Thread: GPS on iPad or Android type tablets

Thanks for all the feedback guys.

From what I have been able to gather there are a lot more GPS apps for iPhone/iPad then there are for Android devices.

MudMaps seems to refer only to iPhone on their website and in their video, but VMS 4x4 refers to both.

There appear to be a few others, but a lot of those appear to be aimed at the turn by turn city/highway market. Not much use in the High Country or the Simpson Desert!.

Originally Posted by sjm

I used a Garmin e-trex for a while, but it has been replaced by my Android phone. I love it, and would never consider going back to a dedicated GPS unit. I have GPS, maps, camera, SMS, email, web, phone all in a unit the size of a credit card. Battery lasts about 24 hours when saving a continous GPS track, and I use an in-car charger for long vehicle trips, or a 6" solar panel when hiking. You certainly do not need phone coverage to use the GPS.

Thanks sjm, could you tell me where you sourced your app and maps? Which Android phone are you using these on and would it work on an Android tablet?

Originally Posted by sjm

I used a Garmin e-trex for a while, but it has been replaced by my Android phone. I love it, and would never consider going back to a dedicated GPS unit. I have GPS, maps, camera, SMS, email, web, phone all in a unit the size of a credit card. Battery lasts about 24 hours when saving a continous GPS track, and I use an in-car charger for long vehicle trips, or a 6" solar panel when hiking. You certainly do not need phone coverage to use the GPS.

I guess to some extent it depends how you travel. I nearly always hire cars and my carry on is a dedicated laptop/camera bag with space for a laptop, DSLR and a couple of extra lenses and sometimes a tripod, so throwing in a wafer thin GPS is no big deal. I've also taken suitcases full of timber, tools and chainsaw parts in checked luggage so I am almost always already overloaded.

I do like the idea of using a single device especially for something like hiking but one thing that always worries me about single devices is, because it always has to be with the user, the device is constantly plugged and unplugged in and out using those mini-usb ports or even the standard plugs on mobile phone dozens of times a day. I have already rooted two of these and they cost me a mint to fix. It's OK for people like my son who changes his phone nearly as often as his socks but I like to keep my stuff for 3-5 years. The newer Garmin GPS connectors seem to much better than those on most phone plugs I have seen. I wish mobile phones had that sort of system rather than those dickie plugs that get full of clothing lint and grit.

There are some interesting HF power recharge systems about to surface that are contactless and combined with blue tooth coms could solve that problem. My guess is the greenies will have a dummy spit when they cotton onto it but lets hope they leave it alone.

The other advantage of multiple devices is if you lose it you don't lose everything.

I just tried to buy Garmin Western Europe Map for iPhone and it won't let me, "only for sale in the US it said"????

Attention: Big Shed
You mentioned that you GPS stopped working.
Have you tried to reset it.
Should have a reset button that you poke with a ballpoint pen or wooden skewer. If the unit hasn't been connected to power then you may have to charge it first before a reset can take place. If it still has power then it should reset immediately.

Hope this is of use,

regards Ned Black

Originally Posted by Black Ned

Attention: Big Shed
You mentioned that you GPS stopped working.
Have you tried to reset it.
Should have a reset button that you poke with a ballpoint pen or wooden skewer. If the unit hasn't been connected to power then you may have to charge it first before a reset can take place. If it still has power then it should reset immediately.

Hope this is of use,

regards Ned Black

Thanks BN, yes I have reset it (several times), it was actually working earlier in the day, when I switched it back on (fully charged as it was connected to cig lighter socket) it wouldn't work on Navigation. All other icons on the front menu appear to work.

Might try loading software agian, I backed that up to the computer (yes I did RTFM when I first got it!)

Looking at buying a 7" generic GPS on Ebay running WinCE so I can load OziExplorer and Hema maps.
These have Bluettoh and lots of other options and only cost between $85 and $150 complete with wireless reversing camera.

Sort of given up on the Android route as there is very little off-road mapping software for that platform and after borrowing daughters' iPad it seems a little large to use as a GPS.

The journey continues.

Made a decision to go for one of the generic 7" GPS units out of China, on Ebay.

These are almost like a Swiss Army knife, they have that many functions.

The unit I settled on has a 7" screen, runs iGo turn-by-turn software (supplied), has Bluetooth for handsfree mobile phone operation, this can go through the car radio via FM, it can load and show photos, videos, read Ebooks to you (still looking for the coffeemaker!)

Ordered and paid for on 17/2 ($A84.59 inc postage), despatched 19/2, arrived yesterday 23/2.

What I have seen so far is very impressive, just working out how to get OziExplorer to work with the internal Windows CE6 operating system, once that is sorted it will be able to read, and follow, external maps such as Hema maps (which are absolutely brilliant). I also have the complete Oz 1:250,000 maps for the whole of Australia.

Thanks everyone for all their input.

BTW, decided against the iPad because of cost and size, against the Android tablets for the same reason as well as the OziEplorer software still being in beta for the Android platform.

Having learned a few things about the inner workings of these GPS units, I decided to re-visit the problem I have with my 5" Aldi one.

As previously mentioned, it suddenly stopped working, every time I pressed the Navigation option on the Main Menu, it shut down. My computer also couldn't see it as an external drive anymore.

Had a look at the Main Menu and found the Setting option, this leads to other options one them being USB.
When I pressed this I found it was set to MS ActiveSync, the other option being Mass Storage, selected that and hey presto my computer now saw the GPS as an external drive again via the USB connection.

When I first got this unit I downloaded the software to my computer as a backup, I now decided to go for broke and delete the software from the GPS and copy my backup to the GPS.

What do you know, it works again as advertised, don't ask what happened but it is fixed again.

So if you have a GPS, backup the software!

I backed up the software on my Aldi GPS pretty soon after I bought it as I wanted to 'hack' it a bit (see http://fixmygps.info).
I've had to restore a few things when I've broken them

I've been caught out by the MS Sync setting too, even less useful when you run Linux.

The 7" GPS I now have runs iGO8, whereas my 5" Aldi GPS runs iGO Primo. They seem similar, in fact I updated the street maps on the 7" with the (later) maps from my Aldi one. Only thing I haven't been able to duplicate is the Aldi shows where traffic lights are which makes it easy to see at a glance where you need to turn, ie not this set of lights but next set of lights.

I now have both iGO8 and OziExplorerCE running on the 7" GPS as well as Camps6 POI/WPT files on both those platforms. It is easy to switch between street navigation and moving map navigation and now basically have all the functionality of the Hema (5") Navigator which sells for $799 at a fraction of that cost.

Very happy so far.

Some map screen shots as they (almost) appear on the GPS, these are from the PC version of OziExplorer.

Attachment 205846

Attachment 205847

More of a vent, now that you seem to have found your answer(s).

I have a Samsung Wave phone, and one of the (several) problems is that the GPS takes about 15 minutes to lock onto position. And that's with trying the hints and tips from other disappointed Samsung phone users on various forums, and sitting still, outside, in the middle of a cricket ground.

We've got a TomTom, which works well, but I really miss my first GPS - a rubber cased Magellan which showed a breadcrumb trail in black and white on a postage stamp sized screen. Sigh....

Cheers,
Andrew

Andrew, I have never owned a "brand" name GPS. My first GPS was a 5" Aldi unit worked perfectly and still does. In fact I use the iGo8 maps on this GPS as they are a later version.

The only reason I bought this 7" Chinese unit was that I wanted a moving map facility, not just the turn-by-turn street/highway navigation.

None of the "brands" offer a 7" unit that I could find and the prices even for the 5" units are absolutely astounding, this 7" unit off Ebay with all the bells and whistles cost me less than $90 delivered to my door.

Sounds good Fred. But bottom line, the map has to suit the application and is the starting point.

I got a Garmin Nuvi with the Garmin Topo Aus v. 2 and the latter is a $200 boat anchor, at least as far as navigating tracks in the outback and the mountains go. There's v. 3 out now and it would want to be far better.

Now I just carry Hema paper maps (which are excellent) and use a device to get coords when necessary; the Nuvi provides them, the hand-held Garmin that I take walking/skiing provides them and even the Satphone does too.

I have all the Hema maps in digital format Ern, this GPS with OziExplorerCE follows them on the screen. At any given moment in real time I know exactly where I am on the map. Also have the whole of Oz in 1:250,000 scale maps, as well as most of the Rooftop maps.

OziExplorerCE even selects the correct map from those on the MicroSD card, when I drive off that map, it automatically finds the next one.

Very handy in places where turn by turn software is useless, such as the High Country, Simpson Desert and Birdsville Track.

Oh, and Ozi CE gives heaps of other screens as well, such as a very good compass, altitude, 2 trip meters, the list goes on. Not bad for a bit of Ozzie developed software Also have the complete Camps 6 free campsites locations loaded in POI for, wherever you are you just load the POIs for that state and they show up all the Camps 6 campsite locations.
With PC version you can pln your trip on the digital map and then load the waypoint in to the GPS and follow them on the screen.


Mind you I carry paper maps as a backup just in case.

Thanks Fred. Does indeed sound good.

The only real innovation from Garmin recently has been sat imagery, resolving down to metres, so you can see if there's an upcoming flat spot on a ridge or spur to pitch your hike tent. This might also be useful when skiing in cloud.