Thank you rzrMI, great info and write-up with pics. very helpful for many looking for gps options.int:
Ken

 

Cool setup. I'm doing the same thing with an iPad. I was wondering if the yoke mount would work on the steering column. Thanks for posting the pictures. That really helps.

 

Nice write up good info

 

Nice!! Gives me some different ideas for gps..

 

rzrMI, I just got my Ram mount and am going to do the same thing next week with my Verizon Galaxy Android Tablet, but was not sure what gps program to down load. I wanted something that would show the forest roads and trails along with recording tracks or breadcrumbs. Will OruxMaps do this? I always liked Google Maps because of the satelite view and wish you could record tracks with that. I don't mind paying a few bucks to get what I need.

Thanks

 

Boatnaz, IMO Oruxmaps is exactly what you will want, because that's exactly what I was looking for as well. Orux uses the actual maps from either Google Maps, Google Earth, or Google Maps Satellite view (same as Google Earth, but still with streets), plus about a dozen other sources. I doubt they are licensing them from Google, but since it's all open source and free, I doubt they are really violating anything. That's the irony really- all the paid apps suck because they can't get any licensing for good offline maps from Google or whoever, so it's the free apps that have the best offline maps.

So, if your comfort zone is Google Maps, then Orux is perfect. From there, you can either load a route as a GPX or KML file (like a trail system or previous trip or whatever), and you can also turn on track recording, which is basically breadcrumb following.

If you look at the pic I took of the screen, you can see the red lines all over the map. That's a GPX file I loaded of Michigan ORV trails that I got for free from the DNR. Between the maps coming from Google and the GPX files coming from the DNR, I will never need to pay for maps.

 

Nice write up. Thanks

 

Very nice write up, I have just started looking into doing the same thing. Thanks for taking the time to share.

 

great job but I'd kill it with mud 1st trip

 

Great write up. Ive been looking at going this route also. Did you need to mount a remote antenna or is the tablets internal one enough.

droidage.....

 

Yea, the internal GPS receiver works fine. For me it acquires in about 5 seconds, which is a whole lot better than my old GPS I have in my car.

You can find the app in the Google Play store on the tablet. It might take a while to learn what all the buttons do and how to use it, but once you get the hang of it, it's no problem.

 

Cool, thanks.

 

Great idea OP. thanks for sharing.

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk 2

 

X2

 

OP,

Do you have any recommendations for SMALLER version of your setup (<7") ?

I guess you could use this software on pretty much any android device like a phone if you wanted smaller. I am sure there must be some good GPS apps for iphones too, but that's just a guess. The only thing that would change would be the mounting bracket and the waterproof case for your phone.

 

OP,

Do you have any recommendations for SMALLER version of your setup (<7") ?

I guess you could use this software on pretty much any android device like a phone if you wanted smaller. I am sure there must be some good GPS apps for iphones too, but that's just a guess. The only thing that would change would be the mounting bracket and the waterproof case for your phone.

When I had my iphone I used a phone Window car mount and just suctioned it to the body of the rzr and didn't go anywhere and I used the Polaris map app and it was awesome but drained the crap out of my battery, gonna try it next season with my galaxy s3 and see how it works

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

 

OP,

Do you have any recommendations for SMALLER version of your setup (<7") ?

I guess you could use this software on pretty much any android device like a phone if you wanted smaller. I am sure there must be some good GPS apps for iphones too, but that's just a guess. The only thing that would change would be the mounting bracket and the waterproof case for your phone.

Great write up and idea. Let us know how your tablet holds up to the abuse of trail riding. Curious to see if the internals can handle what RZR will throw at them. Thanks.

matt

 

RZRmi have you had a chance to use the setup yet while riding? How is the glare and brightness of the screen while travelling at night and during the daytime?

 

Yes, I have used it while riding, on and off testing it for about 2 weeks now. It suffers from pretty much the same issues I've had using a Garmin Montana on a Can Am Commander.
Yes, there is some glare, so I just bought a $20 glare shield from Arkon. That helps a bit, but generally I like to ride in heavy tree cover where there is less direct sunlight anyway, so for me it is at worst a minor annoyance rather than a real problem. Also, I don't like to ride with a roof, but if I had a roof canopy I bet I wouldn't need the sunshade at all.

It also depends on what maps I am using-- If I am using overhead satellite imagery, the map generally tends to be green and darker in color, so it is harder to see in direct sunlight. But if I use Google maps or some other topo maps that tend to be white or bright colors, then I have absolutely no problem seeing it in direct sunlight, even without the sunshade.

As for riding at night, it is no problem at all. The screen has adjustable brightness, so I just dial it down to where I want it so it won't blind me. If I really want to preserve my night vision, I can activate the GPS following and turn the screen off while it tracks me, then I turn the screen on only when I want to see where I am like if I am feeling a little lost.

 

Thanks for the reply. Im going to copy your setup but hardwire the tablet.

droidage.....

 

Got it all installed today. Cant wait to use it over T-weekend

droidage.....

 

Wow, phuggit, that looks great. Keep us posted on how well it works for you.

 

I use the motion x GPS app on my iPhone, in a life proof case on a suction cup mount to the dash. Has worked really well but unfortunately bing shut off access to their sat img maps, and the motion x maps aren't as good.

 

Very cool setup you guys, thanks for posting. I've been thinking about upgrading my Garmin Nuvi to something else, and this has given me some inspiration (I've also been considering the Garmin Montana). I don't have an ATV, but while looking for something to use on my touring snowmobile I came across your forum. I actually stopped by the store this afternoon to play with one of these tablets after reading this thread.

A couple of questions if you don't mind:

1. The Google Earth I have installed on my home computer allows up to 2MB "cache" to use the imagery while offline. When I used the one at the store today, it didn't have an obvious amount of "cache" to choose from, only "small, med, or large". Any idea how much imagery can be stored for use offline? IMO, the 2 MB on my computer is a little small - wish it could be more.

2. I like to overlay some .img files on my Garmin. Can the Nexus 7 display this kind of file? I use this type of file as an overlay to my topos to display public lands, groomed snowmobile trails, etc. If not, is there some kind of work-around?

Thanks!

 

Hi Chuckinwa,

First, IMO the great thing about using a tablet is you can use any app you want, so you aren't locked into whatever Garmin wants to allow you to do. So to answer your questions:

1. The Google Earth I have installed on my home computer allows up to 2MB "cache" to use the imagery while offline. When I used the one at the store today, it didn't have an obvious amount of "cache" to choose from, only "small, med, or large". Any idea how much imagery can be stored for use offline? IMO, the 2 MB on my computer is a little small - wish it could be more.

2. I like to overlay some .img files on my Garmin. Can the Nexus 7 display this kind of file? I use this type of file as an overlay to my topos to display public lands, groomed snowmobile trails, etc. If not, is there some kind of work-around?

Thanks!

1. I would not recommend using Google Earth, since that's not really meant for live tracking. I'd use Oruxmaps, which does allow you to use the exact imagery as Google Earth if you want. Orux allows a map to be up to 500mb, but you can store as many maps as you want. So for all practical purposes, you can have as much offline storage as anyone could ever need. Also don't forget, there are a ton of apps that do this type of thing, nut just Orux, so play around and try stuff out.

2. Like I said before, there are lots of apps, and each works differently. I am not familiar with .img overlays, but Orux does allow for KMZ, KML and GPX overlays. Orux might even have a feature for .img, but I am not aware of it so I don't use it.

Really, the decision in my opinion comes does to versatility vs. convenience. I think using a tablet is infinitely versatile because it's an open platform with tons of apps and lots of flexibility. That also makes is significantly cheaper than a more convenient but more restrictive closed platform like Garmin has.

For what it's worth, my dad drives a Can-Am Commander that came with a $700 dash mounted Garmin Montana, and after seeing my setup (which costs half) he is switching to it instead. To each his own though. Good luck and good riding.

 

Thanks for the reply rzrMI. Good to know that imagery storage shouldn't be an issue - sounds like it will be much more capable of offline storage than Google Earth is. I'll do a little more research into the .img question and will post anything I find. With the exception of my public land use .img overlay, I think I can make the rest of my stuff work with .gpx and .kmz/.kml. Thanks again.

 

rzrMI thanks for the software write up. I had set up my Moto Xoom using Google Maps for trails (found a backwards way to get map data into it when I was setting up my bothers Jeep for the Rubicon) and Google My Tracks for tracking/breadcrumbs. I'll have to check out OruxMaps.

 

This is the way to go

 

Wow, this sounds great. After looking at several GPS setups, I could have not found anything with a screen size that I liked within my price range. I want to make sure that I understand because I am behind on tablet capabilities. Do these tablets have GPS or satellite positioning capabilities inside them without requiring a cellular signal or wifi? Does anybody have any feedback on how this setup does with all the beating and mud? Thanks for the infor

 

Yes, they have GPS capabilities without cell signal or wifi. I use mine in the dunes and the desert, but when I cross creeks, I just try not to get it wet. For mudding or rain, I would put it in a large ziplock baggy or something. I can still use my touch screen through the baggy.