For an upcoming overland trip, I've got a RTT (soft cover or else I would put the solar panel on top), cargo box and other items on the factory roof rack and now want to add a medium sized solar panel to charge a solar generator inside the rig. The only space left is across the back of the roof rack and it would completely cover or block the cut-out for the GPS antenna /shark fin in back and pretty much cover the antenna. Does anyone know if this will block GPS signals enough to impact basic navigation? I have a separate Garmin GPS puck to provide GPS data to my iPad for Gaia when I'm totally off-grid and I plan to be a lot But it would be nice during highway travel to have Pivi and other maps on the main screen working normally for navigation.

Thanks

 

Sadly, I think you will have some signal loss/problems. All depends if you're in a wireless network or not. I'm hoping you report out the first hand knowledge for the rest of us! I know that there's a signal booster attached to the wireless charger. That antennae is actually on the left rear light trim. So, if you have the data - you may want to connect your Defender to the phone. Then again, it likely won't work when outside signal range and for the life of me I'm not sure which SIM this will connect you to (the Defender has two - one for its uses and one for yours).

 

I will definitely report back. I'm not as worried about cell signal (in fact, I'm excited to spend time away from it!), but anxious to see if the roof antenna provides GPS data to help run the built-in navigation apps or if most of this comes from the GPS in my phone or triangulation of cell towers?

Gaia running from my phone to CarPlay is not really that bad. It essentially reflects a simpler version of whatever the app on the phone is showing.

Preferably I'll run Gaia separately on the iPad (receiving GPS data from Garmin Glo) since the app is more robust on an iPad than through CarPlay.

In the meantime, I'll do some experiments on just GPS reception through the car only (turn off my phone) and see if it still receives GPS data with the antenna blocked...

 

Gaia has long been my "go to". It is the BEST. I download the maps beforehand so I don't need cell coverage and rarely have had issues. Good luck on the trip.

 

What it will do is make its lock in time longer. This is due to reduced visibility to fainter satellites and their more difficult geometry. That being said, most of the chipsets today use three different constellations, GPS, Magellan and Glonass. So there is more of a variety for them to use to get a fix. Not a Defender, but the Toyota Hilux POS I just had in Namibia had its antenna most defiantly blocked by the tent assembly. I would have been overjoyed if it lost its GPS signal. Mainly due to the fact that it had some sort of goofy nanny system in its nav system that would screech a constant warning if you went over its assumed posted speed limit for the road you where on, even dirt ones. This was super, super annoying. I would have disabled it, but the menus on the car where in French, and my technical French, especially poorly translated nerd French, is not so good. Over the 9,000 kicks I drove I frequently wanted to beat the stupid thing with my shovel. So, to answer your question, the RTT apparently does not block the GPS, sadly.

I have been using the Garmin InReach system and its associated maps on the iPhone. It has excellent international coverage and the maps are free. Now someday it will come up on CarPlay as well, most possibly when CarPlay takes over your car. The inReach has the advantage of two way texting from nearly anyplace. It makes it easy for folks, that you want, to reach you globally. The unit itself is tiny and not to pricey. The subscription to the service can be al-la-carte, good for when it is idle. It works when the iPhone alone will not. Which in my case is most of the time.

 

One of my favorite apps: Google Translate (iPhone or 'Droid). Turn on the camera and it will convert the language to another, usually in the same font! I can't tell you how many times I've read menus in foreign countries with amazing accuracy. As well as different labels, instructions, whatever that I can't understand. I once jumped in a rental with the wrong language. Someone reset it as a joke? Anyway, I "read" the screens thru Google Translate and reset it. It's all dynamic, no pics needed. Almost like watching a movie.

 

Which is actually great. This only works if you cell service with data. This became obvious when I was well out of range of any kind of electronic signal that could have done this. I was not in Kansas anymore.

 

Rule #1 when camping or traveling: pack earplugs!

 

Which I do, for folks that snore. What worked best to make this go away was the Apple AirPods Pro's in noise cancelling mode. I listen to books while driving to stave off the madness from dreary sameness and road hypnosis. Which suddenly became not so bad when the roads became covered by grasshoppers, literally billions, end of the world numbers of them for 100's of miles. The mudflaps where plated in their crushed gooey bodies, which smelled not so good. It was fascinating and eerie.

 

I carry a roam case over the shark fin with no loss signal problem.