about to get my first Ipad what do i need for gps

[Jeep or Tacoma]

getting a base I pad mini (250) for my birthday it will have wifi but not cell service.
as you may well see I am a novice at ipad and nav I know how to use a gps and have form many many years. But I don't know didly about what I need to set up one.
First do i have to have cellphone service to use one?
If not can I just add a gps antenna to the base ipad mini? which antenna
what mapping software are options and what advantages are there for one or another?
is there any video or tutorial on how to set the thing up and make them talk to one another or is it just plug and play?

 

[brentbba]

There are plenty of threads on this. Search in this section and the software section.

Robred has some great info. I don't own an ipad either...yet. From my reading, you need the cellular ipad to get the gps chip internally. You can get an external gps too for about the same price as the added cost of the ipad with cellular. You do not need to activate service to use the chipset. That's the very basic info.

 

[robgendreau]

Bad Elf and some other make GPS units that will work over bluetooth with your iPad. DO NOT just get any old bluetooth GPS; only certain ones work with iOS. Most are pretty similar; you pay more for more detailed sampling rates (closer accuracy at speed, like for the track), or other features.

But that just gets you position data, like 37 deg 44'03", etc. To be most useful you need maps to use with the GPS data. For that, you need to get maps into your iPad. Usually a navigation app will handle that for you. In your case, it's especiallly important that the app have the ability to download maps for offline (outside of wifi) use. You are not gonna be able to have that iPad download and display maps of any kind as you just drive down the road, since you won't have wifi (I assume; maybe you've got a wifi enabled car or a tethered connection).

The simplest maps to use are Apple Maps and Google Maps, but they require wifi.

For uses like ExPo stuff, I'd recommend Gaia GPS or Motion X. I prefer Gaia; I think it's improving and Motion X is sorta lagging these days. YMMV. With these you can download maps of where you're going while at home, and then use them with that external GPS to get a real time view of your location on those maps.

There's no plug, so no plug and play. Buy a GPS with instructions that you are comfortable with to set it up; they'll probably run you about $100. Dual, Emprum and Bad Elf make ones that are pretty popular.

 

[VTlandrover]

I use the dual gps reciever with my I pad...perfect easy to use.just download the app from the store. very accurate & small too, many pilots use this gps receiver. for maps I use maps with me. or motion x . I have the giaa but find others work just as good . also google maps and avenza pdf maps are easy to use too.

 

[ducktapeguy]

I had the dual gps for short time, it worked as advertised for the short period of time I tested it. But as brettbba mentioned, the cost of buying an external GPS is about the same as the difference in getting an Ipad with GPS in the chipset (it works without cellular service), and from what I read there's really no difference in accuracy or coverage with either one. Unless you have a lot of other devices that need an external gps unit, I would buy the ipad with it included, one less thing to charge and less cords to worry about. Now I'm able to use my phone as a hotspot so I don't need either.