Navigation Build Thread

[booradley]

I thought I would post a navigation "build" thread to chronicle my recent efforts in putting together a navigation system for my 2002 100. Our club in Birmingham has been attending some cruiser events across the country, and we are also starting to cover the many backroads across the great state of Alabama and the Southeast. I was an artillery officer, and we get bent out of shape when we don't know where we are on this planet at any given time. So it was time for a navigation solution.

I went from zero to 60 on this project in about two weeks, so I will cover what worked for me. Basic stuff here. If it helps anyone, great; if anyone wants to chime in with what works for them or throw me a few tips, even better.

 

[booradley]

Tablet

Budget
My budget was less than $200 for a tablet. This is a dedicated navigation device; I do not plan to do anything else with it other than use it on the road. I have a Kindle Fire that I love for everything else, but these do not come with GPS. When looking around I noticed that there is somewhat of a "lull" in the tablet market as of spring 2019. Not many recent product introductions or innovations lately, some tablets on the market have been out a year or two or three. Samsung is the clear market leader, but high-end models are pricey. Asus seemed to have all of the features, but their Zenbook line is slightly dated and also pricey. I cannot comment on Ipads; I honestly do not know that much about them and was looking for an Android or Windows-based solution.

GPS
Obviously the thing must have a GPS sensor that works independently of Wifi or cell connection. Most do, but be careful reading reviews and such on Amazon, Best Buy, etc. They will allow anyone to post on there, and it is clear some people are clueless. "Does this tablet have GPS?" - "Yes," "No," "Yes, but only when connected." "No, but it will show me where I am on a map." (???). Search through the specs to ensure it has GPS. Some also have GLONASS (Russian GPS), and some have "Assisted GPS," which means different things depending on manufacturer. Generally, "Assisted GPS" or A-GPS means the device is hooking itself up to the cellular network rather than the GPS network to find location (most cellphones have this feature). But a tablet with only A-GPS will not work for our purposes.

Compass sensor
Some tablets have a compass sensor, which is self-explanatory. This sensor enables certain features in other programs like Gaia GPS, and then also obviously lets the device work like a compass on its own, like an iPhone.

Size
I took the Goldilocks approach to this. 7" was too small (not much bigger than a phone). 10" I thought was too big (but in retrospect it would have worked). 8" was what I wound up with.

I decided on this Lenovo Tab 4 8". Price was right. It has GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, and Beidou (Chinese GPS - interesting). It does not have a compass sensor. I decided to live without it. I can report that this device locks on quickly and has no immediate quirks that I have noticed so far.

Edit: Except one. Forget about looking at the tablet through sunglasses. Nothingness. People have reported on here that Ipads will allow you to do this. This tablet will not. Must remove shades to see.

 

[booradley]

Tablet tip - Getting the screen to stay on all the time

This should work for most Android devices:
1. First you must unlock developer options on your device. Find the "Build number" on your device (should be where the software information screen is from the Systems menu). Tap on it seven times. It will then pop up and say "You are now a developer!"
2. You can then find the Developer Options screen and tap "Stay awake."
3. Now the device will stay on when it is plugged in charging, going down the road, etc.

Worked for mine, but standard disclaimers - may not work for yours, do this at your own risk, might destroy your tablet, your life, etc., etc.

 

[booradley]

Mount

I randomly chose this:
Ram Mount Double Suction Cup Base - because if one suction cup is good two must be twice as good
Ram Mount Long Double Socket Arm - I just guessed on this
Ram Mount Tab-tite 8" - they also have "X" type mounts and other solutions

I am very pleased with how it turned out. Out of dumb luck this set-up fits perfectly above the radio in a 100. This Ram stuff is not going anywhere. Made out of metal and high-end plastic (think Glock). I was on washboard roads yesterday and no problems with significant movement.

 

[Phares]

Talk about timely! I'm going with an Ipad Gen 3 (Just buy refurbished off Amazon and stay away from CL. Cheaper on Amazon than the CL market is showing) I recommend going with the latest generation that fits your budget.
I'm also going with a similar Ram Mount setup cause I don't want to drill into the plastics and worry about it handling the torsional forces of the tablet etc.
I'm currently using OnXHunt software. I've tried LeadNav but it is far more advanced than I need for the cost. I'm starting to check out Hema Maps. What are you using?

 

[booradley]

I am using Google Maps, Gaia GPS, and gravelmap.com right now. I will bang out a little review later today.

 

[jonheld]

I went with a very similar setup in my LX450.
8" Samsung Galaxy S2 WiFi only tablet, 128GB micro SD card for offline map storage, and a host of RAM mounts for all my gizmos. The Wits End useless cubby base 80 Series Useless Cubby Insert-base makes this all work really well.

I slightly enlarged the slot in the cubby base to allow for 3 separate power cords for the variety of devices. 1 USB-C for my phone, 1 USB Micro for the tablet, and 1 Mac Lightning for my wife's iPhone. They all push back into the dash when not in use and are powered by accessory power.

This has worked really well for the past few trips I've done. Devices are accessible to both the driver and passenger, so my wife and I can spend quality time arguing over routes and things. The tablet does great as a stand alone GPS device and I can simply turn on a hotspot on my phone if we need to download or surf.

The most challenging thing so far is to find navigation software that doesn't suck.
I am very underwhelmed with GAIA as far as route planning goes, and the software is buggy.
Google Maps is great for on-road nav, but is lacking for back roads and dirt.
Avenza is only good if the area has previously been mapped out.
GeoTracker is OK for hiking and live GPS, but you can't plan out a route.
If you guys have any suggestions, I'm willing to entertain any of them at this point.

 

[bamabrock]

I am using Google Maps, Gaia GPS, and gravelmap.com right now. I will bang out a little review later today.

Back country navigator is another really good option. I like it more than gaia but gaia seems more popular

 

[booradley]

I have only used Gaia a couple of times now. I have not totally committed to it.

I did, however, have a very good experience with CartoTracks last weekend at Mardi Krawl. CartoTracks is making maps of popular destinations with current trails marked. Their maps work through the Avenza app. Download Avenza, download their map, and off you go. I can state that their map of Hawk Pride was very accurate last weekend. Not many CartoTracks maps currently available. Hopefully their plan is to add more in the future (and keep the ones they have current).

Highly recommend these maps for your destination, but otherwise buying regular street maps for the Avenza app looks to be spendy, so I'm going to stick with Google maps for basic on-road travel.