iPad, GPS and DC outlet

T

tparrent

New member
Ain't boats fun?

As I headed out today for my first real trip, I had my iPad set up with Navionics and my hardwired Garmin. Got out to open water and found the iPad showing me between 90 and 180 degrees off course. The Garmin agreed with the compass and my eyeball navigation. iPad was just all over the place.

I've read that hte iPad Pro GPS is unreliable. I can confirm that! Do you have favorites for an external GPS to Bluetooth to the iPad? I really like Navionics for trip planning so I'd like to find a compatible solution. On another forum, people seem to like the Garmin GLO.

While sorting out the iPad issue, I noticed that it was not receiving charge from the 12 volt outlet. There are actually two outlets. One has a cigarette lighter style connection while the other has dual USB ports. I was hooked up to the USB port.

I couldn't find a switch for the outlets so I wonder if they are always hot (or not, as in this case) or perhaps they go live when the engine is running. Only thing I know is there was no juice flowing.
 
Apple charging has 1 amp and 2.4 amp ports. You need the 2.4 amps for charging the I pad. We have 4 duplex I pad1/ 2.4 amp charging stations off the 12 volt system, with a 2 hour timer, so you don't accidentally over stress the battery, in our 25. One by the helm, one on the forward shelf in front of navigator seat. One under the dinette and one on the top of the hanging locker (Microwave is on top also, on legs to get it clear of seat back and allow the cables for charging under.

Interesting that you are having issues with the I pad Pro. I don't have any issues with mine. Is it a cellular model? There is no GPS in the wifi only it will try from wi fi signals.

Bad Elf is the dongle GPS which is usually used with the I pads if they are Wifi models. Do you have the C or the lightening charging/communications port?

The Garmin GLO is also an excellent unit. Blue Tooth is probably the best way to go.
 
My Ipad has the lightning charger and is cellular with GPS. On the other group I follow, many people reported issues with iPads loosing signals or being off location frequently.

I had not thought of the DC outlet not having enough amps for the iPad. Good suggestion to check. I'll plug my phone into and see if that's the issue. If it is, I gues I'll be going down the entertaining road of outlet replacement. What could possibly go wrong?
 
The phone needs only 1 amp. The I pad needs 2.4 amps. The 1 amp will not keep up with the battery usage of the I pad. Usually the USB port will show an apple symbol, 2.4, or Hi (something like that)

You should not have any problem with the lightning connection. The newest I pad Pro's use the USB C connection.

My I pad Pro shows approximate location in house, or on lot-very close to where the GPS on Garmin or Ray Marine.

Some older GPS chips needed to have a clear view of the sky. The latest ones I have owned work fine in the house or car. This one has been used on St. Johns, Coastal FL. Tennessee, Cumberland and Mississippi Rivers without problems on the C Dory 25.

It is possible that there can be interference from other electronics, or if the sky is blocked...
 
I will use the iPhone to simply test if the outlet is working. If the phone charges but the tablet doesn’t then it’s probably an amperage issue.

Not at the boat today but I’ll take the iPad in the car and see if it tracks heading properly
 
Tom, have you checked the iPad settings to see if the precise location is turned on for the Navionics app. With it’s built in gps, the IPad Navionics chart on my iPad Pro shows boat location & other information just as accurate or more so, then my two Garmin charts.

Jay
 
No "i" anything here so just asking. Would the iPad charge on the 1 amp side IF it was not turned on. It might charge, just take longer, or is that just "i" myth . . . tery

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

old_chip_2_GB_043.thumb.jpg
 
My experience with iPads using low amp chargers is that sometimes they charge slowly and sometimes they don't charge at all - and no charging indicator appears.

Why it is sometimes one way and sometimes another is yet another mystery of the universe.

I did check precise location and it was turned on.
 
It is also possible for some outlets to provide too much current. This can cause the device to decide not to charge and say something like "use the original charger that was supplied with this device."

I have 2.4A and 5A USB outlets on my boat. While my devices charge ok, my wife's phone usually won't.
 
hardee":10iyeyod said:
No "i" anything here so just asking. Would the iPad charge on the 1 amp side IF it was not turned on. It might charge, just take longer, or is that just "i" myth . . . tery

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

old_chip_2_GB_043.thumb.jpg
Click to expand...

If the Ipad is off and you plug it in to charge it turns on so you can't charge them in the off state.
 
It is also possible for some outlets to provide too much current.
Click to expand...
I don't think this is true. It is the appliance plugged into the outlet that determines how much current flows. An outlet can't "force" amps into a appliance. (I = E/R......the R is determined by the appliance.)

OTOH, I presume some appliances could be designed such that it assumes no more than a certain number of amps would ever be available. Or, in the case of the appliance not being plugged directly into the outlet, but into some intermediate unit (e.g., USB charger cube); then the R would be determined by the internal resistance of the appliance plus any resistance in the intermediate unit that was in series with the appliance. If the appliance is expecting that other resistance in some external unit to be there, and that unit is not there, then more amps would circulate thru the appliance since the appliance would have been designed for R = R (appliance) + R (unit).
 
GPS reception will be poor if the antenna is close to a magnetic field, always make certain you keep other electronic device away from each other else they may cause coupling and poor reception issues...if they are getting hot then they are cranking up the power to find a connection this means you have poor reception or a very weak signal....this will drain the battery very fast...

iPads come in 2 versions:
1. Wifi only, these don't have a GPS chip set in them so you cannot use the GPS when your away from Wifi connection.
2. Wifi + Cellular these have a dedicated GPS chip so if you call 911 they can get a position fix on your location or your last reported location...ahhah they know where you have been.....

iPads that are wifi only don't have a dedicated GPS chip set in them they use wifi to collect the GPS position and other phones in the area if they can talk to them.

Suggest you check and see if you have the wifi only ipad.

Enjoy,
Paul
 
My iPad is definitely cellular plus wifi.

Magnetic interference is definitely a possibility but how far can you place it away from the other electronics and still have it reasonably usable? I suppose one test of that hypothesis would be to turn off all other electroincs and see if that makes a difference.

Other boaters have reported good results using an external GPS receiver paired to the iPad via Bluetooth. The wifi only ones obviously need that but I have also read posts from many with cellular iPads who experienced similar problems to what I have seen so far. They were all on larger boats with, presumably, more space available between electronics.

I'll report back on the experiments.
 
Tom, There is a radar and air conditioner right over your forward part of the cabin, if I remember correctly. There might be enough interference from those. Try different positions and orientations in the cabin.

Yes RF and magnetic fields can cause interference, but I have as much in the way of electronics as any, on occasion including Ham radio from 2 meter to HF with no problem. (Items such as auto pilots may deviate during HF transmissions, depending on many factors).

Interesting paper on RF jamming published Feb. 2020 I doubt that any of these are directly affecting our GPS, although it has been known to happen in critical areas.
 
smckean (Tosca)":2tja18j1 said:
It is also possible for some outlets to provide too much current.
Click to expand...
I don't think this is true. It is the appliance plugged into the outlet that determines how much current flows. An outlet can't "force" amps into a appliance. (I = E/R......the R is determined by the appliance.)

OTOH, I presume some appliances could be designed such that it assumes no more than a certain number of amps would ever be available. Or, in the case of the appliance not being plugged directly into the outlet, but into some intermediate unit (e.g., USB charger cube); then the R would be determined by the internal resistance of the appliance plus any resistance in the intermediate unit that was in series with the appliance. If the appliance is expecting that other resistance in some external unit to be there, and that unit is not there, then more amps would circulate thru the appliance since the appliance would have been designed for R = R (appliance) + R (unit).
Click to expand...

Yes, the USB charger could be the current limiting device. I can see some rechargeable devices monitoring the charging current to keep the battery from overheating and causing problems (like catching fire) or to protect the internal wiring. The size of the units prevents having large charging regulators to control the charging current, so they just refuse to charge at all. Newer devices tend to have higher capacity batteries which could absorb a higher charging current if it is not regulated somewhere.
 
Tested the iPad in the car today. Navionics worked fine at reporting the proper heading of the car at all speeds.

Makes me think interference between the various boat electronics may have been the culprit. Hope to get down to the boat late next week to test it.
 
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