Question About Navionics Freshest Data

[Dockhead]

I have about $1000 worth of Navionics electronic cartography on my boat. Three of the Micro SD cards have Freshest Data subscriptions, two of which are expiring soon.

In years past, I used to be more casual about keeping electronic charts updated, than I am these days. I have used the Freshest Data a lot and have been glad I did, although even with this service there are plenty of deviations between chart and reality -- not all of the individual charts which go into one of these chips are updated all that often. But at least I think all the Notices to Mariners, at least, are incorporated, so main changes to buoyage, channels, etc.

So now the question arises as to whether to continue Freshest Data, or not. The two cards which are expiring will not be used much this year as I'm in the Baltic until the end of summer. I have just updated them and that is plenty fresh enough (in my book) for the little use I will get out of them this fall.

So maybe I'll renew these subscriptions just before summer next year? That puts me a whole year ahead of the game, with coverage then good for a whole year after that.

Or do they not allow you to start up Freshest Data if you've let it expire?

Anyone have any experiences or knowledge or tips about this?

One more thing: The last Navionics card I bought has a new system where you can't just download the whole set of charts at once. You have to choose an area. What a PITA, especially when working on a slow connection! You can't tell which areas you've already downloaded, and just have to guess! I have traversed the entire Baltic from one end to the other, and I needed the entire chart collection. I ended up with gaps! What a terrible system. Instead of choosing some random area with the mouse, they should (if they must divide the chart area into sections) define different areas and let you see clearly what you have and what you don't have -- by the way, the Navionics charts in INavX are done that way and it works fine.

Bleh!

[mausgras]

I have been surprised at how little comment there has been on this subject. I am thinking of upgrading my seven year old system with the new navionics sonarchart system and and updates. I cruise the waters around Phuket Thailand and the charts there are not the most detail, especially when it comes to uncharted hazards.
One but of feedback I have received is the quality of the multispectral images is not great in heavy swells.
Anyhow I would also be interested in the comments to this post re. updating.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by mausgras

I have been surprised at how little comment there has been on this subject. I am thinking of upgrading my seven year old system with the new navionics sonarchart system and and updates. I cruise the waters around Phuket Thailand and the charts there are not the most detail, especially when it comes to uncharted hazards.
One but of feedback I have received is the quality of the multispectral images is not great in heavy swells.
Anyhow I would also be interested in the comments to this post re. updating.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

I have not noticed any enhanced bathymetric detail, although I loaded (at great expense; via mobile phone connection) the SonarChart data.

Perhaps it doesn't work on my plotters.

[River Cruiser]

I have navionics chart card with my humminbird GPS on my 17 center console. It's a 2004 edition for the inland rivers, gulf and Great Lakes, I've never found the need to upgrade the chart card because on the upper Mis, Illinois River and I imagine the other major inland rivers with corp maintained channels not much changes. On my 38' sedan bridge I use Cmap NT+ charts and it's a 2012 edition, I have contemplated updating it but not sure it's worth the expense. I use both the electronic charts and the latest paper charts when getting out of the channel to anchor, I'll also use the 17' 1st on occasion to scout a anchorage using the fish finder on the humminbird. There are many boaters on the rivers who's only instrument is a depth gauge and they seem to get along just fine. In areas where there are changes in marked channels from year to year then updating would be beneficial especially in unfamiliar waters. Just my opinion and worth exactly what it cost you.


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[bob12000]

I have Navionics on my iPhone, have spent a lot of time scrolling and zooming and updating charts all around my home area (Puget Sound). It takes a while and burns up bandwidth but I finally had all my local charts updated in detail. A few weeks or months later though it all becomes low resolution, grayed out as it was when new.

Have I missed some feature? Is this a quirk with Navionics that I've stumbled onto? Does anyone at Navionics answer user questions?

Thanks.

Bob

[monte]

Try it but make sure you don't need to use it the next day. A lot of people have reported bugs with using the update site that makes the card unusable. We updated ours and it worked ok. I think you need to have a reliable internet connection at least.

[StuM]

Navionics have just done it to me with the Android Asia/Africa App. I've got a huge area of Aus, SE Asia and Oceania downloaded (100s of MB). There was an app update and it tells me that it is now Navionics+ with 12 months of updates.

It's just slowly "Downloaded Basemap" over 3G and I've lost everything previously downloaded and I have to start all over again downloading the areas of interest.

[bob12000]

That sounds like what happens to me. It sure is a pain and I don't see any customer service lines to contact anyone at Navionics.

[GlendaJay]

Yes I am not happy with the new update on the ipad. It seems that now you have to pay each year. I am tempted not to upgrade the other apps just download the maps as usual