New GPS - Bluechart chip or CD

[skein]

Boat jewelry.

I bought a Garmin 188C chartplotter/depth sounder combo and want to add the BlueChart capabilities to it, but don't know whether to get the data card (chip) or CD.

The CD would let me look at charts on my PC, then download info into the main unit. Sounds attractive and fun, but I don't know how practical that would be in the long term.

The chip is simple, hassle-free, but I lose the PC capabilities.

Anyone got any pro/con ideas? I've even thought of buying both, but not sure I want to spend the extra $150 just so I can play on my compter.

Thoughts?

Skein

[Gus Orviston]

I got the bluechart...once you download it, it is really the same as the chip, but you will have by the memory as well and for Garmin their solution is proprietary so get the memory big enough for your charts. I hear magellan uses SD memory that is off the shelf, instead of Garmin's solution of reinventing a non standard memory package [img]graemlins/stupid.gif[/img]

However, you only have to download it once, Unless you are deleting it for some reason? Then you have CD charts on your PC too, then you can preplan on a bigger screen, or when you are traveling you can day dream about where you want to be and not think about where you are.

gus

[DB_Cooper]

I purchased the cd so I could preset my waypoints, routes and other locations on my pc, then downloading, before I go out fishing. It also lets me upload locations from the unit that I find while fishing. The best scenario would be to mount the laptop on the boat with the gps unit plugged into it. imo

[boater]

i bought the 182 garmin and bought the chips and am happy with them, simple, hassle free and thats what i like. i found them for 129.00 also.

[Orca]

Being able to work on the PC is an advantage. You can assemble files of waypoints, and generate waypoints right on the charts (or from other data) on you PC, then download them. After fishing, you can upload any waypoints, and then sit back and get the large picture of where your points lay on the chart. You can also sit down and browse the charts very easily at your PC. I rarely pull out the paper charts now since I can cruise around the BlueChart with ease on the PC.