Low cost Android device for interfacing with Missileworks RTx

I have the Missileworks RTX, and both the Bluetooth Module and LCD. Does anyone use a cheap tablet, like the Amazon Fire 8 to run the app GPS Rocket Locator and for talking to the Rx? I have an iPhone and iPadPro, so this would pretty much be a single-use device just to support the RTx telemetry and GPS locator.

TIA

egp said:

I have the Missileworks RTX, and both the Bluetooth Module and LCD. Does anyone use a cheap tablet, like the Amazon Fire 8 to run the app GPS Rocket Locator and for talking to the Rx? I have an iPhone and iPadPro, so this would pretty much be a single-use device just to support the RTx telemetry and GPS locator.

TIA

Click to expand...

I am in a similar boat. I have an Iphone and decided to use the T3 tracker. I ended up buying a reburbished 8" quad core Android 6.0, 32gb tablet off of ebay to connect with.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/8-Quad-Cor...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

I don't have any experience with android, so there is a little bit of a learning curve to get over. The unit I bought also doesn't hold a charge for very long - Not an issue as long as it's 100% when you get to the field. The version I bought also is a few versions behind the latest Android version, so I am a bit more limited in app choices until I can get that upgraded. All of that being said, the App that I am using (I forget which one it is right off the top of my head), has worked great the few times that I have used it. That's my experience on the T3. I cannot speak to RTX, but I would presume it would be similar. I think the good thing with the RTX is that you can get the LCD and then just plug the coordinates into your Iphone - that way you don't have to ever worry about having to learn android. Jim, is the LCD going to ever be compatible with the T3?

Forget rocket track unless you have a live internet link at your launch site for maps. A WiFi only device is a no-go as is one without an onboard GPS. WiFi only device can work with GPSRL by caching OSM at various zoom levels.
Without an onboard GPS won't be able to download GPSRL anyways.
True, WiFi only (with an onboard GPS chipset) "could" work with Rocket Track if one tethers it to a phone with internet access.

Remember, Rocket Track will not cache maps to an Android device and requires a live internet access to work. An example is an Android tablet like a Nexus 7 2012 3G or 2013 LTE with and active data sim up and running would work.
Of course GPSRL will work too with a live internet link.

A Wifi only device will not work out in the field with Rocket Track as there is no way to get maps into the device. Wifi only (with onboard GPS) can download the OSM maps with GPS Rocket Locator for caching but one has to
willfully go after the maps with the upper right pulldown. Example here is a Nexus 7 2013 Wifi only device. It has an onboard GPS.

I bought a cheap Teclast X80 genre device like mentioned in post #2. No onboard GPS and no capability to get internet data over the cell phone network. The playstore will not let you download GPS apps to a device that doesn't have
a GPS chipset on board period. At least that's the way it was last time I tried a couple of years ago. I hacked the device with executables off my other devices and paired outboard bluetooth devices but it's such a P.I.T.A. it's not
worth the trouble. Especially if one doesn't want to learn "Android". Any other questions? I paired a T3 to the systems above and it works fine. You can play with a Wifi only device with Rocket Track as long as you have a live
internet connection over WiFi or if you tether it off your phone. I don't know if Apple phones do tethering but if they do, one could use a Wifi only Android to track (as long as the Android has an onboard GPS chipset).

Last I heard, pulling a phone sim out of your phone and dropping it in a tablet won't work. I tried it once and couldn't get the tablet functioning. It might have been due to a service provider quirk but I think a data sim is different than a full featured
phone sim. YMMV. Kurt (I'd be happy to field more questions on this as I've diddled with this a lot over the last couple of years.)

mad4hws said:

I am in a similar boat. I have an Iphone and decided to use the T3 tracker. I ended up buying a reburbished 8" quad core Android 6.0, 32gb tablet off of ebay to connect with.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/8-Quad-Cor...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

I don't have any experience with android, so there is a little bit of a learning curve to get over. The unit I bought also doesn't hold a charge for very long - Not an issue as long as it's 100% when you get to the field. The version I bought also is a few versions behind the latest Android version, so I am a bit more limited in app choices until I can get that upgraded. All of that being said, the App that I am using (I forget which one it is right off the top of my head), has worked great the few times that I have used it. That's my experience on the T3. I cannot speak to RTX, but I would presume it would be similar. I think the good thing with the RTX is that you can get the LCD and then just plug the coordinates into your Iphone - that way you don't have to ever worry about having to learn android. Jim, is the LCD going to ever be compatible with the T3?

Click to expand...

Looks like no internal GPS so this won't work directly. Trust me, I've diddled with a lot of these. If WiFi only device, you need onboard GPS. And then only GPSRL canbe easily run in cached mode without tethering to the internet. Kurt

Thanks for the advice. I hadn’t thought through all the ramifications. Since I have the LCD connected to the receiver, I’ll just stick with that for tracking the rocket.

Kurt, being the gps master and tweaker you are what would be your recommended Android device? Maybe a couple specific makes and models to save folks the trouble of trying to figure it out.

markkoelsch said:

Kurt, being the gps master and tweaker you are what would be your recommended Android device? Maybe a couple specific makes and models to save folks the trouble of trying to figure it out.

Click to expand...

Sure thing, Mark. Basically, one wants an Android tablet that has a moderately large amount of memory, at least 32 gigabytes. Some devices have a microSD memory card and as long as you can put applications on the microSD card and run them, you should be ok even if the device only has smaller amounts of memory such as 4 or 8 gigabytes. (As is seen on some phones)

If one can "tether" Internet data from their iPhones, a wifi only tablet that has an onboard GPS chipset is fine. The OOP Nexus 7's wifi only would work in this fashion with Rocket Track.
With wifi live internet, Rocket Track is viable for field work tehered off a phone. Otherwise, any Android tablet that has a GPS, wifi and data sim is viable.

The basic requirement is onboard GPS chipset, as much memory as possible and one is good to go. Getting the data Into the device is the next major step. Wifi or live internet through the cell service.

Again, GPS Rocket Locator can cache maps and be used without internet access. I did a recovery with no maps one time. Just made two dots come together.. Early version of GPSRL couldn't cache maps and I
took a wifi only Nexus 7 2013 out in the field. North is up on the screen and I just walked towards the rocket on the screen. This is nice because some apps won't work without live map access. If GPSRL loses a map link,
one can just make the dots come together remembering North is up on the screen. Nice back up but doesn't warn one of intervening obstructions/pitfalls. Kurt (sorry about misspellings. voice app and sitting on the pot is not the
best place to compose replies.)