Navionics Gold 128 MB Chart cards, where to buy?

[sailingunity]

I'm about to buy a boat that has a Furuno Navnet VX2 chartplotter. I don't mind the older technology, but can only take 128MB chart cards. I've looked around some can only seem to find them used and only a few regions. Is there anywhere I can buy them new? (The PO lost them all in a house fire)

[Teknishn]

Not that this will help, but here goes anyway....I've recently completed building a mock-up helm on the antique 27-meter yacht that we are restoring (built in 1937). Naturally all the electronic systems have been incorporated into it, albeit since they were purchased 6-years ago they were bordering on obsolecense already at that time (Raymarine equipment).

But to the point, I recently purchased Navionics Platinum for our Raymarine C120W Chartplotter directly from Raymarine. In one of the three plotter tech manuals it states something along the lines not to use a CF Card larger than 2GB (I may be off on that exact amount of storage) or the CF Card will not operate properly. When we received our new CF Card it was 16GB! When inserted into the chartplotter it worked just fine. Furuno might have the same kind of thing going on with their chartplotters, probably to sell upgraded CF Cards after initial purchase. And possibly you may be able to purchase a CF Card from them directly.

[sailingunity]

Thanks, Teknishn. In this case I think I am limited by the age of the chart plotter (circa 2008). The current owners tried to insert a newer style chart card in and it did not work. I emailed Navionics and we'll see what they say.

[Teknishn]

I suggest you contact Furuno directly. Navionics comes from many different distriibutors. Our Raymarine C120W was circa 2006 technology. We were able to download a software upgrade for free that made it compatible with 2016 charts (sorry, forgot to mention that bit that we had to do the software upgrade in my last post). You've piqued my interest as a "Teknishin" so I may go in search of this myself.

[Glacier Crews]

Have been looking for Navionics Gold charts for over a year now. The first person I talked to the "Furuno guy" in Juneau, AK, told me "Yes. I have those. I get them out of boats when I'm working on them. No I won't sell any cards to you because I'm going to use them on my own boats." This man was "not recommended" by anyone I talked to because "He will take your helm apart and leave it a mess for months."

Keep getting caught in the loop between Furuno and Navionics.

Navionics: "The software in the older Furuno must be "re-done" in order to run the charts that are sizey (Say Barrow, AK to Punta Areana, Chile). No one wants to do this. (I live in AK)"

Advice received: Advice from sellers of Navionics: "Take the Furuno out, send to Furuno, get software upgrade, put Furuno back on."

Advice from Furuno: get someone local who has the capacity to "make" you the cards you are missing.

Advice from the "sellers of cards": "Furuno told you that? That's crazy, It will cost you more than a new chart plotter."

And on and on it goes.

I believe one of these days I will suck it up and send one (of three) Furuno Navionics Gold chart plotters aboard this vessel to Furuno.

I am particularly annoyed by the advice that I should "just use a tablet." If I wanted to see a wee tablet with a map, I wouldn't be trying to find the cards. I have navionics maps on an I-phone g6 and when I feel particularly needy and have access to Wi-Fi --- then I load up maps on that.

I would love to use the Furunos and I would not love to spend $1,000+ per unit to do it. Have I spent $1,000+ in time trying to resolve this issue? Yes. I think I have.

I will be watching this thread with interest, just in case someone has found the perfect way to skin this cat.

[Teknishn]

Three Links here for NavNet vx2 cards:

Electronic Charts on Cartridge--Furuno Plotters

https://www.memoryc.com/furuno-gps-n...ory-cards.html

The CF cards are dependent on the model number of the unit (which the OP did not tell us).

And a link with the procedure to upgrade the system's software:

http://furunousa.com/ProductDocument...dure%20_3_.pdf

Hope some of this might be helpful...

[sailingunity]

Originally Posted by Teknishn

Three Links here for NavNet vx2 cards:

Electronic Charts on Cartridge--Furuno Plotters

https://www.memoryc.com/furuno-gps-n...ory-cards.html

The CF cards are dependent on the model number of the unit (which the OP did not tell us).

And a link with the procedure to upgrade the system's software:

http://furunousa.com/ProductDocument...dure%20_3_.pdf

Hope some of this might be helpful...

Thanks again Teknishn (got it right this time). It is a 1724C and takes SD cards. Wow those charts are pricey, MUCH more expensive than the newer charts. Might just be worth it to get a new chart plotter?

[Vasco]

Here are two Navionics chips bought in 2004. The Bahamas one has been used the other one has never been used. If interested pm me.

[Teknishn]

A newer Chartplotter will just come with the basic Navionics. Depending on your Furuno's screen resolution, it may be worth it just to upgrade the charts (and yes, they are pricey....our's cost us a bit over 900 Euros for the Platinum and Sonar charts. Replacing a Chartplotter on its own ain't cheap either, and then you need to add updated charts.

Decisions, decisions....

Oh..the "SD" cards that you are referring too are "SanDisk" cards. They actually Compact Flash (CF) cards.

[sailingunity]

After speaking with Furuno, their recommendation was to have the unit converted to CMAP. They stopped supporting Navionics in the vx2 series after the switch to navionics+, it would freeze and crash the unit.

[Akapeterc]

I have a Raymarine e120 Classic,when I recently went to update my Gold charts I was told that they were no longer going to have updates available for Gold charts and for a pretty good discount I could upgrade to the Navionics+, which I have done. The new CF card is 4gig capacity.

[sailingunity]

Well poo, CMAP cards are about the same price as navionics plus, but much smaller areas. For example, one navionics card will get you Africa, but it takes 3 cmap cards (three times the cost).

[Dave22q]

When I had display unit problems I investigated replacing my Raymarine installed Navionics cards for N and S America. I was able to repair the unit but before I did I found many Navionics CF gold cards on Amazon and E-bay. Price variation was major- $50-$190 for Central America and the Gulf as an example. Also many sellers were very vague as to the exact coverage areas of their cards. Yes you can find reasonable deals but you have to be very careful. I found both Raymarine and Navionics to be of no real help.