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Active Captain App not showing position..

Discussion in 'General Yachting Discussion' started by Norseman, Nov 12, 2025 at 11:04 AM.

  1. Norseman

    Norseman Senior Member

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    Now in the North Atlantic Ocean steaming towards San Juan, P.R. and tried the Active Captain app for position checking but no cigar, the thing is homing in on my boat in North Florida, not the iPad ‘s and the App’s position.
    Yes, we have internet aboard with Starlink, it works good, strong signal, I also play with the App outside and on the top deck, no obstruction and a free view of the sky and the satellites.

    Also tried other apps such as Google Earth but it is fairly useless and shows me in some village in Nigeria, even shows the street number and the house where it thinks I hang out.:eek:
    Also tried to use an app called GPS Coordinates, no cigar again,
    So, is it my iPad’s GPS receiver, or me pushing the wrong buttons on the Active Captains app?

    (I am just a passenger on this boat, no urgent need to navigate, but annoying when the gizmos are not working)
  2. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    I suspect the ships VPN or Sat connection is messing up your location.
  3. Norseman

    Norseman Senior Member

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    That is a possibility I did not consider, thx.
  4. rtrafford

    rtrafford Senior Member

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    Wow, shockingly good call there. Agreed. See if you can get a direct link to the Starlink router and bypass the vessel network.
  5. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    Does your iPad even have a GPS chip? Only the cellular versions have GPS capability. If your is WiFi only, you re out of luck.

    the GPS position is handled neither GPS signal only. WiFi, VPN etc are irrelevant
    d_meister likes this.
  6. Norseman

    Norseman Senior Member

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    Good point, I always assumed my iPad 10 had/have GPS because it has “Location Services” and I use the Location Services all the time to get local weather, to use Map Apps, weather radar, aero weather and other goodies using Location Services, also called GPS.
    Maybe not..:cool:
  7. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    If it is a cellular version it has built in gps antennae, if it's wifi only it does not and relies on the network to give it location.
  8. Norseman

    Norseman Senior Member

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    It is not the cellular version and the network does not give it location in this case. (Starlink)
  9. Norseman

    Norseman Senior Member

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    AI Answer:

    On a Wi-Fi-only iPad, Location Services works by
    using your nearby Wi-Fi networks and Bluetooth to estimate your location, and this is generally less precise than on a cellular model that can use GPS. Instead of directly receiving GPS signals, the iPad looks up the geographic locations of nearby Wi-Fi networks to infer your position. It can also use crowd-sourced data from Apple's database of Wi-Fi hotspot locations.

    How it works
    • Wi-Fi networks: The iPad determines your location by checking which Wi-Fi networks are in range and matching them against a large, crowd-sourced database of Wi-Fi hotspot locations to get a general area.
    • Bluetooth: Bluetooth connections can also be used to help determine location, often interacting with iBeacons to monitor or create defined areas.
    • Crowd-sourced data: By default, devices with Location Services enabled can send anonymous, encrypted information about the location of nearby Wi-Fi hotspots to Apple Support to help build a more accurate database.

    Limitations
    • Less precise: Since it doesn't have a dedicated GPS receiver, the location is an inference and is not as precise as a GPS-enabled device.
    • Accuracy varies: The accuracy can vary depending on your surroundings. It is often less accurate in rural areas where there are fewer Wi-Fi networks or in areas with many public networks.
    • No real-time navigation: It may not be suitable for real-time navigation or moving maps that require a precise, constant location.

    How to manage Location Services
    • Check settings: Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services to turn it on or off for the entire iPad.
  10. rtrafford

    rtrafford Senior Member

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    Interesting...yes, I figured that the SIM pulled data from the cell towers for location, and there aren't as many cell towers at sea...but what happens if you link the iPad to the navigation network via bluetooth or wifi? Can it pull the data from the nav system?
  11. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    Well that’s it. Has nothing to do with active captain or any app. WiFi only location will work only occasionally
  12. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    no the sim doesn’t pull data from cell towers to get location. A cell iPad without a sim or active service will get accurate GPS location directly from the satellites

    the only workaround with a WiFi only iPad is to get a Bluetooth external gps. They rr very cheap and work
  13. Norseman

    Norseman Senior Member

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    Yup, no GPS in the iPad, learn something every day..
    Got my phone with built in GPS, but it has been off since we left the Canary Islands, no cellular coverage until we are 10 miles from shore come Saturday morning.
    Long cruise, not sure I will do it again, with or without a built in GPS.:cool:
  14. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    The cellular version of the IPAD has a built in GPS antannae and can work stand alone (in airplane mode) and get your precise location, just like a garmin hand held gps does.