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PCHunt

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Tryiing to get smart about smartphones. :rolleyes: If I want to use a new smartphone as a moving-map display while airborne in my trusty RV-6, I am assuming I would need a phone that had a GPS that worked independently of being connected to the 3G data.

Most phones I have looked at have what is called called "assisted GPS", meaning the GPS only works if the phone is connected to the net.

Are there any smartphones that have a stand-alone GPS in them? How important is this feature, assuming it is even available?

Or will I be better off to keep my ancient cell phone and wait for the next version of the I-Pad?
 
My understanding of the A-GPS system is that it is simply used to coarsely locate you, so you don't spend as much time looking for GPS signals. ie, it knows what tower you're connected to, so it starts looking for the GPS signals it expects to see in that area.

My iPhone GPS will still work with the phone in Flight mode.

The only reason to have 3G connected is to download the relevant Google Maps to show where you are, but that's not relevant if you're using a 3rd party app.
 
3G smart phone

I have been using my IPhone 3GS since it was introduced by Apple. I have tried 3 aviation programs, SkyCharts, WingX Pro (tested it for EAA for free), and Foreflight Mobile.
In trips all over Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, New Mexico, Arkansas, and Colorado, I have NEVER lost a GPS signal in flight.
You can theorize all you want about the phone's GPS but you don't have to have cellphone reception for it to work. Believe me, I could be considered having done an extensive field test on it's capability.
In regards to the IPhone, the display size could be compared to the Garmin 396/496 size and the clarity is great. I have a RAM mount setup that I found at www.gpscity.com
 
Droid

My Droid shows me at the closest cell tower, unless I turn on the GPS feature. When I do, it nails my location down to the structure that I am in.......
 
A-GPS is just that, an Assisted GPS. The map application will still lock in to your location without *any* cell towers in range. It will just take longer. Where people get confused and assume that it only works with a cell signal is when you turn it on in the middle of nowhere while you're moving... Motion makes it even harder to lock in to your location, so it takes longer, long enough that most people hold the phone for a minute and think, "oh, it doesn't work out here" and then give up.

I've used my iPhone's GPS in the middle of nowhere, the lock-in was about 30 seconds standing still in an open area with no cell coverage. Of course, with no coverage you get no data either, so Google Maps can't show you a map of where you are... So you'll need an app with pre-downloaded maps in order to really make use of the GPS info.
 
External GPS

If you have an iPhone or iPad without the GPS chip in it, you will need an external GPS receiver. There is a BadElf dongle that plugs into the bottom or your iPhone/iPad, or a bluetooth GPS that works with any bluetooth phone or device. (such as this one).
 
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