GPS Chart Plotter Sonar. HELP

[Priority1]

BROTHER !!!

I didn't own a computer until 03. Small world!

It is a small world, especially with computers and the www. Places like the GLF site is a great way to share information and opinions. And here I thought I was the only dinosaur that evolved.

[Rayman96]

It is a small world, especially with computers and the www. Places like the GLF site is a great way to share information and opinions. And here I thought I was the only dinosaur that evolved.

....Like it here enough to upgrade to supporting member status!

....Here's map that may be useful, however you'd have to buy a gps to match.

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=254&pID=2088#coverageTab

[Paulywood]

Frank, we have talked about using a laptop as a gps before. The main problem I see is the amount of moisture in the air when you are on the water. I don't know if any laptop will last long in these conditions. Also the abuse it would take when you are up and running. Even the rough service laptops aren't really meant to absorb that kind of shock. And while your hardtop will offer some protection, it will also hinder the computer's ability to pick up a signal. I don't know if they make an antennae for a computer. I have seen on a couple of different places where guys have tried a laptop as a gps and no one was happy with the results. By the time you add up the cost of the computer, software, inverter and antennae, you could buy a gps and a chip and have something that was built to perform in a marine environment. And has a warranty. Just my opinion.

[Rayman96]

....I thought about a laptop as well. Even one of those small netbooks for less than $400.

....I came to the same conclusion! At work, we had industrial workbooks and they were not always reliable. The company had resources to keep multiple units in service. And these babies were not cheap!!!!!!!

[Priority1]

Frank, we have talked about using a laptop as a gps before. The main problem I see is the amount of moisture in the air when you are on the water. I don't know if any laptop will last long in these conditions. Also the abuse it would take when you are up and running. Even the rough service laptops aren't really meant to absorb that kind of shock. And while your hardtop will offer some protection, it will also hinder the computer's ability to pick up a signal. I don't know if they make an antennae for a computer. I have seen on a couple of different places where guys have tried a laptop as a gps and no one was happy with the results. By the time you add up the cost of the computer, software, inverter and antennae, you could buy a gps and a chip and have something that was built to perform in a marine environment. And has a warranty. Just my opinion.

....I thought about a laptop as well. Even one of those small netbooks for less than $400.

....I came to the same conclusion! At work, we had industrial workbooks and they were not always reliable. The company had resources to keep multiple units in service. And these babies were not cheap!!!!!!!

I wasn't sure how a rough service laptop would hold up either. The Panasonic Tough Book seems to be one of the toughest. Signal would NOT be an issue. The computer receives it's signal for a rather inexpensive USB GPS receiver, that could be mounted on top of the hardtop. Laptops do not need an inverter. They run on batteries DC. They can be run off a car or boats electrical system just like a Sonar or GPS.These laptops can be obtained refurbished, and are supposed to be waterproof. I have seen some for around $300. Durability is the only issue, and a big one at that. I did see a video of a Toughbook being run over by a Hummer. If I had a laptop I would experiment with it on an ideal day. If it worked well then look into a used Toughbook. The GPS receiver and Software can be had for about $50. There are a quite a few Sail boats that are using the laptop GPS set up now. One of these days I may be dumb enough to give it a whirl. It sure would be nice to look at your boat or car on big screen chart or map. I'm not sold on this yet and appreciate all the input.

Nick, Do you have a laptop I could use?

[anthonyyost]

Buy a Hummingbird.

[KJ pluggin]

Has anyone researched or thought about using a Laptop as a GPS in their boat?? It seems this may have been hashed over before. My boat has a hardtop so it's dryer than most open boats. Below is what I figure would be the cost.

$350 Used 13 inch Rough Service Laptop. Wouldn't need a super horse of a laptop but the rough service would be essential.

$40 GPS receiver

$15 NOAA Charts on DVD

Pros: Big Screen, Lots of inexpensive, Software, Portable Boat to Car etc.

Cons: Will the Laptop hold up? Would need to fab bracket to hold it.

The software for the GPS units is what has my shorts in a knot. If some geek came up with a reasonably priced, tough unit that would run all available software, I'm sure it would sell. I think more competition is needed.

I may still go with the individual Garmins, But I'm sure I'm going to be trying the laptop, somewhere down the road.

I have been thinking about the same thing lately. Just the other day I loaded the demo program from this site. This program doesn't have all the bells and whistles as some of the other programs out there but I thought it was fairly simple to navigate and did most things I wanted it to do. I was also a little concerned about the pounding that the laptop would have to take. If I do end up doing this I would probably try and find a used one really cheap, since this program doesn't require a very powerful laptop a used laptop should not be an issue. Ram also makes laptop mounting brackets that I think would work pretty good. Not sure if I will do it or not but it sure would be nice having a big screen versatile laptop.

[Priority1]

Check out the NOAA charts and SeaClear software. Under $20 for all the US waters.

http://www.officialnoaacharts.com/

They also show a demo video.

The rough Service laptops have the hard drive cushioned. If the laptop was sitting on a 4 inch thick foam cushion it would add more protection. There are even solid state HDD with no moving parts. The Laptop could be used for other applications also. We are not in uncharted waters. Others are using this. I do think the key is to get a water resistant Rough Service Laptop.

[Priority1]

I just received a GlobalSat BU-353 USB GSP Navigation Receiver. The cost was $37 total. This GPS receiver is about the size of a pocket watch with a 5 ft. USB cable attached. I have a free program called SeaClear running with it. I should have a DVD with all the NOAA charts in a day or two. The charts and software DVD is $17 total. I'm running this little gem on my PC, in the basement of my story and a half house. It didn't take long to lock on, and hasn't lost signal in two hrs time. It does show it's position on the rough SeaClear map. I'll post a screen shot after I get my NOAA charts. Technology is amazing. I'm not sure it will make it to my boat yet, but so far I'm impressed. Testing 1-2-3.

From what I have read this set up will meet the Coast Guard requirements for charts, on Charter Boats and other commercial vessels.

[KJ pluggin]

I loaded up Sea clear a little while back and it seemed to load alright but the online charts would not load into the program. After messing around trying to get the charts to load I went back on there site and found out that SeaClear is not set up to run on Vista. Maybe it would work if I purchased the DVD with the charts but not sure I want to take that chance. Hope it all works out for you, I can't wait to see what the charts look like when you get them.

[1mainiac]

Frank I have a system I have thought about putting in my boat it is a 12v PC that was orginally built into the dash of a motor home. My plan was to build it into a cabinet inside with the flat screen it comes with and use a smaller display on the dash of the boat. It has a wireless mouse keyboard setup and ran a GPS system as well as being a full computer it is very cool even though it is now several years old. As long as you keep it dry most notebooks will do what you want I have had my Dell on the boat several times with no issues. There are lots of roof mounted flip down display DVD players avail and most have video inputs that you can run to the video output of your laptop so with a wireless mouse keyboard setup and a remote screen you could keep the laptop safe in the cabin. throw a camera on it and film while you fish.

[Rayman96]

I loaded up Sea clear a little while back and it seemed to load alright but the online charts would not load into the program. After messing around trying to get the charts to load I went back on there site and found out that SeaClear is not set up to run on Vista. Maybe it would work if I purchased the DVD with the charts but not sure I want to take that chance. Hope it all works out for you, I can't wait to see what the charts look like when you get them.

I found the same problem with Vista and some of my XP software. I later came to find out that my new computer with Vista runs on a 64 bit matrix. This turned out to be a double whammy. Now any hardware or software I buy has to be Vista 64 bit compatible!!!:angry2:

Then Microsoft brought out Windows 7 and offered a free upgrade to Vista consumers, but I missed the time frame for the free upgrade!!:angry2:

[Priority1]

Microsoft had it's share of Loser operating systems. About 10 years ago it was windows ME. I think W98 was one of their best. XP was OK but it was a real memory hog especially for some of the older P3 systems.

Kyle, SeaClear 2 is supposed to be compatible with VIsta.

The DVD comes with the NOAA charts and SeaClear on it. Downloading the free charts and putting them into SeaCLear can be a PITA. This program has it ready to rock for $17. It's not worth trying to D I Y. I downloaded SeaClear 2 just to familiarize myself with it. This DVD can run the program from a DVD ROM drive or it can be loaded to your HDD. I'll only load the half a dozen or so charts that I will be using. As you navigate through one area, it will switch charts automatically. SeaClear does show SOG COG position, as well as store thousands of way points.

Jim that set up you have sounds cool. If this pans out I'll get a refurbished military spec Panasonic Toughbook.

Here is a eBay link. It does show some screen shots.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330340471412&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWNX%3AIT

The red area in the upper right corner shows that the position is not locked. The same area will show coordinates as well as SOG COG etc.

[Priority1]

I'm still waiting on my NOAA chart DVD. Today I have SeaClear running on a Compact Flash card I borrowed from my Nikon camera. The GPS receiver is very stable even in my basement. I cupped my hand over it, and that will make it drop out. I think running the GPS programs off a memory stick or card may be more reliable than a moving hard disc drive or DVD ROM.

Please tell me I'm not turning into an old Geek.

[Rayman96]

Please tell me I'm not turning into an old Geek.

:lol:

I think you passed that milestone about a 1000 waypoints ago!!!!:D:D

[Priority1]

I finally received the SeaClear II program loaded with all the NOAA charts. I used a large boat icon instead of an arrow to show my position better just for this screen shot. I'm impressed at what it shows. I did have to go into the guts of the PC to get the Com Port the GPS receiver is plugged into. Just click on the area and the required chart is loaded. A pic is worth a thousand words.

[KJ pluggin]

Looks pretty good! When you drop waypoints does Seaclear allow you to add notes to them?

[Priority1]

Looks pretty good! When you drop waypoints does Seaclear allow you to add notes to them?

Yes it does. I need to get more familiar with it. I believe to leave notes and save information you have to run it off your hard drive. I'm running just off the DVD right now. I need to go through the manual.

[KJ pluggin]

For me the ability to leave detailed notes attached to waypoints is one of the things that sets gps software systems apart from other systems out there. And the large screen is nice to.

[usmcpaul]

Wow Frank that is great. Kudo's to you sir. I am going to try it.

So let me get this straight. I need to get the GlobalSat BU-353 USB GSP Navigation Receiver, and then the SeaClear II program loaded with all the NOAA charts?

From there, it is just a matter of loading it into the laptop?

I am in the process of researching solid state hard drives right now, which hopefully would eliminate the cushioning problem discussed earlier.

[GLF]

Would be nice if his would work on a netbook.

[Nailer]

Please tell me I'm not turning into an old Geek.

I Googled Frank, and this is what they came up with.

All in fun. It looks like what your coming up with is pretty slick.

[Priority1]

Would be nice if his would work on a netbook.

There is NO reason why it shouldn't work on a netbook. I have run it from a Compact flash card, DVD, and from my HDD drive. I think it needs to be run from the HDD in order to save things. Internet is not required. I may be purchasing used netbook or a refurbished Panasonic Military spec Toughbook. The only reason I'm running it on my PC is to familiarize myself with it, and I don't own a laptop. I'm impressed by what it does for the little bit I spent, and it takes a lot to impress grumpy old men. The Laptop will be the biggest expense, but it's not tied to the boat. The hardest thing I had to do, to geek this along, was enter hardware manager and see what port the GPS USB was hooked to. This info had to be entered in the SeaClear program. Even an old slug like me had it up and running in 5 minutes. I think the DVD contains over 4 gigs of data. When I load it to a laptop I'll only load the charts I may use. I also backed up the DVD. If you want to try it I can bring you a copy.

[Priority1]

Paul, If you are going to be @ the seminar I could bring you a DVD, or mail a copy to you.

[usmcpaul]

Paul, If you are going to be @ the seminar I could bring you a DVD, or mail a copy to you.

Thanks Frank, I appreciate it. Unfortunately I can't make it to the seminar so I will PM you my address.

By the way, the solid state hard drive is looking like a good option right now. I am trying to decide on the manufacturer and style. I am considering this one

I would rather have an internal SSD but I am having trouble finding one that will fit into my old Dell.

I wonder if I can remove the current hard drive completely and just run the above mentioned SSD, by changing the boot sequence to boot from the express card slot?