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From: Colin (no email)
Date: Thu Nov 14 2002 - 19:48:04 EST
Stan (and all),
There is one really important difference between a chartplotter and
PC/GPS combo that has to be accounted for. First, I love the combo as
well ... lots of screen to see the charts, easy to plot and lay out
courses. There is one thing 'though, that is really critical. PCs
aren't waterproof (generally speaking). All it takes is one freak wave
to dump some water down below and you're back in the dark ages as your
PC fries it's lil' chips. It happens (no matter how conscientious you
are...). Heck, it happened to me *S* (thankfully, I was able to
persuade sony that it was a warranty issue).
All decent chartplotters can take a total immersion and keep on tickin'.
And ... it's not just a wave that can take out your pc. As we all know,
ocean sailing creates a 100% (or higher) humidity level down below. NO
PC (again 'cept for truly waterproof models which cost more than
chartplotters anyway) will survive for ever in this environment.
So if you run an electronic boat -- A PC has to be viewed as a
backup/non-primary form of navigation -- if you want the convenience of
a chartplotter.
And ... no flames please about primary reliance on electronics. I carry
three GPSs, a complete set of paper charts, a sextant, and current
almanacs *S*. Call me paranoid....
-----Original Message-----
From:
[mailto:] On Behalf Of Stan
Gardner
Sent: November 14, 2002 2:39 PM
To: Lee Haefele; Rick H Kennerly
Cc: Live-Aboard at Crux dot Astro. Utoronto. Ca
Subject: Re: lv-ab: Chartplotter GPS
An observation on this discussion of chartplotters:
My old eyes have a very difficult time reading these chartplotters, so
I'd
have to put my reading glasses on and off a hundred times a day.
According
to Lee it's not too easy to get the charts into them, they're limited in
what they can hold at any one time, and they're certainly not cheap.
They
are nearly the price of a laptop, more than a used laptop with better
graphics, a larger screen and the capability to do other stuff.
I keep my laptop at the nav station, ready whenever I need it. I upload
waypoints into my Garmin 76 (not the map version) at the helm. They are
always connected to each other. There have been a few times when
navigating extremely narrow, shallow waterways in the Sacramento Delta
where the Admiral sits at the nav station and directs me, going dead
slow. If I really needed to see the computer I can use a USB extension
cord to move the computer to the helm, but I've never needed to do this.
I use my waypoints as a point of reference, and only glance at the GPS
occasionally. I mostly use the GPS to check speed against the knotmeter
to
determine current. I keep my eyes on the water. I love electronic
gadgets
and I think the GPS tied to the laptop is a marvelous invention, but I
wouldn't want the distraction of having it at the helm.
Just my 2 cents,
Stan,
S/V SeabirdV
At 06:14 AM 11/14/2002 -0500, Lee Haefele wrote:
>I have more to report: It took me about a day to
download/program/install
>the Map Source charts from CD. I am not very computer literate, so
someone
>else might get it in a couple of hours.
>The process: O (snip)
Stan Gardner ~~~_/) ~~~ NPTest, Inc.
Senior Mechanical Engineer 150 Baytech
Drive
Tel - 408 586 6532 San Jose,
CA
95134-2302
FAX - 408-586 4662 Email -
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