Handheld GPS ?

[Sven]

Our 10 (?) year old Magellan MAP 330M seems to have bit the dust. It's gotten us to and from Catalina in the fog many times (as a backup to DR).

We have far too many other GPS devices on board already but I'd really like to have a handheld unit for walking around in new towns. Are there any reasonable ones out there where you can download new maps that you get from the net or are they still all proprietary formats ?



-Sven

 

[MarkA]

Sounds like you need an iPhone. With Navionics charts and Navigon roadmaps of all North America, it's hard to get lost.

 

[Sven]

While I'm an unrepentant Apple fanboy I've resisted getting locked into a contract with AT&T, especially since we won't be the country for two years or whatever they require. Otherwise I completely agree with you. :crying:

Thanks,



-Sven

 

[MarkA]

There are rumors the new iPod Touch, anticipated to be announced next Tuesday, will have gps chips. Otherwise, the iPad 3G models have GPS chips (no contract required.) Also, now you can buy iPhones unbundled from contracts--but they're around $600.

With new phones coming out next month, there may be some used iPhone 4's for sale. They're fully useable without a contract (except for the phone part, of course

My only complaint is that the iPhone screen is not as bright as I'd like in direct sunlight--especially in a waterproof case. Hopefully that will improve on October 4

-mark

 

[Sven]

Thanks, that's good info.



-Sven

 

[MarkA]

Hmmm, did I mention the NOAA weather buoy app? Based on your GPS location, it displays as many weather buoys as you want. Click on one, and it gives the realtime conditions reported from that buoy. It also displays the full NOAA weather forecast for that area. It works great locally, where there is usually some form of data network available. But it's useless without cell coverage.

 

[ref_123]

iPad in the fog...

Well, while I like i* things, they are far from being waterproof... Any opinions on covers for iPad besides the ziplock?

 

[MarkA]

Well, while I like i* things, they are far from being waterproof... Any opinions on covers for iPad besides the ziplock?

I think these guys also make bags for iPads:

This looks good: http://www.amazon.com/Aquapac-Water...2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1317063918&sr=1-2

My fiancé has this, but you can't use the camera because the back is not clear. Otherwise, it works very well: http://www.amazon.com/Kwik-Tek-Univ...4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1317063918&sr=1-4

 

[AleksT]

Some of the garmin models you can load maps onto (street and nautical). The 76 models are being phased out so they are cheaper right now.

 

[Mikebat]

None of the Apple i-things have a standalone GPS chip. They all require either 3G data access, or wireless access, to internet servers for calculating location. None of them can give location without internet access.

Android phones from HTC or Samsung include standalone GPS chips and can provide location without an internet connection. The internet location services are used to speed up acquiring the satellites, but the GPS works fine without, just takes a little longer to lock on. I have personally used the Navionics app on my Droid Incredible while 70-100 miles off shore, far from any network connection, and with the phone's cell radio turned off.

My Toshiba Thrive Android tablet also has a standalone GPS chip and provides location to the Navionics app even with the Wifi turned off. But I had to "side-load" the Navionics app since Navionics doesn't allow the Android market to sell their app to devices they haven't tested.

May I suggest a Samsung Galaxy Tab? They are offered in versions without any cell circuitry or contracts (just Wifi), and there are 10" and 7" models. You can get one at Best Buy. Navionics certifies the Galaxy Tab as compatible with their app, so you don't need to do anything special - just purchase it from the Android marketplace and download.

If you go that route, get the Carribean app. It covers the Carribean sea, and also the Pacific coast of Mexico and Central American, from Pt. Conception to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. For less under $30.

Of course, you can use Google Maps for street-level navigation if you have a wifi connection. There are other apps available for hikers, bikers and walkers that allow you to download street maps and/or topo maps for use without a connection to Google's map servers.

 

[MarkA]

None of the Apple i-things have a standalone GPS chip. They all require either 3G data access, or wireless access, to internet servers for calculating location. None of them can give location without internet access.

Bullshit. Why write that if you have no idea what you're talking about?

I have had every version of iPhone, and my daughter has the 3G version of iPad 2. All but the first iPhone have pure GPS information in situations where there was NO cell service whatsoever.

I routinely use Navigon and it's downloaded maps to navigate in Santa Barbara wine country, where there is no ATT reception. I routinely use Navionics and the downloaded charts to navigate my boat when there is NO cell service. No 3G, Edge, wifi, or any cell service is required.

You are very, very wrong.

 

[MarkA]

I should add that my stepdaughter uses an old iPhone 3GS as a spare iPod with no cell service at all (her iPhone 4 is on the ATT contract). The GPS works perfect with no wireless service.

 

[Sven]

Mark,

Bullshit.

That's not quite in the spirit of the forum. May I suggest you edit it a bit ?

You are right about the GPS capability in the newer iXxxx devices. I think Mike was thinking of the 1st iPhone which did do local triangulation if I remember correctly.

All the answers and suggestions are appreciated.



-Sven

 

[MarkA]

Mark,

That's not quite in the spirit of the forum. May I suggest you edit it a bit ?

-Sven

I'm sorry if I offended you, Sven. But we're adults and, more importantly, sailors. This is primetime TV language, and it doesn't even approach what we think or blurt when we foolishly slip on deck and stub our barefoot toes, or accidentally drop a mooring as we're blown sideways. Or drop that nut in the bilge where we won't reach it until the sole is removed for refinishing next winter. I'm quite comfortable saying BULLSHIT and, in the spirit of tolerance (isn't that what we're supposed to be all about today?) then my fellow adults can tolerate it, while thinking about worse names to call me in private.

The spirit of the forum is to share factual information and honest opinions, not blatant mis-information. Frankly, I'm offended that someone would barge in and challenge other posts without taking the three seconds necessary to google the facts. I can't tolerate reckless misinformation. It offends the sh*t outta me.

Maybe I've read too much Cruising Anarchy? But Bob Perry, one of my favorite designers, always says "Harden the fuck up!" Good advice for all sailors.

 

[Sven]

we're adults and, more importantly, sailors.

Personally I am a gentleman sailor, or try to be. One of the perquisites of being an adult is that you don't have to insult when it serves no purpose.

I'm afraid we will have to agree to disagree upon what is the proper response when someone makes a mistake while trying to be helpful.

Out.



-Sven

 

[MarkA]

One of the perquisites of being an adult is that you don't have to insult when it serves no purpose.

-Sven

I did not intend to insult anyone. it was a characterization of the CONTENT of the message, NOT THE PERSON delivering it. The message was bullshit by any measure of the term--and that's undeniable.

As for the helpful intent of the messenger? Debatable. It read like an ad for Google, from a systems analyst no less. But regardless of actual intent, it was reckless.

We can agree to disagree, fine.

 

[Cory B]

Android Phones

As well as the I-Things, Android/"Google" phones and devices have similar capabilities with most having a built-in GPS, and you will get a wider choice in phones (less $$$), carriers, and fees.

I have "free" charts for our local sailing area (for all the good they do with the moving sandbar I bumped into last week) loaded into my 1st gen Android phone. Works just like a chartplotter with a GPS.

I'm not sure if there is any reason to buy a single-purpose handheld GPS nowadays.

 

[MarkA]

Thanks for bringing us back on topic from the dunce corner of political correctness.

The only advantage I see in the single-purpose hand-held GPS units are the rugged and semi-waterproof cases. You can bash the crap (oops, not gentlemanly) out of them. But anyone who values their iProduct or anti-iProduct will keep them in a protective case and be gentle (see?) with them.

How is the screen brightness on your HTC? So far, iPhones require a focused look in the ultrabright So Cal daylight--no casual glances until some haze or fog develops. The extra thick lines and high contrast displays of some single-purpose units are a little easier to read. But I prefer the squint-and-shade approach for the iProducts, just because there is so much information available to glean from them. That's a trade-off that I hope will be gone by October 14.

 

[Mindscape]

Did an internet seach and found the following

Did an internet search and found this at Cult of Mac:

http://www.cultofmac.com/86642/wifi-only-ipad-2-gets-gps-when-tethered-to-iphone/



WiFi-Only iPad 2 Gets GPS When Tethered to iPhone

One of the drawbacks of the cheaper, WiFi-only iPad 2 is that it doesn’t have GPS — so it can’t run any of those beautiful fullscreen navigation apps.

GPS is limited to the more expensive 3G iPad models. But if you own a GPS-enabled iPhone, you’re in luck. The WiFi-only iPad 2 inherits GPS functionality when it’s tethered to an iPhone.


This was discovered by Kyle Carmitchel on a recent road trip.

While his iPad 2 was tethered to his iPhone, Kyle fired up the iPad’s Maps app. To his surprise, the iPhone began passing GPS information to the iPad.

As we got closer, I decided to get some directions to make sure we were on track. I launched the iPads maps app, expecting to navigate the old fashioned way without GPS assistance — knowing full well that GPS only comes in the 3G iPad models. Imagine my surprise when my iPad pinpointed exactly where we were on the road.

Kyle has been using the Personal Hotspot feature on his iPhone 4. As he notes, Apple’s WiFi-only iPads and iPhones have for years been able to find their location awareness via a WiFi location service. The service notes the MAC addresses of nearby WiFi hotspots and looks them up in a database of router locations, which gives an approximate location.

However, Kyle says his iPad is getting genuine GPS location information, and it’s coming from the iPhone:

It is clear I am being fed GPS information from the phone, at what appears to be an interval of once a minute or so between refreshes (likely they didn’t do real time updating so as to go easy on the phone’s battery).

So if you’ve been looking at a 3G iPad for the GPS, you might consider the WiFi-only iPad. If you have iPhone tethering, you can use it on the go.

 

[MarkA]

Frank, one of the drawbacks is that (1) you must pay the monthly tethering fee, and worse, (2) when you do that, I think you give up the unlimited data plan for your iPhone (if you're grandfathered in like my family and I are). For me, it would be worth it to pay the extra for a 3G enabled iPad to avoid the tethering charge and, more importantly, avoid losing the grandfathered unlimited data plan for the phone.

I'm eager to see what's coming up next month, but I'm primarily waiting for the iPad 3.