Oziexplorer Tablet recommendations

[WhiteD3]

Gents,

Looking to upgrade my 5 yo ebay no name windows CE 7" tablet to something newer, brighter and with a battery that has more than 5 minutes run time, etc to run Ozi Explorer. Windows or Android. Would appreciate any recommendation on recently purchased tablets.

Cheers.

[loanrangie]

I have an old Asus nexus tablet that works well and surprisingly the battery still holds charge s long time. I would look at a Samsung galaxy tab as a replacement.

[austastar]

Hi,
I upgraded from Ozi CE to Ozi Android on a Samsung Galaxy and am very happy with it.
It does need a 2.5A USB socket to keep up with the power consumption though.
Cheers

[Redtail]

Yep, Samsung Galaxy Tab hands down.
I've been running an 8" Note for about 5 years now - quite indestructible. It's survived trips all over WA, including the Holland Track and the Canning Stock Route. Still going strong.
My mate asked the same question as the OP. He's since got himself the current Galaxy Tab 8", and loving it.

Quite right about the 2.5A outlet, too.

And in anticipation of the next question - use a RAM mount X holder with dual suction caps.

My setup:
Satnav/GPS and phone mounts (in a D4) (https://www.aulro.com/afvb/gps/259194-satnav-gps-phone-mounts-d4.html)

[WhiteD3]

Thanks Gents.

How do you find the glare on the Galaxy Tab? I had to build a shroud for my ebay cheapy.

[Redtail]

Thanks Gents.

How do you find the glare on the Galaxy Tab? I had to build a shroud for my ebay cheapy.

Rarley been an issue, even driving on the beach. My setup lets me tilt the unit down enough to not catch the light, and the support arm is long enough to sit in shadow most of the time. I also wind the brightness up - another reason for the 2.5A connection.
The Samsung's AMOLED displays are very good.

[Graeme]

I purchased a s/h Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014) which when mounted in front of my L322's screen with half of it above the dash edge doesn't get enough GPS reception when travelling south or east so I bought an external USB-connected GPS. The external GPS works well but has been abandoned because it is not possible to charge the tablet and communicate on the USB port simultaneously - the port only supports one mode at a time. No change after a somewhat frustrating upgrade to Android 5.1.1 (persistent soft bricking trying to load AU firmware) other than sometimes the tablet will now switch the USB port from one mode to the other without requiring a complete shut-down and restart. I've now ordered a BT-connected external GPS.

I understand that more recent Samsung tablets support both charging and data comms on the USB port so if considering a Samsung tablet for a vehicle that shades GPS reception then I suggest that this capability be confirmed.


MY12 RRV 4.4 TDV8 AB, +LLAMS, +e-diff, +ACC stop/go. Produce LLAMS for LR/RR, Jeep GC/Dodge Ram
VK2HFG and APRS 2m rx igate

[incisor]

I have been looking as well and this looks the goods.. still saving....

Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8" WiFi 2017 | Officeworks (https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/samsung-galaxy-tab-a-8-wifi-2017-sygtaba16w)

[loanrangie]

Can't you use an otg USB hub ?

[Graeme]

When in OTG mode the port wont charge, even with a home-made adaptor using various resistance groundings of the sense pin that apparently works with other brand OTG ports. If power is provided from an external device then the port is set to charge mode unless the developer mode USB debugging mode is set which allows data comms but still no charging. Ebay OTG/charge hubs don't allow both modes together on this tablet.

[Graeme]

I have been looking as well and this looks the goods.. still saving....
I understand that USB-C allows charging and data comms at the same time.

[WhiteD3]

I got the Tab A 7". Works well.

[Nick S]

I just got a 10” Lenovo tablet for Ozi, works really well
Nick

[Graeme]

I initially tried an older 10" Lenovo but the GPS didn't work at all inside the RR. The screen was also very dim making it almost impossible to see if the sun was shining.

[loanrangie]

I'm surprised you have reception issues, my old Nexus 7 works fine on a screen mount and so does the GPS in my head unit.
Pity they don't have an external antenna socket.

[austastar]

I have been looking as well and this looks the goods.. still saving....

Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8" WiFi 2017 | Officeworks (https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/samsung-galaxy-tab-a-8-wifi-2017-sygtaba16w)Hi,
Same place, same model.
Get the largest SD card you can justify and have it in before you load OziExplorer. This saves mucking about later as Ozi looks for it on install.
I use a Ram mount bolted to an existing screw on the defender dash.
Cheers

[Graeme]

I'm surprised you have reception issues, my old Nexus 7 works fine on a screen mount and so does the GPS in my head unit.
Pity they don't have an external antenna socket.
I think it has to be due to the L322's windscreen being considerably more vertical than the D3/D4's which brings the roof forward enough to block too much sky view.

A power socket on the Samsung would have been nice.

[Nick S]

I initially tried an older 10" Lenovo but the GPS didn't work at all inside the RR. The screen was also very dim making it almost impossible to see if the sun was shining.

No problems with reception, seems to pick up 23 sats most of the time. Tablet sits in a Ram mount on the Defender dash. I had to dim the screen Dow a bit as it was too bright

[Xtreme]

I have been looking as well and this looks the goods.. still saving....

Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8" WiFi 2017 | Officeworks (https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/samsung-galaxy-tab-a-8-wifi-2017-sygtaba16w)

I've been using a Samsang Galaxy Tab A since 2015 in various vehicles including rentals in NZ and Europe.
Am running Ozi Android and Maps.me and am very happy with performance.
I often use it to video the track ahead or take snapshots while still running the mapping program/s in the background.

As far as mounting goes I use RAM and in the Defender have a 1" ball mount screwed to each side of the centre console, with a couple of USB sockets, and have used a single suction cup windscreen mount when videoing or in the hire vehicles. Has only fallen off a couple of times when using the suction mount (with no damage to the Samsung) in thousands of Kms on various terrain.

[AK83]

I've used a SGS TabII 7" for Ozi since about 2010.
(before that, WinCE too .. YUK! .. but that's all that was available pre Android era)
Never had any issues with GPS reception, other than when indoors/underground/etc.
Sometimes under very heavy tree cover too, and in a valley, but very uncommon for it to lose reception.

Very recently(as in a month or so now) .. I noticed Lenovo had a 10" tablet for a decent price, with much better hardware specs than my SGSII.
Good screen, but not as hi res as Samsungs 10" higher end tablets .. but it's HD specs(1920x1080) are plenty enough.
Maybe a bit more would have been nicer, but from what I see now on the 10" .. probably not required.

7-8" on a D1/D2 type dash, with a RAM mount is perfect and the top of the tablet doesn't impede over the bonnet view.
The 10" now only just does, but with a bit of careful placement, I have it set to not intrude over the LH corner of the front.

My only criticism of just about all tablets is that at night, on a dark country road, I could never get the screen brightness low enough to not glare too much for the blackness of the country.
Around town with lights everywhere, it was never an issue. But when you want the lowest possible screen brightness for totally dark ambient conditions .. it was always an issue.
Both SGS and now the Lenovo too .. just don't drop to low enough brightness for such conditions.
Workaround is to create a screen page with a grey screen a specific screen you mainly use(using the Android Screen Designer software) .. not ideal, but it works.

The major benefit of the update from SGSII to the Lenovo was the increase in allowable mSD card size, up from 64G to 256G now .. so less probability to run out of map storage space.
Old SGSII was Android 4.something which natively allowed install of apps directly to card without mucking about.

Not possible natively with later versions of Android tho, but there are workarounds.
(STUPID GOOGLE lunacy).
.. anyhow, you can format the mSD card to become internal storage, so instead of a 32G internal space, I now have about 160G of internal storage due to formatting the mSD card(128G) to internal storage.
SO gots to be careful if removing card.
This way all data can be written to the mSD card by Ozi.
Otherwise Android doesn't allow some apps to write directly to mSD card .. once again did I mention IDIOTs at Google.
Why allow external card compatibility but not allow apps to write to ext cards? .. and yet allow apps to write to into device storage.

Don't have any USB GPS devices, but have a Holux 1200E Bt unit.
Has always worked flawlessly as an externally connected GPS device on both the SGSII and now the Lenovo(just as a backup). I use the Bt GPS for the camera(to embed geodata to the raw files).
Never noticed any difference in GPS fix between the internal SGSII unit or the Bt tethered Holux.
Haven't tested the Holux compared to the internal GPS on the Lenovo(just tested to be sure it connects up and works).

As for RAM mounts. They get old, the rubber on the suction sups gets hard.
I was having issues with both the phone holder and the tablet mount .. once a month or so, they fall off the screen.
I got tired of it(damaged two phone chargers) so got two new suction mounts a few months back .. maybe three or so.
No issues falling off the screen now .. so if your RAM mounts fall off, they probably sun hardened, and need renewing.
I found my new ones on fleabay for $30-ish.
ps. I did end up using double sided tape on the phone mount just before I replaced it. Held up good .. maybe a bit over a month(can't remember). But it held up so well I had a hell-of-a-time removing it when the new cup came.

So something to consider if it's a mount you rarely remove(eg. to clean the window or dash). RAM mounts are easily removed just taking off the arm and head, leaving the suction/ball part on the screen .. allows access to dash and stuff.

[AK83]

I think it has to be due to the L322's windscreen being considerably more vertical than the D3/D4's which brings the roof forward enough to block too much sky view.
....

I reckon unlikely to be the rake of the windscreen.
Is the l322's screen electrically heated?
That is, ultra fine wire type to defog it?
If so .. maybe a more likely culprit.
Metalised foil like materials impede GPS reception.

My PC desk is about 1m from my room window. Room window has very heavy curtains. View of sky through that window would hardly be about 10° or so of clear sky. That is I get a clear azimuth of between 70 and 60.
PC and a billion and one peripherals all likely causing more interference to GPS sitting down low with PC tower also obscuring view to sky!

Both SGSII and the Lenovo struggle to get initial acquisition, but once I hold them up to the window(only south facing), and they do get satellite lock .. they both hold GPS lock for quite some time(hours) no trouble.

[Graeme]

Yes, its a heated windscreen. I hadn't thought about the wires affecting reception but if their spacing is just right for the signal wave-lengths then it could interfere considerably, in much the same way that the screen in a microwave oven door won't let microwaves pass.
I may need to locate the external GPS in the bottom right or left corner where there are no wires.

2 GPS receivers sitting on the shelf inside a rear side window don't have reception problems yet they're well under the roof.

[AK83]

electronics and radio waves and stuff like that confounds me to high heaven!

I like listening to DAB+(around town), and the options it allows. bonus is much clearer AM reception.

I also like gear that makes life easy/simple/less problematic .. so I like my Qi phone charging system.
So add one Qi charger, added bonus is that it also holds the phone magnetically(eg. see a product called BFC Qi charger) .. to hold and charge phone just pop it onto the phone holder face, it's sticks like glue and charges.
No mucking about no mess.

Would never have thought that the Qi charging system would knock out the DAM+ signal tho!
I mucked about placing the BFC all over the car .. same thing. even in the rear cargo area(D1) .. soon as the Qi charging thing starts doing it's thing .. it cuts DAB reception.
Not 100% entirely, the radio does seem to get some reception, and with it's buffering system it can get signal for a minute or two .. then drop, then again .. and so on.

I recently got a new magnetic Qi charger/holder and it interferes a little bit less than the BFC verison tho....

who'd have thunk it!

Did you end up getting a Bt GPS device?

I know that some GPS/Nav software can't(or don't offer) the option to choose GPS device ..but Ozi definitely will. Have had both the Lenovo and SGS working via my Holux no worries.
And to keep the GPS powered whilst it's transferring it's signal to the tablet is no issue too.

as a side note: I use the Bt GPS to connect to my camera, as said earlier. But I prefer to keep it running all the time, so that initial acquisition is much quicker after say 300 or 1000klms or so.
I just keep it plugged in so that it keeps battery topped up.
In doing so, it obviously track logs .. as does Ozi.
Comparing the two track logs .. ie. Ozi on the tablet, and the Holux on it's own .. Ozi is much more accurate and sticks to the marked track/road(where they're accurate) on the map .. but the Holux wanders off the track a lot more.

[Graeme]

Not good that your phone chargers interfere with your DAB+.


The BT GPS (Haicom HI-408) is still coming and expected next week.

GNSS Commander handles the external GPS as a mock location provider so Ozi thinks its using the inbuilt GPS which is disabled. Whether the BT version in Android 5.1.1 will handle both the GPS (a serial device) and another serial BT device that is used by other s/w running on the notepad is yet to be determined.

[AK83]

Limited experience with 5.1.1 and Ozi and GPS and stuff.
One of my old phones has 5.1, but my experience with Ozi and Android is with 4.somethings(SGSII), and now 8.something else(Lenovo).

I don't think you'll need the GNSS relay software, Ozi should allow the use of 'other' GPSs.
If you just connect the Bt device, and it takes hold as a device on the tablet, you can set Ozi to use it directly.

Assuming the Bt devices connects cleanly and easily(don't assume! [bighmmm]).

In Ozi go to the Menu -> Configs, look down for the GPS item, open this(there's not a lot of configs in here) and in the top left corner of the GPS config page you can choose to use a specific device directly.

Obviously be default it's set to use the internal GPS device, tap the white option box .. easy from there.
If your Bt device connected cleanly to the tablet, whatever it's listed as in the connections configs on the tablet .. will be listed here too.

Can't remember exactly, but you may need to restart Ozi if going from one device to another.

[Graeme]

I need to share the GPS with another program so it can't be dedicated to Ozi. GNSS Commander (free) supplies Android with location data and both Ozi and the other program work simultaneously.