Garmin 2010C

[MikeP]

No, I don't have a holder but I'd like to. It just sits wherever on the console at either helm.

What was funny last season was going through Knapps narrows. While in the narrows the Garmin showed the boat running across the land about 100 meters north of the narrows. The Ipad showed is right where we really were with the boat actually in the water!

[Full Moon]

Yeah my iPhone is the same way. Dead on. I'm shopping ebay now for a waterproof case for my iPad. I just have the flybridge but it still gets wet up there sometimes.

[Sailor John]

Get the iPad, and run it with the Navionics program.
I did. It's the best program I have seen for navigation. Big, bold, updatable, and in the long run, a cheap date. I also run Radar Pro with hurricae tracking for live weather radar on my iPad. Great Stuff.
Get the iPad with Internet connectivity for best results. If you are going to use it on the bridge, get a waterproof case for it. Several are out there.
Sailor John

[Sailor John]

FYI, Scanstrut sell a water proof ipad cover. I wanted to buy one but thought $125. was a tad rich for a piece of rubber. I can use a ziplock bag when I have too.
Sailor John

[bostonhatteras]

To all the iPad users. Aside from being a stand-alone chart plotter, what other functions can the iPad accomplish? My current chart plotter is linked to the autopilot. I am not seeing a way to accomplish that with the iPad, but maybe there is. The writing is on the wall now for me to upgrade my systems as sometimes the Chart plotter screen shows upside down! Albeit only momentary and usually when it's first turned on. Nevertheless I need to create a new system for the upper and lower helm stations that will be linked together. The iPad sure seems like an inexpensive way out. If anyone knows of any iPad tutorials on the web I would certainly be appreciative to know of them. Thank you

[LIBERTY]

I too am using a New iPad with cellular data as a back-up plotter for a 2010c (that blacks out every once in a while and has to be re-started). It is my understanding that iPad gets its position info from cell tower and wi-fi triangulation and does not have a true GPS receiver. Coverage being as it is in eastern NC, I purchased a Bad Elf plug-in GPS receiver that is spot-on. Bad Elf is now available as a wireless unit capable of sending GPS data to all your Bluetooth devices, but the plug-in works fine. I have Navionics and iSailor on my iPad. It works great with both of those and the google maps. You will need a 12V charger from Radio Shack for extended use as the Bad Elf cuts battery life noticeably. I normally use the iSailor as I like the chart presentation better. Chart updates come down on about a monthly basis and are free. Also, the nav apps can be loaded to all compatible devices on your account for no extra charge.

[thoward]

To all the iPad users. Aside from being a stand-alone chart plotter, what other functions can the iPad accomplish? My current chart plotter is linked to the autopilot. I am not seeing a way to accomplish that with the iPad, but maybe there is. The writing is on the wall now for me to upgrade my systems as sometimes the Chart plotter screen shows upside down! Albeit only momentary and usually when it's first turned on. Nevertheless I need to create a new system for the upper and lower helm stations that will be linked together. The iPad sure seems like an inexpensive way out. If anyone knows of any iPad tutorials on the web I would certainly be appreciative to know of them. Thank you

I have Navionics Charts, speedometer, weather, and a couple radars, they are great for planning or backup. There are new marine electronics that will transmit wireless so the iPad can be used as a secondary display. Garmin can attach to a wireless router for uploads but you can not access the display(yet?). Marine displays are not all that expensive when you think of the imbedded software. The software to seamlessly integrate different brands of radars, sounders, and autopilots seems unlikely especially retroactively.

[Boatnut]

Mike, If I had that much error on my GPS I'd be talking to Garmin. On my old furuno there is a way to calibrate for inaccuracy, maybe Garmin has the same feature. I have also been told, when you take a GPS over a long distance with the power off, it is best to inatialize it at the new location. Garmin is a good GPS system, that much error seems like a problem with the receiver or some kind of calibration error.

As for the situation of uploading an application you simply can not fit 128mb in a machine designed to run 64mb.

There are serial to usb adapters, however they are not perfect, and sometime won't work on a given machine or software.

[MikeP]

The garmin seems quite accurate normally - it was just this particular area. I ASSUMED that it was out of date chart data in the machine, which the iPad/InavX program automatically updates. But I don't know that for sure. Other fixed bouys, channels, etc etc are dead-on. I would really like to be able to upload current charting data in the 3010Cs but I've pretty much just given it up.

[cb48lrc]

Update: Despite what Garmin said about the update and needing a 64mb or larger data card. A friend who is good with computers and understanding how they work was able to navigate the Garmin web site, find the current software version, download it to a 32mb card and after several attempts to load it in the chartplotter ( the Garmin instructions are not correct) I now have a working 2010c. I am still going to buy the admiral a new iPad for just another back up to this and the 3210 chartplotter.