Chartplotter on a Budget

Major_Clanger

Major_Clanger

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Looking for recommendations please.....

I'm after a chartplotter, new or s/h, but only have a budget of £250. I'd prefer colour screen, external antenna, ability to panel mount, chart format still available and must have an NMEA 0183 output to link up to my VHF and GPS repeater.

I've found looking online rather confusing as it seems most in my price range are fishfinders with a GPS tacked on, but that's not what I'm after.

Screen doesn't have to be large and it doesn't have to be waterproof as it'll be fitted below.

Anyone any experience of Matsutec? I've not heard of them but their prices seem remarkably low. I've been looking at their HP528 model in particular.

Any input greatly appreciated.
 
We have a Garmin GPSMap 555, now 10 years old, but later secondhand 5xx models are also available in your budget. Displays AIS if connected to a receiver and supplies GPS data. Really nice little GPS which is our go to unit. Display and menu really well thought out so you don't need the manual. We also have a Raymarine C80, sometimes we even turn it on.

Something like this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Garmin-G...h=item3fb9beb497:g:WxwAAOSw4~1cY0SR:rk:9:pf:0
 
The Matsutec HP-628A is both a plotter and AIS transceiver and should be close to your budget but you will need a separate CMAP chart card. Onwa are the same thing but do come with k charts.

I started with the 628A and now upgraded to the 1228A. For the price it is the mutt's nuts.

Fir Onwa there is a UK seller. For Matsutec Huanyang electronics are a reliable Chinese supplier. They do support Nmea0183 but not 2k.
 
I have a GPSMAP 450 and its a useful piece of kit. It will take AIS input and display it however the screen itself is a little small. In the next year or so I'll add a AIS reciever (with wifi and nmea output) and connect this up. That way I can view Opencpn with AIS on a tablet, whilst having the backup of a standalone plotter.

If I hand the money to spend I'd be tempted by one of the Matsutec plotters!
 
Major_Clanger said:
Looking for recommendations please.....

I'm after a chartplotter, new or s/h, but only have a budget of £250. I'd prefer colour screen, external antenna, ability to panel mount, chart format still available and must have an NMEA 0183 output to link up to my VHF and GPS repeater.

I've found looking online rather confusing as it seems most in my price range are fishfinders with a GPS tacked on, but that's not what I'm after.

Screen doesn't have to be large and it doesn't have to be waterproof as it'll be fitted below.

Anyone any experience of Matsutec? I've not heard of them but their prices seem remarkably low. I've been looking at their HP528 model in particular.

Any input greatly appreciated.
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I'm not sure why you discount those that come with fish finders, you don't have to use the fish finder aspect, indeed on mine I didn't bother to install the fish finder transducer. The chartplotter aspect has everything you might reasonably want for cruising. It's a Lowrance Elite 7 Chirp and uses Navionics charts. When I bought it new ( about 4 years ago) it was one of the few available with both NMEA 0183 and NMEA 2000 output, which made it very flexible to use with both generations of other equipment.
When you see these things advertised (new or secondhand) then they tend to focus on the sonar/fishfinder since their target market is so-called sport fishermen in the US, but the chartplotter side of things is excellent in my view and can be overlayed with AIS.
 
I had a Lowrance for my trip to Malta and back in 2006 - 2009. Very cheap, small, but hi res, screen. Did everything it needed to do, including getting us in and out of the Scilly Isles, and Baiona, with some tricky tides.
 
Most new plotters will need additional charts and most used ones will have out of date charts, so be sure to check, charts are not cheap.

Garmin Echomap plotters come with full UK coverage G2 charts. Would be worth considering a budget increase to get a new one. They do also come up on Ebay from time to time, how about this one ;

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Garmin-E...h=item23b5a91023:g:9QUAAOSwpUVcXuDb:rk:2:pf:0
 
rszemeti said:
OpenCPN is looking like it might work for me, £20 for full UK charts was certainly a plus point.
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OpenCPN works well, as long as you can keep the screen out of the Sun, keep it dry and keep it charged. I found it a pain in the cockpit of a yacht, even on an expensive tablet with a really bright screen, so i fitted a plotter. I have OpenCPN below decks, for passage planning, it's nice to do that an a 24" screen.
 
That is pretty much my plan, although a 12 or 14" screen is enough for my needs. I plan to use a Raspi Pi for the below decks plotter.

Deck hardware for OpenCPN is difficult. I shall probably stick with the Raymarine E120 on deck ... havent figured out how to transfer routes from OpenCPN to that yet though.
 
rszemeti said:
That is pretty much my plan, although a 12 or 14" screen is enough for my needs. I plan to use a Raspi Pi for the below decks plotter.

Deck hardware for OpenCPN is difficult. I shall probably stick with the Raymarine E120 on deck ... havent figured out how to transfer routes from OpenCPN to that yet though.
Click to expand...

The large screen is because my computer is connected to the 24" TV, otherwise a low cost Laptop would do. It's a pain to transfer files to the E120, as it used a proprietary file format, rather than the GPX format, which is now pretty much industry standard. Best explained here ;

http://forum.raymarine.com/showthread.php?tid=131
 
Thanks all for your input.

Rafiki said:
I'm not sure why you discount those that come with fish finders, you don't have to use the fish finder aspect, indeed on mine I didn't bother to install the fish finder transducer. The chartplotter aspect has everything you might reasonably want for cruising. It's a Lowrance Elite 7 Chirp and uses Navionics charts. When I bought it new ( about 4 years ago) it was one of the few available with both NMEA 0183 and NMEA 2000 output, which made it very flexible to use with both generations of other equipment.
When you see these things advertised (new or secondhand) then they tend to focus on the sonar/fishfinder since their target market is so-called sport fishermen in the US, but the chartplotter side of things is excellent in my view and can be overlayed with AIS.
Click to expand...

It's not a question of dismissing them, but more an illustration of my lack of knowledge on plotters. The ads that concentrate on the fish-finding aspect rather than the nav side of things make me think, wrongly it seems, that they aren't 'real' chartplotters.

PaulRainbow said:
Most new plotters will need additional charts and most used ones will have out of date charts, so be sure to check, charts are not cheap.

Garmin Echomap plotters come with full UK coverage G2 charts. Would be worth considering a budget increase to get a new one. They do also come up on Ebay from time to time, how about this one ;

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Garmin-E...h=item23b5a91023:g:9QUAAOSwpUVcXuDb:rk:2:pf:0
Click to expand...

Thanks Paul, looks a good unit but will be outside my budget by the time it ends. I realise the charts are pricey but I can buy the unit now and install the chart later (the boat's not going back in until April). I'm looking seriously at Standard Horizon currently as they seem to be adaptable with multi NMEA inputs/outputs. They still have factory support even though now discontinued.

What are your thoughts on this one: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Standard...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m1431.l2649
 
Major_Clanger said:
Thanks Paul, looks a good unit but will be outside my budget by the time it ends. I realise the charts are pricey but I can buy the unit now and install the chart later (the boat's not going back in until April). I'm looking seriously at Standard Horizon currently as they seem to be adaptable with multi NMEA inputs/outputs. They still have factory support even though now discontinued.

What are your thoughts on this one: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Standard...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m1431.l2649
Click to expand...

The plotter is OK, if a bit old. It doesn't include charts and full UK charts will cost about £250. Very small areas are about £80 per area, but you could very easily need several areas, so the full UK charts would work out cheaper.

You can buy a brand new Garmin 7" Echomap for £499.95. So, if you knocked £250 off for the charts, you're getting a brand new plotter for £250.

This one has charts and is a modern plotter with built in GPS ;

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Garmin-G...m=143127883145&_trksid=p2047675.c100009.m1982

But, it's only £120 cheaper than a brand new one.

IMO, it's rare to find a bargain secondhand plotter, taking the charts into account they never stack up on price.
 
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