tablets

[darmaduke]

Hi Guys...

Ok, I want to get a GPS and a tablet screen.

anyone doing this? anyone tried the google earth programs that allow you to connect to a GPS.

dont know what to get for this. any thoughts.

Thanks
Scott.

[landy_andy]

Hi Scott,

I'm currently setting up a tablet system in my Land Rover Discovery II. I was going to use a Panasonic CF-18 with a Gamber Johnson mount but there is just not enough room for them in the truck.

So, I've got myself a General Dynamics Itronix IX325 off Ebay to use instead and am currently working on the RAM Mount for it. The IX325 is alot smaller but doesn't have a keyboard so if your wanting to use the tablet for other things then this is something to think about. For power I'll be using a Lind DC/DC converter as there very robust and reliable.

Software wise I'm currently using Ozi-Explorer with the backroad map books digital maps and will be swapping to Overland Navigator once Craig has made it compatable with the .map Ozi map files. I have a through the roof GPS receiver installed and it works very well picking up 7+ sat's in the open. I'll post up some pic'sonce I get the RAM mount finished.

Cheers,
Andy

BTW, I'll be listing the CF-18 Gamber Johnson mount on Ebay in the next week or so.

[lars]

Hi Guys...

Ok, I want to get a GPS and a tablet screen.

anyone doing this? anyone tried the google earth programs that allow you to connect to a GPS.

dont know what to get for this. any thoughts.

Are you talking about for in-vehicle use? If so, Google Earth isn't going to be very useful since it requires an Internet connection from which it can pull down data. And I'm assuming you don't have a satellite-based Internet connection so you can be connected anywhere you go. ;-)

And when you say tablet screen, do you mean just the screen? Or a tablet computer? If just the screen, I don't know of any handheld or on-dash mounted units that have a video output.

If you mean a tablet PC, that would work but it would only be using the GPS for its position data. It wouldn't be able to use the map data stored in the GPS to display a map on its screen.

Asus is coming out with a new netbook that includes a flip/twist screen that lets it convert into a tablet format (including a touch screen). It will also have a built-in GPS receiver. Rumoured price is around $500. Combine that with OziExplorer and BC Backroads Mapbooks in digital format and you'd have a great backcountry exploring setup. Buy Garmin's CityNavigator North America and use the nRoute software and that'll give you a great turn-by-turn auto-routing system with voice guidance prompts. Total software cost will be around $300-400, I think. Then you'd also need a mount to hold your PC in your vehicle. Basically, you're looking at around $1000 after taxes. Take off $200-250 if you don't want the street navigation capability.

A hand-held GPS with Garmin's topo maps would be around $500 or less but the screen is smaller, of course, and you won't be able to easily use third-party map data such as BC Backroads, Provincial/Federal topo maps, Minfile maps, etc.

For backcountry exploring, I think a PC + OziExplorer is the best setup, but only if your vehicle is weather-sealed well enough that it's not constantly dusty inside. You can't beat a hand-held unit for weather sealing.


...lars

[90si]

I do this now , I have a older acer c102 travelmate and a magellan gps100 with a usb/serial adapter.

I use linux for this it's not to bad at all.

I use gps-drive && roadnav && navit && gpsbable && viking software and after a bit of work I can create a map I can track onto in real time.
The tablet bit is not bad but I do find that it's about as effective as JUST the track from the magellan's screen by itself.

I'm working on a bit of lowband/cb band transmitter from my housebase to the laptop so I can have a datalink to the internet (I'm bored sometimes
but the 1st test runs show a reasonable bandwidth (in kb NOT mb) and I hope
to get it all in for a test run by teh end of summer ..I'm trying for 4-12km range

the kicker will be a "skype call" to homebase

[darmaduke]

Hi guys.

Good point on the googhle earth, I was just web surfing to figure out how to make it work. I have looked at Overlander/spatial minds, , but did not think they had canadian maps. arnet they just for US parks? I saw some software that will use google eatrh somehow, not really sure how that works???? ( Lars is shaking his head right now ) what I am thinking about is at:

http://forum.ih8mud.com/electronic-t...-software.html

there is a picture of a tablet hooked up to a yellow gps hand held. with what looks like some nice maps. that set up was in testing and in the US so not sure what will work here.
Basically I do not want to reinvent the wheel here, just want to know what works and what does not.
I have been trying to figure out from the net what will work, but getting no where fast.
Ideally I am hoping someone has this figured out and what will work with our backroad maps etc...


thanks
scott

[lars]

I saw some software that will use google eatrh somehow, not really sure how that works???? ( Lars is shaking his head right now ) what I am thinking about is at:

http://forum.ih8mud.com/electronic-t...-software.html

Ok, I know what you're talking about there. They're basically referring to software that saves the downloaded Google Earth data and generates .map files so those maps can be used with, and are calibrated for, OziExplorer.

there is a picture of a tablet hooked up to a yellow gps hand held. with what looks like some nice maps. that set up was in testing and in the US so not sure what will work here.

I have personally used OziExplorer, an Asus EEE netbook, and my Garmin 60CSx in a Jeep when doing trail exploration. The Garmin is attached to the netbook via USB cable. The Garmin stays on at all times to record position and provide real-time position data to my netbook. I only turn on the netbook when I need a larger mapview of the area, or if I want to reference the BC Backroads maps, or other non-Garmin map data.

If you want to save money, just use one of those mouse-style GPS receivers (no display on them at all, only a USB cable that outputs the NMEA position data). Or get the kind that uses a Bluetooth wireless connection if you want to eliminate a cable.

There are lots of cheap netbooks available these days. I prefer the ones that contain no hard-drive since my Jeep rides fairly rough. Price for these netbooks (with or without hard-drive) is around CAD$400 or so (see Acer AspireOne, Asus EEEPC 901, etc). A mouse-style GPS is under CAD$100. OziExplorer...CAD$115. BC Backroads maps, digital edition for Southwestern BC...CAD$40.

I'll let you find a price for a netbook mount. I don't use one since mine is usually stuffed in the pocket on the back of my seat unless I'm using it to look up something on a map.


...lars

[landy_andy]

I've given Craig at Spatial a real bugging about getting the Overland Navigator software running with the back road map book maps. Basically the maps are in Ozi-Explorer .map format and he's got to do some mods to the software to support this format. So, He tells me that it's in hand and to be patient.....

I've just ordered my parts for the IX325 mount and hope to have it all installed in the next couple of weeks. Will post pic's when it's in.

Andy

[Greg_B]

I like this: http://forum.ih8mud.com/electronic-t...-cf-vdw07.html

The other option could be to get one of the newer 7" to 8" touch screen monitors built for the wear and tear of a vehicle, and run cables to the tough book (or computer of your choice) mounted in the cargo area.

There are more and more options cropping up. When I get to the point of actually making it happen, options will be even greater I'm sure.