[oldvarnish]

I really don't know whether to opt for raster or vector charts, and therefore MacENC or MacGPS.
Although my boat is in the US, she'll be coming back to the UK this year, and what I want from the software is good chart information, and the ability to overlay GRIB files.
I like all the extra inf. that Vector provides, but I find the chart catalogues bewildering.
Can anyone tell me which vector chart supplier does the best charts that work with ENC, and I'll take it from there.
thanks

PS I've tried both demos and the MacGPS seems much faster.

[ReeferJon]

I've been using GPSNavX with MapTech's BSB 4 raster charts of the Solent for a year or so now, and have found the whole set up excellent.

I've held off purchasing MacENC because, much as I'd love to use vector charts, but I'm not aware of anyone who's found a reasonably priced source of ENC cartography for the UK. However now that MacENC supports raster charts as well, I'll probably be upgrading over the next few months.

As for GRIB files, both applications support GRIB. Moreover, you can download high resolution files using MacWX (also by the ubiquitous GPSNavX!)

[oldvarnish]

thanks, that's very useful. It seems, then, that ENC would be the one to go for - it seems to do all the jobs, both vector and raster.
I found it a bit slow on my imac, but I'll try again with the demo.

[GPSNavX]

MacENC at this time only works with the NOAA (US Waters) vector charts. It also works with BSB raster charts. At this time we only sell/ship MacENC to US customers.

We recommend as a minimum system a 1GHz G4 Mac.

So for our international customers we recommend GPSNavX which works with the BSB raster charts and will run well even on a G3 Mac.

[oldvarnish]

that's very helpful - thanks

[ReeferJon]

So you're saying that non-US customers can't buy MacENC?

I s'pose it makes support a bit easier, seeing as you're not going to have to deal with weird ENC cartography from all over the world.

When do you think there'll be an international version then? After all, we don't necessarily need the ENC cartography, just MacENC...

[GPSNavX]

The rest of the world (not United States) has decided to encrypt S-57 ENC data in several different ways (S63, S63X, SENC, dongles). Supporting this programatically is do-able. Supporting this to the end user is where the headache comes.

GPSNavX supports encrypted BSB 4/5 charts. From that experience of supporting end users get their charts registered I am less than enthusiastic about supporting registration of various international ENC's.

The rest of the world should follow the lead of the United States and offer the ENC data at unencrypted in the name of boating safety. MacENC can read any unencrypted S-57 ENC.

Currently MacENC includes a CD with the NOAA ENC's. As not all have the connection to download the 300+MB S-57 Catalog. So I have chose to only ship the MacENC to United States customers.

If you have accesss to unencyrpted S-57 ENC data and would like purchase a download of MacENC contact me directly - macenc@mac.com

[oldvarnish]

Those of us in the UK, certainly, who have to pay a fortune for charts, would agree that freedom of information should certainly apply to navigational data.
As someone who downloaded, last night, all the charts I need for my cruise up the NE US coast this year, for FREE, I am amazed, and telling everybody about it. They don't believe me.
Off to the website to buy GPSNavX - thanks

[ReeferJon]

Do you think that there's the potential to demand that cartography from the UKHO be made accessible under the freedom of information act?

Personally, I think that our US cousins have the right idea when it comes to cartography. If charts are paid for by the tax payer, then they should be free to the tax-payer.However the big cartography companies (C-MAP. Navionics et al) would no doubt be up in arms if that happened in Europe...

Any UK lawyers out there fancy taking this on?!!?