Now we can download NOAA charts for free and/or buy a DVD from a third
party who downloads them and organizes them all for $29 - 45, meaning we
can hook up a GPS antenna to our laptop and get a "chartplotter" with
all these charts for a reasonable investment. (And it looks like that's
what the new Garmin products are going to do, but that's another issue.)

The problem is that these laptops really aren't as waterproof and
shockproof as a real chartplotter.

Why doesn't someone come up with an adapter cord that connects a cheap
DVD players loaded with those charts to a C Map NT+/BlueChart/Navionics
chip adapter thingy so those of us with chartplotters that use these
antiquated systems can access all those charts without buying all of the
individual chips?

I would buy one...

Capt. Jeff

On Wed, 04 Jan 2006 00:42:33 -0800, Tamaroak
wrote:
Why doesn't someone come up with an adapter cord that connects a cheap
DVD players loaded with those charts to a C Map NT+/BlueChart/Navionics
chip adapter thingy so those of us with chartplotters that use these
antiquated systems can access all those charts without buying all of the
individual chips?

============================================

The electronics of creating your own C-Map chips is not all that
complicated so the real challenge would be to create some software
that would convert NOAAs ENC vector format charts (free) into C-Map
chips that you could plug into your chart plotter. I'd be surprised
if someone doesn't try to do it. There may be licensing issues
however since I believe the C-MAP format is proprietary.

Wayne.B wrote:
On Wed, 04 Jan 2006 00:42:33 -0800, Tamaroak
wrote:

Why doesn't someone come up with an adapter cord that connects a cheap
DVD players loaded with those charts to a C Map NT+/BlueChart/Navionics
chip adapter thingy so those of us with chartplotters that use these
antiquated systems can access all those charts without buying all of the
individual chips?


============================================

The electronics of creating your own C-Map chips is not all that
complicated so the real challenge would be to create some software
that would convert NOAAs ENC vector format charts (free) into C-Map
chips that you could plug into your chart plotter. I'd be surprised
if someone doesn't try to do it. There may be licensing issues
however since I believe the C-MAP format is proprietary.

The charting info is also unreliable. It starts up with a disclaimer.
Use proper charts, digital or paper.

On Wed, 04 Jan 2006 15:20:59 GMT, Gary wrote:

The charting info is also unreliable. It starts up with a disclaimer.
Use proper charts, digital or paper.

=================================

Which are you referring to, the NOAA ENCs or the CMAPs?

A lot of those disclaimers are just legal CYA and don't necessarily
reflect poorly on actual quality. Here in SWFL, all chart information
is suspect to one extent or another since things change after every
major storm.

The new, free NOAA RNCs (raster format) carry a certification notice
that they meet all legal charting requirements.

Wayne.B wrote:
On Wed, 04 Jan 2006 15:20:59 GMT, Gary wrote:


The charting info is also unreliable. It starts up with a disclaimer.
Use proper charts, digital or paper.


=================================

Which are you referring to, the NOAA ENCs or the CMAPs?

A lot of those disclaimers are just legal CYA and don't necessarily
reflect poorly on actual quality. Here in SWFL, all chart information
is suspect to one extent or another since things change after every
major storm.

The new, free NOAA RNCs (raster format) carry a certification notice
that they meet all legal charting requirements.

CMAP and all the other proprietary stuff. The NOAA products are
warranteed, correctable and verifiable. The rest are just eye candy.

On Wed, 04 Jan 2006 22:23:15 GMT, Gary wrote:

CMAP and all the other proprietary stuff. The NOAA products are
warranteed, correctable and verifiable. The rest are just eye candy.

======================================

That's a bit harsh in my opinion. Both the CMAP and NOAA products
serve a useful purpose. I have both. I've never found an error on
one of my CMAP charts that is not also on the NOAA product. Chart
errors are just a fact of life around here in south Florida but I've
been the entire length of the east coast this year, and back, with no
issues regarding CMAP charts. In many cases the CMAP charts were more
up to date than my somewhat older BSB/raster collection (NOAA images).

good idea. there are free viewers for S57 or converted ENCs but they won;t
accept position input. the cheapest one i found whcih would was about
$400....the $200 version i nearly orderd turned out not to have that ability
either. Nobeltech Admiral V-8 has that ability....if i didn;t Grandfather
into it i would never have been able to justify the cost though.
Fugawi or Ozzi claim to be able to do it but they are still hundreds of
dollars. C-map is deffinately proprietary...just don;t resell what you make.
rick

"Wayne.B" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 04 Jan 2006 00:42:33 -0800, Tamaroak
wrote:
Why doesn't someone come up with an adapter cord that connects a cheap
DVD players loaded with those charts to a C Map NT+/BlueChart/Navionics
chip adapter thingy so those of us with chartplotters that use these
antiquated systems can access all those charts without buying all of the
individual chips?

============================================

The electronics of creating your own C-Map chips is not all that
complicated so the real challenge would be to create some software
that would convert NOAAs ENC vector format charts (free) into C-Map
chips that you could plug into your chart plotter. I'd be surprised
if someone doesn't try to do it. There may be licensing issues
however since I believe the C-MAP format is proprietary.

"Tamaroak" wrote in message
...
Now we can download NOAA charts for free and/or buy a DVD from a third
party who downloads them and organizes them all for $29 - 45, meaning we
can hook up a GPS antenna to our laptop and get a "chartplotter" with all
these charts for a reasonable investment. (And it looks like that's what
the new Garmin products are going to do, but that's another issue.)

The problem is that these laptops really aren't as waterproof and
shockproof as a real chartplotter.

Why doesn't someone come up with an adapter cord that connects a cheap DVD
players loaded with those charts to a C Map NT+/BlueChart/Navionics chip
adapter thingy so those of us with chartplotters that use these antiquated
systems can access all those charts without buying all of the individual
chips?

I would buy one...

Capt. Jeff

get the panasonic tough book