Question? What apps are you using for navigating?

Discussion in 'General Computing' started by vasher, Sep 7, 2011.

  1. CatBuilder

    CatBuilder Previous Member

    The most simple fix would be to get iNavx.
     
  2. Submarine Tom

    Submarine Tom Previous Member

    Actually, the simplist fix would be to pull out your paper charts!

    Remember those?

    -Tom
     
  3. Minusadegree
    Joined: Jan 2012
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    Minusadegree Junior Member

    Vividly, still use them to some degree. :)
     
  4. Minusadegree
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    Minusadegree Junior Member

    Ok, I let the xgps150 battery drain out... Now it turns on and etc.... I'm fairly confident now that using motionx app and applying the setting that turns the gps off when not in front quite literally bypasses everything about the gps and just simply puts it in standby such that you can't bypass it via bluetooth.

    Submarine Tom,

    I think your spot on when it comes down to essentials; paper charts and sextent... Know how to navigate first...
    The digital age in my opinion (not accusing you of being a dinasaur) is more of a question about application for the application.
    Taking this into consideration, the ipad has very good battery life, good display in daylight and is easy to use... This cuts down on the baggage that I need to carry around to perform my job by eliminating the paper.
    In this particular application, I am a fan of opencpn soley due to the fact that I am familiar with it and 'know what charts I am downloading and using. I know when it hiccups, but thats due to the fact that I know how to recognize that failure due to my experience on the water navigating.
    So in my opinion, if you can't recognize electronic failure, then the elecronics will eventually fail you (not just because they may have failed, but you failed to know)

    Alright, I gotta go play with this thing and make it fail.
     
  5. CatBuilder

    CatBuilder Previous Member

    Well said.
     
  6. michael pierzga
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    michael pierzga Senior Member

    Operator error is the problem with digital. You assume the little boat is always moving across the screen. When you get a bad series of GPS fixs, for whatever reason, the boat stops on screen.
    Another defect of digital is the snap shot size screen. You dont know what is infront of you. Route planning is troublesome. With paper I can see from one edge of the chart to the other ...at appropriate scale. Paper charts are drawn to assit eye ball navigation...digital are not

    Digital navigation undoubtly made navigation easier and safer but the operator must be alert. As far as applications. I just have not seen one that is a must have. Certainly things like automatic tide table are handy. If they begin to digitalize pilot books this could be a winner. Is there digitalized pilot books ?
     
  7. Saildude
    Joined: Jun 2011
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    Saildude Junior Member

    The Coast Pilots can be downloaded in PDF format - free - from the U.S. Coast Guard if I remember correctly - World wide Sailing Directions are also available in PDF
     
  8. TeddyDiver
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    TeddyDiver Gollywobbler

    Just installed Navionics app on a Galaxy tab.. Looks great, just can't wait to get it tested alongside my plotter..
     
  9. michael pierzga
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    michael pierzga Senior Member

    OK pdf...but it would be best if the pilot was actually linked to the chart. Click a location.click pilot and all relevant information displayed.....ie katabatic wind gust NE corner of harbour.... surge in NW winds..Taverna ashore...petrol by mini tanker harbourmaster phone number.
     
  10. Ike
    Joined: Apr 2006
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    Ike Senior Member

    Have any of you tried SeaClear? http://www.sping.com/seaclear/ It is free, the charts are downleade from the internet free.

    It will run on just about anything even Windows 95 (does anybody still use 95???) I am running it on an ACER Aspire One under Windows XP. The charts are on a SANDISK 16GB USB stick.

    I haven't actually used it on a boat. I've just been playing with it. I seems simple to use, layout way points and courses. I use a mouse, and it works fine with the touchpad (I hate them) I suppose it would work fine with a touch screen. I'll have to try it on my wife's Kindle Fire.
     
  11. Minusadegree
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    Minusadegree Junior Member

    So for anyone still following this thread, the xgps150 meets the expectation of 8hours after a full charge. I was however able to make it fail in the manner of speaking that you cannot allow the software your using to sleep it.. It sleeps it and you cannot wake it up as it puts the wireless aspect of it to sleep as well and there is no way of waking it up via another means.

    I'm still waiting on the Motionx folks to respond to me concerning the charts and the process of delivering the final product to me. Do they download thie charts and modify them based on the zoom level I chose or ar they using something less than advertised by Noaa?
    No clue.
     
  12. Minusadegree
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    Minusadegree Junior Member

    well there you go.
    I'm still perplexed though. I downloaded almost a gig of chart data from these folks and I can't zoom in enough to see the buoys.... What did I download then?

    Yeah yeah,
    You get what you paid for... :)
     

  13. Minusadegree
    Joined: Jan 2012
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    Minusadegree Junior Member

    Thought I'd bring this back to the surface.

    Navionics is in my opinion the way to go.
    However, using an ipad2 on a sunny day where the temp managed to climb up to 65, I managed to overheat the thing and got the black screen that simply said 'temperature'.
    I of course left it out in the sunlight, my POS thunderbolt was as expected, unseeable, the pad was better but not stunning. Twas hard viewing it.
     
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