iPad Chartplotter

[whisper]

I'm on pay as you go vodafone but keep meaning to get a gifgaf contract. or similar.

[ppenman]

Why not just buy an ipad compatible external gps and save the hassle. Both the "bad elf gps" and "gns 1000 gps" get good reviews. I've just ordered the gns one for £78 as I was disappointed to discover that I couldn't use my iPad when on a boating holiday in France a couple of weeks ago.

[Cookee]

Originally Posted by Leapy

Check whether you think the iPhone/iPad are readable enough in sunlight. My iPhone certainly isn't that good and I think someone (Cookee?) said the iPad wasn't either.

Go and have a look over on YBW forums for a lot of discussion on this topic, but to sum up:

Daylight visibility of the screen on the Ipad is not very good at all and would make it an issue in direct sunlight to be any use at all.

Ipads aren't meant for the pounding of a small boat.

Only the 3G version has GPS although bed elf etc does work allegedly.

Charts are downloaded so no connection necessary.

I know for a fact that Vodafone charge for tethering, it's in settings, personal hotspot in the latest IOS 5, it isn't expensive but try and get out of it!

If you want more than occasional data 3G or GiffGaff seem to offer good deals.

To sum up:

I would have an Ipad as a stand by or very occasional plotter or get a proper made for the job item.

[BumbleAbout]

Originally Posted by ppenman

Why not just buy an ipad compatible external gps and save the hassle. Both the "bad elf gps" and "gns 1000 gps" get good reviews. I've just ordered the gns one for £78 as I was disappointed to discover that I couldn't use my iPad when on a boating holiday in France a couple of weeks ago.

Even though the mobile phone networks have decided that because (as a foreign registered SIM) they cannot send you a text message to your iPad to show you the charges in France, they will not provide a data service to you over the 3G network - the iPad GPS receiver does not require a mobile network to function (although when one is present it can additionally interpolate between the tranmission towers to provide some faster position fixing at power on).

Some private flyers use the bad elf or gns bluetooth receivers because the combination of their metal dashboard/ airframe/ engine can restrict the GPS satellite signal strength being received on their iPad, but many others fly around without any additional GPS receivers well out of mobile network range.

[whisper]

Thanks for all the advice here

I have just been looking at the giffgaff £10 a month deal which is loads better than my current pay as you go deal.

[Salty]

I "Tether" (use a phone as a wifi hotspot) my ipad 1 with my misses' iphone 4 without any problems.

The ipad isn't jailbroken (yet)

Her phone is on o2 monthly contract

[Salty]

Whether you want to get your laptop online when there’s no Wi-Fi hotspot to hook up with or want to share one data allowance between your phone and a tablet, O2 tethering is the answer. Read on to find out just what tethering entails, how to set it up and which tariffs to choose for the best deal…

What is tethering?
Tethering simply means sharing your phone’s internet connection with other gadgets. It’s especially handy if you use it to get your laptop or tablets without a 3G connection of their own online. It also removes the need for a separate USB dongle, so there’s one less thing cluttering up your bag.
How does it work?
When you tether your phone, it doubles up as a modem for the other device to hop online. You connect your tablet or laptop to the phone using Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or USB cable. In turn, your phone shares its 3G connection, it’s that simple.
The benefit of using a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connection is that you can tether multiple devices to a single phone. Your friends can share your internet connection with their laptops, for example. Connecting with a USB cable has the benefit of charging your phone at the same time, sucking power from your laptop to avoid draining its own battery.
How do I set up tethering on my phone?
Set up O2 tethering on iPhone
Enabling O2 tethering on an iPhone is easy. Simply tap into Settings, then select Personal Hotspot. Flick it to the ‘on’ position and you’re set.
The iPhone’s Personal Hotspot feature works via Wi-Fi or USB by default, but when you turn it on a message will pop up asking if you want to enable Bluetooth too. You can share your iPhone’s internet connection with up to five devices simultaneously using Wi-Fi, so it’s the best option if you’re using multiple gadgets to share its connection. If you have any problems, just give customer services a call for free by dialing 2302 from your mobile.
Set up O2 tethering on Android
Google introduced a personal hotspot feature with Android 2.2 Froyo. If your phone is running Android 2.2 or above, you’re ready to go already. Setting it up is simple: Just tap into Settings, then press Wireless And Network and select Tethering And Portable Hotspot. Tick the Portable Wi-Fi Hotspot option and your other wireless gadgets will be able to connect immediately.
To be completely secure, we recommend protecting your Android Personal Wi-Fi Hotspot using encrption. It’s easy to add from the settings menu using an 8-character password. You can set up tethering connections on Android via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or USB, although both Bluetooth and USB are secure already, so don’t need additional passwords. If you have any problems, just give customer services a call for free by dialing 202 from your mobile.
Set up O2 tethering on BlackBerry
With a 3G-capable BlackBerry and the latest version of the BlackBerry Desktop Manager, setting up O2 tethering for a laptop is easy. Connect your BlackBerry to the computer with a USB cable and load the BlackBerry Desktop Manager software. Select the IP Modem option, and follow the onscreen instructions to connect your BlackBerry as a tethered modem.
There are also several good apps for setting up Wi-Fi tethering on your BlackBerry. Tether for BlackBerry is one of the most popular ones. If you have any problems, just give customer services a call for free by dialing 202 from your mobile.
Set up O2 tethering on Symbian
To use your Nokia phone as a PC modem, you need to have the Ovi Suite installed on your computer. You can connect via USB or Bluetooth. If you opt for USB, make sure your phone is in Nokia Ovi Suite mode (check that by heading to Settings > Connectivity > USB) when plugging it in.
Once your phone is connected, head to the Tools menu in the Ovi Suite PC software and select Connect to Internet. Hey presto, your PC will be online via your Symbian mobile phone. When you’re finished, go to Tools and Disconnect.
If you’re a Mac owner, Nokia has put together step-by-step instructions for tethering your phone via Bluetooth here and via USB here.
There are also plenty of Symbian apps for tethering your phone via Wi-Fi. One of the most popular is JoikuSpot which is available in free and paid versions. The paid version costs £4.46 and includes more options to secure your connection. If you have any problems, just give customer services a call for free by dialing 202 from your mobile.
Does tethering cost extra?
Not a penny! If you opt for one of our latest Pay Monthly tariffs with 500MB or 1GB of data, tethering is free. That means you can use your data allowance in the way that best suits you. You can see the options in our tariff table.

[ppenman]

Originally Posted by BumbleAbout

Even though the mobile phone networks have decided that because (as a foreign registered SIM) they cannot send you a text message to your iPad to show you the charges in France, they will not provide a data service to you over the 3G network - the iPad GPS receiver does not require a mobile network to function (although when one is present it can additionally interpolate between the tranmission towers to provide some faster position fixing at power on).

Some private flyers use the bad elf or gns bluetooth receivers because the combination of their metal dashboard/ airframe/ engine can restrict the GPS satellite signal strength being received on their iPad, but many others fly around without any additional GPS receivers well out of mobile network range.

Yes thanks, I realise that. I should have mentioned that I own a wifi only iPad. If you're going to have to tether you may as well have the better signal reception of the dedicated gps receiver.

When I was in France and discovered my iPad couldn't get coverage neither could my iPhone 4S for 40% of the time due to limited mobile coverage. Tethering would have been useless at that time but the external device would have worked fine.

[BumbleAbout]

Fair enough

[Cookee]

Originally Posted by ppenman

Yes thanks, I realise that. I should have mentioned that I own a wifi only iPad. If you're going to have to tether you may as well have the better signal reception of the dedicated gps receiver.

When I was in France and discovered my iPad couldn't get coverage neither could my iPhone 4S for 40% of the time due to limited mobile coverage. Tethering would have been useless at that time but the external device would have worked fine.

Tethering won't tell you where you are, it will only get you internet data. It might help you get a rough idea due to some clever maths but that's it - you need a GPS receiver like the Bad Elf or similar.

[whisper]

I'm only tethering to get Internet access while out and about, I'm sure that the ipad2 has built in gps however from the previous posts I also understand that I could make this more accurate by adding an external gps device.

[Salty]

Originally Posted by Cookee

Tethering won't tell you where you are, it will only get you internet data. It might help you get a rough idea due to some clever maths but that's it - you need a GPS receiver like the Bad Elf or similar.

I understood that by tethering you were also using the phones GPS?

[Cookee]

The WIFI only Ipad has no GPS and by tethering it only gets you data but not GPS position information - you will need and external GPS for that - the internal GPS device on the 3G WIFI Ipad is fine for any navigation.

Hope that helps!

[whisper]

I get it now, at home and connected to wifi it knows where it is. Took it round the corner and it wants a connection.

[9D280]

As a 'droid user I do have to ask - what use is a plotter that the battery will die in 20 mins?

Seriously tho' - I planned to use my 'droid phone with the MemoryMap app as an emergency plotter - but very quickly found all the things talked about above very true - even the condensation in the "dry" bag confused the touchscreen... I brought my old "pushbutton" Nokia out of retirement so I could at least phone people!

I have reverted to my 20 YO (!) Garmin 12 as the backup GPS - which also has the advantage of:
1) if it's a boat power failure, it will go 23 hrs on a set of AAs
2) IPx7 rated
3) chucks NMEA out the back so keeps the DSC "fed" too (assuming it's the main plotter has failed & not the boat battery)

Bottom line is you can buy a wee handheld mapping Garmin or equivalent for about £50-70 or so off ebay, which does what it says on the tin.

[longjohn]

Originally Posted by whisper

Also how do you mount the iPad? and is it in a waterproof over?
Thanks Alex

Alex
Saw this iPad case at the boatshow today - has an optional mounting kit
Waterproof case for iPad / iPad 2

also this one - already mentions in this thread
Cases for Apple iPad 2 | LifeProof

both looked very good but very expensive at nearly £100!
John

[whackywoody]

Hi I'm interested in getting an iPad as well as the navionics app but would like to know if the software has a depth / fish finder function?if yes how does it work? does the depth transducer connect to the iPad?

Thanks

[Leapy]

Originally Posted by whackywoody

Hi I'm interested in getting an iPad as well as the navionics app but would like to know if the software has a depth / fish finder function?if yes how does it work? does the depth transducer connect to the iPad?

Thanks

Marine GPS head units generate 50 and 200kHz signals that are used to measure depth. The depth sounder itself is simply the loudspeaker and microphone for these signals.

AFAIK iPads don't have a need to generate 50 and 200kHz signals, let alone output them at the required power levels.

BTW. If you're going down the iPad route for navigation you'll need to satisfy yourself about readability in bright sunlight as well as waterproofing and power supply.

[Cookee]

Originally Posted by whackywoody

Hi I'm interested in getting an iPad as well as the navionics app but would like to know if the software has a depth / fish finder function?if yes how does it work? does the depth transducer connect to the iPad?

Thanks

No...

[biffer]

I got navionics on my ipad and it works well, if you have an iPhone as well you will automatically get it on the phone when you sync.

Run both of them cross channel and they work well, they run on GPS so really don't need cell coverage