Gaudy chartplotter screens

[Rob_Webb]

Looking for advice on colour schemes of different chart plotters as I'm struggling to eyeball a wide selection of demo systems easily.

So far I've seen Lowrance in the flesh and it runs Navionics Gold which was very impressive - looked like an electronic version of a real chart i.e. tasteful, subdued colour scheme, easy to live with.

But I'm tempted by lots of good reports of Navman 5600 although haven't seen it live - gather it doesn't run Navionics but uses C-Map? But pictures I've seen in brochures appear to be rather bright and gaudy, not very attractive - is this for real or is it printing of brochures?

So what domiantes the quality of the visual experience - the electronic chart (software) or the display unit (hardware) or both.

And is C-Map or Navionics (Classic or Gold) reckoned to be the best?

Cheers
Rob

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[boatmike]

There's no right answer here, but add the new Admiralty electronic charts to your list to evaluate. You then need to decide "chartplotter" or "PC". If you go PC as I have you can choose any chart system but some chartplotters only take one type of chart. I think Raytheon have changed to Navionics now for instance....
Also bear in mind you might be viewing the chart in bright sunlight (if you can find any!) on an LCD or TFT screen so contrast is important. Personally I now use C-Net on a PC and find this both effective and cost effective (cheaper CD charts than EPROM cartridges) Hansome is as hansome does.......

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[Talbot]

I have a Navman 5500 and am very pleased by the colours of my display. it has an exceptionally good dim, which means that at night it wont destroy your night vision, but the differences in colour still make the display easy to read.

The Navionics format is slightly better than C-Map, but not as well supported around the world. I would suggest you check how good the support is in your intended cruising area. C-Map also continue to support out of date cartridges (more than can be said for a lot of the other manufactureres) C-Map also will support you during long voyages and will exchange cartridges of different areas for the same fee as an update to the existing area, will mail the cartridge to you at a forwarding address, and then give you 30 days to get the old cartridge back to them.

I like the 5600 and would prefer it to the 5500, but it was not available until after I bought mine.

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[colin_jones]

Many chart plotters have 4 different (menu selectable ) colour palettes, so you can generally find one which suits your vision on a particular day - or night.

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[Guest]

What do want to do ?

Will it be sited in cockpit ?
Will it be sitting at chart table in cabin ?
D you want all-singing dancing facilities and plotting ?
Do you want route plan / play around with dist / Co etc. etc. ?
Do you want to diplay raw positoj on chart or have fancy things like tide info etc. as well .. ?

The answers to the above will indicate the 'route' you should follow .... to do all above EXCEPT cockpit display - is the PC way. Accept that 50% of above will not happen on a Plotter - BUT you will have daylight cockpit viewable - then its the plotter ....

In the GPS Nav group that I started - there has been a lot of debate about viewable screens etc. particularly for PC's and some interesting ideas .....

At the end of the day you will find that you like a style of chart or not ..... CMap can be strange at first, but once got used to often leads to preference over traditional format .....

Honestly its like Cars and boats ..... which one is best or recc'd is an individual thing and down to observing and deciding yourself...... with price of course as some are far more expenisve than others and I really don't know why !!


<hr width=100% size=1>Cheers Nigel http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gps-navigator/ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/searider/

 

[duncan]

Are there any dedicated small craft chart plotters which can 'use' the Admiralty charts?
If not then if the first question is, as Nigel alludes, plotter or PC, they wouldn't be an option.
My view is that developments are continually delivering charting and plotter units that all work better together for the user and, as Nigel says, it's a matter of personal preference, and sometimes setting it up properly!
Given that you are the other side of the world there may also be local chart availability issues as well!



<hr width=100% size=1>madesco madidum ..../forums/images/icons/smile.gif

 

[boatmike]

For answers regarding Admiralty charts contact them direct. I believe some chartplotters do accept them and of course all PC based systems will, but for me the availability around the world was the major issue and this is where I think C-Map score. Regardless of where you go in the world you will find a local C-map agent if there is anything at all. It has become a standard to a large extent and while I might prefer some other charts I think availability is important. Also with the CD charts for PCs they are not only cheaper but much more convenient and easy to update. Tell them the area you are going to (for instance Northern Europe and the Med) and they give you all the charts for the area on CDs. You can't access the charts until you pay for them, but you can browse the CD to see which you want. Wherever you are you can make a phone call and pay for them by credit card and they give you a licence number which you type in and hey presto the chart appears on your laptop without getting off your boat.
If, like me you do your nav it the traditional way from a chart table below this also gives you the opportunity to have a large clear screen, and if you need to have a waterproof repeater in the cockpit you can. Personally I don't.
For those using chartplotters and cartridges you pay a bit more for the cartridges than CDs and a decent size screen on a chartplotter will cost you loads more than a laptop, but I understand why some people still want to go that way especially of you want it to take a battering in the cockpit. It also depends how much room you have. In my cat I sail upright and I have the luxury of a full size chart table and room to put the laptop on one side where the fiddles will ensure that it does not end up on the deck. Probably would make a different decision if I sailed 1/2 a boat like a lot of you purists and had water running down my neck like I used to have before I found it does not have to be like that.....
There is no right or wrong way though. Just a lot of choice. You pays yer money...........



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[gjgm]

Using the lowrance and navionics. very satisfied, and there are a number of screen display options, and then brightness and contrast (I think!). Most reviews i read before hand praised navman for the screen, but noted lowrance was also very good. In Uk navionics do 3 size charts that cover pretty large area.
One review noted that the Navman as dediacted marine plotter. What i ve noticed with the lowrance is that the Lowrance world maps and some of the plotter functions are a waste of time for marine use. Doesnt matter that much, but does mean theres a few items in the menus it would be easier if could be deleted.
Lowrance is somewhat cheaper in UK..maybe because screen is just a little smaller than navman.. but its marginal.
More of an issue is that while you can (somehow) load waypoints onto and off a pc, but note-that isnt from the chart.. its just the numbers. But its so easy to scroll on the plotter and mark the waypoints that way, doesnt matter to me.
Lastly, I take some comfort from the charts on the plotters. AT least you know they detail has to be top quality, as its the whole reason for the hardware manufacturer to use them. not sure theres really the same level of support for pc data?

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[Guest]

<<Lastly, I take some comfort from the charts on the plotters. AT least you know they detail has to be top quality, as its the whole reason for the hardware manufacturer to use them. not sure theres really the same level of support for pc data?>>

Sorry to disapoint you .... but that is 180 degrees from the truth. You will find that all plotter stuff is derived from PC based cartography and that is based on Paper charts ..... so in fact the plotter is further down the road ....

It is also easier to update a PC based chart system ... than a plotter cartridge. Often cheaper as well.

Big ships are using CMap etc. and are updated via satlink autoamtically in a lot of cases - so again the argument fails. OK - you and I will not do this as its way way too expensive for our small cruise area etc.

For all round facility's ignoring the cockpit side .... PC plotting has all beat with its bells and whistles etc. But Cockpit still favours the Plotter .....



<hr width=100% size=1>Cheers Nigel http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gps-navigator/ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/searider/

 

[steve_cronin]

Wye, Robbie laddie.......

They are ALL "reconed to be the best" only by different people.

I can only speak for CMapNT which allows you to change the colour profile.

Is "gaudiness" such an issue?

Steve Cronin



<hr width=100% size=1>The above is, like any other post here, only a personal opinion

 

[duncan]

Re: style guru.......

to Rob I think it could be /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

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[Rob_Webb]

Re: style guru.......

Oh yeah, you're right Duncan!

Sounds like the Navman & C-Map will give the best functional/value combo to suit me but I need to eyeball the display options to make sure the screen doesn't look like a lurid work by Picasso and is within the bounds of acceptable taste a la Navionics Gold. I'll hassle some nearby dealers to get a demo unit in.

Ta for help so far - will report back!

R

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[duncan]

Re: style guru.......

btw you can demo the Lowrance/Navionics combination in fully functional life size emulators downloadable from the Lowrance site

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[Rob_Webb]

Re: style guru.......

Cheers Duncan, I'll try downloading that (but @ 12.5 MB from work)!

Rob

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[ashley]

Does it really do that!

I know they have to but not every time it is switched on surely!!

<hr width=100% size=1>Live life to the fullest... think of all the people on the Titanic who passed up chocolate dessert.

 

[duncan]

Re: yep

well actually as mine is a combined plotter/sonar when it switches on in sonar mode I bypass this.
However neither of my Garmin will move from a similar screen untill I press a key to acknowledge.

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[Rob_Webb]

Progress Update

Hi guys

Yesterday I managed to play with a real Navman 5600 and was suitably impressed. You can alter the display to various different colour formats (night, sunlight etc) and whilst it wasn't quite as 'authentic' as the Lowrance running Navionics Gold it was close enough. And I liked the Navman usability.

And I've also negotiated a package deal for the 5600 plotter plus a set of wind/speed/depth instruments for the helm pod all for NZD$3500 (which is approx. £1,300) - might not sound great in £ terms but it's a good package deal by NZ standards!

Thanks for the help. I'll be using it for the first time on my delivery trip in a couple of weeks time from Auckland to Gulf Harbour, all new 'uncharted' waters for me!

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[bob_tyler]

Re: Progress Update

Where's Gulf Harbour. I hope it's not in Iraq

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[Rob_Webb]

Re: Progress Update

The end of the Whangaparaoa Peninsula. Bet the really helps!

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[pvb]

From experience of Navman 5600...

I've used a Navman 5600 in the cockpit for 2 seasons, and I'm very happy with its display. I tend to use it either in "sunlight" or "night" modes, but it also has a "paper chart" mode which tones down the colours a bit. In practice, the sunlight mode viewed in daylight isn't too colourful, but allows clear interpretation of chart features.

One point worth mentioning is that the Navman has a portrait-format screen, which allows you to display other data above the chart without making the chart too small. Some other plotters I looked at had landscape-format screens, and by the time you’ve got data displayed on the top, the chart display becomes a bit long and thin (especially if you’re using a “course up” display).

The Navman’s controls are incredibly intuitive to use, and it’s been designed with a knobbly rubber back on the display so that it’s easy to grip the unit and operate the buttons. In fact, it’s so intuitive that you wouldn’t need to refer to the manual much after the first few uses. The "compass" facility makes it very easy to keep on course whilst still being able to view the chart. Mine's mounted in the cockpit, under the sprayhood, so it's fairly well protected and I can easily see it from across the cockpit. Setting up or modifying waypoints/routes is incredibly quick and simple. A good bit of kit.


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