John B 106 Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 The usual.. Ipad and Samsung tablets need to have cellular to get a proper gps still? is Open CPN sorted for android yet? What is a good boat laptop brand and or spec for above? bang for buck / reliable/ able to take the motion etc and keep going . Easy to hook up to 12 V. , the usual stuff we want on a boat. My cellular samsung is good , gets signal and seems to be reliable ,but people are telling me that a non cellular tablet or ipad will work , and that is not my experience. I'd like a third nav option down below and that will be the boat laptop with open CPN on it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Farrari 4 Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 My Samsung tablet is a WiFi only model and it gets GPS perfectly fine with or without WiFi coverage. It has an inbuilt GPS receiver although I'm not sure I'd trust it for close quarters navigation. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
John B 106 Posted March 15, 2016 Author Share Posted March 15, 2016 See this is where all the conflicting information comes in. I was told that wifi only tablets gets assisted GPS , which is pinging off cell towers. So if you're out to sea it doesn't work. That info came from various sources , anectdotal, a bit here , some other forums and talking to cruisers. How far out Farrari? Can you go right away out to sea and still get a full gps position. If its changed we needs to know.( insert smile face here) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Island Time 1,235 Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 The usual.. Ipad and Samsung tablets need to have cellular to get a proper gps still?The Ipad has no GPS chip unless it is a cellular model. So yes, you need a wifi model, but no, you don't need a connection. See Farrari's response for Samsung, it is likely model dependent. is Open CPN sorted for android yet? Yes, been out some time, check the playstore. What is a good boat laptop brand and or spec for above? bang for buck / reliable/ able to take the motion etc and keep going . Any decent brand should be OK, SSD models are probably better. If there is a real chance of it getting wet, get a Toughbook. Easy to hook up to 12 V. , the usual stuff we want on a boat.Use a proper 12v laptop supply - Jaycar have them for almost any laptop. My cellular samsung is good , gets signal and seems to be reliable ,but people are telling me that a non cellular tablet or ipad will work , and that is not my experience. It'll work, but it's no good in the sun, needs recharging and is not waterproof or ruggedized. May be OK as a backup/convenience system, IMO. I'd like a third nav option down below and that will be the boat laptop with open CPN on it. Opencpn is cool - see my video of it working with various plugins, including Ipad and Andriod tablet Video here https://youtu.be/QdTg6T_aLRk Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ScottiE 174 Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 link not working IT Quote Link to post Share on other sites
erice 732 Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 have an old small acer netbook running windows xp http://www.trademe.co.nz/computers/laptops/laptops/acer/auction-1050921714.htm http://www.trademe.co.nz/computers/laptops/laptops/acer/auction-1048873541.htm small 10' screen and slow atom 1ghz processor mean pretty low power consumption small screen still bigger than most plotters and slow processor still more than fast enough for opencpn whole lot is cheap enough that won't cry when it die Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Farrari 4 Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 See this is where all the conflicting information comes in. I was told that wifi only tablets gets assisted GPS , which is pinging off cell towers. So if you're out to sea it doesn't work. That info came from various sources , anectdotal, a bit here , some other forums and talking to cruisers. How far out Farrari? Can you go right away out to sea and still get a full gps position. If its changed we needs to know.( insert smile face here) My tablet is a WiFi only (no cellular) Samsung Note 10.1 2014 Edition and as IT says capabilities are likely to be model specific. I can use the Maps application for navigation with WiFi disabled provided I have downloaded and cached the maps beforehand. It does ask if it can use WiFi and cellular to improve location accuracy but I always decline. Specs are listed as COMMS WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot Bluetooth v4.0, A2DP GPS Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS Infrared port Yes Radio No USB microUSB v2.0 (MHL TV-out), USB Host Quote Link to post Share on other sites
John B 106 Posted March 15, 2016 Author Share Posted March 15, 2016 " Yes, been out some time, check the playstore." Is this called "opencpn Dave Register" for about $15.00? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Island Time 1,235 Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 link not working IT Try again, something weird going on, it should play in here! Now works for me, even though it looks like the same link! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Island Time 1,235 Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 " Yes, been out some time, check the playstore." Is this called "opencpn Dave Register" for about $15.00? Yep, that's it... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
John B 106 Posted March 16, 2016 Author Share Posted March 16, 2016 My tablet is a WiFi only (no cellular) Samsung Note 10.1 2014 Edition and as IT says capabilities are likely to be model specific. I can use the Maps application for navigation with WiFi disabled provided I have downloaded and cached the maps beforehand. It does ask if it can use WiFi and cellular to improve location accuracy but I always decline. Specs are listed as Thanks for that Ferrari. How far out do you go (if you don't mind me asking)? What I'm getting at is, are you going to have a GPS fix away from cell towers? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Farrari 4 Posted March 16, 2016 Share Posted March 16, 2016 Using cell towers for an approximate location fix (instead of GPS) requires the phone to triangulate based on the received signal strength from multiple cell towers. My tablet doesn't have a cellular radio that can communicate with the cell towers so is completely deaf in that sense. I am always out in the great blue yonder outside cell coverage as far as it is concerned. The tablet could approximate location based on WiFi but I have disabled WiFi and confirmed location by GPS still works. Steve Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Beccara 25 Posted March 16, 2016 Share Posted March 16, 2016 A-GPS is what is normally in tablets and whatnot, It will work with no internet and cellphone connection. Because GPS may be off on tablets and turned back on a quick fix is needed so alot of data needed for orbit info is sent over the quicker 2g/3g/4g system rather than download them from the bird at ~20-30bits/sec In the apple case there is no GPS at all in the wifi only models but that doesn't mean 3g is needed. I'm not personally aware of a GPS chipset that 100% will not work without a data link Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Farrari 4 Posted March 16, 2016 Share Posted March 16, 2016 Actually that is a good point. In my case the tablet has GPS with assisted GPS (A-GPS) meaning that it can use WiFi to locate its position faster and more accurately than with GPS alone. It takes time to lock onto the GPS and in many internal buildings or where there are lots of external structures there can be GPS signal reflections that lead to inaccuracies. A-GPS is a useful tool to help solve this. There are reports that some devices (not mine) must have a broadband connection (WiFi or 3G/4G) in order for their internal GPS derived location to function although I suspect this is more how the software is written because tracking you by location is a revenue generating tool. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
John B 106 Posted March 16, 2016 Author Share Posted March 16, 2016 Well, this is against what I thought I knew but if it works, cool. So I take it I can be 500 miles out to sea and a wifi non cellular samsung tablet will get a fix without a seperate gps dongle . Next tech question for the panel. If I bought an ex lease toughbook or similar for the bang for buck ships computer and backup charts,and had the option of running win 7 or upgrading for free to 10 , which would be best to take? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Beccara 25 Posted March 16, 2016 Share Posted March 16, 2016 Is it a toughbook touchscreen or non touchscreen? I would go Win7 for compatibility and a edge on power consumption but if it's touch and you wanna use it then Win 10 would be better Quote Link to post Share on other sites
John B 106 Posted March 16, 2016 Author Share Posted March 16, 2016 Dunno yet, but cooool , thanks for that! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Island Time 1,235 Posted March 16, 2016 Share Posted March 16, 2016 Windows 10 also uses the internet to do auto updates, and expects to have an internet connection. Search on google to find suitable workarounds for that - Windows 10 offline. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
waikiore 399 Posted March 16, 2016 Share Posted March 16, 2016 You guys certainly know how to make a man dig out the sextant and look for Mary Blewitts book, bugger it when I go home tonight I will go back to splicing the laid polyester....... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
John B 106 Posted March 16, 2016 Author Share Posted March 16, 2016 I'm with ya brother. ( and strangely enough I came across Blewitts book on the boat on sunday , its still sitting on the table.) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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