[Dockhead]

Well, like you, I grew up in the age of paper charts, parallel rules, hand bearing compasses, and three point fixes. And I still always keep paper charts and HBC near to hand, and I still use paper charts for passage planning.

But electronic navigation is fabulous -- and the killer app is being able to see at a glance where you boat is in the world -- that is, chart plotting. You just can't do that with paper no matter how good you are. It is not just convenient, it tremendously enhances safety to know, for example, that you're here and that rock is over there, at a glance, without having to futz around getting a fix.

Although my traditional nav skills are still sharp, I have become quite dependent on electronic navigation, especially for difficult pilotage situations. So I am very glad to have the IPad and INavX with a whole bunch of charts as a backup in case my main nav network goes down.

I put the IPad in the oven if there is lightning activity around. My father recently got hit by lightning at anchor, and it took out every item of electronic and electrical gear on board his boat. It didn't bother him a bit -- he raised sail and sailed home, taking fixes, following buoyage, etc. I would like to think that I would be so cool under such circumstances, but I prefer having an IPad in a Faraday Cage

For your situation, I guess the IPad might be the best option. There are tablet computers with real ruggedized touchscreens and daylight-visible screens. Whether it is worth the expense and trouble to track one down only you can decide. Those boats don't have fixed plotters of any kind, eh?