Quandary
Well-Known Member
I have been using Imray digital charts with live tides on an old Inspiron 6000 laptop for the last few years; during the winter the laptop was giving problems so I backed up and reinstalled the system. However Acronis decided not to save the charts but just a link, not a problem as a renewal download was due anyway. You now purchase directly from Meridian and when on their site I noticed that Seatrak based on raster scanned admiralty charts was the same price and covered both sides of the UK and Ireland; so I foolishly bought that instead. Disaster!!!!! when I started using it on a trip up the West Coast last week; the package seems to be aimed at divers or sea anglers, the huge library of charts are randomly indexed (by Admiralty chart number so really really random) and scanned at very large scale, even zoomed down at 1-2 they are unreadable on this laptop, the Imray charts were smaller scale allowing routes to be planned on one selection. Even worse many of the charts did not meet or overlap the only cover being the index chart for the whole of Scotland. Most of the time with a typical Seatrak chart zoomed 1-1 so it can be read, you can have only water on your chart even in the Inner Sound. Then I discovered that when the GPS was interfaced it showed the position and speed but everything else, waypoints, routes, tides, pan and zoom were all frozen, the only escape when the boat reached the edge of the screen was to manually shut down and start up again to move the display. Parallel rule and pencil out after about 5 years of laziness.
I suspect the laptop is not up to the job, it is about 8 years old and still running XP.
What should I replace it with? Is it worth going for an I 3 processor and a 17" display? I have a big chart table with room for a once folded Imray chart behind the laptop and since it otherwise lives on the kitchen table, portability is not an issue. I would like to be able to set up and monitor a typical days route of say 30 to 60 miles on the display. Or is there something with a smaller display but high definition, I will not want to invest more than £4-500 for this.
I intend to go back to the much clearer Imray charts anyway even if Meridian will not do a deal with me; unless someone recommends an alternative I should look at.
I suspect the laptop is not up to the job, it is about 8 years old and still running XP.
What should I replace it with? Is it worth going for an I 3 processor and a 17" display? I have a big chart table with room for a once folded Imray chart behind the laptop and since it otherwise lives on the kitchen table, portability is not an issue. I would like to be able to set up and monitor a typical days route of say 30 to 60 miles on the display. Or is there something with a smaller display but high definition, I will not want to invest more than £4-500 for this.
I intend to go back to the much clearer Imray charts anyway even if Meridian will not do a deal with me; unless someone recommends an alternative I should look at.