NB Willawaw

Thanks. Does your iPad mini use an integral GPS - is it the 3G enabled version which I think has the built in GPS?

No Alan, its my first topic on here in 6 months and I haven't changed my opinion.

What device were you running it on ?

Out of interest, were you using the locate me/positioning on the e-canalmapp or were you just using it as a map, as you would the Nicholsons?

Thanks for taking the time to answer that so thoroughly. Seems just about as accurate as the Nics then. Oh well, at least it allows me to make an informed decision about whether I choose to buy any more.

I've got the e-canalmapps South map which includes Teddington and it talks about red diamonds showing the state of the lock. Presumerably thats up to date then?

The Nicholsons correction site stopped ages ago. There was an attempt to refloat it on a site called Nicholsons Updates about 2 years ago but I believe people weren't cooperating by reporting the errors so corrections could be issued on the site and it was eventually stopped. It only corrected the last published version anyhow. The e-canalmapps are not error free. I have just reported an error where two adjacent pubs had been transposed. It also shows a cinema that has been closed a couple of years. It seems that you have to-spend £130 for Eureauweb Waterways to get an error free map and you then pay £25 per annum for the update service. This is a bit rich for my blood as this mapping is useful but not essential on a canal and you can get similar by cross referencing many of the free or lower cost systems out there. In the destructions in the app, it suggests it uses the same Eureauweb database as Waterways, but with the errors, this must mean that either this isn't the case or the same errors are there too. They are 300-500Mb per map. I think the trick is to download them when using broadband wifi.

Is anybody using them on an iPad or iPhone platform with the internal GPS? If so, does the speed read correctly for you within the e-canalmapps app? ETA I find the maps are just about readable on the bigger screen of an iPad but as I said earlier they would benefit from one more level of zoom.

One thing Ive learnt is that the heading readout on e-canalmapps is literally that. However, on my iThing it comes from the built in compass and depends on how you orientate the tablet. You have to point it at the bow of your boat, otherwise it makes the boat appear to go sideways down the canal. This was baffling me at first as I assumed wrongly that the app was using course over ground from my problematic GPS. If I point the tablet at the bow, it reads correctly now and the triangle that represents own boat on the map, points the right way. The speed is still wrong though.

The other thing that is quite strange is that I thought the Eureauweb Waterways mapping which costs £25 per year for updates, used the same source as the e-canalmapp product (both products come from the same company). My e-canalmapp doesn't show Ellesmere Tunnel at all. Apparently "Water-ways" does show it. Unfortunately, you can't rely on users to correct all your mistakes - by and large, most people can't be bothered so at best, you will only get some corrections this way.

Well I've only used them for a little while, but opinion so far. I like them but I've discovered that a tunnel was missing completely. I emailed Mr Kelly and he said it would be corrected. I've also found a few minor errors which I haven't reported yet. I guess it depends on how long it takes to get these corrected. If they are corrected even quarterly then it will be an advantage over Nicholsons. I feel the zoom scaling could be better as I find myself peering at the screen sometimes wishing I could zoom in another level. The interactive POI side of things is good and if you have a data connection you can click on links to access pub websites etc. Only being able to choose to display three types of POI doesn't really cause me a problem. Although trivial, I like the way the boat passes under the bridges rather than over them when you are moving on the map. For some reason there seems to be a software glitch when interfaced to my GPS. I don't get speed shown and I quite like having instantaneous speed over ground displayed. My bluetooth GPS works with all my other iPad apps including my Imray charting though so I don't think it's my Garmin GPS. If you want to look at a different part of the canal from where you are, it's quite difficult to do this as its sometimes hard to get your bearings and the place search isn't as good as it could be. In summary, I like them but they still need some work. I would rather buy these than new Nicholsons but they need to put some effort in. I imagine this is dependent on numbers sold so its a bit chicken and egg. I get the impression that not many people are using them yet.

Is anybody using them with GPS to show boat position and movement? Specifically, is anybody using them with an external GPS feeding their display device? I'm using a wifi non 3G iPad and external Bluetooth GPS and was interested to learn if anybody has a similar arrangement for the e-canal mapps. The Eureauweb Waterways product is a different product and much more expensive. The canalmapps are more in line price wise with books like Nicholsons.

Are any of you using these electronic canal maps for smart phones ? I've started experimenting with them and wondered what others thought ?

The original question was: Do You have VHF Onboard ? Would You Like Marinas To Use It ? It was a question directed at those who already have VHF - I thought I'd already explained that before. If a boater doesn't have VHF, I wouldn't expect them to fit it purely for this - I thought I'd mentioned this before as well. You don't have a VHF and prefer to use the internet, which is your choice but not really relevant. It's a bit like me having an opinion on what colour they paint the ladies lavatory at the marina. You made your opinion clear in an earlier response - fine. I don't use a smartphone when steering so wouldn't be able to google it without mooring first - also fine. It would be nice to hear other less vocal members opinions on these topics, rather than the same overbearing personalities. Maybe even people who have VHF already. I've tried to post different aspects of the subject to make it more rounded and interested. I'm not trying to force anything - it was just an idea. I wonder how much of this is people hijacking a thread to prove they have made the right decision in not having VHF on their canal boat. I don't think I've ignored or discounted anybody - there is no right or wrong answer as some will think it could be a good idea for some marinas and some will think its not necessary and is already covered by being able to phone them up, knocking on their front door and asking or even never going inside marinas at all.

An opinion on what ?