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Free-Roemer

Free-Roemer

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Launch Member

Contributor III

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Ammon, ID, USA
First Name
David
Last Name
Roemer
Member #

14321

I have a Samsung Galaxy Tab E. Once I get mounts for it, I’d love to use it as my go-to GPS. Now, I normally (and probably will continually) use Google Maps on my iPhone for street/highway driving. I’m looking for recommendations/advice for apps and external gps systems to successfully navigate around without getting a cellular plan or WiFi for my tablet. I already have a 256 gig micro sandisk for movies on deployment. So I have plenty of space. I just would like guidance from here.
Thanks, 14321
 
Yes Gaia. Honestly, the built in GPS in iPhones has been more than good enough for my needs. I use an iPad Mini4 running Gaia GPS. Even my old iPhone 6 was more than accurate enough to guide us down the Mojave Road.
 
A Garmin InReach will can bluetooth to your tablet and provide great mapping with their Earthmate app. No cell signal or wireless needed. Earthmate allows you to to download various maps, including USGS quads, all for free. You do, however, need a subscription for the InReach, it's reasonable if you're regularly out of cell range. I currently use an iPhone for the mapping component but I'm considering an iPad mini for a little extra scale and visibility. Works great!
 
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Rapidan said:
A Garmin InReach will can bluetooth to your tablet and provide great mapping with their Earthmate app. No cell signal or wireless needed. Earthmate allows you to to download various maps, including USGS quads, all for free. You do, however, need a subscription for the InReach, it's reasonable if you're regularly out of cell range. I currently use an iPhone for the mapping component but I'm considering an iPad mini for a little extra scale and visibility. Works great!
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DITTO! A huge safety benefit is that the InReach also gives you access to two-way coms with emergency services via GEOS Iridium Satelite System when you out of cell service off grid.
 
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Obi-Juan said:
DITTO! A huge safety benefit is that the InReach also gives you access to two-way coms with emergency services via GEOS Iridium Satelite System when you out of cell service off grid.
Click to expand...
Ha, yeah, I forgot to mention that part! My wife actually won this InReach in a sweepstakes, she is quite grateful that I have communications during my off-grid adventures. You can text message with the InReach, it has an SOS button, you can even post to Facebook if you really wanted to. A very nice device indeed.
 
I also have a tab E and use google offline maps and Maps.Me has worked well for me so far.
I do prefer google maps as its easy to setup routes on your home computer and then send em to your tablet.
I also like the sat maps for google maps just lots of options to play with.
 
My wife has a nook tablet that I loaded Back Country Navigator pro on. I also bought the Treks southern Colorado maps for it. Worked great for down in Ouray. The only problem with it for me is the being a nook it doesn't have a lot of opperating memory so you have to only load the tiles you currant are going to use. Might be I'm not that great with know how to use the tab a cause I bought a 64k sim card for it and don't understand how to us the storage???. But it did work surprisingly well for such a cheap tablet.
 
For Android I would recommend using Locus Map Pro and an external GPS receiver like the ones from "navilock"
Higher stability and accuracy than the internal GPS chips.
Probably the most used system in europe gaia is the alternative if you stuck to Apple ;-)
 
Most favored paid app is Gaia.
I have been using the free app, Maps.me. The big difference though, I build all my routes way before leaving.

As mentioned, your tablet will either need a GPS Chip, or a tethered unit. I am using my iPad Air WiFi only and it is BT paired to a Dual Electronics Sat Receiver puck. Works great for me.
 
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The Galaxy Tab S3 is an older Samsung tablet that supports external memory cards up to 256 GB and had an excellent GPS receiver. I use Backcountry Navigator and have downloaded maps by State for western states. Each state map takes about 1.5 to 2.5 GB at a reasonable level of detail (10-14). The system works perfectly off-grid. FWIW.
 
BWSmith said:
The Galaxy Tab S3 is an older Samsung tablet that supports external memory cards up to 256 GB and had an excellent GPS receiver. I use Backcountry Navigator and have downloaded maps by State for western states. Each state map takes about 1.5 to 2.5 GB at a reasonable level of detail (10-14). The system works perfectly off-grid. FWIW.
Click to expand...
By the way, the map style I prefer and have found most useful is Accuterra single layer land use maps. These maps integrate nice shading along with excellent contour maps at higher resolutions.
The benefit to these maps is that they show land use clearly, that is, private, state, or the various types of federal management.
I have also found their off road road, Forest service and BLM road and trail maps to be as good as anything else I've seen that has broad usage. YMMV.
 
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BWSmith said:
By the way, the map style I prefer and have found most useful is Accuterra single layer land use maps. These maps integrate nice shading along with excellent contour maps at higher resolutions.
The benefit to these maps is that they show land use clearly, that is, private, state, or the various types of federal management.
I have also found their off road road, Forest service and BLM road and trail maps to be as good as anything else I've seen that has broad usage. YMMV.
Click to expand...
I could be wrong, but I believe that is the same map layer as "NeoTreks Land Use" in Gaia GPS. I agree, that is a nice map with thorough trail coverage.
 
BWSmith said:
The Galaxy Tab S3 is an older Samsung tablet that supports external memory cards up to 256 GB and had an excellent GPS receiver. I use Backcountry Navigator and have downloaded maps by State for western states. Each state map takes about 1.5 to 2.5 GB at a reasonable level of detail (10-14). The system works perfectly off-grid. FWIW.
Click to expand...
I made the mistake of going to zoom level 15 and when ever i use those maps it wont zoom that far . How many tiles does a 2.5 gig map take up?
 
Wanderer said:
I made the mistake of going to zoom level 15 and when ever i use those maps it wont zoom that far . How many tiles does a 2.5 gig map take up?
Click to expand...
Use the magnifier in the left corner X1 or X2. That brings zoom level 14 into reasonable detail. I do download level 15 for specific areas I know I'm going to visit, but it's really not necessary.
 
Free-Roemer said:
I have a Samsung Galaxy Tab E. Once I get mounts for it, I’d love to use it as my go-to GPS. Now, I normally (and probably will continually) use Google Maps on my iPhone for street/highway driving. I’m looking for recommendations/advice for apps and external gps systems to successfully navigate around without getting a cellular plan or WiFi for my tablet. I already have a 256 gig micro sandisk for movies on deployment. So I have plenty of space. I just would like guidance from here.
Thanks, 14321
Click to expand...
I use Gaia GPS with a Bad Elf pro+ on my wifi only ipad
 
I use Osm and with downloaded maps in most places.
For no road navigation (eg flats), OSMAND works okay as you can lay down your track, but ORUXMAPS is what I use for that as it has lot of no road navigation features.

For example, once crossing the Rann of Kutch(Little Rann) I borrowed a gpx from a friend, and navigated the same route without getting lost (Easy to get lost in 100km+ salt flat)
 
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