GPS from US

[plk987]

I am looking for a new GPS chartplotter at the moment, but with the current dollar exchange and xmas sales in the USA, it's looking very tempting to buy one from america. Are there any problems in using a US bought Garmin or Lowrance in English waters. I assume the base mapping will be American, but can this be upgraded or do I have to buy the relevant charts

 

[Its_Only_Money]

Base mapping is usually too small scale for navigation in any case so you'd have to buy the charts (think about it, why would anyone buy charts if the maps built-in were OK?? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif ). The only differences I have found in units from the US is that the units or unit combinations used may be US-centric (eg feet/Nm) but it will depend on what features your proposed unit has/hasn't as to whether this might be a problem. The GPS system itself is the same so the positioning will all work as expected - although as always you'll need to check the datum settings.

 

[jeffro]

Ibought two garmin colour chart plotters while i was on holiday this year .one was for a friend no probs at all with the plotters but we both were not impressed with the maps which were later bought in England very expensive and not at all up to date and upgrading almost as expensive as buying new !

 

[pvb]

Check UK offers first...

If you're actually travelling to the US, you might be able to bring one back without getting stung too badly on duty/VAT. If you're buying by mail order, the shipping costs, plus duty/VAT, will make any saving quite small.

There are some good deals around in the UK right now. Check out JG Technologies in particular, and of course MES. I'd avoid Garmin chartplotters simply because their proprietary charts don't have a great reputation. Lowrance use Navionics charts, which are better. Also take a look at Navman plotters - I've been using a Tracker 5600 for a couple of seasons and it's excellent. Navman use C-Map charts, which some people reckon are better than Navionics. JG Technologies are currently offering the Tracker 5600 for £649 inc postage and a free C-Map cartridge.

 

[colin_jones]

"I'd avoid Garmin chartplotters simply because their proprietary charts don't have a great reputation. "

I normally avoid this sort of contentious debate but....

....... I think you should say how you justify such a remark. Poor reputation with whom?

Garmin's Bluechart is derived - and not much altered - from one of the best of the commercial cartography systems.

In leisure terms, we are very lucky. C-Map, Garmin Bluechart and Navionics Gold have more similarities than they have differences and all 3 are good.

You should now post something factual to justify your statement.

This is not a personal rant. I am a C-Map user.

 

[pvb]

Garmin reputation...

Garmin has a generally good reputation for its hardware. However, I seem to recall that they upset many thousands of boaters worldwide when they discontinued support for their proprietary G-Chart cartridge format - effectively rendering owners' expensive plotters obselete. BlueChart is good, but it's still a Garmin proprietary system, and buyers of Garmin plotters using BlueChart should remember this point, and ask themselves what happens to their expensive plotters if Garmin once again decide to switch format for commercial reasons. It's much safer to choose a cartridge format which is used by a number of plotter manufacturers, so that the future availability of cartridges and updates isn't governed by the business decisions of a single company.

 

[Duster]

I recently imported a boat from the US, which had a Garmin 2006c plotter and echo sounder fitted. It works absolutely fine but the base chart is of too low a definition to use for navigation - you have to buy a chip with the charts for your area, in my case the whole of the W coast of Scotland ( in great detail ) cost about £160.I had a Garmin GPS on my previose boat which gave several years faultless sevice and they do have a good after sales service reputation and are helpfull if you phone them.Finacialy it may be worth buying one in the US if visiting there but try phoning one of the discount chandlers with "I can get one for £X - what can you do" . Another choice is to buy one in the Channel Isles should you be visiting there.
Regards mikej

 

[plk987]

Thanks everyone, luckily I live in the Channel Islands so VAT isn't an issue which does bring the costs down on any import either from the US or UK. I'll just have to keep looking...

 

[philip_stevens]

I bought a Navman 5500 plotter from www.starmarinedepot.com for about 2/3rds price of the cheapest in the UK. There was a software problem with it, that needed updating, and Plastimo honoured the worldwide guarantee for the update.

 

[duncan]

Re: Garmin reputation...

hmmm - rather unfortunately given your initial post the problem wasn't so much Garmin as Navionics who ported their cartography onto the Garmin G-Chart cartridges /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
the beef most had with Garmin was that they only gave a couple of years notice of the fact that they were withdrawing from Navionics, and Navionics have pulled support from updating G Charts, leaving many with units only a few years old and no means of updating the charts, or aquiring more. This was all the more surprising given the excellent long terms support Garmin (certainly in the UK) give to their hardware including out of warrantee exchanges etc.
I speak as someone who has 2 Garmin DGPS plotters and 30 G Charts as well as a Lowrance unit with Navionics - but has never updated an electronic chart yet because few coastlines will move in my lifetime and buoys are always moving anyway, even the day after you buy a new chart!
Finally if anything Garmins move should enable them to take more control of the charting and I for one see that as a positive.

 

[Guest]

Re: Garmin reputation...

It is a fact that many boaters actually use out dated paper charts - yes there are also many who correct their charts etc. So why the difference with plotter charts ........ so Garmin pulls out of G-Chart system .... doesn't mean system is now not working or no use at all .... I suggest that a paper chart which is advised to have on borad for close in work etc. supporting the 'out-dated' plotter chart is better than just a paper or plotter on its own .....

I think a bit of common-sense and practicality has to be applied here ......

It was only recently that not only Garmin but another well known Chart provider was in the news .... so its not restricted to just one company etc.

 

[pvb]

I\'m not anti-Garmin...

Let me say I’m not anti-Garmin; indeed I own a Garmin GPS which has given me tremendous service. But, right now, I’m in the process of choosing a new plotter, and I’ll only consider Navionics or C-Map formats.

The key point I wanted to make was that anyone contemplating buying a chartplotter should bear in mind the possibility that a plotter manufacturer can scrap their own proprietary system at will, rendering the expensive plotter prematurely obselete. Garmin did just this, antagonising many thousands of plotter owners (and remember that the cost of buying a plotter say 5 years ago was a lot more than today). There was a thread titled “Gutted with Garmin” on this board last year, showing just how some Garmin owners felt.

You’re right to say, Nigel, that out-of-date G-charts can still be used, but maybe you’ve overlooked the fact that a G-chart user wanting to cruise to a different area can no longer get hold of a G-chart.

Despite Duncan’s assertion that it was Navionics’ decision to stop selling G-charts, I reckon it was a simple business decision by Garmin. When Garmin first announced the G-chart format, they said that the decision to develop the proprietary G-Chart system instead of going with standard Navionics cartridges would allow valuable enhancements. Garmin’s claim was that with the G-Chart system, they weren’t “anchored to just Navionics information”, but rather that could add data from any source or generate it themselves. On this basis, discontinuing G-charts can only have been a Garmin decision. And remember that when they announced the end of G-charts, Garmin took the line that Navionics was “unable to supply us with data in a useable and economic format” – note the word “economic”! That seems to reinforce the view that Garmin ditched G-charts for pure commercial reasons.

 

[Guest]

Maybe a little thought ??

<<can no longer get hold of a G-chart.>>> not so ..... I am sure that anyone can soon find a suitable seller of secondhand cartridges ..... especially those who are replacing their Garmin Plotters for a system with current chart formats .... e-bay for example will be flooded with plotters / cardtridges when it really bites home.

I don't advocate unsafe practices when it comes to safety at sea .... just mention practical matters - many boaters don't want to spend again on plotting when the set they have is actually still supplying that which they bought it for !!

I in fact would be willing to buy a Garmin Plotter with such cartridge system - if price is right - and many who know me - know what I mean by that !!! Peanuts.

The original question was about buying a GPS from USA .... mine came from Estonia - with a different software version installed from that of UK .... so when I update the op system on it - I have to be careful to use the Euro-system, otherwise I could render the system inoperable. Sounds terrible - but in fact is simple ..... The upshot is - the machine operates no different to any other bought in UK / USA / other ......

At the end of the day prudent boater wil not rely on one system ..... and its cheaper / easier to update a paper chart !! Keping the plotter for ease of knowing where you are generally ....

 

[philip_stevens]

Re: Maybe a little thought ??

As you say, Nigel, G-Charts are still available by those wishing to sell them on.

There is one here http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/view/F53081/

regards,
Philip.


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