[Public-list] gps questions

[Robert Kirk]

J... Going in that direction, a marvelous, FREE, chartplotting program is 
called SEACLEAR ( http://www.sping.com/seaclear/ ). Now that the NOAA BSB's 
are freely downloadable ( http://chartmaker.noaa.gov/mcd/enc/download.htm 
)you can use your laptop as an expensive chartplotter with the same 
features. You can also use your Garmin GPS II+ to drive it with a serial 
cable. Get the Garmin power-data cable available much cheaper from third 
parties than the Garmin version.

Bob Kirk
Isobar #181

At 10:53 AM 10/21/2006, Rod  Symmes wrote:
>I am going to make your choice even harder because I use yet another 
>really great program , FUGAWI moving map software, on my laptop.  It will 
>do exactly what you want ie: < lets me go click-click-click to define a 
>route, then upload it
>into my GPS >  You can also create and label waypoints and upload them as 
>well.  I use this to mark rocks and other hazards that I want to stay 
>clear of.
>     With the NMEA cable you can take your laptop on board and FUGAWI will 
> take the position info from the GPS and move an icon indicating your 
> position across the electronic chart.  VERY COOL but as someone else 
> mentioned - almost addictive.  I find it so distracting that it 
> diminishes my enjoyment of pure sailing.  When I am in familiar waters I 
> prefer to upload the danger points and just sail with the GPS but if I 
> was cruising unfamiliar waters or tight quarters it is very comforting to 
> know where you are to within about a boat length.
>     I always keep paper charts on board as backup ( we all know how often 
> computers give us grief )  and this is another reason that I like FUGAWI 
> ,  unlike many nav software that uses vector mapping,  Fugawi uses BSB 
> charts ( raster maps ) that are scanned images of the official 
> hydrographical charts and so they look exactly the same as the paper 
> chart that I am familiar with.  And I guess if you have the GPS with the 
> uploaded danger points with you,  it is another backup to fall back on.
>     The only dislike I have....... the company that creates the Canadian 
> BSB charts, has a monopoly.......that always makes me 
> uncomfortable.  >From an earlier thread, I gather that there are sites 
> where US  BSB charts can be downloaded.  I have not checked this out or 
> tried them on Fugawi.   The one advantage that I feel vector mapping 
> has....... as you zoom in the software adds more detail and as you zoom 
> out, it removes some detail so that the image is less cluttered. [...]


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