Garmin GPS - Garmin Blue Chart questions

Author

Garmin Blue Chart questions

email4ube-happy@yahoo.com

2006-01-25, 11:48 pm

I'm considering purchasing the 376C for our boat. We need good
detail covering the entire East Coast and the Bahamas, including the
Intracoastal Waterway. I don't need the automotive function, but like
the idea of the XM Weather overlay, and the fact that I can move the
unit between several boats rather easily.

My questions are:

What would be the total cost using the CD and purchasing the needed
unlock codes (We need all the charts for the US east coast)?

Would I also have to purchase extra chips; any specialized
hardware/software? (I already have a laptop)

Is it possible on the 376C, or perhaps another Garmin unit, to buy the
all these charts pre-loaded or on pre-programmed chips?

Would this be cheaper, and is the information the same in quality and
detail?

Are there any advantages or disadvantages?

How up to date are the charts when you purchase the unit, does Garmin
update them on a periodic basis, and what are the costs associated with
updating?

Thanks again for any help

tallen

2006-01-30, 11:48 pm

Total cost ???? At West Marine expect to pay $3750 for what you want.

email4ube-happy@yahoo.com wrote:

>I'm considering purchasing the 376C for our boat. We need good
>detail covering the entire East Coast and the Bahamas, including the
>Intracoastal Waterway. I don't need the automotive function, but like
>the idea of the XM Weather overlay, and the fact that I can move the
>unit between several boats rather easily.
>
>My questions are:
>
>What would be the total cost using the CD and purchasing the needed
>unlock codes (We need all the charts for the US east coast)?
>
>Would I also have to purchase extra chips; any specialized
>hardware/software? (I already have a laptop)
>
>Is it possible on the 376C, or perhaps another Garmin unit, to buy the
>all these charts pre-loaded or on pre-programmed chips?
>
>Would this be cheaper, and is the information the same in quality and
>detail?
>
>Are there any advantages or disadvantages?
>
>How up to date are the charts when you purchase the unit, does Garmin
>update them on a periodic basis, and what are the costs associated with
>updating?
>
>
>Thanks again for any help
>
>
>

tallen

2006-01-30, 11:48 pm

Here is some additional information if you have a laptop and a
handheld. I sent it to another newsgroup just a few hours ago.

Has anyone used the free S/W SeaClear 2 with NOAA BSB files? I just
d/l'd it and found it fairly easy to use, with the manual's help, but
have not yet had a chance to run it with my GPS. I found it easier to
plan routes than MapSource with BlueChart. You don't have to
continuously pick at the upper menu to pan, zoom and set routing
waypoints if you have a scroll mouse. And file knitting was fast and
seamless considering the charts are raster based.

And with G7towin, I successfully imported routes from my MapSource files
which is good since I have 5 years worth of tracks and routes from
running the East Coast and Bahamas delivery routes.

I d/l'd the whole US East Coast NOAA charts (660megs zipped probably 1.2
gigs unzipped). So there Maptech! ! ! and Garmin BlueChart. All FREE!
The whole East Coast in BlueChart it would have cost $3700 US.

Granted these are raster charts, but this was a standard up until a few
years ago when things digital had to do with fingers. Besides, the RNCs
are updated regularly by NOAA based on the LNMs, whereas BlueChart
vector charts are updated only when Garmin decides to do another version.

email4ube-happy@yahoo.com wrote:

>I'm considering purchasing the 376C for our boat. We need good
>detail covering the entire East Coast and the Bahamas, including the
>Intracoastal Waterway. I don't need the automotive function, but like
>the idea of the XM Weather overlay, and the fact that I can move the
>unit between several boats rather easily.
>
>My questions are:
>
>What would be the total cost using the CD and purchasing the needed
>unlock codes (We need all the charts for the US east coast)?
>
>Would I also have to purchase extra chips; any specialized
>hardware/software? (I already have a laptop)
>
>Is it possible on the 376C, or perhaps another Garmin unit, to buy the
>all these charts pre-loaded or on pre-programmed chips?
>
>Would this be cheaper, and is the information the same in quality and
>detail?
>
>Are there any advantages or disadvantages?
>
>How up to date are the charts when you purchase the unit, does Garmin
>update them on a periodic basis, and what are the costs associated with
>updating?
>
>
>Thanks again for any help
>
>
>

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