SLROC Forum

piper5,

very kind offer, would very much like to have a squint at a physical installation and any top tips prior to buying the bit's and pieces required.

I am in Edinburgh, have plenty of time over the xmas break, (hope Mrs C not reading this!), to have a look. Will pm my mobile to you, and hopefully we can arrange something, very much appreciated.

coop

pm sent to piper5.

fugawi - is there a pun there?

Some years ago someone wrote something not dissimmilar on my vehicle after a series of 'geographical misplacements' and 'azimuth errors'.

yep where the fugawi  thats how i mind what its called
 got your pm coops no problem i am around weekends over the holidays give me a shout when you get your laptop back anda well sort something out

I intend to use a toughbook in my car....

I went this route to begin with, and for most gentle off-roading it's fine.

I had two issues:
1) The screen generally sits on the passenger seat (or between the seats) - meaning you need to take your eyes WAY off the road when confirming your route.... and I didn't like that.
2) Anything more than about 5mph, on anything more than a gravel track, and you end up breaking the hinges

I've now got a hard-mounted system, and I still end up replacing displays every couple of years.

I reckon your best option is either Gene's smart GPS unit, or a smartphone....

Ian has a very valid point here, the main issue with any of these displays/ tablets is the practical ones in that where do you mount the screen securely and stiil be able to glance at it, I intentionally say glance as Ian says anything longer especially off road and its very dangerous.
The other thing how to cope with a Defender that has almost zero freeboard on the dash and no room between the seats and the gear sticks. A window mount is also a tad awkward as there is little enough room as it is to see out, sticking a 7" tab is not very advisable or legal I seem to remember.
I have been playing about with this topic for a couple of weeks now and looking at various options including Raspberry Pi and some free software that lets you run GPS type functions. Its a bit confused dot com at the moment but I intend to keep trying.

I am looking at it from a 4x4 Response aspect but any solution would be useable in normal off road environments I would expect.

Tommy

mine is a panasonic toughbook bolted solid to the dash on the passenger side, more designed for the passenger to read, driver can look if reqd but not really the idea in mine.  toughbook takes a pounding no problem and mine gets rattled through the forests at high speed, cf18 panasonics arent cheap though, next plan is to add another screen in the back for the other crew to read the maps at the same time, or watch tv !

Oh, and another thing I've learnt over the past 7 or 8 years: touch screens generally don't work well -
1) most applications are not designed for them, so the icons are too small for a glove-covered finger to poke, and
2) generally the screen is on your left, and most of us are right-handed.... so reaching across to manipulate the screen is blinkin' awkward..... I use a mouse, on my thigh

I had wondered if it is possible to have a 'normal' satnav screen for the driver and on the same system the toughbook for the passenger to route plan and have the same screen up as the drivers small display. The laptop also doing internet and music. Too much to ask?

I am told that the new version of windows with 86 bit OS, (I soooo dont really know what this means!), is much improved for touchscreen use, but not to touch it for at least 6 months until the bugs have been iron'ed out.

coop

I had wondered if it is possible to have a 'normal' satnav screen for the driver and on the same system the toughbook for the passenger to route plan and have the same screen up as the drivers small display. The laptop also doing internet and music. Too much to ask?

I am reminded of the millions NASA spent to produce the miracle "space pen" that would write in zero gravity etc......while the Russians used a pencil.   

Hmmmm, you may have a point there, of course we do have quite a big telly at home, I wonder how much current it draws . . .