Navionics PC App on a Mac

[glennytots]

Is anyone successfully using the Mac version of this software especially with the 5G396XL UK, Ireland and Holland chart? This is the route planning software that comes free with the Navionics Gold package.

The issue I have is with the download of my chart from within the App.... it reaches about 80% or so at which point the download window vanishes and the download ceases. I hoped that updating to the 1.6.0 version of the software would solve the problem... but no.

So this promising software remains useless. I've tried this repeatedly on 2 different Intel Macs both running OSX 10.6.8 and the same thing happens on both.

I've opened a support ticket with Navionics but have had no solution offered.

If anyone has this working, what mac model /OS version are you using and are you successfully using this chart?

Thanks.

 

[glennytots]

Update

Further to the above, after much to and fro-ing with Navionics and a few false promises, they have released version 1.6.1.0 of this software that does work with OSX10.6.8. It's annoying when customers have to do the beta testing.

The question now is... was the software worth the hassle?

 

[glennytots]

Navionics PC App is OK

Continuing my conversation with myself....

After an afternoon playing, I think the PC App is going to be quite useful.

But what it is not is intuitive. It is almost as though the powers-that-be at Navionics don't want us to know how powerful it is .

Here are some notes on what I have managed to do and some of the mysteries this software holds.

Firstly the Settings window scrolls ... click on the shaded area and mouse up.
At the bottom is a Help page that holds a brief manual.

The waypoint window allows you to create a route composed of waypoints which you enter by clicking and dragging on your chart. You can store this route but not assign a name. At first I thought one could only store one route. Then I explored the Search menu....

Here I can search for my Markers (which seem to be sort of waypoints but which do not transfer across to your plotter). You create marker by clicking on your chart and then 'clicking for more info' at which point you can designate that position as a 'Favorite'. Or you can add an object to your chart which I think is then shared with other users using the system. And you can view other user's data especially useful if your mates are using the same system as you can prioritise their data.

And also using the Search Menu you can view your saved routes which include the ones that you didn't get to name under the 'WP' menu. Here you can now name them and load them into memory in order to edit them under the WP menu.

Also here is tidal information for ports and also for the various tidal diamonds that appear on the charts... for years ahead !! You can also get this by clicking on the diamonds themselves. Really comprehensive data and a nice little graphic.

I think, combined with the wind predictions that are available within the system, make this a pretty powerful planning tool although time will tell how good the wind predictions are. I wonder where they get this data from?

I managed to move the routes and waypoints across to my Lowrance 5150c by way of a separate SD-Card (NOT the one containing the maps) ... the route names also went across, though the waypoints were just a list (any naming of favorite 'markers' didn't go across) ... I'm not sure that you can therefore easily reuse waypoints between routes and therefore I suspect my plotter's memory could get a little congested.

Anyway... my impressions are quite good now that I have found my way around this initially baffling software. Especially as it was free with my chart.

 

[RBJ]

Navionics Gold on the Mac

This is very interesting. I can't add any constructive comments but I do have some questions.

I have a Raymarine C70 plotter (installed 2006) using Navionics Gold charts. While the system works well I have never liked the inability to use my charts on a Mac.

Perhaps this has now changed.


My charts come on San Disks. When I bought them there was PC software but the charts had to be acessed using a Navionics/Raymarine San Disc reader on a PC only.

I have an MB Pro with a regular San Disk reader. This does not allow me to access my Navionic charts and there I have left it.

For backup I use a regular San Disc which I insert in the plotter and then select which waypoints/routes I want to save.

- How do you access your Navionics Gold charts from your Mac?

- Is the software and updates available online from Navionics?

- if you create waypoints/routes using the Navionics software are you saying there is a problem with maintaining/route waypoint names when transferring to your plotter?

Regards

 

[aluijten]

- How do you access your Navionics Gold charts from your Mac?

You don't.
That is, you can now use the MAC version of the new Navionics PC program to view a chart and plan routes. But you cannnot transfer the routes to your Raymarine plotter!
I've just loaded all the stuff to my Mac only to find out that the import/export facility in the Navionics PC program does NOT support the Raymarine format, unless you run the PC version of the program (as opposed to the Mac version).

I'm wondering who the "bad guy" is in this aspect. Is it Navionics for being too lazy to program the Mac version properly or (more likey) is it Raymarine because they provide Navionics with a Windows only program-library with routines to generate and read from the ".fsh" files that are used by the Raymarine plotter.

Whoever it is, we, the customer, is left out in the cold. Although I'm running virtual PCs on my Mac it's annoying to be forced to a windows environment for such a silly detail.

I don't think I'll ever understand all these stupid proprietary formats adored by the manufacturers. I mean; how much effort can there be for Raymarine to make the plotter read GPX files? I hate this vendor lock-in tricks!

 

[RBJ]

You don't.
That is, you can now use the MAC version of the new Navionics PC program to view a chart and plan routes. But you cannnot transfer the routes to your Raymarine plotter!

Oh dear. So it's changed just a little. If I can't transfer waypoints/routes then it is still pretty much a waste of time. Might as well just do it on the plotter.

Agree absolutely with your comments about Navionics Gold deliberately restricting the use of paid for chart data. I bought it. I want to use it where I want, on what I want, when I want.

This thread set me looking again at the Navionics/Apple problem. I notice that for US$199 I can download all Central/South American charts to my Mac for 1 year from Fugawi. These can be used with ENC on my Mac, and with an app on my phone and I-Pad. Now that's more like it. Not sure what happens after a year.

Then they say
NOTE: These charts can NOT be copied to a CF or SD card for use in a Navionics supported chart plotter. To use Navionics charts in a dedicated chart plotter, you must purchase the Navionics charts on official Navionics Plug-and-Play media such as CF or SD card.

In other words if one uses Apple products and a marine plotter one is still expected to pay twice.

 

[glennytots]

Navionics PC App ona Mac

This is very interesting. I can't add any constructive comments but I do have some questions.

I have a Raymarine C70 plotter (installed 2006) using Navionics Gold charts. While the system works well I have never liked the inability to use my charts on a Mac.

Perhaps this has now changed.


My charts come on San Disks. When I bought them there was PC software but the charts had to be acessed using a Navionics/Raymarine San Disc reader on a PC only.

I have an MB Pro with a regular San Disk reader. This does not allow me to access my Navionic charts and there I have left it.

For backup I use a regular San Disc which I insert in the plotter and then select which waypoints/routes I want to save.

- How do you access your Navionics Gold charts from your Mac?

- Is the software and updates available online from Navionics?

- if you create waypoints/routes using the Navionics software are you saying there is a problem with maintaining/route waypoint names when transferring to your plotter?

Regards

Roger

By 'Sandisk' I assume you are referring to an SDRAM card. Sandisk is the manufacturer.

Navionics do 2 pieces of software for the mac….
One is "Navionics World" (a.k.a. "Navservice") which you can download from www.navionics.com… this operates in the background… it recognises when your chart card is attached to your mac and then gives access to the Navionics online store. It then automatically downloads and installs the updated charts. if you are entitled to such updates. I am .. because I have just bought and registered the Gold package. In a year I expect that Navionics will require some payment to extend this update facility.

It is worth mentioning that I do not need to use a special Navionics card reader… just my normal off-the-shelf one. I don't know whether the way the cards are formatted has been changed or whether you are using older software. I suspect the former.

The second piece of software is the PC App…. (note that both the Mac and PC versions are called the the PC App). It is similar to the Navionic's Mobile App and its function is primarily passage planning. It is this software that this thread is about. I was offered this as a free add-on to my purchase of the Gold charts but I suspect that anyone can download this for free from ww.navionics.com. Now then…. this software doesn't use the chart data that is on your SDRAM card. Indeed your card does not need to be attached to your Mac in order for the App to work. Instead it downloads a special version of charts from its server to be stored on your mac. You can purchase these charts (thankfully for much less than the plotter versions cost) or in my case it recognised that I had just purchased and registered the Gold UK charts for my plotter and gives me the PC App versions for free. These are updated from time to time. What will happen after my year of free updates, I have yet to discover.

It seems that the Navionics software does not let you name waypoints…. on transfer to my plotter, the waypoints seem to get a incremental number. Of course I could rename them within my plotter (a Lowrance) but I doubt that these names would be retained if I transferred the data back. Route names are retained.

The App exports the route/waypoint data in various formats for different plotter manufacturers, though not one for Raymarine. However the Lowrance output has 3 diffeent options.... I would bet you'd find a generic format amongst these output types that would at least allow export of data, though maybe not import. Good luck.

 

[RBJ]

Thanks for that detailed reply.

My backup disc is an ADL Compact Flash 1GB disc, the same as the discs containing my Navionics Gold charts.

I paid around £200 (5 years ago) each of my 2 Navionics Gold chart discs. My gripe has always been having to pay for the same thing or similar again merely because I want to plan on my Mac instead of the rather clunky Raymarine plotter interface.

An internet based solution is not always ideal. I'm at anchor in Brazil and accessing the forum on my phone over a slowish edge connection.

I'll see if I can download the PC application and report back.

 

[RBJ]

Well that was interesting.

Couldn't find any reference to downloads on the Navionics site. Via google I got a PDF explaining how to get the PC App via the web store.

Went to the web store. I had to download a Navionics App to enter the web store. The download started. Navionics.dmg 93.3 mb. Being on a slow edge connection it was going to take 2 days 12 hours 18 minutes. Stopped download. I'll need to wait for a faster connection.

I'm unclear as to whether this is the PC App or a separate app to use to get the PC App and to buy charts. There were references in the user guide to the effect that the PC App had to be purchased.

This is the problem with Navionics. They just don't understand the concept of a pleasing user experiance. I suspect they are terrified that their business model may go the same way as that of the music and film industries but instead of learning from those mistakes they go down the same DRM road making a horrendous user experience in the process.

 

[aluijten]

By 'Sandisk' I assume you are referring to an SDRAM card. Sandisk is the manufacturer.

Nitpicking mode on
---------------------
These memory cards are actually called Flash memory. SDRAM a type of RAM memory for your computer and is not used in memory cards
----------------------
Nitpicking mode off

It seems that the Navionics software does not let you name waypoints…. on transfer to my plotter, the waypoints seem to get a incremental number. Of course I could rename them within my plotter (a Lowrance) but I doubt that these names would be retained if I transferred the data back. Route names are retained.

Not true, but they made a real puzzle out of it to (re)name routes. It's explained in the help. Basically you need to go via the 'Search' menu and 'Favourites'

If anything it proves Italians are not a very logical people

The App exports the route/waypoint data in various formats for different plotter manufacturers, though not one for Raymarine. However the Lowrance output has 3 diffeent options.... I would bet you'd find a generic format amongst these output types that would at least allow export of data, though maybe not import. Good luck.

Not completely accurate. The Mac version of the PC App has no ability to im/export to and from Raymarine. The Windows version does.
Thanks to the limited capabilities of the Raymarine plotter you cannot use the standard GPX exchange format and must use their own silly format. As there is no software function module available from Raymarine to do this for Mac, it only works for Windows

 

[glennytots]

Oops... well nitpicked on all counts. Although you misinterpreted my comment about the naming of routes, See my earlier posting.

Very annoying that the software doesn't work for you.

 

[aluijten]

Oops... well nitpicked on all counts. Although you misinterpreted my comment about the naming of routes, See my earlier posting.

Very annoying that the software doesn't work for you.

Humble apologies about the waypoints. I did not read your your post properly