Chart plotters

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shetland

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I am looking at purchasing a 5'' or 7'' chart plotter, and have looked at all specs from the various manufacturers, but i am unsure as to which plotter has the best sunlight viewable screen as they are always on display indoors.

I am particularly interested in the Standard Horizon 300i, as it seems to be a good value for money product at £525.00 from Mailspeed Marine.

What chart plotter do you believe has the best sunlight viewable screen as well as having the ability to be easy to use.

Thanks
 
Just upgraded mine and went for Garmin. I found Garmin (went for a networked 4000 series set up) fastest and the most easy to use and not badly priced. The G2 charts are very good. In the size you are looking at there is a 750s I think. Maybe worth a look.
 
hlb said:
Garmin is good. But. It is very selecive on screens. You have to zoom far in to see a bouy, or even island. You cant see the next bouy a few hundred yards away so your lost.
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Not so on any of the Garmins I've used in the past 6 years! Garmin's zooming and chart quilting is one of the feature that stand out. You must have had the "chart detail" mode set to low.

Agree with others as per original query either the GpsMap 556 or 556s, or the GpsMap 750 or 750s. In a class of their own with preloaded BlueCharts of the whole of UK and Ireland. Garmin is the iPhone or HTC Desire of chart plotting.
 
I have a Garmin 4010 and rate it better than the new Raymarine widescreen C series. But, you cannot compare the Standard Horizon CP300i with it. The Garmin is a million times better than the Standard Horizon in some respects, system integration being one. But then the price is vastly different, the CP300i is a very inexpensive plotter. It works very well stand alone, but don't think of adding radar or AIS, as they aren't very well implemented.

I wouldn't worry about Sunlight viewing, Raymarine, SH and Garmin will all do that OK. If you want a cheap, reasonably simple plotter at a good price, the SH is OK. Stick with the 7" though, 5" plotters are tiny.
 
I would echo the view that the latest models are streets ahead of those a few years ago with regard to 'sunlight viewing' capabilities - so after that it's the other factors that will be the basis for your decision.
 
shetland said:
I am looking at purchasing a 5'' or 7'' chart plotter, and have looked at all specs from the various manufacturers, but i am unsure as to which plotter has the best sunlight viewable screen as they are always on display indoors.

I am particularly interested in the Standard Horizon 300i, as it seems to be a good value for money product at £525.00 from Mailspeed Marine.

What chart plotter do you believe has the best sunlight viewable screen as well as having the ability to be easy to use.

Thanks
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I have a Standard Horizon CP500 its fantastic, can see it in bright sunlight. C-map charts are great too. Had SH plotters for the last 5 years.

Try one in first - I think Marine Superstore in Port solent have them on display
 
shetland said:
Thanks for all of your replies.
Is there anyone who owns a Standard Horizon 300i who could give feed back on its performance, positive or negative

Does anyone find that the 5'' chart plotter screens are too small.


Thanks
Click to expand...

I have looked at your profile and seen the boat you have. My advice, get the biggest screen you can accommodate. But make sure you have a good chart as well. irrespective of what size screen you go for, if the proverbial hits the fan then a good paper chart used in conjunction with a CP will help you out. There is no screen big enough to give you real perspective. Today I was delivering a boat to Lymington with the latest kit on it - I'll be honest and say I hated it and got the owner to take out a chart so I could show him the true relationship to the land and where we where. There is a real danger that folks will fall into the electronic trap and forget the principles.

CP's are great and they get better, but I would hate to solely rely on all the electronics
 
Get the biggest screen you can. I originally had a furuno think it was 7", then had a 10" SH and now 12" wouldnt go back.

You need to see what coming up ahead, but when zoomed in there may not be enough screen for that.
 
shetland said:
Thanks for all of your replies.
Is there anyone who owns a Standard Horizon 300i who could give feed back on its performance, positive or negative

Does anyone find that the 5'' chart plotter screens are too small.


Thanks
Click to expand...

Thought i did.

5" is too small.

CP300 works fine as a stand alone plotter, but don't buy one if you want to add radar or AIS etc. C-Map charting is also fine. For the price, you'll be hard pushed to beat the SH.
 
PaulGooch said:
5" is too small
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It depends on the vessel size and where the unit is mounted in relation to the helms head position. Also depends on the screen quality, an ultra high bright hi-res 5" LCD or OLED screen positioned right in front of the helm can be easier to read than a dim 8-10" positioned far off on some panel to the left of the helm, or well back behind wheel on some panel.

Agree in general always buy the biggest screen you can fit/afford, but for budget concious boaters stepping up in size from 5", cost often doubles for each extra inch.

PS: IMHO, in the premium MFD plotter market (Raymarine, Garmin, NavNet, etc) garmin are steaks ahead on quality, function and sheer ease of use than the rest, and this applies to their budget models as well like the 451 and 620.
 
I have just done the same thing and ended up purchasing the Garmin Gps620 5.2" inch touch screen.

I was orginally looking to buy the Garmin 750s (7") which would have been mounted further away from the helm where it was to replace my echo sounder as well by combining the two units. But from the helm and felt I wouldn't be able to see the display easily, so decided on the more portable 620 where I could fit it right by the helm. The great thing about this nice unit is that I can take it onto other boats, has a 9hour battery life, waterproof and very easy to use.

I've only had it a few weeks and so far really pleased with it and not noticed any issues with sun glare.

The Garmin 620 is around £500 plus charts, the 750s around £1100.

The size of the plotter really depends on your boat size and where you likely to install it. If I had a larger boat with more space I would be tempted to go for the larger screen. The larger plotters are also heavy which might also be a factor.

In my opinion the Garmin are the leaders and based on my experience of Garmin products very realiable.

If you interested in getting a good prices, try these people, got a good deal! http://www.pushtheboatout.com/acatalog/info_GM010-00696-00.html

Maybe worth waiting for the Southampton boat show.
 
I bought a Garmin 750s about 2 months ago and it works great, and superb screen visibility

Garmon plotters do not show buoys at certain zoom levels (despite max detail setting)
but this is frustration is easily resolved by getting Garmin Homeport software - a great product in its own right/£30 ish – which allows you to customise (reversible) your chart on PC, to a SD memory card.

You can then add your own buoy markers and any other waypoints etc etc and show them at all zoom levels.

Put your SD card in the 750s slot and you have your customised chart, which is the standard Garmin chart plus your (continually changeable) additions.

Take your SD card out of the slot and you have the standard Garmin chart

Hope this helps
 
My current boat was fitted with a 5" Garmin when i bought it, IMO, too small.

I changed it for a Standard Horizon CP300, which i had kept from the previous boat, as it was only a few months old. Not a bad plotter, charting was OK. Easy to see in bright light, albeit inside the cabin. Only complaints with the plotter, no "heading up" orientation and appalling AIS implementation. This is why i always say the SH units are fine as stand alone units, but if you want an integrated system (radar, AIS etc), look elsewhere.

End of last year i changed the SH for a new Raymarine C90W. Again, not a bad plotter. But, problems with Navionics cartography (eventually resolved) and then after a few months, intermittent loss of GPS position caused me to get rid of all the Raymarine kit and go for Garmin. The main reasons behind the decision were the poor support from Navionics and Raymarine.

The Garmin GPSMap 4010 is by far the best of the bunch. It works well, cartography is good, service has been top notch ( i had a faulty radar data cable that was promptly sorted, no messing). Integration between the plotter, AIS, radar, sounder and VHF is flawless and well implemented.

The previously mentioned Garmin 750s certainly looks a great bit of kit and i dare say it will have a lot more bells and whistles than the CP300i. Both companies offer great support. But, as the OP specifically mentions the excellent value for money of the CP300, at £525. So, is the 750s really worth twice the money ?
 
Hi,

I have owned a Standard Horizon chartplotter CP300 (external antenna) since december last year and until three weeks ago it has been a superb GPS, easy to use, clear display, good zooming in and out and other than the sensitivity of the control knob I am very happy with it. The unit has however developed a fault and now it is back with Mailspeed Marine for repair/replacement. If you have any question about the usage etc just let me know.
 
Shetland I would go for the biggest Garmin you can fit/afford.
Fantastic back up from Garmin every time
But do what Solitair says and equipe yourself with the relevant charts.
A paper chart will never let you down and will give you a better perspective.
Combining the two is best practice
 
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