[C320-list] Navigating with a tablet

[Bruce Stanley]

Excellent Jack
just wish those charts covered Australian waters ;o)

Bruce Stanley
Sydney Australia
previous owner C320 / now C36.

On Mon, Oct 15, 2018 at 7:58 AM Jack Brennan <jackbrennan at bellsouth.net>
wrote:

> 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
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