Chartplotter Vs. PC based set-up, questions???

[bmartinsen]

[. for instance if an object of a certain size gets within a specific proximity to my vessel. . . anyway, you get the picture.


I'd like to see a radar that can do this. Your asking a lot from a radio wave bounicing off something. I have a raymarine C70 and the blip on the screen may be a cruiseship or a sailboat with good radar reflectors. My advice is anything capable of giving you a blip should be avoided. Alarms can be sounded that a blip is on srceen. I have 2 laptops, both able to interface to the nema bus as Backup to everything else but use dedicated
equipment for each job, they can all talk. My autopilots(2) can talk to my 2 gps's and wind, but you still need paper as back-up. Power consumption and reliablity being paramount. All the electronics on my boat have failed at some time, including the compass lite at 3am in a sqall ( this was really annoying) but only one at a time.
IMhO spend your money on lots of good solar panels over wind generators,
I'd gladly trade my wind generator for 2 more panels. In the Caribbean solar works well.

btw. remove passwords on start -up a wet keyboard can ruin your day
learn all you can about amp/hours
cheers
Brad

[gmalan]

I have a chartplotter on the helm on S/V Sunny Spells as well as the ability to run a laptop with Software-on-Board, using the C-Map cartridges from my Navman Chartplotter (S.V. Sunny Spells · Navigation Systems).

1. The laptop draws around 4 to 5 amps. The chartplotter, autopilot, AIS, instruments - in fact everything else - draws less than 2 amps when it's all running. This single one fact rules out the laptop for primary navigation.

2. A chartplotter really comes into its own when navigating around obstructions, making landfall at night, or when avoiding traffic using radar or AIS. The rest of the time you can plot a grid reference on a map. So really, you need it at the helm. A laptop can't do that unless you want to risk it getting wet.

3. You can now buy a small colour chartplotter with AIS for well under $1000 (Navman), and I'm considering fitting one as backup in the nav station so I can check on it when I'm off-watch at night. Running the laptop is not an option because of the amp-draw.

4. Chartplotters, in my experience, are very reliable. How often does your "Windoze" laptop freeze, crash, restart... I wouldn't bet my life on a laptop!

I always carry a laptop, but it primarily gets used for planning, for writing my blog and keeping in touch via e-mail. It's also good for troubleshooting NMEA issues...

[bstreep]

I've got both. The laptop is just about unusable. Seriously, the software crashes all the time (maptech).