tmax
New Member
I am considering buying a Standard Horizon chartplotter in the US. Will a machine purchased there be the same specification as one sold in the UK. It is for use in the UK
Thanks
Thanks
Chartplotter - Buying in the US?
- Thread starter tmax
- Start date
brianrunyard
Well-Known Member
Can't see why it should be different, it'll be using the same satelites after all. Might come with a chart of the States rather than Europe tho'.
Gin
Well-Known Member
If it catches the eye of HM C & E, or if an international shipper carries it e.g. UPS then expect to be clobbered for import tax and VAT
Cloven
Well-Known Member
I think they all come with an inbuilt world chart which is quite frankly a waste of time until you get the appropriate chartlet for the area you sail. However, do be aware that whilst the unit is undoubtedly cheaper, apart from high delivery costs, you may also have to pay both VAT and import duty. If the sums work out then why not.
jimduncan1
Well-Known Member
Tmax,
You should check that the 'units of measure' are as you would like them. The US version combination plotters will use depth readings in feet instead of metres and degrees as farenheit instead of Celsius and so forth. Additionally Nema/outputs may vary or may not synch up if you are connecting to your VHF for 'distress position' on DSC units.
However once you understand the differences (including absence of local warranty) you can make a reasonable decision. The difference in price is very appealing and hopefully you won't get stuck on any import duties.
good luck, Dave
You should check that the 'units of measure' are as you would like them. The US version combination plotters will use depth readings in feet instead of metres and degrees as farenheit instead of Celsius and so forth. Additionally Nema/outputs may vary or may not synch up if you are connecting to your VHF for 'distress position' on DSC units.
However once you understand the differences (including absence of local warranty) you can make a reasonable decision. The difference in price is very appealing and hopefully you won't get stuck on any import duties.
good luck, Dave
duncan
Well-Known Member
important points but it's not worth the cost of running more than one manual etc etc nowadays - unit software settings will have these adjustable.
Aeolus
Well-Known Member
Just went through that decision myself over a Standard Horizon CP180. Some chandleries in the UK are still offering very cheap UK charts when you buy the plotter. Saving ~£120 on the charts meant it was not economical to buy the plotter in the US, despite the low $. Worth checking if you can still get those deals.
jimduncan1
Well-Known Member
Duncan,
If you have any knowledge of how to change the settings on a Humminbird Matrix 97C Colour plotter vis a vis the software settings I would be most interested in changing feet and degrees to the metric system.
Thanks in advance.
If you have any knowledge of how to change the settings on a Humminbird Matrix 97C Colour plotter vis a vis the software settings I would be most interested in changing feet and degrees to the metric system.
Thanks in advance.
pvb
Well-Known Member
Not so...
[ QUOTE ]
The US version combination plotters will use depth readings in feet instead of metres and degrees as farenheit instead of Celsius and so forth. Additionally Nema/outputs may vary or may not synch up if you are connecting to your VHF for 'distress position' on DSC units.
[/ QUOTE ]
Not so, Standard Horizon plotters can be configured to use units of your choice. And NMEA is a standard, so it will work here too.
[ QUOTE ]
The US version combination plotters will use depth readings in feet instead of metres and degrees as farenheit instead of Celsius and so forth. Additionally Nema/outputs may vary or may not synch up if you are connecting to your VHF for 'distress position' on DSC units.
[/ QUOTE ]
Not so, Standard Horizon plotters can be configured to use units of your choice. And NMEA is a standard, so it will work here too.
duncan
Well-Known Member
menu key twice then tab right to setup press unit depth button (top one) then select metres feet or fathoms.
position format is on the same menu but about 3 from bottom and includes decimel option.
you may have to select advanced fromt he user mode tab on the setup menu - about no 5 down - to use the position format menu.
position format is on the same menu but about 3 from bottom and includes decimel option.
you may have to select advanced fromt he user mode tab on the setup menu - about no 5 down - to use the position format menu.
pvb
Well-Known Member
Yes, but it\'s not worth it...
Yes, a Standard Horizon chartplotter will be essentially identical to the product you'd buy here. However, unless you're going to smuggle it in yourself, it's not really worth buying in the US.
The CP180 is about $400 in the US, plus about $100 shipping, plus maybe 25% duty/VAT, making it over $600 by the time it lands on your doorstep. You can get one delivered in the UK for £319 (and get a MegaWide cartridge at the same time at half price), so there's no real saving.
The CP1000 is about $1350 in the US, plus about $150 shipping, plus say 25% duty/VAT, making it about $1875 or around £1000. You can get one delivered in the UK for £1149 (again with the offer of a half-price Mega cartridge), so the saving is small.
Which Standard Horizon plotter were you considering?
Yes, a Standard Horizon chartplotter will be essentially identical to the product you'd buy here. However, unless you're going to smuggle it in yourself, it's not really worth buying in the US.
The CP180 is about $400 in the US, plus about $100 shipping, plus maybe 25% duty/VAT, making it over $600 by the time it lands on your doorstep. You can get one delivered in the UK for £319 (and get a MegaWide cartridge at the same time at half price), so there's no real saving.
The CP1000 is about $1350 in the US, plus about $150 shipping, plus say 25% duty/VAT, making it about $1875 or around £1000. You can get one delivered in the UK for £1149 (again with the offer of a half-price Mega cartridge), so the saving is small.
Which Standard Horizon plotter were you considering?
jimduncan1
Well-Known Member
Thanks for your reply but I've tried that already as it is in the operation manual, after 6 emails to Humminbird they informed me that units produced for the US market are not otherwise configurable. I was hoping that you might have a sneaky way around this.
Perhaps the key in this instance would have been to request an 'International Model version'.
Perhaps Tmax can request this type (Internation unit' if going forward with a US purchase. Similarly the Nmea wiring did not synch up and Humminbird could not resolve this with a Silva unit.
Appreciate your reply though.
Regards
Perhaps the key in this instance would have been to request an 'International Model version'.
Perhaps Tmax can request this type (Internation unit' if going forward with a US purchase. Similarly the Nmea wiring did not synch up and Humminbird could not resolve this with a Silva unit.
Appreciate your reply though.
Regards
JonBrooks
Well-Known Member
Re: Yes, but it\'s not worth it...
The mega wide chat offer will be on again for London Boat Show so dealers will have these available here in the next week or so.
Whilst the saving is small the other issue is warranty.
If you buy in the US and it fails it will have to be sent back to the US. If you send it to us we will charge for any repair.
If you have to sned it to the US your down time will be a lot longer than shipping it to us in the UK.
As PVB has said the savings are small so is it really worth it?
Please feel free to call me if I can be of any further help.
Best regards
The mega wide chat offer will be on again for London Boat Show so dealers will have these available here in the next week or so.
Whilst the saving is small the other issue is warranty.
If you buy in the US and it fails it will have to be sent back to the US. If you send it to us we will charge for any repair.
If you have to sned it to the US your down time will be a lot longer than shipping it to us in the UK.
As PVB has said the savings are small so is it really worth it?
Please feel free to call me if I can be of any further help.
Best regards
jimduncan1
Well-Known Member
Reply from humminbird:
Units purchased in the United States or Canada can not be converted from feet to meters by the factory nor by the local authorized international distributor. Metric units are only available through the authorized international distributors listed in the Where to Buy section at www.humminbird.com. Products purchased in the United States or Canada must be returned to the United States or Canada as specified above for warranty service.
Best Regards,
Jennifer-CRC
Units purchased in the United States or Canada can not be converted from feet to meters by the factory nor by the local authorized international distributor. Metric units are only available through the authorized international distributors listed in the Where to Buy section at www.humminbird.com. Products purchased in the United States or Canada must be returned to the United States or Canada as specified above for warranty service.
Best Regards,
Jennifer-CRC
pvb
Well-Known Member
So if an American sailor...
[ QUOTE ]
If you buy in the US and it fails it will have to be sent back to the US. If you send it to us we will charge for any repair.
[/ QUOTE ]So if an American sailor visiting our shores experiences trouble with his under-warranty Standard Horizon chartplotter, you're saying that the response of Standard Horizon in the UK would be to tell him it was nothing to do with you and that he'd have to send it back to the US. Is that what you'd really do?
[ QUOTE ]
If you buy in the US and it fails it will have to be sent back to the US. If you send it to us we will charge for any repair.
[/ QUOTE ]So if an American sailor visiting our shores experiences trouble with his under-warranty Standard Horizon chartplotter, you're saying that the response of Standard Horizon in the UK would be to tell him it was nothing to do with you and that he'd have to send it back to the US. Is that what you'd really do?
Clyde_Wanderer
Well-Known Member
Re: Yes, but it\'s not worth it...
John.
You havent answered the question I asked you a few wks ago.
How much would I expect to pay for a HX370 portable?
Cheers, Eamonn.
John.
You havent answered the question I asked you a few wks ago.
How much would I expect to pay for a HX370 portable?
Cheers, Eamonn.
duncan
Well-Known Member
postion format isn't a function of the international model.
nmea to SILVA has been a problem for many over the last year (when connecting DSC vhf's became ) - not a US spec issue
Hummingbird certainly appear to be unusual in retaining this approach - Garmin, Lowrance and Raymarine aren't and SH and Navmanaren't as far as I know.
nmea to SILVA has been a problem for many over the last year (when connecting DSC vhf's became ) - not a US spec issue
Hummingbird certainly appear to be unusual in retaining this approach - Garmin, Lowrance and Raymarine aren't and SH and Navmanaren't as far as I know.
jimduncan1
Well-Known Member
I wasn't implying that position was a function of the international units but trying to illustrate potential difficulties which may arise when trying to deal remotely with customer service. After much communication with them I gave up despite receiving detailed instructions from both Humminbird and Silva, NMEA reply from Humminbird:
Thank you for contacting Humminbird. You would connect the NMEA output from the Matrix unit on the AS GR4 receiver to the radio. Essentially, the GPS receiver signal goes into the Matrix for display and the Matrix sends the position/speed/direction information back out the NMEA port to connect to the radio. If you are using our GPS receiver the GPS cable to the Matrix has a pigtail wire coming off it at the connector end that provides NMEA output and GND. This can be connected to the NMEA input of the radio. The color coding for our cable is +12 V = Red, ground = Black, NMEA out = White. You must also turn the NMEA Output ON in the Matrix system to send the information to the radio. However, please refer to the manual of your radio to determine how the connections for NMEA Input and GND are made on your radio. (Which i did and monitored voltage pulses and timing with an analogue multimeter along with hours of troubleshooting).
Also as you see from the earlier post that Manufacturers can sometimes take a parochial or protective posture with their dealer networks insisting that warranties are honoured 'in region'. You are probably right with some dealers who honour warranties irrespective of where purchased.
Just wanted to ensure that tmax considers such a purchase with eyes wide open. Dealing with feet and degrees F is no big deal considering the ample savings however the DSC interconnect with GPS would be peace of mind and it would have been nice to have more customer support rather than being fobbed off.
Thank you for contacting Humminbird. You would connect the NMEA output from the Matrix unit on the AS GR4 receiver to the radio. Essentially, the GPS receiver signal goes into the Matrix for display and the Matrix sends the position/speed/direction information back out the NMEA port to connect to the radio. If you are using our GPS receiver the GPS cable to the Matrix has a pigtail wire coming off it at the connector end that provides NMEA output and GND. This can be connected to the NMEA input of the radio. The color coding for our cable is +12 V = Red, ground = Black, NMEA out = White. You must also turn the NMEA Output ON in the Matrix system to send the information to the radio. However, please refer to the manual of your radio to determine how the connections for NMEA Input and GND are made on your radio. (Which i did and monitored voltage pulses and timing with an analogue multimeter along with hours of troubleshooting).
Also as you see from the earlier post that Manufacturers can sometimes take a parochial or protective posture with their dealer networks insisting that warranties are honoured 'in region'. You are probably right with some dealers who honour warranties irrespective of where purchased.
Just wanted to ensure that tmax considers such a purchase with eyes wide open. Dealing with feet and degrees F is no big deal considering the ample savings however the DSC interconnect with GPS would be peace of mind and it would have been nice to have more customer support rather than being fobbed off.
smeaks
Well-Known Member
Ive done this. Postage only $50. And with the xchange rate being attractive go for a better model! You still would have to buy a chart cartridge in the UK anyway, and the local C-map max cartridges cover a good area for circa £70. Even with VAt and duty (if applicable) you cant help but save!
JonBrooks
Well-Known Member
Re: So if an American sailor...
In the first instance he would be adivised to contact the dealer from where he purchased the product then in turn Standard Horizon US.
If they then contacted us and asked us to undertake the repair we would and then charge them for the work.
This approach is the same for a number of electronic companies that don't offer a "world wide" warranty.
Our's, like Icom's and others, is a back to base warranty in the country of purchase.
Best regards
In the first instance he would be adivised to contact the dealer from where he purchased the product then in turn Standard Horizon US.
If they then contacted us and asked us to undertake the repair we would and then charge them for the work.
This approach is the same for a number of electronic companies that don't offer a "world wide" warranty.
Our's, like Icom's and others, is a back to base warranty in the country of purchase.
Best regards
