iPod Touch ?

[olson34]

The other thread(s) here on smart-phone and tablet navigation are helpful, but my question is a bit different...
I am looking at buying a new Touch. Ostensibly this would put my whole music collection into a plugin format for our new truck with its neat little USB iPod input.

So I got to pondering -- is anyone using one of these for any sort of navigation on their sailboat?
We have an old G4 iBook for the boat navigation and general travel chores that is about to get replaced with a new Apple notebook, in any case.

It appears that the Touch has wifi built in, so I got to thinking (yeah, that's dangerous!) that maybe there are inland waters where it might double as a chart plotter?

Your experiences, oh salty sages?

And no, no iPhone in our immediate future. I am quite happy with a cell phone that has no contract, low cost, and has only one "feature": it takes and makes phone calls, with a large readable screen and big buttons, and is useable in 'bout all lighting conditions.
(It's a Doro, if you're curious.)

Sorry for what may well be a stupid question...


LB

[4arch]

You would have to buy an external gps receiver to use it for chartplotting. Either the XGPS150 bluetooth receiver or the "Bad Elf" receiver which plugs into the dock connector.

[jackdale]

While I have charts on my Android I would never you use for navigation. Too many aids to navigation are mislabeled and it lacks the detail I need. It is a nice toy and does have marina phone numbers, locations of restaurants etc., but I still prefer paper charts and real chartplotters. The GPS also sucks down the batteries at a huge rate.

In Canada we are required to carry paper charts and publications unless we have an Electronic Chart Display and Information System on board. No recreational chartplotter meets ECDIS the standards.

[olson34]

Agree with Jack -- and do carry all charts for our area. Electronically we are used to GPSNavX running on the old Mac with all NOAA charts loaded. (Kept down at the nav table with it's gps "hockey puck" plugged in.) Out in the cockpit is the less-reliable Garmin plotter at the helm. Charts are on the table inside, too.

I have not found any conflicts between these nav sources, altho I do stay up to date on the data and reasonably up to date on the spendy charts.

As to Android vs Apple, it's always going to dependent on the application. i.e. one does not only 'have charts' on it but an application that uses and displays that cartography.

I will have to check on the Bad Elf (is it really evil?) device.
I have found another from this source: Dual GPS & Battery Cradle for iPod touch.

Thanks for the information. Much appreciated.
L

edit: the Elf link: http://bad-elf.com/products/gps/

[Melrna]

Originally Posted by 4arch

You would have to buy an external gps receiver to use it for chartplotting. Either the XGPS150 bluetooth receiver or the "Bad Elf" receiver which plugs into the dock connector.

Ok I am confused. Doesn't the IPAD have a GPS built in. I know my IPhone does, so why the external GPS?

[jackdale]

Originally Posted by Melrna

Ok I am confused. Doesn't the IPAD have a GPS built in. I know my IPhone does, so why the external GPS?

iPOD not iPAD

[tipitina]

Yep... ipod is WiFi only, unless you have WiFi on the boat, you have to get a signal somehow.

[SVAuspicious]

The iPod Touch and the iPad WiFi do not have in-built GPS. The iPhone since 3G and the iPad 3G (original and 2) do have in-built GPS.

[Magoofskie]

Hi. As I understand the ipad (all) and iPhones infact only have an A-GPS or assisted GPS chip (google it). The reality of this is that if you head out, you will eventually loose nav ability. Unless you add an external GPS as mentioned. I have both these devices and use them with the NavX apps really as a toy. Handy to have charts etc in your pocket even when on a friends boat for coastal cruising. My future plans are to add the new reasonably priced raymarine e7 chartplotter. This can connect to all these apple devices wirelessly in effect turning them into second and even third displays. Handy for when at anchor?

Now I am no expert and there may/ will be many flaws to my knowledge. Please be kind, this is my first post! just trying to be helpful. I love these handheld touch screen mobile devices and whilst they are never to be a primary source, they certainly make for nice 'extras' down below!

Gareth. Hans Christain '38.

[SVAuspicious]

Originally Posted by Magoofskie

Hi. As I understand the ipad (all) and iPhones infact only have an A-GPS or assisted GPS chip (google it). The reality of this is that if you head out, you will eventually loose nav ability.

Not true. Assisted GPS uses a preliminary navigation solution based on the nearest cell tower(s) as a seed to the full-blown GPS chip in the device. That means a more-or-less useful location solution within seconds. Shortly thereafter the GPS position will show up. Well offshore the GPS will eventually (many seconds or at worst in my experience a minute or so) lock on without the assist and provide a location.

I regularly use Charts & Tides on my iPhone 4 hundreds of miles offshore. The GPS works fine.

The bigger issue is that the cell phone part of the phone uses a lot of power in a "No Service" state trying to get connected. If you turn on airplane mode you disable the GPS. Pain.

Still it's been useful. I've had a delivery or two on which we lost nav from onboard instruments and used my phone to finish. *grin*