February 6, 2009 08:11
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
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