Can someone direct me to to an explanation of the differences among
these three? I'm a coastal blue-water sailor with limited money to
spend but a willingness to spend where useful. I have a 24 foot
Wayfarer Islander and I'm considering buying a 28" Abbott cruiser.

Thanks in advance!

wrote:

Can someone direct me to to an explanation of the differences among
these three? I'm a coastal blue-water sailor with limited money to
spend but a willingness to spend where useful. I have a 24 foot
Wayfarer Islander and I'm considering buying a 28" Abbott cruiser.

Thanks in advance!

Here is a good place to find all the answers.

http://gpsinformation.net/

I'd briefly describe the three as follows:

non-mapping - Entry level GPS, shows your position in "white space" and
everything is relative to the fix location. This is the one that will
make you wish you had bought a mapping GPS.

mapping - Has a built in basemap with roads, towns and cities, maybe
even marine or aeronautical details. This is starting to get seriously
useful, you can see where you are relative to places you know and can
picture mentally. The primary purpose of the basemap on a mapping GPS
is to give you just enough detail to entice you into buying one or even
several of the optional detailed mapping packages (highway, topo,
marine, etc.) so you can get more detail.

chart plotter - Generally, a mapping GPS optimized for marine use.
Bigger display and many more controls and features. Has a basic marine
built-in basemap that may include some fixed and floating navaids.
Again the basemap serves to make you aware that you need to buy more
optional chart packages to have enough detail to navigate safely and
with confidence. From this port, the options become pretty complex and
myriad as far as the media used for detail charts, the way it is
packaged for sale, etc.

A good idea is to look at the long term use or direction you think you
want to go before you buy one. If you're pretty sure you want a color
display, buy it to begin with. If you want to travel moderate distances
or get a lot of use out of detail maps without a PC around, look for a
model that uses SD or microSD cards to expand the detail map storage
memory.

For more details and discussion on the two major brands of consumer
grade GPSr's and satnav in general, check out these newsgroups:

alt.satellite.gps.magellan
alt.satellite.gps.garmin
sci.geo.satellite-nav

Jack

--
Jack Erbes in Ellsworth, Maine, USA - jackerbes at adelphia dot net
(also receiving email at jacker at midmaine.com)

"Jack Erbes" wrote in message
...
wrote:

Can someone direct me to to an explanation of the differences among
these three? I'm a coastal blue-water sailor with limited money to
spend but a willingness to spend where useful. I have a 24 foot
Wayfarer Islander and I'm considering buying a 28" Abbott cruiser.

Thanks in advance!

Here is a good place to find all the answers.

http://gpsinformation.net/

I'd briefly describe the three as follows:

non-mapping - Entry level GPS, shows your position in "white space" and
everything is relative to the fix location. This is the one that will
make you wish you had bought a mapping GPS.

mapping - Has a built in basemap with roads, towns and cities, maybe even
marine or aeronautical details. This is starting to get seriously useful,
you can see where you are relative to places you know and can picture
mentally. The primary purpose of the basemap on a mapping GPS is to give
you just enough detail to entice you into buying one or even several of
the optional detailed mapping packages (highway, topo, marine, etc.) so
you can get more detail.

chart plotter - Generally, a mapping GPS optimized for marine use. Bigger
display and many more controls and features. Has a basic marine built-in
basemap that may include some fixed and floating navaids. Again the
basemap serves to make you aware that you need to buy more optional chart
packages to have enough detail to navigate safely and with confidence.
From this port, the options become pretty complex and myriad as far as the
media used for detail charts, the way it is packaged for sale, etc.

A good idea is to look at the long term use or direction you think you
want to go before you buy one. If you're pretty sure you want a color
display, buy it to begin with. If you want to travel moderate distances
or get a lot of use out of detail maps without a PC around, look for a
model that uses SD or microSD cards to expand the detail map storage
memory.

For more details and discussion on the two major brands of consumer grade
GPSr's and satnav in general, check out these newsgroups:

alt.satellite.gps.magellan
alt.satellite.gps.garmin
sci.geo.satellite-nav

Jack


Those are all good sources of information above. You definitely want a
mapping GPS.

If you want to start learning about mapping GPS for a minimum amount of
cash, I recommend a remanufactured Emap for $125 from www.tvnav.com

http://www.tvnav.com/remanemap.htm You also need a memory card for the
Emap. Get at least the 32 megabit card for $38.


If you are willing to spend a little more to get better portable GPS then I
would recommend the GPSMAP 60 for $250

The Garmin 60 has built in map memory.

http://www.tvnav.com/map60.htm

The maps can be found he

http://www.tvnav.com/emapacc.htm
http://www.tvnav.com/map60acc.htm


I use the cheaper land maps mostly for shoreline detail on my Emap while
boating. Any points on the water I need come from getting the lat/lon
coordinates from:

http://map.marineplanner.com/mapping...chartindex.cfm

You can find your favorite marine chart here and click on the map to get the
lat/lon for entering into your gps.

If you really want the best then get the Garmin 2730 and bluecharts of your
area and the XM satellite subscription which puts weather radar information
right on the display. You can even listen to the XM radio music channels
while you are sailing.

http://www.garmin.com/products/sp2730/

http://www.xmradio.com/weather/

When not sailing you can take your Garmin 2730 in your car and get traffic
advisories too:

http://www.xmradio.com/xmnavtraffic/

Ted wrote:

snip
Those are all good sources of information above. You definitely want a
mapping GPS.

If you want to start learning about mapping GPS for a minimum amount of
cash, I recommend a remanufactured Emap for $125 from www.tvnav.com

http://www.tvnav.com/remanemap.htm You also need a memory card for the
Emap. Get at least the 32 megabit card for $38.


Consider this recommendation carefully, I don't view it as a good
choice. The eTrex uses a inordinately expensive proprietary data card
that is only available in smaller sizes and is already aimed at or
approaching obsolescence. And the smaller memory cards in an eTrex may
have some issues with the larger segments in the more recent MapSource
(detail map) products if you decide to use those. The eTrex is a little
too far off the leading edge for me.

If we are going to recommend specific brands, with cost considerations
being a factor, I would shop used or closeout GPS equipment on the
internet and on eBay. As an example, look at the Magellan Meridian.
Those have unlimited memory expansion through the use of SD cards. That
is arguably the GPS that made Garmin develop their "x" series models
with microSD cards for expanding the memory.


If you are willing to spend a little more to get better portable GPS then I
would recommend the GPSMAP 60 for $250

The Garmin 60 has built in map memory.

http://www.tvnav.com/map60.htm


But the 60 does not have enough built in memory for many users and
purposes. The memory problem was purportedly solved in the new 60cx
($482.13) and 60csx ($535.70) models.

I am beginning to suspect that, although Garmin appears to have solved
the expansion memory issue in the "x" models, they have not given the
users the same latitude for when and how the expansion memory can be
used as is found in the Magellan models that use SD cards. And they did
it with the microSD card which is new on the market and not as cheap or
capable (yet anyway) as the SD cards.

So models that are comparable to the Garmin 60 recommended above would
be the Meridian Platinum, Meridian Marine, or Meridian Gold models.
Some of the Meridian models are now discontinued but they are still good
usable equipment.


The maps can be found he

http://www.tvnav.com/emapacc.htm
http://www.tvnav.com/map60acc.htm


And if you elect to buy another brand, you can find comparable offerings
for the Garmins MapSource detail mapping packages and accessories in the
Magellan and other lines. As always, if costs are a consideration,
shopping for deals and closeouts on the internet and eBay can save some
money.


I use the cheaper land maps mostly for shoreline detail on my Emap while
boating. Any points on the water I need come from getting the lat/lon
coordinates from:

http://map.marineplanner.com/mapping...chartindex.cfm

You can find your favorite marine chart here and click on the map to get the
lat/lon for entering into your gps.
snip


Another option for marine use is to download the free NOAA Raster
Navigation Charts (RNC) from these sites:

http://chartmaker.ncd.noaa.gov/ (info on NOAA electronic charts)

http://nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/mcd/Raster/Index.htm (RNC chart page)

Those charts are, for all practical purposes, the widely used commercial
MapTech BSB charts. They are up to data and can be viewed and/or used
with a number of chart viewers and navigation softwares. A good
freeware for using the NOAA RNC charts for navigation is the Seaclear II
softwa

http://www.seaclear.net/

NOAA also offers the Electronic Navigation Charts (ENC) as free downloads:

http://chartmaker.ncd.noaa.gov/MCD/enc/index.htm

The ENC are S-57 vector maps. As far as I know, you need to purchase a
commercial navigation software like use the ENC for navigation. A list
of viewers and nav softwares is he

http://chartmaker.ncd.noaa.gov/mcd/enc/resource.htm

If you use the RNC and SeaClear II on your PC you can create much more
accurate placed waypoints and routes on the PC and then upload those to
a handheld GPS like the Garmin and Magellan models discussed above (I'm
not sure about the eTrex).

That will give you accurately placed waypoints and routes on the GPS
that can be seen relative to the detail in the basemap. In a boat, it
can be a little nerve wracking when you route occasionally appears to
take you over land masses on the basemap. But if you are using (as you
should be) a chart, your eyes, visual landmarks, etc., it can contribute
to better and safe navigation.

If you want to see detail maps on your handheld GPS that contain detail
(shorelines, buoys, soundings, lights, etc.) that is comparable to that
seen on the RNC charts on your PC you would have to consider the
MapSource BlueChart or MapSend BlueNav marine charting packages.

Jack

--
Jack Erbes in Ellsworth, Maine, USA - jackerbes at adelphia dot net
(also receiving email at jacker at midmaine.com)