Migrating from IPad to Android

[Dockhead]

I'm getting cartography together for my Baltic cruise, and as usual it is a complicated and expensive job , inevitable maybe with 10 countries involved.

I usually keep three entirely separate sets of electronic cartography:

1. Primary navigation on the main nav system. Heretofore Navionics. It takes two Navionics wide chart sets to cover this area, Atlantic Coasts, and Baltic. Despite the label "Entire Baltic" on the latter, it does not cover Denmark About 400 euros for both cards or 200 to update them. I will add the NV Charts card for Denmark and South Central Baltic which costs 98 euros to remove the hole over Danish waters, since I'm going to Copenhagen this year.

2. Planning using OpenCPN. Here I absolutely adore the inexpensive and fabulous "For Navigation" raster chart sets from Visitmyharbour, which I will update. But they stop at the Frisian islands. From there I have been using CM93, but I think I will buy some of the NV Charts sets this year.

3. Tablet. I have always liked to have a tablet handy with completely freestanding charts. For various purposes including purely backup should something happen to the main nav system. For many years I have used INavX on an IPad, and it's great that they let you use charts forever after they go out of date, if you don't want to spend money updating them, and even support you. But the chart sets are expensive and I never liked INavX, and it's probably about time to retire my ancient steam-powered V1.0 IPad, so I think I will migrate this function onto my Sony Z2 waterproof Android tablet which I use for GoFree, EDO instrument displays, etc.


So here's my question (thanks for staying with me so far):

Which nav program and which charts to use on the Android tablet?

It looks like Navionics do a functional and free nav program with charts at reasonable cost.

What do you guys think, just go with that? Or is there something better?

[RainDog]

Why not use OpenCPN?

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by RainDog

Why not use OpenCPN?

O is the supreme desktop nav program, in my opinion, but doesn't work well on Android, in my experience.

Sent from my D6633 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[StuM]

I'm more than happy with Navionics on my phone and tablets.

[CaptTom]

Navionics has a good reputation, and seems to work OK on my Android. I'd say MX Mariner but that seems US-centric.

There's a new one on the Play store, "i-boating". If nothing else, the name should be familiar to an ex-Apple person I've tried the free version, and I'm planning to buy the Canadian one. There seem to be lots of other countries available, some which claim to cover the Baltic.

[Afrinus]

Navionics all the way!
A good program for free and the maps are very reasonably priced, and if you don't want to buy a subscription for the next year the old maps still work. I also love the crowd-sourced sonar updates.

Pete

[Rough Magic]

Plan2Nav from C-maps, and Navionics are my two choices. Using Samsung 10.5 Galaxy.

[Flemming Torp]

During the summer 2015, I participated in FTLF/DOCA's Baltic Rally 2015, visiting all ten countries surrounding in the Baltic Sea; from mid June to early september.
(FTLF/DOCA is the Danish Ocean Cruising Association founded in 1985).

During this trip, I had access to paper charts, and the following android apps: Seapilot, Plan2Nav, and Navionics on my tablet/mobile, a chartplotter with C-Map charts, and a C-Map card reader and the software - SOB, and OpenCPN (with old C-Map charts) on my Win-7 ThinkPad.

That gave me a lot of back up, and I like to try different brands ... ...

You may want to take a look at Seapilot - https://www.seapilot.com/.
As of today, they offer official electronic charts of all countries in the Baltics - except for Kaliningrad, Lithuania and Poland. They offer a free app for android, but not cheap maps, though. Check it out for yourself ... at https://www.seapilot.com/ They offer a 36 hour free trial period ...

Plan2Nav uses C-Map 4D charts - I used EN-I299 - Baltic Sea and Denmark, that covers all relevant countries. The app is free. You buy the charts. See PLAN2NAV.

I also have Navionics Europe covering the same countries (except DK) ...

Furthermore, I have a card reader for my PC, using the SOB applikcation (Software On Board). I can use the same C-Map MAX charts on the C Card for my card reader for the PC, *and* for my chartplotter - EN-M019.35 - NORTH AND BALTIC SEAS - Mega Wide - covering all Nordic countries - except Iceland ...

As I'm used to using C-Maps on my plotter and PC, I tend to prefer these charts. I did not, however, experience major differences in quality between the charts from the three different above mentioned vendors.

Which app/program one prefers, is mainly a matter of "taste and habit", I suppose ...
Personally, I prefer to use my chartplotter in the cockpit as it is very bright and waterproof, and easy to operate ... The other instruments were back up.

[northwestsailor]

I was an early adopter of iNavx. Although it seems some things could be make simpler generally it seems to be the most flexible of all tablet based navigation softwares. The only data I have not been able to pipe into iNavx is radar data but I can get that through the Navico GoFree app if I feel the need for it in another location.

Having used both IOS and Android in general I would say IOS is more stable. In addition the IOS pops are vetted for bugs, worms and other nasty computer infestations that plague the digital world. I have inadvertently downloaded some really obnoxious Android tide and weather software that took considerable effort to clean up.

One last thing is that I have found Android far less cognizant or aware of screen size. My largest Android platform is 21 inches.

[IdoraKeeper]

If you were using the onboard gps in your iPad you may find better position lock using your Android tablet. I use an iPad air in the cockpit at work...lousy gps lock performance. Anand Tech has done some lab work that shows that the Alu back on some tablets attenuates the signal from the satellites enough to interfere with reception. It's not just iPad, an all or mostly plastic tab has a better chance of good reception.
I use Navionics on a Nexus 9. Good results so far.

[KJThomas]

Save yourself all the bother and get a windows 10 tablet with seaclear or open CN.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by IdoraKeeper

If you were using the onboard gps in your iPad you may find better position lock using your Android tablet. I use an iPad air in the cockpit at work...lousy gps lock performance. Anand Tech has done some lab work that shows that the Alu back on some tablets attenuates the signal from the satellites enough to interfere with reception. It's not just iPad, an all or mostly plastic tab has a better chance of good reception.
I use Navionics on a Nexus 9. Good results so far.

I dislike all Apple devices, but I can't say that there was anything wrong with the GPS performance on my IPlod. It took a bit of time but was completely reliable in getting a lock. Another virtue was it had really good battery life.

My Sony Android tablet, being newer, is naturally faster. Also it has the great advantage of receiving GLONASS as well as GPS.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by KJThomas

Save yourself all the bother and get a windows 10 tablet with seaclear or open CN.

I love OpenCPN and use it on my laptop. But I already have the Android tablet (GoFree doesn't run on Windows -- either Android or IPad), and it's waterproof.

A rugged waterproof Windows tablet would be a very good nav device. Something like this:

https://www.ruggedtabletpc.com/products/xtablet-flex-10

Note that they only CLAIM a battery life of 6 hours, however.

In any case, yet another new tablet is not on The List this year, so I'm looking purely at software solutions, for Android.

[RainDog]

Originally Posted by northwestsailor

My largest Android platform is 21 inches.

What the heck is that?

[IdoraKeeper]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

I dislike all Apple devices, but I can't say that there was anything wrong with the GPS performance on my IPlod. It took a bit of time but was completely reliable in getting a lock. Another virtue was it had really good battery life.

My Sony Android tablet, being newer, is naturally faster. Also it has the great advantage of receiving GLONASS as well as GPS.

+1 on dual mode. Ipad battery life =good. Ipad cost? arrgh! Android 6.0....nice!