garmin software

[beau]

Most of you have convinced me that I should go with Garmin. Not only are their products cheaper but they appear to be more reliable.

What software is available for Garmin Blue charts for use on a laptop.

[Sunspot Baby]

Your Garmin will also output NMEA format for use with almost any nav software. One thing I ran into however, was that the neat USB cable only send Garmine format. I didn't pick up on that when first reading the manual, got offshore, needed to use my new Garmin for the laptop when the old hand held died, and couldn't get it to work. I didn't have the servial cable with me. Obviously, I found my way back without it but it sure had me scratching my head for a while.

I bought an extra cable that has both 12 v power and serial. Now my batteries won't run down when I am using it for long periods. Replaced the old hand held with a cheap mouse or puck type GPS dedicated to the comuter. It gets power from the USB port.

I think for Garmin Blue charts, you may have to use their software for the laptop.

George