Time Zero V3 vs Open CPN

[Pelagic]

For my new Nav Electronics (Cockpit Console Furuno TZ2 15" + PC/monitor at Chart Table)
I have held off buying the software until ready to cruise.
So I am not up to date on modern integrated systems and what they offer

I have been learning to use basic OpenCPN on my laptop, which is a great open source, but how does it compare with the new Time Zero Navigator V3 whose new features are shown in this video

Given that I have a Furuno TZ plotter, would this work better than the OpenCPN?

https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/17878..._hsmi=57919858

[ranger58sb]

Can't compare, and ours are older, TZ v2 and NN3D... but I can say that having TZ on a laptop when you have a plotter running essentially the same software and using the same charts has been very useful for us.

-Chris

[Pelagic]

Thanks Chris, did you have a chance to look at the TZ V3 video.. Is it much of an upgrade/improvement to V2 as far as integration?

[ranger58sb]

Sorry, I didn't look... IIRC it was expensive enough to upgrade that I decided v2 was sufficient, especially given that our Furuno MFD is v2 as well. I can't think of anything I need that v2 doesn't do, although that might be lack of imagination. OTOH, I usually don't bother much with making routes in advance and so forth... even though it's easy enough to do... so I'm not a "power user."

-Chris

[HBrew]

I use Timezero V3 with Furuno TZ2 chartplotter and there are some distinct advantages in my view.

1. You can share the licenses for the charts you buy for your Furuno chartplotter with your PC. Actually, they allow up to 4 devices where the PC is counted as one.
2. You can activate the radar module which will show the Radar overlay on the PC when in Navigation mode. I consider the PC as my second line navigation tool so if my chartplotter, which is by the helm, went out, I would want to have Radar available on my PC.
3. The routes integrate automatically. I use the PC for route planning and as soon as you activate a route on the PC it appears on the chartplotter as the active route.

I have spent a little time using Open CPN, so I'm far from an expert, but I would say that the interface on Timezero is somewhat easier to use.

Hamish

[Pelagic]

Great explanation Hamish, I didn't realize about the 4 devices share.

For me it would be on 2 PC and the Furuno....Is that allowed?

[CarinaPDX]

Originally Posted by HBrew

2. You can activate the radar module which will show the Radar overlay on the PC when in Navigation mode. I consider the PC as my second line navigation tool so if my chartplotter, which is by the helm, went out, I would want to have Radar available on my PC.

Do you think that you could operate the radar with the PC with a failed chartplotter? At least in the past I think it was blocked - they don't want anyone saving the cost of the chartplotter. I'm not that familiar with the TZ series, but the MFD8/12 provides the power for the smaller radars so that would have to be online anyway for those radars. I'm just wondering if the PC really could function as a stand-alone backup for the radar - have you checked?

Personally I am happy with OCPN as a chart backup, and don't need anything fancy. Within the US the NOAA charts are fine for both. But internationally, where you have to pay for up-to-date charts, it makes sense to have both chartplotter and PC use the same ones - it is expensive enough to buy once. Whether all of the extended features are worth the price with the MaxSea software is about personal values - you decide.

Greg

[Alita49DS]

Thank you for posting about Time Zero. Never heard of it before. Seems really interesting.

The two problems, for me, are:

1. It is very expensive. €605 with one chart area
2. The chart areas are less than helpful. Who is going to be in Channel, Atlantic and Med France in the same period? There is no Med France and Spain and Italy

So, nice idea but only for some. Open CPN beckons.

[Pizzazz]

I believe the commercial chart software companies do not get it. Expensive software, most interesting features are add-ons.

If you have a Furuno radar and are dying to have it replicated on a PC display then may be. Otherwise, OpenCPN all the way.

So now we have:
Furuno radar - TimeZero
Navico radar - OpenCPN
Raymarine analog radar - RayTech
Raymarine digital - crappy mobile apps
Garmin radar - OpenCPN

[HBrew]

Actually, if you have the DRS series Radar it connects directly to the network which allows operation with or without an MFD on the network

[Pelagic]

I wish I had the luxury to visit a US boat show and getva chance to confirm real benefits.....But real user experience is the best.

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by Alita49DS

Thank you for posting about Time Zero. Never heard of it before. Seems really interesting.

The two problems, for me, are:

1. It is very expensive. €605 with one chart area
2. The chart areas are less than helpful. Who is going to be in Channel, Atlantic and Med France in the same period? There is no Med France and Spain and Italy

We can pick and choose charts for our version of TZ (and our Furuno plotter):

https://www.furunousa.com/en/products/navnet_mfds/browse?filter=Discontinued.eq.false&group={CFBDF65 2-0102-4A61-9835-CF99FD2D0A6F}&groupName=Charts for NavNet 3D, TZtouch & TZtouch2

MapMedia also maintains a site for TZ charts, with a link from the MaxSea site, I think.

I haven't really looked at the cost of non-US charts, though... and pricing for residents of other areas may be completely different, anyway.

-Chris

[Dockhead]

Why do you need to choose? O is free. And is also the most powerful chart plotting/nav program on the planet. Starting with that is a no-brainer. Then add the other if you feel like it.

I haven't used TZ, but from what I've heard about it, it is not a substitute for a proper freestanding nav program like O -- more of a remote control or emulator for your regular plotters. Which doesn't mean it's not useful -- I use GoFree with my Navico system and it's very useful indeed. But for serious passage planning, there's nothing to compare with O that I know of. Put good raster charts in it and display it on a larger monitor, and you can do almost anything on it, you would do with paper. Its other absolutely killer app is for AIS.


P.S. I would put another Furuno plotter at the nav table in any case -- a hardware one. Then you can operate the radar and control the main nav system using real, not virtual controls. You WILL want to be able to operate the radar from the nav station. If you have this plus O running on a PC with a big monitor, when when you need to, you can leave the plotter set to display radar, and keep an eye on the chart in O -- perfect combination.

This is pretty much exactly what I do -- 8" Zeus at the nav table, installed in the instrument panel, then 23" 4k monitor displaying O which is running on a fixed-installed PC. It works very well, and I highly recommend something like this setup.

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

I haven't used TZ, but from what I've heard about it, it is not a substitute for a proper freestanding nav program like O -- more of a remote control or emulator for your regular plotters.

I would say not right, although I can't compare to OpenCPN.

TZ is a very complete nav program. Happens I could do everything the plotter will do with TZ on the laptop, too, if I wanted to. We could also run the boat with nothing but TZ on the laptop if I wanted to... with every capability the plotter has. As I understand it, TZ isn't "similar" to the NN3D engine, it's exactly the same (and I've also read Furuno owns part of MaxSea, too).

And then also uses the same charts and so forth.

(Our current (way old) radar isn't integrated with the plotter anyway, and we'd maybe want to get AIS and depth (and speed/temp) readings onto the laptop... but those are connection and integration issues, not a lack of capability with TZ. Probably would be easier to use wireless to integrate more stuff with the newer TZ version. Ours will accept wireless input, but I don't happen to have any wireless sensors/source data.)

Our version will not control our plotter (but I can share data back and forth if necessary); the newer version may control newer plotters, too.

Not a recommendation, just some observation...

-Chris

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by ranger42c

I would say not right, although I can't compare to OpenCPN.

TZ is a very complete nav program. Happens I could do everything the plotter will do with TZ on the laptop, too, if I wanted to. We could also run the boat with nothing but TZ on the laptop if I wanted to... with every capability the plotter has. As I understand it, TZ isn't "similar" to the NN3D engine, it's exactly the same (and I've also read Furuno owns part of MaxSea, too).

And then also uses the same charts and so forth.

(Our current (way old) radar isn't integrated with the plotter anyway, and we'd maybe want to get AIS and depth (and speed/temp) readings onto the laptop... but those are connection and integration issues, not a lack of capability with TZ. Probably would be easier to use wireless to integrate more stuff with the newer TZ version. Ours will accept wireless input, but I don't happen to have any wireless sensors/source data.)

Our version will not control our plotter (but I can share data back and forth if necessary); the newer version may control newer plotters, too.

Not a recommendation, just some observation...

-Chris

Experience trumps hearsay, so I defer to this.


I toy with the idea of going to Furuno myself. My B&G gear is starting to get old enough to start thinking about replacing, and it has a number of drawbacks, including not being really as stable as I would like for it to be. The new Furuno radars sound really good.