Portable chartplotter performance

P

Pete

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 11, 2012
Messages
109
Fluid Motion Model
C-28
Vessel Name
Stella B
I like to carry a portable chartplotter (with built in antenna) as backup and plan to do this on my new R 27 - mid Sept. delivery. On other boats I've had mixed results, sometimes excellent satellite acquisition, sometimes not. Would appreciate hearing the experience of other owners with portable chartplotters.

Pete
 
Other than a dedicated chartplotter like something from Garmin, you might consider some software like Navionics to use on your cell phone or tablet. It is inexpensive and works great as a backup.
 
Rick,

Yes, I have a program on my phone. But I also already have a Garmin portable chartplotter. I'll upgrade from BlueChart to G2 and include the West Coast so that I can use it when I take delivery - but only if it will function without an external antenna.

Pete
 
I use my iPhone and iPad as back up or secondary device and have had as good or better locating then the built in GPS on my tug . Just my two cents
 
Pete:

We own an iPad2 that has a GPS built into it. We downloaded the Navionics HD U.S. app and it has all body's of water in the entire country. You only need an Internet connection to download the mapping area you desire and once you've done that you do not need an Internet connection to use it as a chart plotter. We've used our iPad as a chart plotter in Lake Powell, where our Garmin did not have coverage and recently in Torch Lake a few weeks ago. I would not recommend it be used as a primary chart plotter on a full time basis and I feel I still need paper charts just in case. Hope this helps.

Jim
 
Jim

Very interesting. There's a lot of debate on the internet about whether the iPad has true GPS capability if you only have wi-fi connectivity, as I do. The consensus appears to be it doesn't, so I assume you have a 3G/4G plan. However, your post got me checking and I find you can buy a Bluetooth GPS receiver for the iPad for $99. So I can then download a chartplotter app and have a good back up system. One nice feature of this system is that, because it's bluetooth, it doesn't need to be physically connected to the iPad, so I can put it in the optimal location for good reception. I'm going to buy one!
Pete
 
BAD ELF makes both kinds. I've got the non Bluetooth variety on my ipad2 wifi only tablet and it works great!
 
Pete,

Can you post a link to the Bluetooth GPS device for an iPad? I'd be inclined to go that route as well...
 
Jeff,

Bad Elf looks pretty good also but it isn't bluetooth. The unit I found on Amazon is the Dual Universal Bluetooth Receiver.

Pete
 
Correction. Charlie is right. Bad Elf also makes a Bluetooth version.

Pete
 
Correction to the correction. Bad Elf bluetooth doesn't appear to be available before November and is priced 50% above the Dual Bluetooth.
Pete
 
I use the Dual Electronics XGPS150 bluetooth GPS with my WiFi only iPad. It works great and with the Bluetooth connection nothing is plugged into the iPad like the currently available Bad Elf. I also have a dual output USB charger that plugs into the 12V power socket. One USB port is high power for the iPad, the second is standard and I use it with the GPS.
I have both iNavX and Navimatics Charts&Tides US East installed on the iPad.
iNavX uses NOAA raster marine charts. You can select and download the desired charts into memory while WiFi connected. You can optionally purchase Navionics and other charts.
The Navimatics app uses NOAA vector charts and has an ActiveCaptain layer. I periodically update the ActiveCaptain database when I have WiFi Internet connection.
Garmin is also introducing an iPad/iPhone app. It can transfer routes to the Garmin chartplotter. It will also have Active Captain support.

Howard
 
The 3G iPad has GPS built in If you only have the WIFI version it does not have the GPS built in the iPhone also has GPS built in
 
Grandpa Mark":w98y7ibp said:
The 3G iPad has GPS built in If you only have the WIFI version it does not have the GPS built in the iPhone also has GPS built in
Click to expand...

Correct, and the iPad has a more sensitive GPS receiver than the iPhone.
 
Howard,

Which do you prefer, iNavX or Navionics? I've read of some problems (crashes/blank screens) with Navionics.

Pete
 
In my earlier response to Howard I should have asked for a comparison of iNavX with Navimatics, not Navionics. These seem to be the 2 most popular iPhone/iPad nav apps and I'd be interested to hear comments about either. MacEnc is new to me and I'd like to hear more about it.
Pete
 
To get back to the original poster's question: with all the windows in your tug, you should have NO issue with a portable GPS getting a signal. I used a Garmin 176c as a backup chartplotter for years in our C-Dory... no external antenna; none needed. It worked fine.

Two years ago, I retired the Garmin when we started using the iPad as a backup chartplotter. We use the Navionics app, and have updated/upgraded it several times as they offered more coverage areas.

We were an early adopter of the iPad, and I have seen the "does it really have a GPS built-it" discussion over and over, including people (who have never used it) telling me it woudn't work if we were outside of cell coverage. I bought the 3G model BECAUSE it has a built-in GPS chip. The wifi only model does not have a built-in GPS chip... for what a portable GPS puck or blue tooth GPS would cost, you can have the 3G (now 4G) model. I have never connected the iPad to AT&T (the only carrier available for it originally), but there is that as an option if we are in an area where there is no Verizon signal.

My wife has an iPhone4, and it doesn't acquire the satellites as fast as the iPad, and is not as accurate in positioning as the iPad.

We used to use MacENC for trip planning, but find a laptop as a chartplotter is a little cumbersome. Want to plan a route that takes you around a lot of islands and channels (such as the recent tug adventure in Desolation Sound)? Point, point, point, point, point - and you have a route laid out on the iPad. It really is that fast.

It does not have the integration that our Raymarine (and the Garmin suite most of the tugs now have) has with radar, depth, autopilot, etc, but as a back-up chartplotter than can also be used for e-mail, web surfing, reading an eBook, Skype, etc, etc, etc, it is a valuable addition for our travels.

Still, if one already has a portable chartplotter (and doesn't feel the need to add an iPad to the mix), that makes a nice addition to the built-in equipment. I generally had one on close range and the other on "the big picture." They are all tools, and you use what makes the job easier or more efficient.

Don't forget to look outside the windows and enjoy the beautiful scenery going by, too. 😉

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
trailertrawlerkismet":3oeiw8i5 said:
Pete:

We own an iPad2 that has a GPS built into it. We downloaded the Navionics HD U.S. app and it has all body's of water in the entire country. You only need an Internet connection to download the mapping area you desire and once you've done that you do not need an Internet connection to use it as a chart plotter. We've used our iPad as a chart plotter in Lake Powell, where our Garmin did not have coverage and recently in Torch Lake a few weeks ago. I would not recommend it be used as a primary chart plotter on a full time basis and I feel I still need paper charts just in case. Hope this helps.

Jim
Click to expand...

Jim: Some of the Apple iPad customer reviews for this App (version 2.5.6) are saying the chart map area goes black at times. Have you experienced this ?
 
Hello Barry:

I can not recall with 100% certainty if the screen has gone blank or not while using the Navionics app, which indicates to me that if it has that it would have only been a time or two but I could be thinking of my built in Garmin chart plotter. When the Garmin has done this (a few times) I simply turn it off and back on and all is good again.

Jim F
 
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