Yikes.....I've piecemealed a ragtag system over the years.
I have Mapsource, which is a
garmin product. It allows me to plan at home on the
laptop, then upload routes and waypoints to my
garmin handheld. I like the marina information it has. I can pull up
phone numbers and see what services
marinas on my
route have. Mapsource is proprietary so you have to pay garmin for unlock codes to
charts. It doesn't allow the
import of Noaa
charts . I purchased my usual crusing waters awhile ago.
I also have an older version of
Nobeltec.
Nobeltec allows me to download and
import the free noaa
bsb charts and has many features that I like. It overlays
current arrows and tide bars for example. I can plan and print my trip plan and keep it in paper format. If I lose all
Electronics, I still have my plan. ( waypoints, course, distance etc.)
I have a garmin 545 plotter at the
helm, as well. I like the redundancy of having my
laptop and handheld programmed with my entire trip. I then plot the dailly trip on the 545 each night before departure. I also manually plot fixes on my paper charts should I lose all
electronics.
I've stored quite a few
BSB Noaa charts on large capacity USB memory sticks. The download time on highspeed was no problem.
I want to add
radar and
AIS this season, so It's time to re-think everything I currently do.
I would look at Nobeltec again.
Both Nobeltec and Garmin are now in the
radar business, but I wonder how proven they are. Does Nobelec only interface with laptops, or are they compatible with any of the plotters out there?
If I go with a
Raymarine, I then need a new plotter and
antenna. gasp.
Lost in electronics.
Tempest