recommended Navigation software for tablet

[sv_pelagia]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

Yes, this is how it happens on iThing as well. Navionics charts do not get erased from your device. Aqua owner told me theirs do once the subscription lapses.

It would be wonderful to see these companies committment to how quickly they roll out updates. It all comes down to money, I assume. CHS doesn’t give stuff out for free, so I assume the companies are making a financial decision about how often they buy updated data.

CHS vector charts are updated monthly (I know... by interesting circumstances, I have a subscription for both CHS raster and CHS vector for the west coast).

I also have O-charts Pacific Canada. (I had subscription for Navionics til May 2022; lately I've been using SASPLANET to see "lates"t Navionics and CMAP.)

Similarly, O-charts Canadian vector charts (which are the same as the CHS vector) are updatable monthly.

No idea if CHS charges commercial entities for these updates, but O-charts yearly price is quite reasonable (and MUCH less than CHS price). And I am getting to prefer CHS/O-Charts vector over CHS raster (something I didn't expect).

[chris mac]

That's interesting Mike, we had an initial fee for aquamaps and nothing since. Some maps were free but others were purchase.
Of the purchased maps some were lifetime ownership, like the bahamas(cheaper option also of 1 year period) and others like the carribean that are 1 year subscription only, for $20.
I assume that's what they meant by active membership. The other possibility is their GEC account. It is free and allows sharing on multiple devices. It also stores your purchased maps so you can download or erase areas you don't need, for storage purposes.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by chris mac

That's interesting Mike, we had an initial fee for aquamaps and nothing since. Some maps were free but others were purchase.
Of the purchased maps some were lifetime ownership, like the bahamas(cheaper option also of 1 year period) and others like the carribean that are 1 year subscription only, for $20.
I assume that's what they meant by active membership. The other possibility is their GEC account. It is free and allows sharing on multiple devices. It also stores your purchased maps so you can download or erase areas you don't need, for storage purposes.

Here's the exchange I had with Aqua Map in May, 2022:

Me: I’m on the search for a new charting app for my iPad. Your product looks great, but I can’t figure out what happen if I don’t renew a chart package subscription. Do I lose access to, and use of, the charts when the subscription expires, or do I simply lose the ability to update them?

AQ: If you do not renew your subscription you will lose access to the charts.

Me: Many thanks for the quick response. Not to be pedantic, but does this mean the charts I’ve downloaded will disappear (be erased) from my tablet if my subscription lapses? Or will I retain what has been loaded, but not be able to reload them, or update them?

AQ: Hello, your charts will be erased by the device after the expiration date.
Best Regard
Enrico

I'm not trying to slag AQ. I like their offering and would have bought it, but this respond turned me off completely. I've already gone through problems of charts being erased with another app (iNavx), which is why I wanted to be very clear.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by sv_pelagia

CHS vector charts are updated monthly (I know... by interesting circumstances, I have a subscription for both CHS raster and CHS vector for the west coast).

I also have O-charts Pacific Canada. (I had subscription for Navionics til May 2022; lately I've been using SASPLANET to see "lates"t Navionics and CMAP.)

Similarly, O-charts Canadian vector charts (which are the same as the CHS vector) are updatable monthly.

No idea if CHS charges commercial entities for these updates, but O-charts yearly price is quite reasonable (and MUCH less than CHS price). And I am getting to prefer CHS/O-Charts vector over CHS raster (something I didn't expect).

I'll have to look into O-charts. They sound good.

I'm sure CHS charges for access to the data -- they better, since not even us Canadians can access it for free, even though our taxes already paid for their production.

Personally, I'm not so concerned about high-frequency updates. I'm happy with update scales in the years, not months. Most features don't change that much from year to year, or even decade to decade. Heck, most of the areas I cruise haven't been sounded in multiple decades, or even a century. But I do appreciate having the highest resolution charts available.

[sv_pelagia]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

I'll have to look into O-charts. They sound good.

I'm sure CHS charges for access to the data -- they better, since not even us Canadians can access it for free, even though our taxes already paid for their production.

Personally, I'm not so concerned about high-frequency updates. I'm happy with update scales in the years, not months. Most features don't change that much from year to year, or even decade to decade. Heck, most of the areas I cruise haven't been sounded in multiple decades, or even a century. But I do appreciate having the highest resolution charts available.

Mike, note that o-charts require OpenCPN and OpenCPN does not run on iOS (Ipad & Iphone).

But Android tablets are cheap....

Hmmm, here in BC, we get newly discovered rocks and shallows every month or two. No, the bottom hasn't changed, it just took some time for boat bottoms to find them OR areas with so-so coverage in past have been newly surveyed and charts revised.

[Gibbay]

My experience with Navionics is not good (navigation in the Med). Buggy software. Sometimes odd results. Ended up buying the maps twice. Impossible to download the charts, they make you do that piece by piece. Of course it is impossible in a remote anchorage or in a marina.
Support is weak, they send you to Garmin, who bought the company.
I am looking into open source solutions.

[Corvidia]

Have a look at Savvy Navvy (https://www.savvy-navvy.com/). If you travel a lot, the advantage is you pay a flat subscription, not for the maps which are all included in the sub.

[Goodxcharly]

Navionics.

[jheyland]

Now that Windows 11 supports Android apps, has anyone tried any of those under Windows 11? I'm curious. If not, I'll try when I have some time

[lhuff35204]

I've used Navionics in the Chesapeake, ICW, Bahamas, and BVI. The autoroute feature is awesome (subscription required). I create routes in their web chart viewer and they are instantly available on all your connected devices phones/tablets so everyone has the same route (on a plotter it's faster to create a sperate route). The "boat to" feature allows you to change destination with one finger. Reverse course feature tells your auto pilot to head for the barn. Autoroute does take some depth tweaking (too shallow and your route will cut the corners, too deep and it will go way out of the way). The search database “dock to dock” has issues with so many marinas bought and changed names. Up to date charts make a difference in the ICW, a buoy had been moved due to shoaling and Navionics took it on the wrong side. I've run Aqua Maps and Navionics side by side and have seen little difference in depths or hazards. Never really got the hang of Aqua Maps.

[bcboomer]

[QUOTE=Parttime Sailor;3684388]I recently bought a Samsung a7 tablet to use as a navigation device in the Bahamas

Can you see the Samsung tablet in sunlight?

I have an older iPad that I really don't like but it is easy to see in bright sunlight.

[kmacdonald]

Time Zero on ipad.

[wrwakefield]

I suspect Aquamaps might be superior in the W Atlantic region given their inclusion of the Waterway Guide, but I have no first hand experience with using it there.

I used to like Aquamap here in the NNE Pacific as well, but they have slowly- and without warning- dropped features that are important to us.

e.g., They used to include topographic data. No longer.

And they don't graphically illustrate the arc of visibility of lights, day marks, etc. They do provide the arc data, but with no graphic illustration is it not usable for navigation at a glance.

They have always had a very strong anchor alarm, but that is their only saving grace for me at this point.

Aquamap has fallen from 1st to last place on our list. I suspect we will be dropping the subscription next time it is due, and, since that means the charts will be erased from our tablets, we will therefore also be removing the app from our devices.

We have always relied upon SEAiq and Navionics on tablet devices. [We run Navionics and C-Map concurrently on our networked chart plotters; 2 helms...] Both of these apps have consistently improved over the years.

Navionics, with its quick route planning [which we use mostly for evaluating various circutious transit options in inside waters] is quite useful for us despite still being very basic [e.g., doesn't take into account tide and current, etc.]

SEAiq is an excellent app with lots of depth and features. And it includes the ability to view live Wx data transmitted from various land and buoy based stations [AtoNs] via AIS signals [we frequent remote areas devoid of WiFi, cell, even Starlink (for now...) signals ] so this capability is very important for us- especially when hunkered down during sporty Wx events...]

There may be other nav apps that also display AtoN Wx data via AIS that I am not aware of.

In case any of this is useful.

Cheers! Bill

PS: We do maintain a detailed page describing our app and device choices if you are having trouble sleeping... [Don't worry; no ads and no begging...]

[svfinlandia]

Originally Posted by pcmm

I've got both "Aqua Maps" and Navionics and I like Aqua Maps better.

Same here. Just keep your subscription current on Aqua Map and the charts update automatically when you have Internet service.

Al, S/V Finlandia

[s/v Jedi]

Well, after some crazy pricing changes everything is back to normal with iSailor so I guess that is the #1 for iPad again.

When you stop paying, you get no more updates but don’t lose anything you have. See attached image of some pricing for maps I have (update is equal to initial buy I think)