Navigation aids in Exumas

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by Waterway Guide

I'm not sure about the Jeppeson Charts, but you should be able to figure it out. We used the Garmin BlueChart Bahamas with our Chartplotter and, at the time, those used an electronic version of the Explorer Charts exclusively...this was great since everything matched the paper charts. I have heard that Garmin has started using a different chart for some areas of the Bahamas...that's a shame. If you can find a charting app that uses the Explorer charts, that would be a big plus -- but you can certainly get along with just the charts and a gps to help reference. Don't trust the old admiralty charts, which is loaded on a lot of chartplotters -- they're like 100 years old! Someone out there might have more current information on which electronic charts/apps use the Explorer Charts.

Are the "Explorer Charts" raster or vector?

I do see the Exuma Batelco towers on this C-Map vector chart...

-Chris

[Vasco]

Originally Posted by ranger42c

Are the "Explorer Charts" raster or vector?

-Chris

Neither. Explorer Charts are paper, in chartbook form. I believe Garmin and C-Map now use Explorer Chart data in their electronic charts. Older Bluecharts and C-Maps did not use Explorer data. Navionics does not use Explorer data and are not to be relied upon under any circumstances as far as the Exumas goes. Garmin, C-Map, Navionics all vector.

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by Vasco

Neither. Explorer Charts are paper, in chartbook form. I believe Garmin and C-Map now use Explorer Chart data in their electronic charts. Older Bluecharts and C-Maps did not use Explorer data. Navionics does not use Explorer data and are not to be relied upon under any circumstances as far as the Exumas goes. Garmin, C-Map, Navionics all vector.

Thanks.

I found where I had earlier seen the reference to "Explorer Charts" and it was in the note from ActiveCaptain:

"Regions generally cost about $29.99 for a normal large cruising area. For example, the US East Coast including Bahamas (Explorer charts) costs $29.99. Regions purchased can be loaded on all of your Android devices for only one license cost." [my emphasis]

When I look at the specific chart and it's subordinate chart list here: C-MAP Online Coverage with "USA East Coast and Bahamas" selected... I couldn't see anything in there that points to Explorer data. Perhaps simply 'cause I don't recognize some of the codes...

In my case, currently it's simply a matter of curiosity at the mo, since I just started playing the Plan2Nav and remembered this thread, but it seems useful to know for our future since we do intend to head down that way eventually...

FWIW, I find myself using raster charts more often, so maybe it wouldn't hurt me to learn id advance whether MapMedia is also using Explorer data in their current NAVNet 3D raster versions for the area... Hmmm....

-Chris