29 replies to this topic

[Craig Smith]

I wonder if  you could share it with a smart tv and get an even bigger view? I haven't tried it yet but I may have to try it. I also think I might be able to do that with my 8in scope when I get the mount back from being fixed.

At home yes I think you can do that, although not sure it would look so good with the low resolution of the Seestar.  But I'm looking at this in the context of being out at a dark site.

[Craig Smith]

I have a Samsung A9 Plus tablet. They sell for around 200 or less on sale. You don't need internet to connect to the S50. I use it to process the .jpg images with Snapseed which looks a lot like Adobe Photoshop Express which I also use. It's a really good mid-level tablet that's fast, has a micro sd card slot for memory expansion which a lot of tablets have dropped including Apple

Thanks.  Yes, I'm thinking of going Android for this since they all have GPS, even though my phone is an iPhone.

[Craig Smith]

strictly speaking, you can use the GPS capability of an iPad without using the cellular capability (and associated fees).  

my semi-retired one uses my local wifi network after i transferred it's cellular plan to my new one.

Hmmm, so I could get a cellular iPad and just not sign up for service?  Didn't think of that.  Unfortunately they don't have discounts on those so it would be $250 more, but maybe it's worth it.

[Dart106A]

The only comment I would like to add is if you have a well-used tablet, see if you can replace the screen protector. Sometimes I can't see the stars for all the scratches on mine!

 

73, Mark

[Ulysses]

Hmmm, so I could get a cellular iPad and just not sign up for service?  Didn't think of that.  Unfortunately they don't have discounts on those so it would be $250 more, but maybe it's worth it.

Craig, I don’t know your budget or any of the details of your priorities. But you may be over-thinking this.  

You already have an iPhone, so it may be advantageous to stick to that ecosystem, especially in view of iOS 26 and iPad 26 release only months away. This will improve the ability of your devices to work together.

Although only the Wi-Fi + Cellular models of the iPad have built-in GPS, and the Wi-Fi-only models do not include a GPS chip, the Wi-Fi-only models can estimate location using Wi-Fi signals.

It is helpful to note that an iPad with cellular capability will still have GPS functionality even if the cellular service is not activated. The GPS will work independently of a mobile data plan. So if you opt to go this route, it may be worth the additional cost especially if you intend to activate the cellular plan at some point down the road.

I have always had an iPad Pro with Wi-Fi + Cellular. I wouldn’t want to be without it. Comes in very handy with my Seestar.