GRLEVEL3/2 on Tablet

[Jordan Hall]

Does anyone know if you can get Grlevel on a Samsung Tab S6 or any radar other than Radar Scope? Need something with more detail

 

[Drew Terril]

If it runs Android, then you will not be able to install any of the GR products. If memory serves, those programs require DirectX which is why they aren't on Linux or MacOS either. The are a couple of Samsung tablets out there that have Windows and will run it fine (within the limits of the processor which isn't as powerful as a traditional laptop), but that's the extent of Samsung devices.

Unless you're only running one pane, I wouldn't want to run any of the GR products on a screen smaller than 14" anyway. And, unless you have an AH subscription, you'd lose the detail of SuperRes on GR3 that you get on RS. I wouldn't even consider running GR2 in a mobile operation. It's too data intensive, not to mention eats up a ton of processing power.

 

[Brian Noble]

Got it working quite well on my iPad Pro

 

[Drew Terril]

I'm assuming that's running some form of Parallels for iOS instead of MacOS? Certainly looks like a Windows interface to me. At which point, it's just like using a Windows tablet. As far as I know, there's nothing for Android that mimics the same things that Parallels does for Apple products. So, what I said before is still valid. Without a Windows install (or something like Parallels which does, in fact, use a valid Windows install), GR products won't install

 

[James K]

On an android tablet I use a modified version of WX and it has some Level 2 & 3 radar options.
So you can get hi-res L2..
But its not Grlevel (which I've never used, but I assume has more options)

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@Brian Noble:
I recognize that location .lol.

 

[B. Dean Berry]

With Radarscope, you're already running super-res, so I don't know how much more detail you can get.

Maybe Baron Threat Net on Android or iOs, maybe. $780/yr, and I don't know if it's any better.

 

[rdale]

Got it working quite well on my iPad Pro

You are running GR on your iPad? Or you are using the iPad as a second monitor and running it from the Windows PC?

 

[John Wetter]

Running GR on an iPad Pro certainly isn't in any kind of supported fashion.

 

[Brett Roberts]

The GR products are a primary reason I use a Microsoft Surface Pro, rather than Android/iOS tablet, for chasing. Although the SP is a bit heavier and bulkier, it's still a great experience, given the proper windshield or dash mount.

You can often find the previous year's SPs discounted heavily in the $600-800 range for reasonably good specs (here's a current example). As a bonus, they're generally snappy and powerful enough to use as your primary laptop outside of chasing, given you also buy an attachable keyboard. For what it's worth, I bought a discounted SP2 (256 GB SSD, 8 GB RAM) for about $600 in early 2015, and I'm still using it on chases and as my only "laptop." No problems thus far, and can easily handle Photoshop, Office, coding/development tools, etc.

Traditional tablets running mobile OSes (well, basically only iOS nowadays, sadly) are definitely better for media consumption and casual browsing without a keyboard, but there's something I still don't quite trust about them for 14-hour chase days with constant multitasking.

 

[Drew Terril]

The GR products are a primary reason I use a Microsoft Surface Pro, rather than Android/iOS tablet, for chasing. Although the SP is a bit heavier and bulkier, it's still a great experience, given the proper windshield or dash mount.

You can often find the previous year's SPs discounted heavily in the $600-800 range for reasonably good specs (here's a current example). As a bonus, they're generally snappy and powerful enough to use as your primary laptop outside of chasing, given you also buy an attachable keyboard. For what it's worth, I bought a discounted SP2 (256 GB SSD, 8 GB RAM) for about $600 in early 2015, and I'm still using it on chases and as my only "laptop." No problems thus far, and can easily handle Photoshop, Office, coding/development tools, etc.

Traditional tablets running mobile OSes (well, basically only iOS nowadays, sadly) are definitely better for media consumption and casual browsing without a keyboard, but there's something I still don't quite trust about them for 14-hour chase days with constant multitasking.

To your point, I have a very nice Samsung Tab S4 that displays RS very well. That said, I still primarily chase with a windows laptop. I almost wish I'd gotten the Windows powered version that
they offered rather than the Android one, but I'd probably still prefer the larger laptop screen for GRL3. That said, this thing does do a wonderful job of displaying surface obs (I prefer not to clutter up my radar screen any more than I have to) and is a good support device. If I could only take one though, it would be the windows machine.

 

[JamesCaruso]

The GR products are a primary reason I use a Microsoft Surface Pro, rather than Android/iOS tablet, for chasing. Although the SP is a bit heavier and bulkier, it's still a great experience, given the proper windshield or dash mount.

You can often find the previous year's SPs discounted heavily in the $600-800 range for reasonably good specs (here's a current example). As a bonus, they're generally snappy and powerful enough to use as your primary laptop outside of chasing, given you also buy an attachable keyboard. For what it's worth, I bought a discounted SP2 (256 GB SSD, 8 GB RAM) for about $600 in early 2015, and I'm still using it on chases and as my only "laptop." No problems thus far, and can easily handle Photoshop, Office, coding/development tools, etc.

Traditional tablets running mobile OSes (well, basically only iOS nowadays, sadly) are definitely better for media consumption and casual browsing without a keyboard, but there's something I still don't quite trust about them for 14-hour chase days with constant multitasking.

Brett that sounds like an interesting option, maybe I should consider it, although somewhat expensive since I would probably use it ONLY for my two week chase vacation and revert to my Windows laptop and iPad the rest of the year. I don’t know much about the Surface, does it have cellular capability like an iPad? Is GR *that much* better than RadarScop on iPad to justify the cost (and complexity of managing multiple devices)?

 

[Brett Roberts]

Brett that sounds like an interesting option, maybe I should consider it, although somewhat expensive since I would probably use it ONLY for my two week chase vacation and revert to my Windows laptop and iPad the rest of the year. I don’t know much about the Surface, does it have cellular capability like an iPad? Is GR *that much* better than RadarScop on iPad to justify the cost (and complexity of managing multiple devices)?

If you already have a laptop you're happy with and don't envision replacing it with the SP, that's a tough call. Now that I have mine set up to my liking, it would be difficult to trade it for anything else... but getting it to that point wasn't the easiest process.

There are now certain SP models that have an LTE antenna, but you pay a premium, and I believe only certain spec combinations have it available. For me, this is a non-issue, as I always use the hotspot feature on my phone for whichever device(s) need connectivity in the car.

The bigger hassle with SPs is that they still... somehow... don't have a GPS antenna built in. That means the most convenient way of getting GPS data is via Bluetooth. I used to own a Bluetooth GPS "puck," but after I lost it, I started using an app on my phone to transmit my location that way. It works very reliably, but in fairness, it's just one extra thing to start up on a chase day before you're ready to roll. Not to mention that you'll also need Windows GPS port emulation software like Franson GPSGate to get this data into GR2/3.

In reality, the Windows platform is thoroughly stuck between trying to accommodate legacy, mouse-and-keyboard software and modern, touch-friendly software, and this is reflected in devices like the SP. Unfortunately, the kind of features important to chasers (particularly something like location tracking) stretch across this continuum, which leads to a clunky and difficult experience in setting up your device to do precisely what you need.

Even though I love using my SP on a windshield mount for chasing, it's almost entirely due to GR2/3 being the perfect all-around chase display, particularly with detailed road shapefiles. If GR2/3 didn't exist, or if apps truly comparable in speed, features, and stability were introduced for iOS/Android, it would greatly change the calculus. The problem is, I don't see that happening anytime soon, because we're too niche of a market. PYKL3 was the closest thing, but it died out before tablet hardware really came into its own. RadarScope is fantastic for a more general met audience, but the lack of grid-level roads and other customizations is a total dealbreaker for hardcore chasers, in my eyes.

The upshot to all this: I still strongly recommend the SP to any chaser who plans to use it as a laptop first, and tablet second, outside of chasing. But you have to be prepared to invest at least several hours into addressing the GPS issue, and also understand that it'll never be quite as seamless as using an iPad with GPS built in.