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We'll be heading out to the Pacific in the near future, so we've been investigating charting software as well as charts. So far, for other than specific local cruising, I can't find any electronic chart supplier beyond C-Map which makes any sense. Their Mega Max version is the most complete and way, way beyond the most affordable for far ranging cruisers. We can do the planned Pacific circle with four or five cards. But the only way I know of to use them is with a chart plotter or a windows based software such as MaxSea or Nobeltec.
We're trying to figure out the best way to run Windows on the mac and everything to do with Bootcamp and Parallels seems just so fragile or awkward that it scares me. I spoke to a Parallels rep the other day about how to get an actual disk here in Canada in case I needed to reinstall. He suggested it was not needed because one needed to keep downloading the updates constantly to keep things running because of constant Apple and Microsoft changes. Do I want to go to remote areas with such a fragile system? .
We're comfortable traveling with paper charts and sextant, but the price of paper charts and the price of C-map equivalents have really gotten our attention.
Is there a way to do HF email (ham and marine) without windows and just be resigned to only charting with paper or a chartplotter? I left the Windows OS 15 years ago and what I now see is just painful to contemplate. I'd almost rather pull up anchor chain by hand.
What have I missed?
donal
Vancouver Island
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You can view the navionics charts with the free Raymarine software.
I have found the VMWare Fusion virtual machine to be somewhat more stable than parallels.
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Thanks for info. I'm not fond of Raymarine because of their heavy defense work, but they, like Furuno have ways to work both at the computer and chartplotter level.
I did check out the chartworld site. Interesting developments that I wasn't aware of in detail. Ironically, Chartworld has software (windows, of course) to help you find out what isn't covered by their ENCs. The pricing is higher than C-Map for their Mega products and probably less complete. But it is a solution to keep the navigation in the Mac world.
Is their some technical reason why no Mac charting SW can use C-Map?
I can buy three Canadian Hydro disks here that cover all of BC for CAD175 each. That's $525. Yet I can buy the C-Map Mega that covers all of Western North American, Central America and the Carib. for about CAD 300, and that includes all the Canadian charts.
Another issue is this: you can update any C-map card for US$89. Whether a Mega card or small local area. Same price. So if you need only a few cards, you can afford to keep charts up to date. It seem from Chartworld that you have to buy the charts all over again (or did I read that wrong?).
It would seem to me an ideal set up for a sailboat without a protecting pilot house would be a computer inside for planning and other work that a mouse and keyboard--with a big screen--do so well, plus a water resistant chartplotter (smallish) outside to provide minute by minute info used for steering to waypoints through tight, complicated areas using earlier determined paths.
Power consumption is also an issue. The heat from the MacBook Pro I'm writing on is considerable, not to mention the power cord box, so I know the drain is serious. I need to make up an AC cable with split wires so I can use a clamp meter to see current useage. But even small chartplotters draw 1 amp or so, approaching the refrigerator needs on the boat.
One interesting idea I've heard was to run windows navigation software on one of the mini PCs. According to Nobeltec, charting programs don't require heavy graphics processing. So you could buy at least a couple minis and treat them as throwaways--at least compared to a MacBook Pro! But there are rumors of a miniMacBook...
donal
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You've found basically the same thing I have with CMap. The last time I looked at Chartworld it would have cost several magnitudes more for their downloadable charts vs the CMap chips for a plotter. Thus I now have a small Standard Horizon plotter that uses CMap and can even double as a radar display. The plotter and CMap chips were far cheaper than the Chartworld charts alone.
As much as I love MacENC I have relegated it to primarily planning and monitoring while at anchor or in a marina. For one thing, as you've found, th power consumption of a Mac is just too much for power frugel passage making. Then the cost of charts is simply unbearable for a cost constrained cruiser. It's all excellent for U.S. coastal cruising where charts are readily available for free, but is much more economically challenging when venturing further asea where chart requirements increase dramatically. That even considering the collection of old Softcharts that Jim Innes has made available on his server.
I truly wish that MacENC could use CMap, but I understand the problem is not MacENC's but the unwillingness of CMap to support a Mac driver, or something like that, so we're pretty much stuck with what we have.
BTW - I now have a small low power netbook onboard, primarily for Sailmail/Winmail, but haven't tried a plotting program for it. I'm not sure I will as I'd still not want it in the cockpit, and the SH plotter does an excellent job while sailing.
Scot
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Donal,
Should have read your post closer - didn't get past the charting problems the first time. As for HF email, I'm afraid that Windows is it for now. I ran Sailmail extensively a year ago while cruising up and around the Charlottes and Vancouver island, and it worked really well on my MacBook with Parallels. I'm now running Fusion instead and it works equally as well. You can also just do a backup of your latest Parallels or Fusion .dmg install plus a backup of your virtual drive, and can easily reinstall. Having an official install disc really doesn't add anything. Pretty easy to do. Fusion also has a 'snapshot' function that may essentially be a backup but I haven't explored that. I just backup my whole Mac weekly and it includes Fusion and all the related files.
Scot
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Thanks for the info, Scot. I've been aboard Jaga in Port Townsend and we've met informally at Port Townsend Foundry where we had extensive hardware castings done. We also have a 38 foot double ender, but Buehler not Atkin.
I haven't given up on the Mac, but at least I don't feel quite so much that I am missing something.
Much of the marine marketing is quite lame. Chartworld a case in point. Maybe because I've been a journalist, magazine editor and owner of an ad agency that I'm hyper critical, but I don't see any reason to make it difficult for a customer to get the info they need to make a decision.
Navionics site is very awkward. You can't easily tell what the differences are between the various metals designations. It appears to be a combination of things both size and detail. But never clearly spelled out. And the coverage list is vague. They have set up a barrier to success.
Compare that with the C-Map site the shows in a very long list every chart included on each area package.
My eyes are crossed looking at companies such as Softcharts that I'm sure serve some limited market somewhere somehow, but sure did waste my time claiming to be what they aren't.
Much of this is because we live in an era of change to digital and the tides and currents of business (pun intended) haven't worked themselves out.
Anyway, I still need to get a Windows system up for other things just not available on the Mac.
donal
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While GMN XGate (which works great on Mac OS X) with both Sat and HF Radios does not have the number of HF stations the SailMail system does, they do have some..
http://www.xnetmail.com/member_stations.htm
Besides for running on Mac OS X, XGate unlike SailMail allows you to use what ever email client you want (including Mac OS X Mail app).
http://www.globalmarinenet.net/email.htm
Scott Dillon
Sydney Australia
North Shore 38
CYCA
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thanks for the info on GMN XGate. I'll research it some more. The HF network looks very limited. Again, I can't understand why someone would go to all the effort they have and then do such a poor job of explaining themselves to the world. Is it Ham based? Marine HF based? Replaces marine HF ssb? Commercial messages okay or not? Expected coverage area? But the compression software certainly would be valuable for sat phone use. I wonder if it would work on Skymate, or if Skymate's SW is already pretty good. I wish Skymate had SoPac coverage. Much of their business is trucking (tracking loads, email) and remote crews such as mining and drilling. Us cruisers are barely worth servicing they say.
So what is it that it would take to run C-Map on MacENC? I've downloaded it and find it smooth running, a nice piece of work.
Is it just protecting their proprietary SW base? Or something technical that can't be overcome?
donal
