Computer GPS Navigation

Red Rover, Red Rover, Send Tige Over


Last Changed 4/19/2010
Computer Maps GPS GPS Software Computers Monitors GPS Puck Speakers USB Hub	Use of computer GPS navigation is key to us. The CoPilot still often has the highway atlas opened just to cross check where the GPS software is sending us.
Computer Maps Computerized maps are a real boon for RVers. Where you used to have sets of paper maps for each state you traveled, now you can carry detailed maps of every city and town you go through. There are many online resources for computer maps. Google Maps is a major source. Another online resource is Bing Maps. Using online maps has become easier with the greater availability of wireless service, especially with smartphones.
GPS Global Positioning System (GPS) navigation uses satellite signals to indicate exactly where you are. Tied in with computerized maps, a GPS unit can show exactly where you are and help guide you to where you are going. Most smartphones have some type of GPS positioning built into the phone. An issue we had with just online maps is the lack of height knowledge, also a fault of paper maps.
	Computerized GPS mapping is available in differently styled units. There are self contained units that are usually hand held. We did not like these type of GPS units because of the small display. These unit use maps contained within memory chips.
click images to enlarge
	There are units that are built into dash mounted units with the data contained on CD-ROMs. The display for these units is adequate, but flexibility to use the display between the driver and the co-pilot is very limited. These units tend to be expensive. There were software and hardware changes along the way.

GPS Software Navigation software that runs on a personal computer or tablet is the third style of computerized GPS navigation. The data is loaded to the computer's storage. We felt the flexibility for different displays with a computer would give us the best combination. Our configurations changed over time. We chose to use ALK CoPilot since 2003. Why CoPilot
Computer Mounts First we considered how to mount a PC in Red Rover. RR Mounts. When we changed to Joey, there were different mounting issues. Joey Mounts.
Computers In Red Rover we used small form factor PC to run ALK CoPilot Laptop Truck. First we used a TX3 Computer and then a Dell FX160 Computer. In Joey we used a laptop and then Android tablets. Joey Computer.
Monitors When using computers, we went through a few variations in monitors. RR Monitors. We also used an add-on monitor in Joey. Joey Monitors.
GPS Puck We had to add a GPS Puck (Mouse) to the PCs to provides the GPS Reception. RR Navigation GPS Puck. We also initially used a GPS Puck in Joey. Joey Navigation GPS Puck.
Speakers We added external speakers to the PCs in *Red Rover* for the CoPilot vocal directions. RR Speakers. We also used external speakers with the laptop and tablets in *Joey*. J Speakers.
USB Hub The many USB devices used in Joey required the use of an USB Hub. Joey USB Hub

Disclaimer: The information in this site is a collection of data we derived from the vendors and from our personal experiences. This information is meant as a learning guide for you to make your own decisions Best practices and code should always be followed. The recommendations we make are from our personal experiences and we do not receive any compensation for those recommendations.