School me as I am about to purchase.

[MCObray]

I recently took a trip off the paved road, and my iPhone maps are no longer sufficient for back-road(s) travel. I have been giving a hard look into Delorme Earthmate PN-60W as a GPS, and I figured it would be a good idea to couple it with Delorme inReach, or possibly a SPOT device. I also happen to travel with a iPhone 4s and iPad 2. I have read a few reviews on the inReach, as well as the PN-60W, and it appears these products will do much more than I need it to, which I like. It is my understanding that if I purchase the Earthmate PN-60W, it comes pre-loaded with the current Topo maps software from Delorme. I like to go with the motto,"I'd rather have it and not need it, than not have it and need it." I would also be purchasing a RAM Mount for the PN-60W. My question for travelers out there is; Is this a worthy set-up? SPOT or inReach for tracking device?

Basically, i'm just looking for additional advice or suggestions on the products I have mentioned. As I look into doing more travels off-road in the near future, a sophisticated GPS and satellite tracking device will be needed.

Thanks!

 

[RobRed]

Did you take a look at this thread? http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...y-field-test-of-navigation-and-communications

For $2-10 you can purchase an app for your ipad or iphone that will run circles around a Earthmate PN-60W. Spot and In-reach offer some tracking but are really designed for emergency distress calls so if you want a lot of tracking it will be costly.

 

[MCObray]

Did you take a look at this thread? http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...y-field-test-of-navigation-and-communications

For $2-10 you can purchase an app for your ipad or iphone that will run circles around a Earthmate PN-60W. Spot and In-reach offer some tracking but are really designed for emergency distress calls so if you want a lot of tracking it will be costly.

Thanks for the thread suggestion, that was definitely a worth-while read reviewing several GPS systems.

My iPhone 4s has the GAIA GPS.

So I think I have got it all squared away.
iPhone 4s- GAIA GPS off-road, MotionX GPS Drive on-road.
iPad- No use as it has no WiFi while out on the road. If trips become more frequent, MiFi or Autonet could be a possibility. That is certainly a reach though. I would just love to have the maps blown up on a bigger display than the iPhone.
DeLorme Earthmate PN-60: I like the idea of having one solely in the case that my iPhone fails or breaks. I think it's always good to have a back-up device, just in case your #1 goes down.
DeLorme inReach (for IOS devices): Neat product, and it'll give my girlfriend and family some piece of mind while I am out and about. I will do the "safety" ($9.95 per month, no tracking, 10 text) plan, and if I happen to find myself using more, I can always bump up to the "recreation" ($24.95 per month, unlimited tracking, 40 text) plan. I like inReach over SPOT because of their satellite provider (Iridium). From the reviews, it seems like the inReach will be a little bit more reliable than the SPOT.

 

[RobRed]

Your iPad (wifi) can still be a great navigator. You could get an external gps receiver and pre-load maps.

Take a look at these http://forum.tlcfaq.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=26 amd http://forum.tlcfaq.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=14

 

[C-Fish]

I'll chime in on my (semi recent) iPad install in my '08 FJ Cruiser. I opted for a iPad 1 64GB 3G (AT&T) to save on the initial investment. I only use the iPad for couch surfing and in car navigation. 3G allows for GPS without WIFI.

For those with a WIFI only iPad, you can purchase this GPS puck for ~$100.


My install mimics other FJ Cruiser installs. I used a slightly different approach though.

Ram mount mounted to 1 1/4" x 1 1/4" square tubing (Lowe's) The holes allowed me to 'assemble' without the need to weld.

Square tubing doubled up to allow the arm more articulation.

I chose the generic Ram mount for the iPad as I utilize a Otterbox Commuter series case.

Setup is solid, very little movement offroad, easy to adjust and allows multiple viewing angles for driver or passenger alike.
Mount also folds flush if iPad is not in use.

Apps installed are MotionX, Gaia GPS, CoPilot Live, MyTopo Pro.

MotionX is a fantastic app. The only issue is downloading maps via WIFI. I've had downloads take 5-6 days for bigger files 1.5GB. I wish you could download to your computer and then upload to the iPad.

I use my iPhone as a hot spot when I have cell coverage to cache maps, but I still have downloaded about 20gb worth of hybrid and TOPO maps on to the device. The zoom settings I use are 10-16.

Charging is done by a 2.1amp USB charger added into a (always hot) 12v source next to the glove box.




Parts list:
(2x) http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002KO5XVU/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00
(1x) http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000WJA5ZY/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i01
(1X) http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004VBMN6S/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00
(1x) 1 1/4" x 1 1/4" x 36" square tubing (Lowe's)
(2x) 1 1/4 square furniture caps (Lowe's)
Assorted fasteners
Black spray paint.

Let me know if you have any questions.
-Mark

 

[MCObray]

RobRed- Thanks for the insightful threads that you provided. It really helped me make my decision. Thank you!

C-Fish- That is quite the cool contraption you got going on for the iPad. It is actually something that I am going to go ahead and bookmark when the iPad moves into my XJ.

So after nit-picking through several threads, I come to the realization that a handheld GPS model like the DeLorme Earthmate PN-60 will not be needed. For the travel that I want to do, as well as my needs, a PN-60 will do me no good. Not because of it's capabilities, but because it's something simply that I do not need.

In due time, I would like to either upgrade into a iPad 3G or go ahead a purchase a GPS "puck", such as an Bad Elf or DualXGPS150, for my current iPad "Wifi".

I'll stick to using GAIA GPS and MotionX GPS Drive on my iPhone 4S for now. I ended up purchasing the DeLorme inReach for IOS Devices.