Chart software for PCs

[merlin]

I'm interested in using my PC to provide a supplementary charting system that has more detail than the UKHO charts and covers wider area than the pilot books chartlets.

Having looked at some chartplotters available they would seem to be like peeking through a letterbox at a chart so it would be preferable (and cheaper) to use my PC with it's larger display (comments welcome).

Can anyone offer any advice on their experience of PC based charts. Specifically the pricing systems and coverage for the Med. It seems that Bluechart offer a system at a reasonable price, but then the areas have to be unlocked - do we have to pay for each 'unlock' code as well as the cd?

Is CMap any cheaper when it comes to really getting the necessary charts and any ulocking codes? Are there other, better options that anyone can recommend?

One other point that I would appreciate any advice on is updating. We have been updating our UKHO charts and there are many important changes in Spain at the moment with even big ports like Barcelona making huge changes to entrances etc. So much so that some charts of ports have actually been withdrawn recently. How often are the electronic charts updated and what is the cost of obtaining updates?

One final question, has anyone purchased from the US recently and do they have details, since the dollar is so low against the pound and I'm sure that local dealers will not be rushing to pass on the effect of the rate changes.

Many thanks for any advice.

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[tony_brighton]

I bought a couple of CMap-NT chart super-wide chips from www.onlinemarine.com in the States a couple of weeks ago. Price was $279 vs £279 in the UK. Had to pay import duty (got a call from UPS) but still saved c£40-£50 per chart. Delivery was 2 days after order - excellent service.

BTW - we have a small Raymarine plotter on board which is interfaced to all the instruments. We recently bought a laptop for the reasons you mentioned and a little device that the chips plug into to be read by the laptop. The plan is to swap the chips between the two.

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[happyfish]

go to practical boat owner forum there is a link there to a free trial download

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[HaraldS]

Seems to me a big factor governing this decision would be where you cruise and if you intend to keep moving from area to area.

I you move on to different areas every year, you benefit dramatically from the fact that an update of the same area or a switch to a new area costs the same when you use C-map NT+. I'm not sure though if this exactly the same when you use the PC only version that comes on CD-rom. It is definitely so, when using the c-map modules (flash-rom). Thouse you can always get relaoded with the same size for a thrid of the new price. You can also trade for different sizes at about the same level.

The C-Map modules can also be used on PCs with a little USB attached reader. So for PC only usage there is a choice.

If you look at the C-map site, you can get into the details of a certain module and area, and it shows the charts and scales contained. A super wide has near 200 charts in it, but the non detailed ones overlap significantly. But there are probably more than 50 charts in it that you'd have to get if you wanted all the same detail for all the same places, which would cost 4-5 times the price on paper.

As an example you can get ALL of ireland with all detail on a single SW+, for about €300.

I have been playing with various electronic charts over the last year, though C-map was my prime system. Also had a number of raster charts from friends at varying quality, and a Bluecharts 4.1. I have also looked at the super cheap NaviChart, plus borrowed Tsunamis.

I would say that for all places that are covered with full detail, there is no significant difference between C-map, Tsunamis and Bluechart. C-map seems to have about 25% more areas covered, but it is all a moving target. The later two seem to have about the same coverage and I think they come from the same source (Transas). Appearance is more a matter of taste.

The much cheaper (World Folio and Nav Program for <€300) NaviCharT has off course even less coverage, but where it has detail it is on par, except, even the newest CD seems way behind on updates and one can find flaws like switching the names of islands etc. From what I heard they are digiticed in Guatamala, and some IP rights are probably violated.

Most of these chart are tied to a particular program and some are awkward to use.
C-map can be used by many nav programs.

Nav programs are mainly a matter of personal taste, though switching between them is absolutely no fun.

I think we are quickly approaching the point at which all available surveys are digiticed, and off course the data in certain areas is as inaccurate as many of these old surveys. So I guess the coverage gap will close soon to everybody having everything that's available.

The raster charts are exact copies of the paper charts and as such are nicer to read, but slower and not as seamless. ARCS also seems very expensive. So I kind of prefer vector, but they one big drawback, in that they don't have land detail, which makes it hard to develop an idea of what the new landfall should look like, and makes you worry what you see on radar, the beach or the mountain behind or what.

Luckily by now there are plenty of digitices, but somewhat old raster charts floating around, so that they make a nice supplement. Off course, then it's nice to have a nav programme that can digest all of these formats.


<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.taniwani.de>http://www.taniwani.de</A>

 

[Talbot]

C-Map from US was a cheap way ahead (and still are for new chips). but now Uk has joined the Club C-Map which offers a much cheaper Upgrade/replacement service. They will also rent for different areas, but that is not such a good deal. As I understand it for those doing circumnavigations, people order the next chart to arrive at their next destination, and then have another 30 days to return the old one. Furthermore you can get a PC version of this for a reduced price if you already have the chip. A Plotter uses much less power than a laptop and should be sited at a point visible from the helm position. Navman 5500 is suitable for this and has a reasonable size screen even for my poor old eyes. However they also do the Navman 5600 and that has a much bigger screen. Do not buy a black and white version as it just does not show what you need to see.

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