Given up on UKHO chart folios

[davidwf]

Finally had enough of UKHO folios and the pain in the backside that they are to update. Emailed UKHO to ask if and when they would allow simple search's on NM but received a reply saying that as they are so cheap we were expected to buy new each year and there were no plans to simplify the update process.

Just purchased two folio's from Imray and according to the chart supplier I'm not the only one to switch with the reason that Imray are easy to update. Wake up UKHO your market lead is being erroded.

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[LORDNELSON]

Could not agree more. They must live in another world to me if they think I would buy a fresh set of charts, at their prices, every year.

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[paulrossall]

I gave up as well. I use Stanfords. I think their update site is better than Imrays because Imrays only detail the corrections to the current charts. This means if the chart has been updated (the one for the Wash seems to be reprinted each year, and I only go through twice a year) the updates for the previous chart are not available. Click below to go to Stanfords web site. Stanfords seem to have gone out of their way to try and be user friendly and if you ring them up they are very helpful.
I will never buy Imray again after I bought their "Tidal Havens of the Wash and Humber" and could not make sense of the tidal stream chart which showed the tidal stream going out whilst the tide height at Hull was increasing. I finally figured out the tidal streams were not based on HW Hull as stated but were based on HW Dover. I rang Imray and at first the bloke told me I did not understand tidal charts and eventually he agreed to look at it and phone me back. He didn't but I rang him back and he had to admit "The author has got this wrong and we will be speaking to him about it". No apology and I did not see a correction notice. I am still annoyed about this even though it happened 4 years ago!! I'l need another can of beer now to help me get to sleep.

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.allweathercharts.co.uk>http://www.allweathercharts.co.uk</A>
Paul

<hr width=100% size=1>" there is nothing-absolutely nothing-half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats".

 

[domlee]

UKHO, sems to me, is a cynical, dishonest and narrow-minded marketing ploy. Look on their 'service' as another form of tax. If I were to provide such a service I could reasonably ask for (a) an initial up-front service charge (for the product), and (b) look for a nominal 'adminstration' charge for updating charts. UKHO do neither!

My advice is to look for a chart provider that follows the formula fo 'a' and 'b' above... Tthis would be honest and pragmatic business practice.

IMO there should be a law by by which people who came up with this discraceful rip-off in the guise of supplying navigational information should be horsewhipped!

There, said it!

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[Niord]

So How many people REALLY update their charts- I don't

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[whisper]

I DO!! But then I've got, almost entirely, Imray charts so it's not too much hassle to do it. Takes me about 6-7hrs to do them all.

<hr width=100% size=1><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by whisper on 25/04/2004 17:32 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[nordic]

You lot are spoilt! No Admiralty chart folios exist up here - N Ireland waters, except on the new electronic chart plotter (which is good value!) We have to buy the big ones, like it or not, although there are some Leisure charts available.

Do the folios not tell you what standard charts are covered? If so you can look up corrections on the UKHO website, if not - well I can't believe they don't tell you what chart numbers are included!

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[Andrew_Fanner]

Updated the Chichester to Ramsgate folio recently. Selectively, reasoning that anything involving a depth of > 12 m was never likely to affect me. It was a royal pain in the tubes ferreting out the correct chart to use, finding that on the website and then deciding if to apply or not. But there again, maybe it gets easier with practice. I have still to do shifts in bouyage around the Goodwins, and as I'm planning Ramsgate for the B/H weekend I suppose it matters.

Chart chip update? Certainly Sir, £30. A lot easier

<hr width=100% size=1>Two beers please, my friend is paying.