T&T: Dedicated Chart Plotter or PC
Wayne Prichard
comfortable piloting. We used a Furuno NavNet 2 with C-Map cartography
during a year of continuous cruising largely because of the visibility of
the screen in sunlight. I tried a PC display and it just didn't work with
or without a hood. I also had no desire to spend the kind of $$ to get a
sunlight viewable display since I had to spend on a new radar system and it
was just too much money compared to the incremental cost of the chart
plotter function as a part of the radar system.
All that said I did not like the route planning function of the purpose
built system. It was ok for a few way points but even with the hand held
remote I found it to be cumbersome. We solved this problem by using C-Map
PC planner software on our laptop. While in the cabin we planned our travel
for the next day or two using the PC and transferred the data to the chart
plotter using the SD card. I could have connected the units via cable but
using the SD card was just too simple to avoid. Since the cartography on
the PC was the same as the chart plotter I never found conflicting data.
I also found the PC Planner software to be far superior in getting the
bigger picture of an area but having it on the PC made for less need on the
dedicated system. The PC Planner software was not without its problems
however as I had several conversations with their support people along the
way. It is a good thing that I wasn't navigating with it in real time.
In terms of reliability I am a PC guy and from my experience the purpose
built system is much more reliable than a Windows based PC. However,
neither system is bullet proof. Everyone knows about PC failure potential
but I had a glitch on the purpose built system that cost us some days.
Support was excellent. The lesson I re-learned was to carry the paper
charts. The risk is just not worth it.
Wishing you safe water time.
Wayne
1984 Californian 43
MV Segue
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Larry Gregory
pilothouse. Our navigation system has no WOW value and it is very inexpensive.
No bragging rights and of no value as a show piece. It is a laptop PC with a
Microsoft based Operating System (OS). The computer is a dedicated navigation
computer and has no software except for the OS and the navigation software.
B
So, without further adieu I will describe our system. It is a Dell Latitude
Business Laptop with a 14b screen. The OS is Microsoft Home Edition. The
navigation software is The Capn. Charts used were purchased from The Capn
vendors.
B
Costs are as follows:
Dell Latitude CPx - $68 at Goodwill Computer Works in Austin, Texas.
Microsoft Windows XP b Up grade from Windows 98SE $100.
The Capn software b I canb t remember cost but currently sells for $450.
Charts - $99 from The Capn vendor. (included with The Capn).
B
The Dell Latitude C series computers are old. They are slow. However, they are
built of metal, they are rugged, they are inexpensive to repair, and parts are
inexpensive and readily available. The hard drive, CD/DVD drive, and battery
are removable and easy to swap. The Pentium III processors are fast enough to
run navigation software (The Capn and Coastal Explorer). They are sold on Ebay
and from other sources for less than $300.
B
My wife and I have traveled from South Padre Island, Texas to Norfolk,
Virginia on the ICW with no problems with this system. We even made a couple
of side trips to the Bahamas and visited the Florida Keys.
B
Larry Gregory
Outer Reef