Raytech RNS Free Planner

[Blue5]

We have C120 and Navionics Gold charts, Navionics Card Reader.

I was trying to do some passage planning of waypoints etc using the RNS free planner but cannot get the waypoints to upload to the CF card, I am following the instructions but getting a message "Waypoints Not Exported".

I thought the free planner allowed the uploading of waypoints and routes to a CF card ???

The CF card is a formatted 256mb Viking, I know Raymarine reccomend Sandisk but is it that critical?

Any thoughts appreciated.

 

[alan]

RNS Free Planner

I've just been through this and it's a PITA:
I suspect that you are trying to use the Navionics CF card reader with the Raymarine software??
If this is the case then you either need to buy the Raymarine_Navionics CF card reader (circa £70) and continiue to use the RNS software; or use the Navplanner software which will allow you to save waypoints and routes in the "*.FSH" format from or to your plotter using the Navionics (or maybe any CF card reader, not sure) and most CF cards.

The basic problem is that the RNS software will only work with files saved in the Raymarine "*.FSH") format. However, the latest version of the Navionics Navplanner software will work with files in a large number of formats (the old versions of NavPlanner will not work with the Raymarine file format and vice versa). I upgraded the Navigation Planner to the latest version for £20 and ditched the freeby RNS software!!!

Hope that points you in the right direction .........

Alan.

 

[Blue5]

Hi Alan

Not sure I fully understand your post, must be having a senior moment?

I bought what I thought was a Raymarine Navionics card reader

This one, it even came with the free copy of the RNS software

http://www.marine-super-store.com/posit/shop/index.php?selectedpartno=99180638

These are the screenshots of what comes up when I try to save to a CF card, are you saying the free planner software does not work with the card reader?

I thought this would be simple.......................................

 

[alan]

NDH,
Sorry, maybe my post was not very clear.
There are two (at least) types of CF card reader supplied: one by Navionics with their software "NavPlanner" and which I found is not compatible with the Raymarine RNS software (nor with the C70/C80 plotters!!); however, a later version of the Navionics software "NavigationPlanner" is compatible with the C70/C80 plotters.

The CF reader that you have shown is I believe the correct one for the Raymarine software and the files that you have read are of the correct type for Raymarine software and plotters (Archive.FSH).

Raymarine on their web site give some hints in their FAQs as to possible problems when importing exporting files: one of them is to check the compatibility of your CF card and its format; they even provide a small program that you can download which checks the card for compatibility; they also say that the card should be between 32MB and 256MB, so yours should be OK on that account (I have also used a 2GB card with no problems). I suggest you try and download the compatibility check software from Raymarine and also read their FAQs, they do give some useful hints.

By the way, I gave up on Raymarine as I did not have their card reader (£70) and just use the Navionics NavigationPlanner software. The problem I had with the older Navionics NavPlanner software was that you could not save files in the Raymarine format (*.FSH) which was not very helpful as that is the format that is used by the Raymarine plotters (C70/C80) !!!!!!!

Good luck and let me know how you get on.

Alan.

 

[Blue5]

NDH,
Sorry, maybe my post was not very clear.
There are two (at least) types of CF card reader supplied: one by Navionics with their software "NavPlanner" and which I found is not compatible with the Raymarine RNS software (nor with the C70/C80 plotters!!); however, a later version of the Navionics software "NavigationPlanner" is compatible with the C70/C80 plotters.

The CF reader that you have shown is I believe the correct one for the Raymarine software and the files that you have read are of the correct type for Raymarine software and plotters (Archive.FSH).

Raymarine on their web site give some hints in their FAQs as to possible problems when importing exporting files: one of them is to check the compatibility of your CF card and its format; they even provide a small program that you can download which checks the card for compatibility; they also say that the card should be between 32MB and 256MB, so yours should be OK on that account (I have also used a 2GB card with no problems). I suggest you try and download the compatibility check software from Raymarine and also read their FAQs, they do give some useful hints.

By the way, I gave up on Raymarine as I did not have their card reader (£70) and just use the Navionics NavigationPlanner software. The problem I had with the older Navionics NavPlanner software was that you could not save files in the Raymarine format (*.FSH) which was not very helpful as that is the format that is used by the Raymarine plotters (C70/C80) !!!!!!!

Good luck and let me know how you get on.

Alan.

You are right about it being a PITA, I think I am going to give up and just load the waypoints on the CP manually.

I have the right cardreader and software but I am beginning to think it may be a problem with Vista.

I have been through the FAQs and I seem to be doing everything as recommended

I bought a new 256mb Sandisk CF card and still got the same failure message. I downloaded the compatibility checker off the Raymarine site and that does not work properly either.

Just to compound problems I tried to download the free navplanner to my other laptop, a Mac using Bootcamp, but even that failed.

Regarding the file types, I came across a free prog "GPSBabel" that converts different file types to compatible formats, well worth a look.

If I do find a solution I will PM you

Nigel

 

[Blue5]

Success at last

Ah, success at last, after a nights sleep and a bit of thinking I extracted an old PC from the garage running XP, loaded on the free planner and it works, waypoints downloaded to CF card.

So the problem all along was bl**dy Vista..........I also noticed a few more applications on the programme that were not present in Vista.

I have now got to get a copy of XP to put on my Mac.

 

[alan]

Raytech RNS Planner

Pleased to hear that you have resolved the problem. I have it running on Windows-7 (desktop) and XP (laptop).

Alan.