Steve Lusardi wrote:
Jeff,
I absolutely stand by what I stated. Please do not confuse my comments with
the dedicated and certified professional chart systems that are available
and in use, but those are not what Larry has spoken about. Those
professional systems are very expensive and they are supported with
maintenance subscriptions for continuous updates for both software and
source data without which, certifications are no longer valid.

In other words they are expensive and only available to large ships and
expensive yachts, not the recreational sailors in this group. So you
claim that the readers here to not deserve to have chartplotters.

Please also
note that they are NOT ever used without paper chart back up.

On this point I would agree; I don't leave the slip without a paper
chart on deck. However, the new chartplotter means the paper is hardly
ever used.

This is not
hypothetical, please recall a couple of years back the USAF DC9 that was
transporting a US Senator in Yugoslavia using electronic Jepperson Plates
looking for a local airport and flew into a mountainside in poor visibility
because the Plate was in error and that system was certified. Even the
professional systems are subject to same limitations I mentioned before.

Well that sure proves your point! Air navigation in Yugoslavia
certainly has a lot in common with Larry's marine navigation in
Charleston. And was the problem that the mountain had moved since the
last chart was made?

Sure, they are fun to play with, but they are unreliable, inadequately
tested, often in error and are dangerous if taken as the last word. Use them
at your own risk.

I'm not debating the merits of the homebrew, low power systems. In
fact, I admitted I'm playing with one that I don't expect to replace any
other gear. However, the current generation of mid-price chartplotters,
$600-$1200, are a great boon to recreational sailors, whether weekend
warriors or cruisers even though they don't come close to your
standards. One thing I've noticed of the last 10 years is a great
reduction in the number of simple groundings - I attribute that to an
increase in the use of small chartplotters.

Moreover, the number of fatalities and injuries related to groundings
are tiny compared to other causes. Its hard to prove that poor
navigation, regardless of the cause, is a significant problem at all.


Steve

"jeff" wrote in message
...
Steve Lusardi wrote:
Larry,
No, the chart source is only one issue in the certification process, it
is not getting through to me. The risks are still there and the more
elements involved, the greater the risk. I appreciate your enthusiasm,
but I for one could not rely on any electronic display for critical
navigation anywhere. The basic limitations are there as well, like 100+
pixels per linear screen inch at best, as opposed to 2400+ on a
lithograph printer. In order to express the detail, it is necessary to
drill down and that info may or not be there. When it is, that's all you
see, the big picture is lost. If your hobby is computers and networking,
enjoy it, but do not rely on this technology, it is not robust, it is not
everywhere and it simply is not ready for prime time.
So, are you claiming that anyone who uses a chartplotter is a danger to
himself and those around him? While I'm still not ready to give up on
paper, my new Garmin 545 (5 inch, hi res) was a joy to use during a mostly
fogbound Maine cruise last summer. The biggest change over my 10 year GPS
is the speed at which it can zoom in/out.

OTOH, I've been playing with a low power Linux laptop with a GPS puck
running chart software, and while its fun, I've not been convinced it can
replace a dedicated machine.