A previous post I was reading got me thinking about this :::::::

The GPS, say a Garmin ,, models like the 76. I know that if you have a lap
top and MAPTECH Offshore Navigator CD which comes with the chart book ..
whew ... anyway ,, the Garmin GPS will work as a receiver for position the
the Offshore Navigator software will act as the chart ,,, so you will know
where you are on the chart and all.

I like the idea. I have MAPTECH charts and the CD. I can get a Garmin GPS
.. But and here is the big BUT;;

What about the Laptop? Where would a sailboat keep it so it didn't get wet?
What laptop? What is a good model to use for this purpose?

I'm sure one of you cruising sailors has done this ... could you explain how
it works, what computer you use, where you keep the computer when on the
water, and generally how the whole process works for you.

Thanks

My eTrex Legend interfaces with my laptop and the Cap'n program to
display real time postion on BSB charts obtained from NOAA. The
biggest drawback to a laptop is that it is not readable in sunlight
(unless you buy a Panasonic Toughbook $2000-3000!). Also, most laptops
will not last long in a humid environment, although they can last for a
few years) Keeping water off them is not such a big deal--I would hope
that water does not enter my saloon in great quantities! and I wouldn't
use a laptop in the cockpit when underway (difficult to read there
anyway). Buy an inexpensive one--speed and memory is not that big a
deal unless you want to use it for gaming as well.

Peter
s/v Now or Never!

Benning Wentworth wrote:
A previous post I was reading got me thinking about this :::::::

The GPS, say a Garmin ,, models like the 76. I know that if you have a lap
top and MAPTECH Offshore Navigator CD which comes with the chart book ..
whew ... anyway ,, the Garmin GPS will work as a receiver for position the
the Offshore Navigator software will act as the chart ,,, so you will know
where you are on the chart and all.

I like the idea. I have MAPTECH charts and the CD. I can get a Garmin GPS
. But and here is the big BUT;;

What about the Laptop? Where would a sailboat keep it so it didn't get wet?
What laptop? What is a good model to use for this purpose?

I'm sure one of you cruising sailors has done this ... could you explain how
it works, what computer you use, where you keep the computer when on the
water, and generally how the whole process works for you.

Thanks

Benning Wentworth wrote:
A previous post I was reading got me thinking about this :::::::

The GPS, say a Garmin ,, models like the 76. I know that if you have
a lap top and MAPTECH Offshore Navigator CD which comes with the
chart book .. whew ... anyway ,, the Garmin GPS will work as a
receiver for position the the Offshore Navigator software will act as
the chart ,,, so you will know where you are on the chart and all.

I like the idea. I have MAPTECH charts and the CD. I can get a
Garmin GPS . But and here is the big BUT;;

What about the Laptop? Where would a sailboat keep it so it didn't
get wet? What laptop? What is a good model to use for this purpose?

I'm sure one of you cruising sailors has done this ... could you
explain how it works, what computer you use, where you keep the
computer when on the water, and generally how the whole process works
for you.

Thanks

I have used laptops for navigation fo the past 6-7 years. Buy a 2-3-year-old
model in "as-new" condition from E-Bay. You don't have to sit at it all day,
otherwise who steers the boat? They can be folded and put away in the same
place you keep your dry underwear in about 20 seconds. If you buy a laptop
with a separate port replicator, you can leave the latter connected to GPS
and power source and simply unclip the laptop leaving everything connected
and ready to go.

Large polythene bags can be thrown over any equipment at the chart table in
the event of a sudden storm. Self-adhesive Velcro holds the laptop etc. in
place, and the power supply problem can be solved by using a small inverter
plus the laptop's own power supply.

Best software by far is Oziexplorer, believe me, 6-7 years trying 'em all
still leaves Ozi way out in front!

www.oziexplorer.com

Dennis,, I took a look at the oziexplorer .. nice.

So, if I have this right ??? I get a GPS, such as Garmin 76 ( they are
selling on ebay for around $150 ) and an old or new laptop.

Then, I download the oziexplorer onto the laptop.

I plug the GPS into the laptop, the program works with the GPS. I will see
where I am on the screen and be able to use all the other software features
that oziexplorer offers.

You mentioned the power problem .. does a laptop use a huge amount of
power? I don't own one and have never owned one. I assumed that if I
powered it up for a day then it would be good to go for some time... how
much power does the laptop use? The GPS's I looked at on the net use
batteries that can be re-powered.

The Garmin blue chart software is $150. The oziexplorer is $85. An old
laptop on ebay can be bought for about $200. Heck, there are a few in the
under $100 range.

So, one GPS = $140
software oziex = $85
laptop = = $200
==========================
total .. $425

probably do this for less with some work.

Not bad when you think that a system that can do navigating, GPS work,
mapping, and then use the laptop for internet/movies/whatever...

Sure beats paying Garmin $150 for their blue chart software.

One other poster mentioned the screen can't be read during daylight. Since
I will need to protect the laptop anyway, maybe I can come up with some type
of cover that will put the laytop in the dark, or at least when I look at
the screen it would be dark..

if you have any other thoughts pass them along..

This is a great help.

"Dennis Pogson" wrote in message
...
Benning Wentworth wrote:
A previous post I was reading got me thinking about this :::::::

The GPS, say a Garmin ,, models like the 76. I know that if you have
a lap top and MAPTECH Offshore Navigator CD which comes with the
chart book .. whew ... anyway ,, the Garmin GPS will work as a
receiver for position the the Offshore Navigator software will act as
the chart ,,, so you will know where you are on the chart and all.

I like the idea. I have MAPTECH charts and the CD. I can get a
Garmin GPS . But and here is the big BUT;;

What about the Laptop? Where would a sailboat keep it so it didn't
get wet? What laptop? What is a good model to use for this purpose?

I'm sure one of you cruising sailors has done this ... could you
explain how it works, what computer you use, where you keep the
computer when on the water, and generally how the whole process works
for you.

Thanks

I have used laptops for navigation fo the past 6-7 years. Buy a
2-3-year-old
model in "as-new" condition from E-Bay. You don't have to sit at it all
day,
otherwise who steers the boat? They can be folded and put away in the same
place you keep your dry underwear in about 20 seconds. If you buy a laptop
with a separate port replicator, you can leave the latter connected to GPS
and power source and simply unclip the laptop leaving everything connected
and ready to go.

Large polythene bags can be thrown over any equipment at the chart table
in
the event of a sudden storm. Self-adhesive Velcro holds the laptop etc. in
place, and the power supply problem can be solved by using a small
inverter
plus the laptop's own power supply.

Best software by far is Oziexplorer, believe me, 6-7 years trying 'em all
still leaves Ozi way out in front!

www.oziexplorer.com

Benning Wentworth wrote:
Dennis,, I took a look at the oziexplorer .. nice.

So, if I have this right ??? I get a GPS, such as Garmin 76 ( they
are selling on ebay for around $150 ) and an old or new laptop.

Then, I download the oziexplorer onto the laptop.

I plug the GPS into the laptop, the program works with the GPS. I
will see where I am on the screen and be able to use all the other
software features that oziexplorer offers.

You mentioned the power problem .. does a laptop use a huge amount of
power? I don't own one and have never owned one. I assumed that if I
powered it up for a day then it would be good to go for some time...
how much power does the laptop use? The GPS's I looked at on the net
use batteries that can be re-powered.

The Garmin blue chart software is $150. The oziexplorer is $85. An
old laptop on ebay can be bought for about $200. Heck, there are a
few in the under $100 range.

So, one GPS = $140
software oziex = $85
laptop = = $200
==========================
total .. $425

probably do this for less with some work.

Not bad when you think that a system that can do navigating, GPS work,
mapping, and then use the laptop for internet/movies/whatever...

Sure beats paying Garmin $150 for their blue chart software.

One other poster mentioned the screen can't be read during daylight.
Since I will need to protect the laptop anyway, maybe I can come up
with some type of cover that will put the laytop in the dark, or at
least when I look at the screen it would be dark..

if you have any other thoughts pass them along..

This is a great help.

Ah, but you will still need charts for Oziexplorer. This tends to be the
main stumbling block for newcomers to the technology, but dependant on where
you are, and what type of sailing you do, there are ways round the problem.
You can try to get digital charts such as Maptech BSB or Maptech PCX charts
from one of the many file-sharing programs. You can scan and join paper
charts ( quite demanding!). Blue chart software will run on the laptop, but
not under Oziexplorer, and I believe Garmin allow 2 unlock codes with the
cd, one for the laptop and one for the GPS (if the latter is a
map-displaying GPS). This latter option would have the Bluechart software
running under Mapsource on the laptop, not as good as Ozi, but still a
solution.

I personally find that with the laptop at the chart table, and the same
software running on my GPSMAP 60CS, I can dodge about the boat and never
lose touch with my surroundings. I am not advocating this as the only
solution, just one that I personally find ideal. I convert the Bluechart
software to run under Ozi, but that is rather a long story!

The reason we run the laptop from an inverter is that modern laptons require
16 or 19 volts DC, so with a 12-volt system you have either to step up the
voltage using an inverter/power brick solution or a step-up transformer.
Both system have their adherents, I prefer the inverter route.
The current used is usually around 1.5 amps, so it pays to beef up your
battery bank to cover this, but this is a cheap solution these days.

A $200 laptop with a reasonably large screen will be more than powerful
enough to get you up and running. Whether you buy a map-display GPS is up to
you. I ran the system for years with a $55 Etrex from Ebay supplying the
data.

Think about those charts!

Dennis.

Dennis ,,,,,,,,,,,,,

I already own the MAPTECH chart book with CD. I use this for navigation ..
I should buy a GPS but I am a cheapo.

The MAPTECH program says it will work with a Garmin GPS and computer (
laytop ).

I guess the setup is the same ..
1. laptop
2. GPS, Garmin
3. Plug them into each other
4. The GPS is the reciever
5. The MAPTECH charts are the chart, guide, map.

So, get a cheap GPS and a cheap Laptop ,,

Still not a bad deal.


=====================
"Dennis Pogson" wrote in message
...
Benning Wentworth wrote:
Dennis,, I took a look at the oziexplorer .. nice.

So, if I have this right ??? I get a GPS, such as Garmin 76 ( they
are selling on ebay for around $150 ) and an old or new laptop.

Then, I download the oziexplorer onto the laptop.

I plug the GPS into the laptop, the program works with the GPS. I
will see where I am on the screen and be able to use all the other
software features that oziexplorer offers.

You mentioned the power problem .. does a laptop use a huge amount of
power? I don't own one and have never owned one. I assumed that if I
powered it up for a day then it would be good to go for some time...
how much power does the laptop use? The GPS's I looked at on the net
use batteries that can be re-powered.

The Garmin blue chart software is $150. The oziexplorer is $85. An
old laptop on ebay can be bought for about $200. Heck, there are a
few in the under $100 range.

So, one GPS = $140
software oziex = $85
laptop = = $200
==========================
total .. $425

probably do this for less with some work.

Not bad when you think that a system that can do navigating, GPS work,
mapping, and then use the laptop for internet/movies/whatever...

Sure beats paying Garmin $150 for their blue chart software.

One other poster mentioned the screen can't be read during daylight.
Since I will need to protect the laptop anyway, maybe I can come up
with some type of cover that will put the laytop in the dark, or at
least when I look at the screen it would be dark..

if you have any other thoughts pass them along..

This is a great help.

Ah, but you will still need charts for Oziexplorer. This tends to be the
main stumbling block for newcomers to the technology, but dependant on
where
you are, and what type of sailing you do, there are ways round the
problem.
You can try to get digital charts such as Maptech BSB or Maptech PCX
charts
from one of the many file-sharing programs. You can scan and join paper
charts ( quite demanding!). Blue chart software will run on the laptop,
but
not under Oziexplorer, and I believe Garmin allow 2 unlock codes with the
cd, one for the laptop and one for the GPS (if the latter is a
map-displaying GPS). This latter option would have the Bluechart software
running under Mapsource on the laptop, not as good as Ozi, but still a
solution.

I personally find that with the laptop at the chart table, and the same
software running on my GPSMAP 60CS, I can dodge about the boat and never
lose touch with my surroundings. I am not advocating this as the only
solution, just one that I personally find ideal. I convert the Bluechart
software to run under Ozi, but that is rather a long story!

The reason we run the laptop from an inverter is that modern laptons
require
16 or 19 volts DC, so with a 12-volt system you have either to step up the
voltage using an inverter/power brick solution or a step-up transformer.
Both system have their adherents, I prefer the inverter route.
The current used is usually around 1.5 amps, so it pays to beef up your
battery bank to cover this, but this is a cheap solution these days.

A $200 laptop with a reasonably large screen will be more than powerful
enough to get you up and running. Whether you buy a map-display GPS is up
to
you. I ran the system for years with a $55 Etrex from Ebay supplying the
data.

Think about those charts!

Dennis.

On Tue, 03 Oct 2006 15:07:26 GMT, "Dennis Pogson"
wrote:

You can try to get digital charts such as Maptech BSB or Maptech PCX charts
from one of the many file-sharing programs.

The charts for the entire US are now free to download from NOAA.

http://nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/mcd/Raster/download.htm

Benning Wentworth wrote:
Dennis ,,,,,,,,,,,,,

I already own the MAPTECH chart book with CD. I use this for
navigation .. I should buy a GPS but I am a cheapo.

The MAPTECH program says it will work with a Garmin GPS and computer (
laytop ).

I guess the setup is the same ..
1. laptop
2. GPS, Garmin
3. Plug them into each other
4. The GPS is the reciever
5. The MAPTECH charts are the chart, guide, map.

So, get a cheap GPS and a cheap Laptop ,,

Still not a bad deal.


Sure, that's all you need.

Dennis.

"Dennis Pogson" wrote in message
...
Benning Wentworth wrote:
Dennis ,,,,,,,,,,,,,

I already own the MAPTECH chart book with CD. I use this for
navigation .. I should buy a GPS but I am a cheapo.

The MAPTECH program says it will work with a Garmin GPS and computer (
laytop ).

I guess the setup is the same ..
1. laptop
2. GPS, Garmin
3. Plug them into each other
4. The GPS is the reciever
5. The MAPTECH charts are the chart, guide, map.

So, get a cheap GPS and a cheap Laptop ,,

Still not a bad deal.


Sure, that's all you need.

Dennis.


Get a USB GPS on eBay for less than $50 and a Pentium 3 laptop for less than
$300.

I am around computers and software all day long, and have found that
the PC intrudes upon my sailing hobby more than I desire. In the end,
my laptop sits on the boat unused. I took it off a few weeks ago, just
so it doesn't take up storage space.

.... and it was very well connected. I have an adapter that converts
the voltage up from 12v to 19v (so no inverter needed), i have a
Raymarine high speed hub so I can connect to my ray marine instruments
via ethernet, I have RNS 6.0 that lets me see all my instruments
including radar from my laptop (never went thru the effort to install
it), and I have my Garmin MapTech software and maps that are on my
desktop computer at home.

Reality is that my Maptech software is highly used at home, never on
the boat. It's great, in fact superior to all my raymarine software,
for planning my trips. But once I am on the boat, my raymarine E-80
plotter seems to enhance my sailing (granted it's right at my helm and
nav station, well mounted in the way of nothing, without any mouse or
keypads covered in my crew's personal items) where my PC just get's in
the way and invades my sailing hobby.

My advise ... be sure the laptop has a real use on your boat before you
go through any effort to integrate it. Add if you can, instead get a
chartplotter from Raymarine or Garmin, or others.