Card reader

Depends on what type of cards your laptop accepts, I've got a Sony Vaio which accepts a multitude of cards, best speak to your local PC engineer to be on the safe side. I'd say to just try it BUT then it occurred to me that you'd want to check first as wiping the chip blank could prove some £2-300 expensive mistake.
 
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Good morning. I am updating my Navionics chart card and want to use the old one in the laptop as a planner. Do I need to spend £50 or so on a dedicated card reader or will I be able to use the one built-in to the lappy?

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Dont know about the navionics, but expect it is the same as the C-Map. You have to use their own very expensive reader. But why not plug it in and find out instead of asking?

and then tell us /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
 
Because the old card is on the boat 70 miles away and I won't get down there 'till after Easer and I'd like to order the new one today, and if I need a reader I might get that at the same time. I suspect that Navionics put some sort of dongly thinghy in their five-quid reader so you have to pay £50 instead, but would like to confirm before buying.
 
I bought a card reader as part of a Navionics planning package. It looks just like any old one you can get from a PC shop. It has three slots on the front for 3 types of card.

This is branded as "Dazzle*" and is made in China (of course); don't know if there is any clever electronics inside that is installed by Navionics but doubt it. I think (underlined) that any reader that will accept the card format should be O.K.

Alan.
 
Navionics come on either Compact Flash or SD card... You can get a multi card reader for less than a tenner... I use Picstop for such things, see here.

web page

No conenction other than as a satisfied customer
 
I seem to remember being able to see the navionics compact flash card, ie the disc format was recognised but the data was written in a format I couldn't read. This would make sense as they're pc updatable (ie downloading a firmware update for a c series). On the assumption that you have software to read a navionics chart then any CF reader should do
 
I don't think so, I have Navionics Navplanner and it only works if the chart is in the Navionics card reader, not in an ordinary card reader. Also, I understood that when you get the chart upgraded that the updated chart would be returned on the original card.
 
It's certainly what I had been led to believe. I'm going over to Navionics from a bundled Nautic Path one, so I will use the Nautic Path as a planning chart, which is fine. I've found that it has some inacuracies and lack of detail, especially in shasllow bits where commercial craft don't go. I thought I would go for the Navionics package which at £150 or so for UK and N. France seems reasonable value, but I also use paper charts for reference and passage planning. The laptop is for idle moments at home.
 
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I thought C-Map came on CD's?
I was going to buy this very shortly for my lap top - how do you rate it?

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C-Map can be bought as a CD - that then requires the power requirement for the CD. However, the version for plotters is a chip similar in size to sony's memory stick.

Personally I use CM-93 for the laptop and planning, and a more up-to-date version on a plotter
 
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Also, I understood that when you get the [Navionics] chart upgraded that the updated chart would be returned on the original card.

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Has anyone had a Navionics Gold card updated? How did you do it and what did it cost?

Alan
 
Sorry to give you bad news: you MUST use a Navvionics Raymarine-sold card reader: they screwed up the formats and the protocols so there is proprietary firmware inside the reader. You can buy a very ecactly-looking-alike reader at pc shops for a fraction cost but you could only SEE, at best, that files are stored; any ateempt in copying, reading etc might cause permanent damage to stored data (there is a definite warning in the smallprint infos on the package.

Gold format allows me to have all the Mediterranean on one single cartidge, instead of the previous 3; so I upgraded 2 of the XL+s and now I have a spare to use with PC and card reader at home by the fireplace (and a back-up one when cruising).
 
Yes - this is correct. The files are encrypted using the unique ID of the memory card - and the proprietary card reader "undoes" this. WIthout this the files are readable (as in you can copy them onto your PC) - but you will never be able top open them in any charting software.

Also - if you are upgrading your Navionics (as opposed to buying a complete new version) you normally have to send back your card - so you don't end up with 2 cards - for fairly obvious reasons I guess
 
I have also heard to read Navionics charts you need a Navionics reader.

However, some people have talked about updating firmware. This is done using a Sandisk (the only brand which works for some reason) CF card and any card reader. You download the firmware onto the CF card and the chart plotter will read it. However, the charts are made in a different format that only a Navionics reader or chartplotter will see.

It would therefore seem that a Navionics reader (or chartplotter) will 'see' anything, but a standard reader will not 'see' Navionics data but will see firmware data.

Hope this makes sense / helps?

If its a Raymarine unit you are using there is a good section on their on-line support section covering this.

Jonny
 
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