Chart Plotter - auto routing & AIS

W

Wandering Star

Well-Known Member
Joined
8 Feb 2009
Messages
5,540
Location
Dorset
Visit site
it a long time since Ive purchased a dedicated chartplotter the last one was a Raymarine C80 - and that was secondhand!!

But I’m think now of treating my boat to a new chartplotter. If I’m honest it’ll be a treat for me more than my boat. Do stand-alone plotters incorporate Automatic routing between two points a la Navionics on an iPad? Is that a pretty standard feature of chartplotters nowadays? Also AIS, I think that would be another feature I’d like to have not necessarily the transmitting function, just a receive function already plumbed into the unit would be good.

Any recommendations at a reasonable price?
 
I can't give you a modern recommendation, but I think that if you are going to be sailing in areas where AIS will help it would be a mistake not to include class B transmitting. Not only will it give you a little extra security (and allow your friends to see where you are!) but it is much easier to install as a single unit, though I realise that you may be working to a budget.
 
johnalison said:
I can't give you a modern recommendation, but I think that if you are going to be sailing in areas where AIS will help it would be a mistake not to include class B transmitting. Not only will it give you a little extra security (and allow your friends to see where you are!) but it is much easier to install as a single unit, though I realise that you may be working to a budget.
Click to expand...
I’m in the rather unique position of being deaf (deaf as a post not just hard of hearing) and so the idea of ships identifying me and calling me on the VHF to ask what I’m pratting around at or to tell me I’ve left a couple of fenders out, would stress me and the captain of the calling ship because I can’t use the radio to communicate with them. Better I just have the receive function and use that wisely to reach stand on or give way decisions by myself.!

I do in fact have implants so hear moderately well in face to face situations.
 
The question to ask about automatic routing is whether any such function incorporates a reasonably accurate calculation of course to steer. Without that it’s not much use on a small sailing boat in a highly tidal area. Last I looked chartplotters from the major manufacturers wouldn’t do that but thing may have changed in the last couple of years.

I think most plotters will display AIS but you’ll generally be looking at an external unit to do the receive(/transmit) part
 
I have just been through this myself. I went with Garmin, thinking that my Navionics subscription would work on the plotter. The model I went for is the GPSMAP 923.

Unfortunately, it uses something slightly different called Navionics plus. I then had to buy a map subscription to get the level of detail you would expect. I clearly didnt do my research and paid extra for it.
However, I am very pleased with the ease of connecting in the Garmin GPS Antenna and AIS 800 black box. It was all fairly easy to get working.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top