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Sailaway Kid · 24-06-2010, 10:43

Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can build a working navigation system. I would like to be able to have access to charts, wind speed, boat speed, GPS and weather conditions. A old article says they use a Compaq IPAC PDA with a nema 183 output. I don't really know what compares with this PDA. Are Smart phones better or PDA's?

Jetexas · 24-06-2010, 11:40

I tried out the Navionics App on my iPhone. It was $9.99 for the Central US version. It came with all the charts, which have clickable points of interest, hazards, buoys, etc. When you tap them, it pops up with detailed information.

You can chart courses, track your course, track your distance, etc. and it gives you a GPS estimate of your speed.

I spent another $10 to buy a universal smart-phone mount for a bicycle, which I attached to the binnacle guard.

So far the only downside is that the screen is hard to see in the sun. If I had a bimini, that wouldn't be such a problem, but I don't. It's great at night though because I dropped a marker on the charts to show the channel entrance to my marina. Makes it super easy to find in the dark.