Galaxy GPS - Am I Crazy

[Wacked]

So this weekend I ordered a Galaxy Tab3.  The Garmin crew never played nicely with me and my Apples.  I've loved Gaia GPS app on my Iphone but it's a small screen prone and to over-heating.  Last weekend while riding with Lonesome Dave, he had a cool app. on his little-bit-bigger phone that showed all the current Forest Service maps.

I thought what the heck....  I'm going to get me a big 7" screen and see what it does mounted up on my handle-bars.  Maybe I'll beat the piss out of it in 1 days ride, maybe it will last me for 3 years and be the bomb.  I really want a more convenient GPS when me and some of the guys do a section of the Great Divide this July. 

After some googling, I didn't find much information on using a tablet for navigation.  Does anyone else out there ride with a Tablet?  Any opinions on tougher units or more "delicate" units? 

Wacked

[Bogus Jim]

One issue is external power... most tablets use a mini-usb, which isn't a good connector for dust/weather and vibration. If your battery life is long enough for a full day's ride then you could just recharge at night.

The Earl tablet looks interesting.  http://www.meetearl.com/

There are some ADV threads about using durable tablets for navigation; I don't think there's a clear consensus yet.

[greatbuffalo]

I bought my wife the Nexus 7 for christmas and have played with it quite a bit and did a bit of searching myself when I was thinking about doing what you are doing. What I figured out is that it should be mounted in its own Pelican case or some facsimile there of. My plan was to bore a hole in the side to run the finicky mini USB cable and put a little sealant to fix it make it water tight. Some well placed foam on the inside to the device to make it stay put and keep the vibes to a minimum. The Nexus and the Galaxy have the internal GPS that work well. The one the Galaxy has over the Nexus, is the memory card slot. The are several apps out there that really work well. You load the maps of the areas you will be in on memory cards and change out as you need. There are several how to's on ADV in the GPS section.

[greatbuffalo]

That Earl does look kind of cool. Need to do some investigation on that.

[Wacked]

Got my Samsung Galaxy before Friday's big cage trip to Denver.

After many hours of brain beating and blood-pressure spikes, I finally have this tablet functioning as a GPS. 

Had to read many forums.  There's not a clear path to make this happen.  There are many fragmented thoughts on why it won't work on certain devices.  I can tell you that boaters, aviators, bicycle riders, and others are also keenly interested in this topic.  I came dang close to thinking I had to order a Gamin bluetooth GLO to make the system work.

All I can tell you is that it's working on my new Tab3 without WiFi or cellular support.

The beauty of this approach is that I can run many different GPS programs and maps on one device.

So far, I've downloaded some Avenza and CoPilot stuff maps

Stay tuned

Wacked

[greatbuffalo]

I have thought several times about doing that. It didn't take too long to figure out how to make things work on my wife's tab and it was fairly easy for her to use as well, and she's not very tech savvy.

[tannerc]

Got my Samsung Galaxy before Friday's big cage trip to Denver.

After many hours of brain beating and blood-pressure spikes, I finally have this tablet functioning as a GPS. 

Had to read many forums.  There's not a clear path to make this happen.  There are many fragmented thoughts on why it won't work on certain devices.  I can tell you that boaters, aviators, bicycle riders, and others are also keenly interested in this topic.  I came dang close to thinking I had to order a Gamin bluetooth GLO to make the system work.

All I can tell you is that it's working on my new Tab3 without WiFi or cellular support.

The beauty of this approach is that I can run many different GPS programs and maps on one device.

So far, I've downloaded some Avenza and CoPilot stuff maps

Stay tuned

Wacked

I used that avenza app out in the hills over memorial day weekend. It works very well, maps and location on the map are clear and accurate. Bunch of options for adding way points and images to the maps. Its pretty neat.

Some tabs have a problem with finicky gps receivers
The other trick with using a tab with no cellular connection is finding the apps like Copilot, Garmin Navigon, Avenza that store the maps on the device.
I am going to try using a 7" tab for routing and navigation on a trip this summer.
I think its a great idea, big clear display, bluetooth into headphones (play music and get directions), double duty when in a wifi area..

[Wacked]

Now there's one legit ride under my belt using only the Galaxy.  Love it.  AWESOME!  It even survived a little head-thumping "get-off" on the trail.  No problems. 

I have in a flip up holder on top of my tank bag.  It's not powered up so I haven't fully tested it on a 8 or 10 hour day.  Its easy, accessible, and fairly quick when I pull up to a "T" in the road and need to know if I should turn right or left.  The android Avenza app works great with forest service maps.

There's only two disappointments, but they have mostly to do with me ....  not with the Galaxy. 

First: my old buzzard eyes are still not good enough to see the 7" screen.  Crap.  So I still had to take extra time to pull out the glasses.  Solution .... bought a flat 2X bifocal "welding lense" and installed it into an easy access pocket.  Works great to hold up on the outside of my goggles to see the screen.

Second:  It doesn't matter what GPS you have if you don't read it or know how to read it ... Yea, found out the hard way and got caught in a tough spot in the waning hours of daylight.  Props to Lonesome Dave who came to the rescue! 

I think this GPS setup is ready for the big trip!

Wacked

[Lonesome Dave]

I've seen his set up, it is really slick or "sick" or "phat"!  Anyway, it's a lot bigger than a smart phone with the same maps.  Brad, the welding magnifier is a great idea, even for the regular gps, I'm going to get one this week. 

[greatbuffalo]

I have joined the Tablet club.
I landed a killer deal on the advrider site .. I bought a Galaxy Note 8 for a hundred bucks . The thing had never been used so I perused the internet and found some gps apps. I've been trying them out and found a few that I like . So the other day I ordered an otter box Case. I looked at some waterproof cases but didn't like what I saw. This isn't waterproof but I think this case will do me just fine. I have a few ideas on how to mount it ideas to my bars. I can shove it into my map holder in my Tankbag if I get worried about rain. I could add it to the array of gear on my farklebar that seems to amuse everyone That way I can get laughed at even harder then when traveling the GDR. I also have a few ideas for building a rally type fairing for the KLR. More to come on this later.