Laptop first navigation and now Radar ?

[oldgit]

Did I read somewhere that you can now buy software to display a radar picture on your laptop( with a scanner )or is this just another example of my memory playing up again ?

 

[chrisharris]

Yup, Nobeltec VNS and Admiral software packages can do this when linked to their own radome (via USB), or through a black box interface to other scanners. They can do radar overlay on charts etc.

I think Raymarine did something similar with the Raytech software using HSB2......

 

[Divemaster1]

KODEN have been on the market or a number of years....,

http://www.koden-electronics.co.jp/eng/marine/radarpc/index.html

.....but as it was cheaper to buy a seperate system (MDP 1240) and a 4 ft, 4 KW (48 NM) open scanner with relatively high definition (Beam width Horizontal 1.8°/Vertical 22°) with available space, it bacame our choice.... despite not being common in the recreational market. (response from company was....... "we'll see you in 10-15 years when you consider a replacement.... or when you buy a new boat... whichever one comes first..")

 

[PilotWolf]

We run Transas on PC with lap top slaved as a back up. Fed from a Furuno scanner. Probably outside most leisure budgets but a good set up.

W.

 

[chrisharris]

Interesting, I wonder how many people are now going the nav-pc route rather than standalone chartplotters? Must say the article in this months MBM made me rather glad I went for Nobeltec, the plotters were almost all megabucks! It would be interesting to know what the major boat manufacturers are specing these days, I guess they will stick with standalone nav plotters for easy of use/reliability = perceived 'low risk'?