Raycaster

You guys want to see the next step in 3D printing? Jaw dropping. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTJq9Z5g4Jk

I believe most modern tablets use normal sat gps but use cell towers to assist if possible. Most are rated with 3 m accuracy which is good but not as accurate as true gps receivers. Of course Ipad/tablets are geared for low power consumption but 3 m is still acceptable. I think the Cell towers make positioning faster as they constantly have GPS info where a phone/tablet without assisted GPS has to search for the sats and decipher data etc. I'm no pro so if I'm fudging this up, someone feel free to correct me.

Just thought I'd mention a few problems with the cheap tablets to be fair. Require waterproof housing of some sort. Require a decent stand or mount. Major glare outdoors in direct sun. Battery drain with GPS and Wifi on constantly. Sound not loud enough for alerts on running boat. All fixable but does add to cost.

Its Sonarphone by Vexilar integrated into Boating HD Navionics. Its a simple transducer with wifi connection. I haven't received my unit yet so I don't know all the details but it looks promising. Being able to read the fishfinder info from a 10" tablet split screen with Navionics maps is pretty appealing to me. I don't believe the transducer hardware is anywhere near the new tech with side/down/chirp etc, but its a great start. I smile thinking of just upgrading the transducer hardware in the future at a fraction of the cost of new units, especially being able to use cheap tablets 10" or bigger with GPS. Vexilar makes camera's too, so why not quad screen with a unit like the water wolf attached also? A nice feature is the ability of everyone on the boat to receive the data also on their phone/tablet... I don't work for the companies and not trying to sell anything, I just love gadgets. You can google all the info.

You might as well go 10! for split screen.

I always mention the "WIFI" needed info as its a pet peeve of mine. The older app Lakes: Canada preloaded all the maps and never required a data update before using. Nothing more frustrating then spending $50 bucks on a new and improved Boating HD and having to view blocky maps that haven't been refreshed. I have both on my tablet just in case I forget the refresh.

I have a Galaxy 10.1 Tab 2 tablet (prob $125 used) that works great with Navionics, and looking forward to using Sonarphone with it. If its just for Navionics I would just grab a kijiji used tablet that has GPS. I think Boating HD list all tablet compatible but most with Android 4.2 will work. I installed a USB connector on the boat for easy charging also. Remember that NEW Navionics app require a WIFI access to "refresh" your maps. You can do this by refreshing before you hit the lake or teathering off your phone if your tablet doesn't have cell data capabilities.

Brian, if I lived closer to Barrie and all my favorite fishing spots..... ALL MY PROBLEMS would be solved.. Just saying.

Thx guys for the ideas. Last year I basically cut some angle iron (From a old bed frame) rust painted and enclosed it with pvc tubing with cap and welded it on. Looked clean and professional and worked great except for a little mishap at the Mitchel Bay Marina. I'm in the Hamilton area and I'm the last guy to open his wallet but the idea of simple u-bolts for adjustment and not having to bug for welding favors is appealing this time. I'll keep a look out and maybe give the marinas a call.

Tired of my crappie pontoon going sideways on me when loading. Last year I made 2 guide bars and welded to back of trailer but had a little mishap... When I was in Fenelon Falls I stopped at a Marina and noticed they had nice adjustable guide bars on the new model pontoon trailers. I asked inside and they had them in their catalog but it was end of season so I thought I'd wait. Any chance they are available to order in Canada?

Mr.Simon, awesome about the success, gives me hope! Just have to build a useable small vessel with lights and I may find my old fishing rod. (Probably cost more to clean than buy a new one!)

I have a small stack of gift cards accumulating that looks like a possible future GoPro purchase. I have been using a HD Camcorder for fishing trips and the quality is pretty nice but kinda getting the GoPro itch for easier control/water protection etc. Being able to remote monitor the video on a tablet would be pretty nice also. Anyways, seen a few guys on the web able to wire up a cable for WiFi communication with video monitoring. Seen guys make submersible little subs with the GoPro attached also. Wouldn't mind looking underwater at a few spot in Balsam as there is a rumour about some moron losing his favorite rod overboard in the lake last year. The same moron lost an anchor also... 8) Might be a fun project building something with underwater lights also.

I think 206 is dead on. I am a old computer geek and hate the crazy cable bills but as lookinforwalleye said "The wife hates the gadgets". I have a home server with around 4T of HD movies/music etc. I have a slingbox and wdtv on each TV. I tried a android box but it drove me crazy and the wife flipped. We watch live TV maybe twice a week and if there were dead links and disconnections during a non-hd movie well.... I have xbmc on my tablets and laptops but don't use it very much. New smart TVs are able to handle most Movie formats and have NETFLIX and slingbox capabilities built in, eliminating the need for a wdtv or roku. X265 is around the corner anyways 8). With 2 teenage kids I pay for unlimited home internet and it gets used (over 250G monthly). I think the TV's have been replaced by ipads and other tablets in out home. We also reserve bluray movies from the library for movies missed etc.

Not trying to promote products (unless I get a cut!!!) but this has been available for awhile and works with Navionics already and is cheaper. Not a super high end scanner ( no side scan/chirp etc and not sure about depth max) but... http://www.sonarphone.mobi/navionics I like the idea of people at back of boat also being able to check depth/fish etc. from their phone or tablet. Everyone on boat can login to the device to view info.

The old Navionics Canada Lakes was able to go "live" mapping right away as soon as turned on WITHOUT DATA. All maps were preloaded and as long as your lake was purchased you were set. This was perfect for me with my older android phone without data. The new Navionic Boating HD although originally free requires you to purchased your maps within. This is fine although most users were stuck purchasing the same maps twice to upgrade... I was shocked the first time I went to use it with my Samsung 10" tablet. It worked perfect weeks before the fishing trip but when I turned it on in the boat the maps had no detail! It drove me crazy turning the different options SONAR etc. but still was left with no detail. When I got back to the motel and had wifi access the detail worked right away! This kinda sucks as the maps are preloaded with all detail but the app now seems to require a 5 second data login for activation every time. I now have to remember to turn the app on before heading out on the lake because I don't have a data plan. This is probably a piracy deterrent that doesn't stop piracy but hurts legit paying customers. The one problem I have with my tablet is that it's battery is old and doesn't last long. I installed a USB connector just for it but the connector only provides a small trickle charge 1 amp probably. It will actually die plugge in charging. I need to look for a 2.1A USB connector for this year.

Don't think the android version is available yet got the Vexllar add-on, just ipad. I use Navionics on a big 10" tablet and its pretty nice as no data is needed with the maps preloaded. This used to be perfect but the latest version requires data for verification when you first turn it on I believe. Was thinking of the vexilar option also but no Android support yet and the transducer seem pretty basic compared to new side sonar etc...

My mistake... The copilot (NOT iPILOT) option is $150, the transmitter is $50 and the wireless pedal is $100, useable with V1 and V2. Looks like $449 (IPilot for PDV2), another $50 for transmitter... There goes my cheap anchor lock dream...

Got my eye on an friends older MinnKota trolling motor but keep dreaming of the newer ipilot features. I noticed there is a iPilot add-on available to equip older unit 1991 and up. Can't afford a full blown unit but a gently used one with an option to upgrade sounds do-able. Anyone tried this? thx ahead.

Syncing the kobo with overdrive downloaded library .epub or .mobi files is UGLY, (you know this already). It requires adobe Digital Rights management setup properly on your laptop/pc/kobo. Once you are able to get overdrive setup properly you still need the Adobe DRM account proper and probably windows media player updated with the latest DRM. Syncing purchased ebook from kobo is fairly easily to sync but unfortunately the transfer for library to laptop to kobo with DRM ebooks is a nightmare with very little information available. Even visiting the library looking for help will probably be fruitless due to the various DRM hoops needed to jump that are out of the librarian's grasp. Of course I would not suggest to you to find a geek friend to download the un-drm files for you to easily within 2 minutes sync with Calibre. I wish I could help more but when your overdrive/adobe drm/gmail/email account are set you should be pretty close.

Funny that Tiny Talent Time. was mentioned ... I met Bill Lawrence and his wife while getting flu shots in Dundas a year ago or so. I think atleast 5 people came forward and shook his hand saying they played a song or danced on the show when they were kids. I think he was overwhelmed, the lineup for flu shots was 100 deep and the place got pretty loud once someone reconized him (now in his 80's). Back to the ads.... I understand bills need to be paid but I'm just amazed at the ratio of ads/show are. Yes ad blockers etc. work kinda but wondering how well sites like tsn are doing. The site just had a major overhaul and uses all the latest browser features but almost bogs down trying to navigate. People with slower ISP's must be getting frustrated. Not to mention phones are beginning to nede some serious horsepower to function. My pet peeve is waiting for a page to load while the site is trying to download ads from a slower source. The bandwdth required to load those page has gone thru the roof!

Has anyone else noticed how Internet ads are becoming overwhelming now? I'm not talking about cookies remembering your google searches for a new rod and reel etc. and hitting you with fishing banners every website you visit. I'm talking about the video ads that this year seem to have doubled or tripled in length! If you visit CNN or TSN every small article you want to glance at starts with 30 sec video ad and than another and then another.... Even articles that don't have video turn pictures into a video etc. I know sites have to make money but watching 90 seconds of ads to see a 45 sec. recap of last nights game is ridiculous! And not only time consuming but the sites all take longer to view because google has to figure out the 10 relevant ads to fill the page and download them all before you can even see simple line score from a game. Ok, off my soapbox, things are newer and cool but TV commercials never seemed that invasive or long. Or maybe I'm guilty of a growing instant gratification need has amplified the ads sense of waste to me... hmmm Signed, old man.

I have one last trip planned for LSC but the furnace seems to want to get in the way. I have a older furnace that needs replacing but its just not in the cards right now. The furnace and AC are working fine but the damn blower/fan has been driving me crazy for a year or so. The blower fan is the older variety with the motor on the outside belt driven. Well the bearings and shaft wobbled enough to wake the house so I went looking for a replacement. With Kijiji I was able to grab a used one which is fine but it was a little big and its causing problems also. I just need a 15" fan/blower as anything bigger won't fit properly. A newer fan/blower with the motor inside would probably be my best bet for quiet... I've not been able to track down a assembly in the Hamilton area and hoping someone here has a line on a reasonably priced unit close by for pickup. I can install no problem as long as its the right size. I can pm exact measurement if anyone might have something. Thanks ahead of time. Really hoping to brave the cold and hit LSC in 2 week to chase the big boys but the furnace sounds like a bowling alley and the wife isn't happy if you know what I mean.

From the computer side of things formatting larger than 2G drives with exFAT32 may help out. It may have ZERO to do with your Navionics problem but worth a try. Only try with a blank card as this will wipe a memory card clean. If your not a computer guy I would 100% just go buy a cheap 2G card and avoid the hassle. Of course if someone knows a proper Navionics memory card solution than ignore mine.

The problem is I assume the maps are loaded. I have been on LSC several times with the app with full detail and then the last time I had no detail until I was back at the motel with wifi. With the original US & CANADA I never had this problem as the maps were available in full detail the minute after it was fully installed with updated maps. Either the app now requires authorization for every use or flushes it map "cache" between uses. I think it may be authorization as it monitors days left on map updating... I have a android Road GPS program from Sygic that is around 5 gigs of data but once installed I have a Android GPS mapping program that never requires data for all roads North America. This is how the older version of US & CANADA Lakes worked. .

Being able to have a digital Bluechart with GPS at night time on a unfamiliar lake is worth the $60 to me. Even with a paper map of Nippising its pretty easy to get lost trying to recognize little islands and inlets etc. if your not a local. Contour detail and community edits of stumps and rock locations is nice too. Of course it might not be in the league of the chart plotters but either is the cost. If you are thinking of purchasing it research a little to check if your phone/tablet plays with it nicely and also if your LAKE is actually charted!