"Doug Dotson" wrote in message
...

In the past year (after the latest version came out) I tried to contact
them
by email and they wouldn't provide support because they claim they can't
find a record of me being a register owner of their software. Strange, I
get
an upgrade offer every 6 months..

Tech support for old version can't last forever. If your laptop is that
old,
you have lost tech support for Windows 95 and 98 as well. Microsoft
dropped support for those recently.


The Capn Mosaic only came out in the last year and I would expect them to
continue support the last version for a reasonable period.. It's not
unreasonable for customers to expect continued support for a short
transition period..

I know their priorities are to get everyone SUCKED into the Soft Chart
scheme since they will be the only ones providing them..

You have probably already heard that Maptech is phasing out regular BSB and
replaced it with something newer that can't be run in the older software..

I'll go with Fugawi or Ozi since they seem to be more in touch with the
customer/user needs..

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

"Steve" wrote in message
...

"Doug Dotson" wrote in message
...
What is it about the user interface of Capn that you don;t like? I've
been
using it for years and can't think of any major complaints. Taking
existing waypoints and incorporating them into a route used to
be a problem but has been fixed in the latest release. I downloaded the
Nobeltec demo several years ago and found it to be unreliable
and quirky so I walked away from it. Same situation with Maptech.
Haven't tried FUGAWI and OZI though.


My main problem is the fact that I can't run their latest version with my
existing Laptop.. Has to be a (i think) P3 or higher and 500 mhz.. Or
something like that.. I checked with them when I got the first notice for
upgrade..

The price of progress Not the fault of The Capn.

Shortly there after I realized that if my GPS module was on the USB, I
would
be screwed for Autopilot control from the computer.

Yes, that is a problem. I have that problem too.

Then I gave up on the GPS module and went to a Furuno GP32 which I could
operate on the serial port, however The Capn won't do uploads of waypoints
to the (any GPS).. The Capn just exports to a proprietory file set.

My solution also. I use the NAVMAN 5500 to drive the autopilot
directly. I have no problem with the format of Capn export files, but
the NAVMAN folks won't divulge their import format.

In the past year (after the latest version came out) I tried to contact
them
by email and they wouldn't provide support because they claim they can't
find a record of me being a register owner of their software. Strange, I
get
an upgrade offer every 6 months..

Haven't had that problem, I got the card, ordered the upgrade and installed
it.
One intetresting thing that did happen is that it never asked for the key.
No
problem contacted them via email.

Even if I purchase the latest upgrade offer, I can't use it and I doubt I
will be able to get any tech support, since I'm still using 6.1

Tech support for old version can't last forever. If your laptop is that old,
you have lost tech support for Windows 95 and 98 as well. Microsoft
dropped support for those recently.

I have already orderd Figawi 3.x.x

Let me know how it works. I mat be interested in looking at it. Do they
have an eval version? Won;t be able to eval it unto the boat is back in
the water though.

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

"Doug Dotson" wrote in message
...
What is it about the user interface of Capn that you don;t like? I've been
using it for years and can't think of any major complaints. Taking
existing waypoints and incorporating them into a route used to
be a problem but has been fixed in the latest release. I downloaded the
Nobeltec demo several years ago and found it to be unreliable
and quirky so I walked away from it. Same situation with Maptech.
Haven't tried FUGAWI and OZI though.


My main problem is the fact that I can't run their latest version with my
existing Laptop.. Has to be a (i think) P3 or higher and 500 mhz.. Or
something like that.. I checked with them when I got the first notice for
upgrade..

Shortly there after I realized that if my GPS module was on the USB, I would
be screwed for Autopilot control from the computer.

Then I gave up on the GPS module and went to a Furuno GP32 which I could
operate on the serial port, however The Capn won't do uploads of waypoints
to the (any GPS).. The Capn just exports to a proprietory file set.

In the past year (after the latest version came out) I tried to contact them
by email and they wouldn't provide support because they claim they can't
find a record of me being a register owner of their software. Strange, I get
an upgrade offer every 6 months..

Even if I purchase the latest upgrade offer, I can't use it and I doubt I
will be able to get any tech support, since I'm still using 6.1

I have already orderd Figawi 3.x.x

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

What is it about the user interface of Capn that you don;t like? I've been
using it for years and can't think of any major complaints. Taking
existing waypoints and incorporating them into a route used to
be a problem but has been fixed in the latest release. I downloaded the
Nobeltec demo several years ago and found it to be unreliable
and quirky so I walked away from it. Same situation with Maptech.
Haven't tried FUGAWI and OZI though.

Doug
s/v Callista

"spdevel" wrote in message
...
I've used them all:

The Capn - really poor user interface. Bad feel. The only people who
like
it are the ones who've been using it for many years and don't know any
better.

Fugawi - very basic stuff. Not the best and certainly not the most
reliable.

OziExplorer - buy software from an American company or else support will
be
a nightmare. OziExplorer is very similar to Fugawi in my experiments.
Again, not the most reliable.

Nobeltec VNS, etc. - the best. Best features and user-interface. It is
reliable. Also the most expensive. I don't think that their product
justifies the $500 - $1,000 cost any longer.

Maptech - good compromise between everything. Excellent support.
Features
are good enough for most uses. User interface is pretty good. It is
reliable.

Transas, Raymarine, and all the others - not ready for prime time.


If you can afford it, Nobeltec is the way to do. For a more reasonably
priced product with great features and excellent support, you would be
very
happy with the Maptech products.

Safety is the most important thing. Don't forget that!

I've used them all:

The Capn - really poor user interface. Bad feel. The only people who like
it are the ones who've been using it for many years and don't know any
better.

Fugawi - very basic stuff. Not the best and certainly not the most
reliable.

OziExplorer - buy software from an American company or else support will be
a nightmare. OziExplorer is very similar to Fugawi in my experiments.
Again, not the most reliable.

Nobeltec VNS, etc. - the best. Best features and user-interface. It is
reliable. Also the most expensive. I don't think that their product
justifies the $500 - $1,000 cost any longer.

Maptech - good compromise between everything. Excellent support. Features
are good enough for most uses. User interface is pretty good. It is
reliable.

Transas, Raymarine, and all the others - not ready for prime time.


If you can afford it, Nobeltec is the way to do. For a more reasonably
priced product with great features and excellent support, you would be very
happy with the Maptech products.

Safety is the most important thing. Don't forget that!

I have been using Fugawi for six years and have v. 2.something-or-other.

I find it to be an excellent program. The laptop interfaces very nicely with
my Garmin 120XL to give a large screen chartplotter.

A bonus is that Fugawi can now be used with a Palm or HP handheld along with
a miniature dedicated GPS unit.

Henry.

"Henry" wrote in message
news:X7NIb.896040$9l5.623894@pd7tw2no...

A bonus is that Fugawi can now be used with a Palm or HP handheld along
with
a miniature dedicated GPS unit.


Yes, that is a feature that i have been reading about on their web site.
Supposedly you can also upload chart section from your laptop to the some of
the more sophisticated palm or pocket pc. I hadn't considered this before
but it does sound interesting now as the price are dropping on the
handhelds. Would be nice to do this and take the handheld up to the helm.

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

"Henry" wrote in message
news:X7NIb.896040$9l5.623894@pd7tw2no...

A bonus is that Fugawi can now be used with a Palm or HP handheld along
with
a miniature dedicated GPS unit.


Yes, that is a feature that i have been reading about on their web site.
Supposedly you can also upload chart section from your laptop to the some of
the more sophisticated palm or pocket pc. I hadn't considered this before
but it does sound interesting now as the price are dropping on the
handhelds. Would be nice to do this and take the handheld up to the helm.

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

A bonus is that Fugawi can now be used with a Palm or HP handheld along
with
a miniature dedicated GPS unit.


I have the Fugawi Palm software and Maptech's Outdoor Navigator. Again, no
comparison. Outdoor Navigator is a sweet deal - you get EVERY NOAA chart in
the US with the software for $99. They also give you every USGS topo (about
60,000 of them) but they aren't good for boating use - they are nice to look
at though! With Fugawi, you get chart pieces. It's cute and makes a nice
demo but isn't really prime time for really using in your boat or dinghy.
Outdoor Navigator is a real chartplotter with routes, waypoints and is made
to be used on a boat. You can't go wrong with it...

Outdoor Navigator is a real chartplotter with routes, waypoints and is
made
to be used on a boat. You can't go wrong with it...

Funny you should say that. For the six years I have been using Fugawi, I
have been able to enter waypoints and routes.
On the water it shows position accurately, course, track, co-ordinates on
screen, direction true and magnetic, speed, estimated time of arrival, time
to go.

It does everything my friend's expensive chart plotter does.

I cannot comment on other programs, but this has proved easy to use and
accurate. And the price is right.

Henry.