Yes I had condensation in my CP1000, but with the 3 year warranty I am not put off, it's so good it outweighs that little problem and the SH people were great!
I paid about £1300 + another few hundred for the PC software and charts, about a year ago. Thats a good price for a 10 inch screen. I had a 6 inch B&W before, I would try to go as large as possible, it does help.
And the AIS is another £299 on top (Which I dont have yet) so I agree its all a but pricey,
Garmin 3005C. They have just updated the software on it to accept AIS. I have intalled an EasyAIS - brilliant results - much better than the NASA AIS Radar unit it replaced!
For about £100 quid i saw on a charter boat seapro lite on a laptop. The AIS is now included i believe. Dn't know about the equipment costs on top of that, but it seems very low cost option and was excellent.
We looked at AIS on a laptop - various software from Free to Expensive is available - the problem is still how to see that from on deck - which is where you need to see it!! Waterproof/resistant screens are VERY expensive!
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Any recommendations? Low cost, decent(ish) resolution. i.e. Lowrance Globalmap 5150 but with AIS.
[/ QUOTE ]The only plotter I can think of which really meets your spec is the Northstar 557 - it has 640x480 resolution, is AIS-ready, and is only £399 from JG, Cactus, etc. Nothing else seems to come anywhere near it. You can check out the owner manual here and see how it works.
You may not have heard of Northstar, but it's a well-established US brand which until recently was owned by Brunswick Corporation who also owned Navman (and you'll recognise the Northstar 557 as a Navman clone). Earlier this year, Northstar, Navman & MX were bought from Brunswick by Navico - who also own B&G, Eagle, Lowrance and Simrad.