Plotters n GPS n Stuff

[martin]

Hi,

Am considering upating my tiddly ickle handheld gps (magellen 6000) to a big boys installation such as big screen plotter, perm installed GPS and linking it up to autopilot so that I can do the handsfree thing and stop crouching over the wheel like a mad ape the whole time.

The boat is a V39 and already has a autohelm auto pilot (old one though) and a Furuno 1731 radar. I mention this cos the radar screen is currently imbedded in the helm position exactly where I think the new plotter beasty should sit. I have turned the radar on many times and golly it does look impressive but have never used it in anger and am unlikely too as as would never venture out in anything less than good conditions and never really go out that far..(cowardly custard yes ...but means wife and kids still love boat and even ask to go out on it)

So the questions are...

Am I mad to scrap the furuno
If not what should I put in its place i.e. recommendations on best kit.
Have dug out old MBM review of plotter and advice seems to be choose the cartridge type first then get the kit to match it...any comments on this as a starting point?
Is it worth trying to get something that will give split screen radar / GPS?

Martin

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[Stingray]

I wouldn't advise getting rid of the radar. Recently we were sat just outside the mouth of the river Crouch on the east coast within site of land, doing a quiet bit of fishing, when all of a sudden a fog bank rolled across and we had instant zero visibility. Weather conditions were fine and fog had not been forecast.

I am sure that using the GPS, compass and sounder I could have got back to the mooring but it was disorientating not having a reference point to steer to and the radar really proved its worth that day.

As we only have a Garmin 65 GPS I will be interested in what the more knowledgeable forumites recommend. I understand that the Garmin 188C is considered a best buy but the screen seems a bit too small for ageing eyesight.

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[david_steward]

If you are forced to junk the radar just to get a chartplotter then think very carefully before proceding.

The radar has many more uses than just poor visibility. It is a powerful navigation tool in it's own right. Not to mention collision avoidance.

I would recommend you read one of the excellent small craft radar books on the market and then decide if you still want to do without a radar.

Maybe a combined chartplotter/radar setup will be the solution. Many more manufacturers use CMap NT+ than Navionics or Bluechart. Probably a Raymarine system will fullfill your requirements.





<hr width=100% size=1>We don't want a sports cruiser, totally impractical. Err ok then.

Dave S

 

[hlb]

Yes your very very mad to scrap the radar. Less of course you fit a new one. No one sets out to be in bad weather or fog. It just happens all by its self. Best is to get a radar and plotter on the same screen. Dont know if you can do that with the Furuno. My Rathion system, though old, is excelent with a newish ST600 auto pilot. Boat drives it's self!

<hr width=100% size=1> <font color=blue>No one can force me to come here.<font color=red> I'm a volunteer!!.<font color=blue>

Haydn

 

[duncan]

you don't need a plotter beasty - just get one of the new colour ones, even with 'integral' ariel to save on wiring.
there are loads coming on the market but my personal experiences with Garmin as a company, and their blue charting, would have me suggesting one of theirs. The 176c with the Atlantic Highway base map, and the bluechart of the coastal area you frequent should do everything you need and can even be used in your car for the other 200 days a year!
Keep the radar - you will need in in time.

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[DavidJ]

If you want to throw money at it buy a Raymarine (or similar) integral chartplotter and radar. You can have either or both on the screen at the same time and with a high speed compass input even overlay one on the other. I've got the 7 inch colour screen which is good. The 10 inch is fantastic if you have the money and the space.

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[tcm]

agrre with others not to scrap the radar. An easy and relativkley cheap solution is to get one of the new handhelds (garmin colour) and buy a kit to support it on the dashboard,. Then you can practice plotting course at home, and keep radar.

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[martin]

thanks for the ideas. will probably not scrap the furono then. Dunno about another handheld though. Will investigate further.

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[byron]

In short... You'd be bloody mad to do away with your Radar.
A plotter is no substitute indeed if you can navigate properly its just another toy whereas Radar is a serious tool.

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[ChrisP]

Back to cost again. Ideal solution something like the Raytheon or furno radar plotters. Combined plotter and radar option of colour or black and white. Daylight viewable. Integral GPS and output for autopilot. Alternatively Garmin 72 or 76 linked into existing radar and pilot. 72 & 76 both hand held type available with mounting bracket and data lead. Runs off ships supply or internal batteries so if ships supply goes down it will switch to it's own battery to get you home.

I know the plotters are all the rage but I find them all fiddly in a seaway especially the track ball type. I still prefere having the paperwork down stairs ready for a quick look. I have the Yeoman plotter linked to the fixed GPS with a change over to the hand held if it's required.

I'd feel naked without the radar. With that a compass, a chart and a depth sounder you will always get home. I would consider this the minimum package with GPS the next essential.

ChrisP ;o)

<hr width=100% size=1>What do you mean the sea gull in front's walking !!!

 

[duncan]

Agree the ideal but don't understand the reference to plotters being fiddly?
You have a chart, at selective scalability via in and out zoom buttons with a graphical representation of your boat's position shown on the chart.
Sure you can wave the cursor around on the screen to find out how far and on what bearing various places are but that's not that fiddly either.

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[hlb]

My plotter must be the most unfidley thing there is. It makes me very lazzy. Move curser, press button. Go upstairs. Press auto. Sit back!! Once came back from CI. I thought we were going to Weymouth. Boat arived at Poole!!!....../forums/images/icons/laugh.gif

<hr width=100% size=1> <font color=blue>No one can force me to come here.<font color=red> I'm a volunteer!!.<font color=blue>

Haydn

 

[jfm]

I agree with the others, keep the radar. But a decent bigscreen colour plotter is also a fantastic nav tool, so you are absolutely right to get one of those too.

Options are - get split screen with radar/plotter on same screen. I think you can do this and keep your old Furuno radar scanner. I recently connected a quite old Furuno scanner (long way up a yacht mast, didn't want to change it) to a brand new Furuno 1943C and it worked fine.

Or get big plotter, fit in dash, and somehow cram the radar screen in too, else move radar screen to port side or to gimbal mount atop dash. Squeezing them in together might involve buying a new bit of wood effect trim for dash but that'll be fine. Here a pic of V39, it looks tight to fit big plotter and radar together.

If you can, get biggest plotter you can, ie 10.4 inch screen not 7. also note, your CMap chips form the 6000 are standard NT or NT+ and will not fit Furuno. Furuno use CMap software but a different physical chip size. So if you have much value in your chips and want to keep them get the Simrad plotter or Raymarine (Simrad is better imho)

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[duncan]

didn't think he has any chips?

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[martin]

yeah...now were talkin...
the old furono screen looks a bit naff anyway, take the point that in time (or at point when an emergency arises) I may grow to use the radar but at the mo...its not (scuse pun) on my radar heh heh!. Helm layout is defintatley a bit crowded (as per piccy..V impressed by the way) at the mo and cant stand having bolty on bits really...so sgonna have to be a dual/split screen thingumy.. price is gonna hurt though init.



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[jfm]

The boat in the pic is Piers' old boat, Play D'Eau, a 1995 V39

On that dash, if you can't fit 2 screens and do not want gimbal mount, a single screen in the form of the new 15 inch Simrad colour combined plotter/radar would be the dog's externals. Loot permitting of course. And fit a TV card so you can watch DVDs full screen or in a window. Plus a tiny backup GPS like Garmin 128 (or your old Mag Nav6000) in case the main unit busts.

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[Guest]

If funds are tight, then look at the JRC Radar 1800 - daylight colour radar & C-MAP NT+ plotter with a 7" screen for under two grand. Try JG Technologies in Weymouth...

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[jfm]

That sounds excellent value.

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