how often do you

DoubleEnder

DoubleEnder

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update electronic charts? My CMap thingy is dated April 2008. It's a lot of money for an update. I am mean. I think I am going to get a tablet PC with cheap Navionics and keep the old chip in the plotter. Then I can watch movies, do email etc for not too much more...

Is this unwise?

Graham
 
gdallas said:
update electronic charts? My CMap thingy is dated April 2008. It's a lot of money for an update. I am mean. I think I am going to get a tablet PC with cheap Navionics and keep the old chip in the plotter. Then I can watch movies, do email etc for not too much more...
Click to expand...
Do you use paper as well as electronic charts?
 
What kind of sailing do you do? If you potter about the solent twice a year then leave it as it is. If you go to new ports regularly at night shorthanded then maybe get everything up to date.

It sounds like you just want a new toy (no offense) so I'd say get the new toy.
 
My Garmin charts are original Bluechart, ten years old. At LIBS two years ago I was considering going to a later chart, which means I would have to buy a new plotter. I asked to see the latest Greek chart on a new plotter to see whether I could justify the expense. The chart appeared to be exactly the same as the one I use.
 
LadyInBed said:
When do CMap say their latest thingy was updated?
Click to expand...

I had a free update voucher when I bought my SH300i complete with Cmap Chart back in 2009 which I had forgotten about. So last year I enquired at one of the Cmap Distributers, and they said that the Cmap UK Agent had moved to Europe, so it would cost me £40 to have it updated by them, as they get charged by Cmap for the software to do the updates for people in this country, or they could send it back to Italy as the offer was only available through the Main Agent?
After a little persuasion, they did send it back to Italy for the update F.O.C.
Apparently they update twice a year? Not a bad little earner!! If you are desperate for up-to-date info?
I personally won’t be updating this year,or for a few years yet, as my coastline doesn’t change that much and normal chart updates are of more use . It is after all only an aid to navigation, even if others use it as their main reference?
 
Like Xeitosaphil, my Standard Horizon plotter came with a free update voucher last year. I haven't used it yet, and don't plan to for at least another couple of years, maybe more.

I do, however, update my paper charts each winter. I rather enjoy it, and after all it doesn't cost anything. I prefer to use charts as my main navigation source, so if things don't match up with the plotter it's not really a problem.

Doing the chart updates shows you how much does change - ok, some of it's marginally relevant, but something like the removal of most of the buoys off the Exe could seriously confuse if you weren't aware of it.

Pete
 
I update the plotter occasionally; actually last year for east of our area, but a few years old for the channel.

Most charts I keep for ages, except Thames Estuary North and Dutch 1811 & 1812 which I regularly buy.

Reeds (not to be used for navigation & all) every other year, unless SWMBO panics & buys one.
 
I used to prefer Imray charts and their update was very easy to download on line compared to the UKHO ones on which Imrays were based. I would download the updates and decide if any changes merited putting anything on my C-Map cartridges or if I could simply file the various updates to read through before a relevant passage in case things like light characteristics had changed. Buoyage changes could be bodge added on the C-map by putting a 'mark' in at the appropriate new point with the appropriate buoy symbol and old buoys could be marked over with an 'X' symbol.

We sailed in areas where there were not shifting sandbanks and the changes were mostly either ignorable (a new fish farm way off any likely route say) or could be overcome by having an up to date Lights List book or almanac on board. I adopted the same principle with the paper charts, had the update info to hand but didn't spend hours on pointless changes. If major changes did arise (re-location of Ushant TSS for example) I bought a new paper chart and used my buoy mark method on the plotter, then did buy a new cartridge when one luckily happened to come up later secondhand from someone changing boat and plotter charting to Navionics.
 
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