Maptech

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I am interested in a cheap PC chartplotter sytem. At the boatshow I came across Maptech who offer a software package, Offshore Navigator Lite, together with about 20 charts for £85. In these pages I have noticed that people seem to favour Oziexplorer. Does this package offer a lot more than the Offshore Navigator Lite supplied by Maptech?

Maptech say their charts are compatible with many chartplotting systems including Maxsea, Raytech etc. Has anyone any experience of using these charts on other systems? Maptech say they are now using BSB4. Is this the most common format for charts?

Finally has anyone any experience of how frequently these charts are updated. I got the impression that in some cases it was likely to be once every two years!

Thanks in advance for any advice on this topic.
 
There was an article about chart plotters quite some time ago and Maptech came out well. I've come across them when they were part of the Reeds McMillan electronic almanac Seafile, but from what I can gather that is now part of the Maptech set up.

The system one step up is supposed to be the best value about, and for caomaprison you can expect to pay £399 for a UK chart plotting programme running Admiralty charts at between £70 and £120 for a folio of 10. Update swere charged at £2 a chart so when you had 70 charts, one hell of an update fee!

If I was starting again I'd go for the maptech.


Phil
 
maptech are excellent and the right price, however so is oziexplorer and the advantage that ozie has is that they supply some software that you use to scan in your own charts (or bits of them) and then use them electronically.
stu
 
I've just got some Maptech charts (BACD01 - Southwest) and am using Memory Map Navigator software (see http:\\www.memory-map.co.uk). Version 3 of this software is required to work with version 4 maptech charts. It all seems to work fine, a bonus is that it includes a version of the software which runs on a 'Pocket PC' (Compaq iPaq in my case). This together with a Garmin hand-held GPS forms a complete stand-alone backup navigation system to my main Simrad chartplotter using C-MAP NT charts. Some Maptech charts have just been updated (Jan 2003) - mine is one of them, but as I got them less than 3 months ago the update is free. They now (apparently) include a tidal stream atlas.

Cheers,

Jerry
 
I saw that deal too but was a bit concerned about just how many charts do you get for that price and are they all tiny harbour sized charts or a larger area?
If its one of the "folios" they do which are normally about a £100 then its sounds like quite a good deal.
 
I use the same Memory Map software with Maptech and have found it very good. Back up for the software is good as well.
 
Why not get the Offshore version from the US for $179? Its a great package and is way more advanced than Oziexplorer (OziEx was designed originally for walkers whereas the Maptech product was always for boaters). The charts are pretty good and relatively cheap compared to other chart formats.
 
What features does this give me that are not present on the Map Viewer Maptech provide with their charts? How does it compare with Seapro et al?
 
Very interested in this post. Why do you use this software and not the Viewer program that seems to be included now? You say that a bonus is that it includes a version of the software that runs on a pocket PC. At LIBS the software that does this was apparently being sold as a product in its own right.

Have you got tidal info on your new charts. If so how does it work? Is it a double click on a tidal diamond to prodice tidal info?
 
Where did you get your software from and who provides the support. It sems that there is more han one distributor?
 
Maptech Viewer and Maptech Offshore are very different products. The Viewer is a freebee which you get with the charts or download off the web site. You can download and upload waypoints to a gps but you cannot plot a position from the GPS on the digital chart (ie: it will not show a moving map display).

The Offshore product has the moving map plus the ability to drive an autopilot - it also has a nice "on the water" display which displays the most useful data on the left of the screen and the moving chart to the right. There is also another "spherical" view of the chart and the water that lies ahead - interesting display but I need to use it a little more to be convinced.
 
Does anybody know if there is a PC chartplotter system compatible with Garmins Bluechart system. I've been looking at getting a Garmin 76S handheld chartplotter but it would be handy to be able to manipulate them on a PC. Also a friend of mine got a load of unlock codes from some newsgroup some months ago... he's going to try to find them for me, does anybody have one of the bluechart CD's as it would be interesting to see if they work.
 
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