Standard Horizon 180i update

[Sailing steve]

Very late to the electronic navigation party and I've never had any opportunity to use or play about with any other plotter than an ancient SH 180 that's at least a decade out of date.

Google says no to updating the SH one so do I need to fork out for either a new plotter or go for an ebay tablet and chart deal instead? If which one to go for and which mapping system is /best/simplest to use/future proofed for UK coastal sailing?

Nothing complicated with loads of buttons and an incomprehensible 100 page plus instruction manual is going to do the business - I'd like to keep it simple.

Ta.

 

[V1701]

Lots of us just use Navionics on a tablet. Annual subscription to area(s) of interest - UK, Ireland, Holland £40. Download to use offline. Be creative with how you mount it so you can see it from steering position, e.g. I used a music stand tablet holder attached to the inside grab rail so it's just inside the companionway & visible from the cockpit.

There are alternatives to navionics that some prefer & there've been threads on this subject if you search...

 

[MontyMariner]

I'm still using my SH Plotters (note plural). I think you are refering to the Cartography being out of date, if so, SH uses various C Map cartridges - Home | C-MAP
If the plotter is working ok and you can update the Cartography, I can't see a good reason to change it unless you want wifi caperbility.
My Autohelm, Radar and AIS are wired in to mine, I don't need any more functionality.

 

[Refueler]

I'm with both replies !!

I have Navionics subscription on a tablet and phone ... (one sub allows multiple) .... very good ....

I have an old Lowrance Plotter that its charting is way out of date - but also can use C Map which means I can have up to date charts on SD card. But it lacks AIS overlay ....

 

[Sailing steve]

'Fraid the C map site isn't listing my SH180i chartplotter as being compatible with C Map, so if that's the only option then I guess it's either a tablet of some sort or a more modern chartplotter.

I do know whatever I end up with it's got to be very simple and easy to use as all I want is an basic idiot-proof means of doing traditional paper and pencil chartwork electronically.

 

[V1701]

You can have a go of Navionics via the Web here. It's not hard to use...

 

[Refueler]

I think if you check the SH 180i online .. its compatible with C-Map Max NT ??

The tablet / smartphone Navionics though is an economical way to have latest charting and easy to use ... you don't need to bankrupt the wallet on a fancy tablet ... and the Navionics sub per year is real budget level when compared to buying SD card version for plotters !!

My Baltic sub is about 45 euros a year with daily updates .... while SD card for plotter is ~300 euros + ...

 

[LittleSister]

Contact Standard Horizon service centre (somewhere in Hampshire or thereabouts, I seem to recall), if it still exists. I found them very helpful some years ago.

My CP 180i has an out of date chart. Standard Horizon updated it once for me IIRC, years ago, but warned me at the time (or was it when I went to update it again?), that I wouldn't be able to do it again because mine was an early model of the CP 180i, and it didn't have sufficient memory to cope with the newer charts.

I guess the charts are now bigger, as lots of additional info about e.g. commercial services, facilities, photos is now included along with the actual navigation chart. I don't fully understand it though, as my C-map chart covers most of the western coast of Europe. If memory was the problem, why couldn't I just use a chart with less extensive coverage?

I have managed with the out of date charts, supplemented by more recent info from Reeds/other almanacs and paper charts, plus healthy doses of scepticism/caution. It has never given me problems. (I do not expect the world to confirm precisely to the chart - I see the latter as a general guide only to the former.)

 

[littledancersadhu]

I still am using my Garmin 172 c