[C320-list] Navigating with a tablet

[Jack Brennan]

Hi all:

Well, so far, so good.

I have an 8-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab A with the Open CPN  (free!) navigation program and (also free!) NOAA charts, a $20 mount from Amazon that attaches to the rail and a waterproof cover for the tablet for times when it’s raining.

I took it out for the first time in a sail to the Gulf and couldn’t have been happier. Compared to a Garmin handheld, which I still have as a backup, this setup is a dream. No more squinting at a tiny screen that doesn’t allow you to see the track ahead in any detail.

The GPS on the tablet worked well. No loss of coverage about five miles offshore. The track was accurate. The viewing screen is expansive. When sunlight shined directly on the screen, it was a little difficult to read, but not bad. Otherwise, very clear.

NOAA’s electronic charts come as RNC and ENC. ENC is the latest thing and allows you to network with AIS and all the other high-tech gadgets. RNC looks just like paper charts, except that a little boat marks where you are.

Well, old fart that I am, I opted for RNC. With a few flicks of the finger, you can see your entire planned course and then get back where you are. It also gives you all of the ancillary info that the traditional charts do on the main screen, unlike ENC.

Open CPN allows you to set waypoints by tapping at the appropriate spot on the chart, a wonderful innovation for those of us used to typing in coordinates.. Touch the waypoint/triangle again and you can name it, add supplemental info, etc.

To keep the tablet charged, I found and installed an outdoor USB plug with voltmeter ($10 on Amazon) by drilling a small circular hole in my Yanmar engine pod cover, then wiring the plug to the incoming side of the ignition switch.

If you wire it anywhere else in the pod, it will shut off when you turn off the ignition. I got caught at that the first time I wired because I didn’t realize all of the instruments were powered through the ignition switch.

I know many of you like that high-tech array of networked instruments on fancy pods, but this is a good alternative if you like to keep it simple, as I do.

Jack Brennan
Sonas, 1998 Catalina 320
Tierra Verde, Fl.
Dolphin Cruising Club of Tampa Bay










---
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
https://www.avast.com/antivirus