Endeavour Navigator

[No1_Moose]

I know there isnt much chance of anybody using this programme here because it comes from Australia but does anybody have any knowledge/advice of Endeavour Navigator 5? It looks really good and is fairly good value compared to Seapro e.t.c but there must be something wrong with it!



<hr width=100% size=1>I fully understand if you wish to ignore me!!!

 

[BrendanS]

if you don't get any joy here, try asking this lot <A target="_blank" HREF=http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gps-navigator/>http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gps-navigator/</A>

they have tried and tested just about every navigation program known, and compared them, and can give you unbiased advice. Many of the software houses and developers also frequent that forum. Don't forget to post back results here though!



<hr width=100% size=1>Me transmitte sursum, caledoni

 

[MainlySteam]

Hi Moose the Younger

I use Endeavour Navigator 5 and find that it suits my purposes well. It uses the ECDIS code from their bigger system and is mainly oriented at small commercial vessels - one important to know consequence of that is that it only accepts NMEA input from a gyro compass and not a magnetic one. While I sail a sailboat I have not found this of any disadvantage as on the screen one has the GPS heading in any event and it is easy enough to read the compass oneself. In a fast moving power boat where navigation is more track oriented than on a sailboat then this may be even less of an issue.

It doesn't have all the gizmos and complications that many others have as it is aimed more at professional seafarers. So is more oriented at just doing the basic navigation things than optimising routing according to tides, wind, etc (but which are probably not much important for a fast power boat). Tides are manual but has all the things like just mouse click out a route and all the waypoints (without having to name them) and one is away - not something I have tried much as sailboats tend to take more opportunistic courses according to tide, wind, etc along the way. It looks ahead and warns one of dangers on your course (haven't seen it do this as I normally keep clear of them all by myself, but it may be that it only does that with S57 charts).

Has the tools for marking up charts and for nav matters such as bearing lines, range, dividers, etc, etc. The only thing I do not like about it is that the box with all the tools and data in takes up a reasonable part of the screen because all the writing in it is in big characters (very easy to read though). While it runs under Windows it does not follow the Windows menu bar etc it has its own. Some, especially those not normally exposed to such interfaces, may not like this. Again, probably because of its commercial targeting, after every menu action you take, even if more than the first layer down in the menu, on the completion of the entry you are immediately taken straight back to full nav mode rather than being left in the menu for any next menu action.

It currently uses a parallel port dongle but they say a USB one is coming, and one can only use official charts (which I see as a real positive). But if one is not a flexible navigator and thinks vector charts are the only things to use then that is a problem if there are not any official ones for the area (I think UKHO are well on with their S57 project though, at least for UK waters).

It is worth knowing that because it is oriented at commercial it keeps a mandatory log of all inputs so every NMEA sentence is logged to the hard drive. It breaks the files up into nice bits though so the log can be copied onto floppies, but it also allows you to delete the logs. I thought this might be onerous but in fact takes about 4 hours or so (from memory) with GPS, Log, Wind, what have you sentences to get to 1 MByte. Does mean that the hard drive is running all the time and it cannot be defeated as best I know.

I have had it crash a couple of times but I believe that that is a chart issue as it only seems to happen with one particular chart. It works in real life with real inputs much better than the test version on their internet site indicates. If one wants a system without the frills which excite amateurs but which is solid in the rest then it is worth considering. As always one should try and look at others too - I am not trying to sell Navigator just explain it. In the end I bought it because the price was such that if I did not like it then there really was not much lost (was less than equivalent of GBP200 here including the whole set of NZ charts) - have not seen any reason to regret it.

The manual and the test version are available at <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.hsa.com.au/products/electronic_navigation/endeavour_navigator/index.html>http://www.hsa.com.au/products/electronic_navigation/endeavour_navigator/index.html</A> in case you have not found them already. Any questions feel free to PM me and anything I cannot answer I can phone the NZ office which is not far from me (I will be away next 2 days though). Happy to send you screen shots, etc if of any help.

John

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[No1_Moose]

Wow! Thanks for all of that, it is really useful.
The only thing that puts me off it is only using Raster charts because I think they are going to be overtaken by the S57 charts sooner or later (although I prefer the ARCS ones)

<hr width=100% size=1>I fully understand if you wish to ignore me!!!

 

[MainlySteam]

Hi No1_Moose

Endeavour Navigator does support S57 charts, in fact I think that is its main direction in its design. If you download the test version there are some S57 vector charts included to play with and shows you the warnings (including voice announcements) if one is heading into a danger, etc, etc. As I said in my post though, with no live NMEA inputs the test is clunky compared to the real thing.

For raster charts it has the full ECDIS implementation such as corrections, ability to bring all the chart notes (warnings, tides, etc) up, etc.

It is very plain vanilla just aimed at doing the job, so does not have the glitziness of Euronav, Maxsea, etc (from what I can remember of those).

John

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