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- Navigation - Maps, Compass, GPS (https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/navigation-maps-compass-gps/)

- - tablet vs GPS (https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/navigation-maps-compass-gps/tablet-vs-gps-69975)

Quote:

Originally Posted by tigershel (Post 432029)

Also check OsmAnd, seems to be one of the default app choices for OSM maps and is open source.

The free version allows you to download up to 10 regions, and it's quite user friendly.

Where I am now, the offline OSM vector map is a lot more accurate than Google maps, the only better map I have found is a country specific collaborative Garmin-compatible map.

I reckon the tablet could work fine in a 4-wheeler, I still prefer a GPS like the Garmin Montana (or the new Android one that uses the Montana hardware) for durability and ability to be used on the bike, hiking, and boating.

Another question: why a tablet? There are relatively cheap and powerful Android phones available with screens from 4.3" to 6.5" which are possibly more robust and flexible. There are probably more mounting options for the more standard sizes.
It could also provide a backup to your dedicated phone, assuming you take one. Most of the better Android chinaphones allow for 2 or more sim cards to be installed, quite useful if you are traveling in are where coverage varies by network, or where you may want one card with a data plan, and another with a call/SMS option.
You can also get apps that will allow the phone to serve as the GPS to a Bluetooth laptop or tablet.

Having said that, some of the phones I've tried have poor GPS reception, taking a long time to get a satellite lock, and also battling in mountains, forests and built up urban areas.

In that case I often use a bluetooth GPS tracker dongle/mouse instead of the onboard GPS. It seems as powerful as the dedicated GPS systems, and gets 25 to 40 hours on a charge.
It also works with my Android tablets (2.3 and 4.0) and my Windows laptop.

Another advantage with the bluetooth tracker is that it is small and easier to mount where it can pick up a good signal, letting you position the phone / tablet for optimal viewing and safety. It also helps keep the phone / tablet out of the sun, high temperature is a killer for many devices and batteries.

The tracker I am using is an older Qstarz BT1000Q , and I use Bluetooth GPS Tracker from Argotronic (IIRC) to connect it to my Android phone and tablet. That app seems the most reliable of the 3 or 4 I have tried.

Sent from my A898 Duo using Tapatalk 2

Personally, I keep the mobile phone strictly for making telephone calls and the occasional text - it's old fashioned, but I can't see me changing that for a long time, if ever.
My favourite nav device remains paper maps - again old fashioned - and I tend to prefer one device for each purpose, so I do have an old Garmin for navigation but I have become disenchanted with it I suppose; I do fully appreciate the value of waypoints and the associated accurate position fixes, but a lot of the time I don't need them - when I do, the Garmin is switched on, otherwise it tends to be off.

Quote:

Originally Posted by moggy 1968 (Post 432223)

The apple IPAD mini seems ideal but not keen on going down the apple route due to the lack of third party apps, although some might see that as a bonus!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Surfy (Post 432687)

This works with any iPad with 3G and also with any iPhone.

In my short time playing around with the Android operating system Nexus it appears to do everything that the Apple products achieve, and, in general, the mapping is free. Nor do I need 3/4G network access, because there are loads of maps that work offline.

Most of my comments here apply to use on 4 wheels, although I may get around to stuffing the Nexus into the tank bag, one fine day.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Walkabout (Post 433885)

I guess it very much depends on where and how you travel, and what you are used to.

In the USA, I used to use paper maps extensively, especially the De Lorme atlases.

Where I am now (and the same applies to much of the 3rd world), the only easily available paper maps have very little detail, and are useless for anything other than following the highways outside of urban areas. They can be used to plan broad details of a multi-day trip, but are useless for anything else.

I could get the government topographic maps, but that demands a trip of a few days and a significant cash outlay. The downside to those maps is that they are bulky, fragile and way out of date.
That wouldn't be an issue in the 1st world, but taking the wrong route here could mean riding some rocky, broken trail into the night, and possibly getting into insurgent-controlled areas.
At least the OSM, Google and Garmin-compatible contributor electronic maps I use are occasionally updated. Carrying both the phone and the GPS also gives me options when the different maps don't agree with each other.

Mostly I travel by motorcycle, followed by bicycle and then public transportation (bus / banca / ferry). On the bikes, I don't think the phones are robust enough to withstand the conditions (very rough roads, rain, dust, very hot sun), as compared to a top end GPS like the Garmin Montana or Oregon. So, I usually store them in a tank or saddlebag and pull them out when needed.

Just a different take on things.

Sent from my A898 Duo using Tapatalk 4

Quote:

Originally Posted by moggy 1968 (Post 432223)

I've got an HTC phone at the moment, and I have to say, the mapping is utter rubbish and it takes far too long to sort itself out, it's a last resort. Also the screen is too small for me. Because of cataract surgery leaving my eyes no ability to accommodate for different distances the map has to be far enough away that I can see it with my distance glasses, over 60cm away, so a phone screen is just too small. A 7 inch screen is really the minimum but with a bit of experimentation I am thinking something larger may be nice to get more area on a page. The apple IPAD mini seems ideal but not keen on going down the apple route due to the lack of third party apps, although some might see that as a bonus!

I'm not clear if you are pinning the issues on the HTC phone, the small screens of mobile phones in general, or the particular mapping software that you are using (which vary in their display).
I agree about small screens which is why I settled on a 7" screen as the minimum size that I am prepared to use - the google nexus has a particularly good pixel quality - it is not quite up to the standard of the latest Apple products, according to online reviews, but it is near enough for me, and I could own 2 or 3 Nexus 7s for the price of one iPad.

Just to add a little info to this...I recently got a samsung tab2 10.1 which a decent size & fits perfectly into my oxford tank bag in the map pocket. With a descreet hole I can plug it into the usb port on the bike as well.

So far I have downloaded a few offline maps from google maps and rode 200 miles today with the map displaying my area and whereabouts I was...this is basic stuff but it is the same as having a paper map in my tank pocket except I have the benefit of a little arrow telling me where I am ;)

I think the possibilities with this are endless with the right software...looking forward to testing it further. ?.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Badger74 (Post 435480)

So far I have downloaded a few offline maps from google maps and rode 200 miles today with the map displaying my area and whereabouts I was...this is basic stuff but it is the same as having a paper map in my tank pocket except I have the benefit of a little arrow telling me where I am ;)

I think the possibilities with this are endless with the right software...looking forward to testing it further. ?.

Nice! Hopefully it all stays dry in a deluge - my thoughts on that are simple. Pull over and let the downpour pass by; other than that (in normal rain), I would just put the tablet into a plastic bag inside the tank bag on the basis that the inside of any tank bag cannot be expected to remain free of moisture.

Which mapping have you tried so far?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Walkabout (Post 435493)

I have a waterproof cover for the tank bag with a window, but for light rain I should be ok...I did notice that it does get abit warm though so will have to keep an eye on any moisture build up..

I've downloaded locus. There seems to be a huge wealth of options to go with it! For the trip I downloaded the area of Devon and Cornwall but this produced a file of 795mb (15 zoom)...on Google maps the same area was 160mb (2 seperate files but worked seamlessly crossing between the 2) so until I can get my head around locus I shall continue to use the basic Google maps and navigation app to move around as I'm getting the same level of detail but only using a small amount of memory space.

To be continued....

Great thread as I've just got myself a cheap 7 inch tablet, mainly for internet when I'm away. So far I'm pleased with it and will try more map software later. I have got normal road based maps preinstalled but still use the garmin as hold habits are hard to break.
I got ffrom a German online handler....pearl.de. it cost me 160 euros so wont cry too long if I lose or break it. Dual sim and the latest android

Thought I'd share:)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Badger74 (Post 435515)

I looked at Locus a bit, the issue for me was having to download maps. Other than that, it seems very well featured.

Have a look at OsmAnd as well, the free version works fine and you get 10 free map downloads with that.

The free download is the OSM vector map, so is much smaller than the figure you quote.

Sent from my A898 Duo using Tapatalk 4

Water proof tabs and waterproof ideas

I Use my Galaxy tab 10.1 with a few different mapping apps, i really like Gaia maps, very easy to use, you can export and import GPX tracks very easily from Garmin base-camp. you can download detailed maps for off-road use. and the GPS in it works fairly well when out of cell range. i also use overland map-books, and Google maps.

The tablet fits perfectly into my tank bag and can be touched through the plastic. the only thing i can note is make sure you set it to prevent falling asleep and lock the orientation. i have power in my tank-bag to keep it topped up as the GPS just sucks back the battery.

Also have a cellphone mount on my bars for those nicer days when i am just trying to find something while running google maps.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cody1771 (Post 435859)

.

The tablet fits perfectly into my tank bag and can be touched through the plastic. the only thing i can note is make sure you set it to prevent falling asleep and lock the orientation. i have power in my tank-bag to keep it topped up as the GPS just sucks back the battery.

A good tip, I found I looked down to find it had gone blank after going into sleep mode! If you have power then you dont have to worry about battery usage.

It is easy to control through the plastic window but wearing gloves makes it nigh on impossible...I was considering modifying one the fingers on my gloves so I dont need to take it off all the time...

well, took the plunge and bought a Fujitsu 10inch tablet. really please with it so far. Downloaded Russian military maps, which are interesting and Paid for Tom Toms app that seems ok. The interface is good, but the aping can be a bit off (chose a route of 250miles for a route I had already calculated at 200 miles and, using my route was also 1 hour quicker!!)

Only used in the UK so far but seems a good solution.

Quote:

Originally Posted by moggy 1968 (Post 439052)

well, took the plunge and bought a Fujitsu 10inch tablet.

Only used in the UK so far but seems a good solution.

It looks like Android tablets are a preferred tool, in this thread at least.

After reading this particular thread and this one http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...software-72464 I am now experimenting with the free downloads in the "google offerings", but only for the UK, for now.
So, I now have (to play with, alongside NavFree) Map Quest, OSMAnd, and GPS Essentials. I picked these out because they have better than average review scores (judging by the stars system) in the google store - I don't fully go by that system so it would be good to hear of more experiences with Android-based navigation systems.
e.g. the free version of OSMAnd definitely permits just 10 map downloads, but such downloads can be for a whole continent; on the other hand my first impression of their vector maps is that they are no better than some of their competitors in the "free market". e.g. Map Quest.
This is not too surprising, because they all seem to rely on OSM for their mapping.

The linked thread above contains it's own wiki link that has a massive database concerning android GPS software; it makes me think that one or more of these have to become "the standard", sooner or later.
For now, I will stick with the free offerings to see how they perform.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Badger74 (Post 435515)

I have a waterproof cover for the tank bag with a window, but for light rain I should be ok...I did notice that it does get abit warm though so will have to keep an eye on any moisture build up..

The warmth of the tablet might deal with the other possible water issue I have had with tank bag see-through-plastic-windows, i.e. condensation.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Walkabout (Post 433885)

The App MotionX and to be able to download huge areas of Google Maps and Satellite-Imagery is absolute unique to the iOS (iPhone, iPad) for offline purpose.

There are for shure ways to use offline satellite Imagery on any OS, but nowhere it is that easy within MotionX. The App is here the key, not the brand of the hardware :rolleyes2:

But not anyone want a capable offroad navigation :innocent:

Independent of the Tablet-Brand and OS there are some apps to mention here:

The Navigation with Maps.me is Openstreetmaps based and you can download sorted after country - for free. And it has routing:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nvmIs4EmEQ...navigation.jpg

Here I wrote an short review in english:
4x4tripping: Navigation for worldtrips - maps.me

For holiday purpose or an word trip the routing is ok. Quite ok. For a more professional but affordable solution I would recommend Sygic.

For shure TomTom and Navigon are better, but they cover much less of the world and if you had to buy 15 Countrys or more you have to spend a lot of bucks. Sigh covers near the whole word.

Sygic and Maps.me are available for iOS and Android. All mentioned Apps are working offline (without cell coverage or Internet).

Surfy