Ipad for GPS

[cb32863]

Originally Posted by ggalanis

Hope an iPad version is in the works.

Isn't the OS the same version?

[windward54]

If you want to use an iPad/iPhone, there is a GPS plug-in module that you can use. It will increase accuracy and give you GPS when you are away from a cell tower.

Bad Elf | Bad Elf GPS for iPod touch, iPhone, & iPad

Sold at Amazon for about $100.

[RhythmDoctor]

Originally Posted by nop

I use iNavX for the iPad and iPhone. I really like it.

I have the 3g version of the iPad, but the app doesn't need any connection because you pre-download all of the charts.

I've done some fairly tricky navigation with it, and I wouldn't use anything else.

Originally Posted by jimmytc

iNavX on iPhone and iPad is awesome.
I like my ipad better than my chartplotter!

Does iNavX support course-up mode? That would be an absolute necessity in my book for cockpit use. I tried it on my son's iPad, and could not find a setting to enable it.

I am in a similar debate over which of these options:

• Get a NookColor for eRead and Android fun stuff, or iPad for eReading and lots of other stuff including big screen chart plotter (I have an Oregon 400c that I've been using and could always be brought out in foul weather)
• Get a GPSmap 640, which would eventually allow me to interface depth, DSC, and AIS into one centralized display
• Figure out a way to mount my Netbook (with very bright display) with OpenCPN for fair weather use.
• Just keep using the Oregon 400c that I used last year.

[Greenman]

I have the Navionics Ap on my IPad, it works great so far (although I bought it in the fall so have not used it on the water yet) for $29.99 it came with all the Maps of Atlantic Canads and Eastern US, and it updates itself.

The IPad fits perfectly in a large Glad Freezer Bag with room for a thin styrofoam pad if you are worried about dropping it overboard, or banging it around too much.

Would I use it as my primary? Not likely, but I will use it or especially give it to guests to play with and follw our course. As a back up to paper I it will work fine.

[capecodda]

We've been using Navionics on IPad and IPhone as a secondary system. I find it more useful for planning purposes than real time navigation. A typical use might be figuring out where we are going tomorrow while sitting at anchor. The feature set on the Navionics App is nice, but cannot compare to a full on chart plotter integrated with your radar, AIS, and sailing instruments, IMHO.
But if you have these devices for other uses anyway, $29.99 is a such a small fraction of a boat buck, I think its worth playing with, and might even work as a backup in some instances.

That said, we carry paper charts for everyplace we go or might end up going if the plan changes. If the satellites fall from the sky, an EMP puts out all the electronics, our batteries die, and our software crashes we can still look up from the screens at the real world and find our way Oh and we do recommend looking up occasionally, it does make the sailing experience more pleasurable

[JBIZZ]

I've used both Navionics and InavX on my iphone 4 to navigate from Fort Lauderdale to Elliot Key in Biscayne bay at night a couple times along with my paper charts. I'd recommend Navionics, seems a little more user friendly. I plan on getting an Ipad and mounting it at the helm eventually. Just waiting to see what the next generation Ipad will have in it. Navionics is also available for android platforms now as well.

[LakeCruiser]

Originally Posted by cb32863

I think you need charts for your lake if you are finding shallow spots and rocks.

I bought Navigons Apps for my iphone One for "US Lakes East". And one for the Caribbean. The lakes program shows all the cans, reefs, rocks, marinas, depths, etc on Champlain, and I'm sure would do so for Lk George. It works just like the laptop version. Sailed in the BVI's and it was spot-on compared to the onboard GPS.

[seabreeze_97]

Maybe something can be borrowed from the aviation community.
iPad | iCub

[Sequitur]

I use the Navionics app in our iPad as a fourth look. It is a great additional input, and I also love it for passage planning and seeing ahead without disrupting the E120 and E80 chartplotters. A recent use along the coast of Peru as we approached an unknown coast at night is a few scrolls down this link: Passage to Chile

[asdf38]

Originally Posted by night0wl

Bad idea.
The 3g ipad does have GPS..its called A-GPS. Reports are conflicted on whether this is a true chip gps...but one thing is for certain, it uses cell tower triangulation to assist the gps in getting a fix be it faster and more detailed location awareness. Not good when you're out there.

So there is some historical reason for confusion here. Many devices in the past have been described as having GPS when they weren't actually communicating with the GPS satellite systems. And many devices can provide location information without it - for example the original iPhone.

But, as of today, nearly every cell phone and smart phone has a true, satelite based GPS chip, including the current iPhones and iPad 3G. Cell phones have assisted GPS and that's a good thing - assisted GPS is improved GPS.

For a full, detailed, explanation of GPS and AGPS as it's evolved for cell phones read this article.
Inside assisted GPS: helping GPS help you

In summery, details of the satellite based system are somewhat surprising - without some type of assistance any GPS receiver needs 12.5 minutes to assemble the information needed to fully lock its location from a cold start. The GPS satellites are incredibly slow - they send only 50 bits per second. Modern standalone receivers use a variety of methods to improve on this - they cache some data about satelite locations and remember their last location. This helps them lock a position after receiving partial information.

Cell phones have the advantage of a whole additional set of data and they use it - cell towers and wifi networks. In the case of the iPhone and iPad they leverage technology from a company who literally drives trucks around the country mapping the ID's of household wifi routers. Phones with wifi can tap into this and cell towers to get an immediate idea of where they are. They also feed this to the sattelite GPS algorithms to give it a head start while it tries to piece toghether the slow satellite based data.

So what you'll see with an iPhone or iPad 3G in the middle of the ocean is a device that's not exactly designed to be there. I suspect it's algorithms are optimized to leverage wireless data and will be surprised to fine none. The iPad 3G will absolutely lock your location, it will just do it slowly.

EDIT: Corrected to reflect that only iPad 3G's have "real" satellite based GPS.