Nexus 7, Garmin Pilot in a CRJ200?

[Geewiz]

On a recent commercial flight, I pulled out my Nexus 7 and started up Garmin Pilot...just to see if I could get a sat fix (I had a window seat). No surprise that I couldn't, I guess. Though as we were taking off I was watching our take off roll on Google Maps on my phone. It stayed locked on to our departure, showing us rolling down the runway until about 300' agl, then lost it.

So now I'm curious: is the inability to get a fix due to reception limitations with the internal GPS on these devices? Or is it a function of the high speed and flight level altitudes in jet aircraft not being able to stay locked on? Would an external Bluetooth GPS provide a reliable fix at these speeds and altitudes?

The Nexus is pretty reliable when flying 4,500' @ 115kts, though there have been a few instances where it has lost the signal. Which brings me back to wondering if an external GPS mounted near the windscreen would offer more reliability.

 

[poadeleted20]

My iPad/Foreflight (new iPad mini Retina) works very well on a Dash 8, moderately well in an RJ window seat, and not at all in a 767 middle seat. My old iPad1 didn't work worth a hoot in any of them.

 

[Geewiz]

My iPad/Foreflight (new iPad mini Retina) works very well on a Dash 8, moderately well in an RJ window seat, and not at all in a 767 middle seat. My old iPad1 didn't work worth a hoot in any of them.

I presume you're using an external GPS (Ipad doesn't come with built in GPS?)

If so, what GPS are you using?

 

[LDJones]

I presume you're using an external GPS (Ipad doesn't come with built in GPS?)

If so, what GPS are you using?

The cellular-data equipped iPads do have internal GPS. I used it onboard a 737 with Window seat and solid position info from LA to Phoenix, the Phoenix to Minneapolis.

 

[ajyeary]

I was able to get a fix while airborne in an RJ window seat a while back as well, Nexus 10 internal GPS. I was following the flight with Avare, which worked beautifully - it was a night flight, so it was kinda neat looking out the window, seeing a beacon, then identifying it on the sectional.

I think that the main issue isn't with the high speed and altitudes - it's more than likely the reception limitations of the internal GPS receiver coupled with the current satellite constellation geometry and the fact that you're in a big metal tube... if you have an app that shows the currently receivable satellites, you can try changing the device's position/orientation and watch satellites appear and disappear from the chart.

As an aside, it's kind of neat having a picture of Avare indicating 430 kts @ 29.5k feet!

 

[Geewiz]

As an aside, it's kind of neat having a picture of Avare indicating 430 kts @ 29.5k feet!

Recently discoverd Avare and loaded it onto my Nexus. Haven't had a chance to put it through its paces but, on initial impressions, I almost like the interface better than Garmin Pilot, which I sometimes find confusing.

 

[MSPAviator]

Window seat, 22A in the back of a 737-700. I had a GPS fix on my Samsung S3 phone + Avare running the whole time for my trip from MSP--DCA.

Even followed the plane around on the taxi diagram during taxi for deice and after we had landed in DCA.

 

[Lindberg]

I think it depends on the aircraft and the specific GPS chip in the device. My nexus 7 won't even get a lock in my house, while my Galaxy tab 7 works like a charm.

 

[jpower]

It's really random whether it works or not. More often than not I haven't been able to get it working, but occasionally I get surprised. Commercial planes have to be lightning proof, which is accomplished by making it a Faraday cage. This has the side effect of blocking a lot of signals from penetrating into the plane, especially weak ones like GPS.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

On a recent commercial flight, I pulled out my Nexus 7 and started up Garmin Pilot...just to see if I could get a sat fix (I had a window seat). No surprise that I couldn't, I guess. Though as we were taking off I was watching our take off roll on Google Maps on my phone. It stayed locked on to our departure, showing us rolling down the runway until about 300' agl, then lost it.

So now I'm curious: is the inability to get a fix due to reception limitations with the internal GPS on these devices? Or is it a function of the high speed and flight level altitudes in jet aircraft not being able to stay locked on? Would an external Bluetooth GPS provide a reliable fix at these speeds and altitudes?

The Nexus is pretty reliable when flying 4,500' @ 115kts, though there have been a few instances where it has lost the signal. Which brings me back to wondering if an external GPS mounted near the windscreen would offer more reliability.

I presume you're using an external GPS (Ipad doesn't come with built in GPS?)

If so, what GPS are you using?

The iPads with cellular data do have built-in GPS.

I would guess that even the cell data-free Nexus may use AGPS (assisted) which can get a much faster initial lock by listening for nearby WiFi networks and cell towers so it knows which satellites to listen for. If you didn't have the Nexus and a map app open for takeoff, I'm not surprised you didn't get a fix once airborne - Without the assist, it may be taking long enough to compute an initial position that some of the satellites are out of view before it finishes and it has to start over, or it simply is throwing away the solution based on parameters programmed into it.

For example, the early iPads were supposedly not much good above FL250 or 250 knots - They computed those positions but a second later were so far away that they assumed the position was wrong, started over, and got into a loop like that where they never worked.

External GPS, especially one that's designed for aviation use, will dramatically increase reliability on an airline flight. However, the flight attendants dramatically decrease it when they make you turn all your gadgets off.

 

[Shepherd]

I have a Nexus 7 with a really good internal GPS chipset. Other than the obvious places, like basements, the Lincoln Tunnel and inside the Intrepid, I haven't found many places where it won't lock on. I've never lost lock in flight. My buddy has one that occasionally loses lock in flight. Luck of the draw.

 

[35B33]

Nexus 7 2013, CLT to DFW, both Avare and Fltplan mobile worked from a RJ window seat.