Just thought I'd mention that you can send in your BlueChart chips to Garmin
for an updated version. They charge half the price of a new chip on an
exchange basis, that is, $150US versus $300US. I was told they update every
6 months although I don't suppose this would apply to every chip. You need
to call them to get an RMA. As for detail and accuracy, I don't see how you
could get much better than what is shown by these chips (for the areas they
cover in detail).

"Jack Erbes" wrote in message
...
Doug Dotson wrote:
Doesn't Garmin use CMAP cartridges?

Doug
s/v Callista

They do not. They use only Garmin proprietary chips.

Garmin is discontinuing support for their original "G-Chart" chips later
this year. They will not sell any more new G-Chart chips, will not
update the data on the old ones, and as far as I know that puts that
chip dead in the water as far as any further updates.

All their newer stuff uses a slightly less proprietary, similar
appearing (but not interchangeable) storage media called a "Blue Chart
Data Card". The Data Cards are available in a range of sizes (8 to
256MB?).

You can buy pre-programmed data cards by area or region. Or you can buy
a Blue Chart CD-ROM with most or all of the world on it and pay to
unlock regions as you go.

Once a region is unlocked, you can use a USB data card programmer (also
sold by Garmin) on a PC to burn the charting data to a Data Card and use
it in your Garmin chart plotter.

The blank data cards and USB port programmers are fairly available at
prices less than Garmin charges, I would shop online or on eBay for them
before I bought them from Garmin.

Once you unlock a region, you can manipulate the the data to your hearts
content on any PC with CD-ROM drive. There is software on the CD for
doing that. Anything copied to a data card is tied to your specific
chart plotter by serial number or something in hardware in the plotter
unit and that data card will not work in any other, otherwise
compatible, chart plotter. That dispels any notions of sharing chart
data with friends and the like.

The Blue Chart and data card thing is attractive to me in that you can
work all your trip planning, routing, waypoints, and stuff out on a PC,
burn your own chart chip (including backup copies if you want), and take
them to the boat if you are not already on it.

I don't think there is a great cost advantage in buying Garmin's
cartography and am not sure if it holds it own with the older, long
established, charting folks (C-Map, Nobletech, etc.) or not. I have not
used a Garmin chart plotter yet or had hands on one for any reason. But
I'd be surprised to find that Garmin is not doing a good job on it, it
looks like they are doing a good job of pursuing a bigger share of the
market.

It would be good for boaters if there was only one major chart chip used
by most of the chart plotters and the competition was in selling data
CD's and the cost of unlocking needed regions.

As it is now, a few companies have the boaters over a barrel on chart
chips to some extent. What chart chips you already have can often force
the decision on which chart plotter you buy next.

I am not advocating anyone or anything here, just talking about it. And
I might have some of the specifics a little garbled too, I'm not too
deeply immersed in all this.

Jack

--
Jack Erbes in Ellsworth, Maine, USA - jacker at midmaine dot com