Car Camping / Trip Reports / Photos / Buildouts / “Overland” / Expedition Rigs Area (homeless?)

The hemamaps is pretty good too. There are a few annoyances but the new version should fix them.

 

Im currently trying the "cheaper one", Topo Maps. Very cool. Just downloads maps in high res or low res, zooms in fairly well, lots of features.

 

Also used PDF Maps but not sure if there is an iOS version. App is free and most maps are free but some are cheap to buy.

 

This one is nice. Worth the money. You can download areas and it will use your gps to find you on the map still even when offline.

 

does look nice. Will mess around with it when i hike up to mt wilson this weekend.

 

Just received my copies of the latest edition.

 

Overlanding Iceland in a few weeks

 

Yeah HEMA North America is brand new and yes has a couple bugs. Let them release a patch and I bet it really takes off. Their Australian app is the top one in that marketplace.

 

Navigation is an interesting topic of discussion.

For on road, by far and away I like Google Maps, followed by Maps.ME as a backup for offline street navigation.

For off-road, I like Back Country Navigator. I like it because I can select a distinct database for a given region or trip, and select from multiple map choices, including sat, or topo. Maps should be downloaded in advance of a trip though. I can also import, export, record tracks etc.

On the last road trip I had at my disposal:

• (1) 7" Tablet in the vertical orientation (my preference) running Google maps.
• (1) 4.7" screen running Google maps with route navigation active, and audio piped into factory HU.
  
• (1) 4.7" screen running Maps.ME. (this was just a trial to see how it measured up going head to head with Google Maps).
  
• (1) Old Garmin device, with screen set to trip computer mode.

The old Garmin has a configurable screen which is really useful for real time trip stats. It's one screen set to display: Current Time of day, Current Speed, Moving Time, Stopped Time, Moving Average, Overall average speed, Elevation.

What's nice about having more than one screen is that each can be set to a different map. Sat or Topo. I think it's really useful for when route navigation is required and not sure if a trail is still open for travel, look for gates, etc.

It was also really, really nice to use the 7" Tablet in a "zoomed out" view of a larger area to get perspective, while the smaller 4.7" device was locked into route navigation mode. It basically saved me from extra work.

I know it's not for everybody, but I sure enjoyed having them. And common sense safety applies, I don't dick around with electronics while rig is moving.

To facilitate all this, I'm using Ram mounts. They are new to me, and I find them excellently built. Very solid way of mounting.

I've got (5) mounts in the center dash area.


And I put one in the corner.


I've experimented with other mapping software for Android devices, but none have risen to replace either of those listed above.

 

I've had three milk crates in my garage for several decades and not a single member of the bovine gestapo has assailed me yet.

 

Careful. I have 5 milk crates and I received a warning letter...

 

Lord please save us from the bovine gestapo

 

Bovine gestapo

https://youtu.be/eOO7g6y0KM8

 

Give Locus Map Pro a try. It blows BCN out of the water in terms of customization and options. Also, if you build your waypoints/routes with MyMaps or Google Earth, Locus imports the route colors and waypoints symbols.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=menion.android.locus.pro&hl=en&gl=us

Agree on the TechDeck/Ram Mounts - by far the best solution out there.

 

Great posts from both of you guys, and great information for future reference. Thanks!

 

Try any of the above mentioned apps or other. That's 7"of screen real estate already paid for. I know there are two versions of the Nexus 7 that were produced... I have the 2013 version. The screen is polarized, and is mostly unusable if horizontal, and wearing polarized sun glasses. That's one of two major reasons I run it in vertical configuration.

I bought a RAM Mount Tab-Tite Small Universal f/7" Screen mount / holder. It's great. Super secure, clever design for device add or removal.

Worth the $$, made in U.S.A.

 

I'm considering getting one or maybe even two relatively cheap tablets to run map software on, as well as something like Torque or an equivalent. Being as I'm Gen 1, and space is at a premium, do any of you seasoned expo guys have any recommendations for tablets and mounts? I love Apple hardware, but I am by no means a fanboy; I just want what works best.

For some context, I'll likely be doing the @paranoid56 switch panel below the media HU, and I'd still like to eventually run a HAM/CB setup. Not intruding too much into the passenger space would be desirable as well.

This conversation has given me some great ideas already, but any suggestions would be appreciated!

 

I don't think I'm internet cool enough to be a "seasoned expo guy," but here's my take as someone who puts in >10K in trip miles and 40-50 nights a year car camping on dirt roads with a fridge (...errr "overlanding," as those fond of soliloquy and hashtags call it... ); I've used every type of technology and platform that exists with my truck in one way or the other... multiple iphones, an ipad, android tablet, android phone, three windows tablets, a linux box, and microprocessors (raspberry pi, arduino, launchpad...).... I've torture tested all of these (and broken both hardware and software!)... IMO a proper 10" windows tablet outperforms everything else on the market. Especially if you are interested in the ham side of things. Finding one with reasonable enough hardware (4gb ram) and no EFI issues (the touch screen! and, the powersupply, although that can be filtered with enough persistence) is a real pain. I have mine secured with a x-grip mount using a two point 1.5" ram system that I custom fabricated/installed on my 1st gen. Yes, drilling was required, and it holds my tablet and two of my ham radio faceplates and does not rattle one bit (and will remain entirely secure in the unfortunate event of a rollover, which most installs fail to account for). It does not obscure the passenger at all, nor inhibit field of view as the driver, yet is at the appropriate focal height (most folks install their tablets far too low, mostly because of subpar installation/cheap brackets, which requires diverting your eyes from the road, which is unsafe and analogous to texting). I've used 7" tablets and they are too small to be useful. 10" is the largest practical size that works with a 1st gen given the real estate, and once you try one, you'll never want to go smaller... And yes, I am using paranoid's switch panel for the ridiculous amount of accessories and doodads I've crammed into my pile, plus a number of switches installed elsewhere, but I digress... The ios stuff is all a waste of time for a number of reasons, the most poignant being the lack of expandable storage (I have 200gb of map files alone!). If you must go this route, then leadnav is the best app. For android: backcountry nav is the best bet, but in my extensive testing, I have encountered scaling and bug issues. I've been saying for years that I'll develop something better, but there are only so many hours in the day. It's what I'm still using on my android phone, which is secured with an x-grip on the o shit handle. If I'm not running a digital mode or using HRD for rig control with the HF rig, I usually have APRSISCE/32 up on the windows tablet, with one of the dozen tile sets I have loaded for the entirety of north america, and the gpx route I planned ahead of time overlayed on top of. It's proven extremely useful to have multiple tile sets at the tip of my fingers, from different sources, over different time periods, as invariably the information is different. And, it's quite nice to have two tile sets in view at the same time (one on the tablet, one on the phone). I don't get lost. And, it's pretty rare for me to not have access to one form of communication or another (it's amazing what can bounce off the ionosphere when everything else fails!). Also, as with all critical systems, I have a double backup framework for all of my navigational items, ensuring failsafe travel in the bush. My 2c not adjusted for inflation.

EDIT: TL;DR: Windows 10" tablet, ram 1.5" ball mount x grips

 

Pics?

 

on the topic of gps/maps etc. are there any apps you all suggest for leaving "breadcrumbs" i often end up on unmarked trails and end up in pretty cool spots and then have no recollection of where i was if i want to go back at another time.

the only app i've downloaded has been backcountry navigator but i havent really used it much for whatever reason, so im not sure if that has the capability