Off road nav solution with tablets?

rich67

rich67

Caught the Bug
I started researching some possible off-road nav solutions the other day. I started when I saw Magellan "intending" to put out a product that was in tablet form, with preloaded off-road trail maps, interactive social media and 3D mapping capability...but then, my search turned up nothing but dead links and no info...almost as if the project was scrapped.
So then I saw people talking about utilizing an ASUS Google Nexus 7 tablet with a program called "ViewRanger". Apparently this combo was very similar to what Magellan was proposing. But I haven't seen much feedback on it.
I already have a handheld Garmin, but when it comes to vehicular use, it's less than stellar because of the small screen and other limitations. Ideally, I want something that costs around $200 (as the Nexus/View Ranger combo falls within), offers accurate mapping and off-road trails with route finding like the Garmin has, but in a large package that can be seen clearly while driving and is dependable "off the grid".
Has anyone used the aforementioned combo, or does anyone have any other recommendations?
 
tsalani

tsalani

New member
rich67 said:
Does the iPad mini have built in GPS, or do you need an external antenna?
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Everything has built in GPS.... You can buy an external for better reception (cloud cover, forestry areas, canyons, etc) I use a mini with Gaia Pro and internal GPS works just fine for me.

Avenza PDF Maps is another app I use. Overlays your position on MVUM.

Good luck.
 
Goldeneagle1LC

Goldeneagle1LC

Member
Ipads come with or with out GPS. Without is about a $100 cheaper. I don't know if the built in GPS works with out setting up the Cellular service as all of mine have been the without version. I use external receivers because the built in one won't work while flying anyway. You can get quality external GPS receivers for around $100 both wired and wireless. just my :twocents:
 
toxicwaste29

toxicwaste29

New member
I watched the expedition overland series on youtube. They seem to use their laptop for their trail maps and they have been all over north america and even down into central america. I never researched what program they use however.
 
Irish JK

Irish JK

Caught the Bug
toxicwaste29 said:
I watched the expedition overland series on youtube. They seem to use their laptop for their trail maps and they have been all over north america and even down into central america. I never researched what program they use however.
Click to expand...

Yeah since they get so far off road.
 
toxicwaste29

toxicwaste29

New member
Given the fact that a Tom Tom says a gravel road is an off-road road yes depending on how you look at it yes they do offroad. Also if you actually watched any of them they do go one a few trails and also trail blaze a couple others
 
Irish JK

Irish JK

Caught the Bug
toxicwaste29 said:
Given the fact that a Tom Tom says a gravel road is an off-road road yes depending on how you look at it yes they do offroad. Also if you actually watched any of them they do go one a few trails and also trail blaze a couple others
Click to expand...

Okay you're right.
 
JeepJeep75

JeepJeep75

New member
You guys should try Topo Maps. I use this app on my iPhone. You preload maps, yea you need a bit of forethought, sucks, I know, but, it works off-grid with zero cell signal. The maps are good enough to figure out where you are and which way to go. They are USGS Topo maps, so they do have most dirt roads on them. At least most of the dirt roads around Colorado Ouray, Silverton, Durango area. Also the California topos are pretty good to from my personal experiences. This app should be available for iPad too. It lets you set and name way points. I've used it a bunch of times to mark where things are that I come across at different mining sites and other cool land marks.
 
Wardell

Wardell

New member
toxicwaste29 said:
I watched the expedition overland series on youtube. They seem to use their laptop for their trail maps and they have been all over north america and even down into central america. I never researched what program they use however.
Click to expand...

I'm not 100% sure about their first season, but I know they used Hema Maps during their second season in Central America. Since they're also one of their sponsors, they'll probably keep using their maps when they go down to South America. I've never tried their maps, so I can't really vouch for them, but it sounds like their maps are very popular in Austrailia (where Hema is based).

Personally, I'd recommend using Backcountry Navigator. I'm not sure if it's available for iphone, but I use the android app on the trail. They have a lot of different topo map sources that you can download for offline use, and it has all the features of a standalone hiking GPS unit.
 
WarriorJeep

WarriorJeep

New member
+1 on backcountry navigator. I run it on a $45 off brand android tablet with fantastic results.

Just waiting for the Magellan explorist Trx7...I must have this.
 
Zstairlessone

Zstairlessone

New member
Goldeneagle1LC said:
Ipads come with or with out GPS. Without is about a $100 cheaper. I don't know if the built in GPS works with out setting up the Cellular service as all of mine have been the without version. I use external receivers because the built in one won't work while flying anyway. You can get quality external GPS receivers for around $100 both wired and wireless. just my :twocents:
Click to expand...

the cellular iPads have GPS. The GPS works whether or not the cellular is activated (I've never used my cellular or activated it, but the GPS is great). If you don't have the cellular version you can use a BlueTooth antenna just fine.
 
Goldeneagle1LC

Goldeneagle1LC

Member
Zstairlessone said:
the cellular iPads have GPS. The GPS works whether or not the cellular is activated (I've never used my cellular or activated it, but the GPS is great). If you don't have the cellular version you can use a BlueTooth antenna just fine.
Click to expand...

Good to know on the cellular ones. All of mine have been wifi only. I used bad elf and stratus for my GPS. Both are a little more accurate than the built in GPS.
 
ricky bobby

ricky bobby

New member
I have a 7inch LG tablet I use which has backcountry navigator and Gaia gps. I prefer Gaia on convenience as the cloud service is slick. You can plan a trip through their online map tool then sign into your tablet or phone and see the route. Thanks for the heads up on that Magellan that looks pretty slick.
 
WarriorJeep

WarriorJeep

New member
Magellan eXplorist TRX7 is on the way! Should be good times, Magellan even offered to give me a crash (no pun intended) course on it.

Stay tuned
 
R

rgtTRX

New member
Off-Road Navigation Apps

Thanks Warrior Jeep. Anyone else that wants to give it a try, search for the free Magellan TRX app on iTunes and Google Play. It's free to try full features for another month or so.
 
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