GPS C-map nt ?

Troller · 05-22-2002, 05:19 AM

I have been looking at purchasing a Gps unit and think I have narrowed it down to a standard horizon 170c or a furuno 1850 using c-map +. Anybody have experience with either of these or suggestions on what you have. What to look for or options that are nice to have.

Sensei-san · 05-22-2002, 05:22 PM

Troller, Both are good units. The FURUNO is the choice of commercial fishermen. C-MAP NT is a good provider of map chips but some of the coverage for Oregon is spotty. You either get great big areas or really small areas. Nothing in between. GARMIN has a new system called BLUECHART. I have been trying to see if it solves the problem of "no mr. in between". If you have not used a chartplotter, it will greatly increase your catching as you will be able to pinpoint the exact spot. Some people even claim that they can navigate as will as with a radar with a chartplotter but you still can't see that freighter bareing down on you in the fog on the chartplotter screen unless you complete the FURUNO NAVNET system. And that is really pricy.

Troller · 05-23-2002, 05:04 AM

The furuno is really nice and the radar would really come in handy. But spendy I was trying to decide what way to go the standard horizon has better resolution but the furuno you are able to enter waypoints via a keypad rather than using a cursor and clicking. Decisions , Decisions that and $$$$.

Pitch Pocket · 05-23-2002, 06:52 AM

I have the Furuno NavNet with overlay. Yes it was spendy, but much less expensive than if you bought all the components seperately and you only have one screen on your dash.

No matter which plotter you use, you should get Visual Navigation Suite from Nobeltec to manage your waypoints and routes. Create routes on your computer and upload them to the GPS.

Troller · 05-24-2002, 09:36 AM

I will have to take another look at the navnet. can you get the gps part and add the antenna later? I will have to put up a radar tower if I go that way. Luckily I have a good friend that worked for a company called almar making boats for about 12years . that has told me if I need anything custom made let him know. He told me he designed a folding radar tower for one of their customer so that he could get it in his garage after coming back from fishing. I allready have to unbolt the top to fit it in my garage with an 8 foot door.

Sensei-san · 05-24-2002, 10:04 PM

Troller, There are already three systems out there. FURUNO with navnet, Raytheon with HSB2 and SITEX with genesis. They all will let you integrate your electronics together. But be aware that once you decide to do this, you are stuck with that brand except for basic integration with the old interface standard NEMA183. I doubt that the simplicity of NMEA183 will ever come back.

That said, it seems that most people are chosing either FURUNO or Raytheon. As for adding radar later, no problem. But don't make your decision based on that. Go for what you need.

boater · 05-25-2002, 08:52 PM

i am going to buy a garmin 182c, it uses the blue chips. i see you live in black diamond, if you get a chance stop at boaters world in southcenter and check it out.

Troller · 05-28-2002, 11:54 PM

Thanks for the info. It all helps. I have been to the boatersworld and looked at what they have. It seems like I allways get someone that has no clue what they are doing. I found a place in tacoma J and G nautical supply that can answer any ? I have plus some. Their prices are not bad either the vhf radio I purchased their was 10 bucks cheaper than boaters world and west marine. They also service what they sell their at the store. Now do I get the raymarine or the furuno? I will have to go play with them a little more.

boater · 06-01-2002, 02:22 PM

troller, i know what you mean about boaters world, out of all the people who work there i found out that one guy knows his stuff about gps`s, a short little funny looking guy lol, also if you want i can send you a link to a boating forum where there has been a big discusion about gps`s going on for sometime.

springer_97011 · 06-01-2002, 08:41 PM

i have a sh 170c and it is a great unit for the price. it is also very easy to use. i also have furuno equipment also and it is very good but very expensive for the same thing if you are most intrested in just the gps/chartplotter.

pirk fan · 06-02-2002, 08:12 AM

I have the Garmin GPSMAP 176 with the BlueChart chip for the West Coast from SF Bay to the Straits of Juan de Fuca. I like it a lot - it's shown me some spots out of Newport that I didn't know were there. You can also get a blank data chip and load it with other garmin map products (I have the Roads and Recreation CD), and use it in your car (requires an automotive mount adaptor). I've heard bad things about the color version of this chartplotter, so went with the non color version, and have no trouble reading the display

springer_97011 · 06-02-2002, 08:18 PM

the nt+ charts are great. they have tide, port, and servicesn information that is good.i have found them to be quite accurate. make sure you buy a unit with waas.

Gregotis98 · 06-02-2002, 11:49 PM

I'm thinking very seriously about the Standard Hoizon CP 150 with the new C-Map NT+ charts. Has anyone used either one, some of the reviews about the CP 150 have mentioned bad antennas. The CP 150 came out before the NT+ and you can get a free upgrade from C-Map to the new system, has anyone done this? How close to paper charts does this look? The carts are sold in three different sizes with the same detail, just larger areas I believe. Please help before I waste more money!