looking for gps software for laptop

[jgruen]

Hello sailors..
I am looking for opinions and recomendations regarding the use of gps software to be used with my laptop. My intention is to use the laptop and reciever at my navstation in conjuction with my older handheld gps rather than a chartplotter at the helm. Will be using it most often in the Great Lakes. Anyone willing to share what software has worked well for them?
Jim in Ohio...

[btrayfors]

Jim,

Lots of software out there. I assume you're on a Windows platform.

I've used Ocean Navigator successfully for several years, and like it very much. Maptech has several levels of compatible programs.

ON is great for planning and underway navigation. It has a nice feature which allows you to plot a course, with waypoints, and to print out a copy of all the courses, distances, times, waypoints, etc. I always do that before a long trip, and have the hard copy along as well as the program itself running on my laptop.

Here's an example of a course w/waypoints plotted on a NOAA chart of the Fox Islands Thoroughfare in Maine: http://gallery.wdsg.com/Maine-Trip-2004/FoxIsTh?full=1

I also keep an older Dell laptop runniing Win98SE and ON, with the identical routes and waypoints and charts. It's cheap insurance in case the IBM Win2K machine fails.

Others have their favorites, of course.

Bill

[jgruen]

Hello sailors..
I am looking for opinions and recomendations regarding the use of gps software to be used with my laptop. My intention is to use the laptop and reciever at my navstation in conjuction with my older handheld gps rather than a chartplotter at the helm. Will be using it most often in the Great Lakes. Anyone willing to share what software has worked well for them?
Jim in Ohio...

[PBzeer]

I use Fugawi ENC for active routing, with SeaClear II as a back up and planning suite. I use a GPS Mouse from USGlobalSat as my GPS reciever.

[uspirate]

I'll chime in, I'm using a magellan meridian marine with Mapsend BlueNAV and google earth. works great for me but I'm sure others have different methods.
hope this helps!

BJ

[Valdare]

I have a garmin GPS/ the Capt'n charting program. Works great. I have taken it to the Islands when sailing the US Spanish Islands and use it in the Great Lakes. I have a combination 12 volt/gps/Computer cord. the only thing that would make it better is a portable GPS antenna. The cord is long enough for me to put the gps up on the coach roof but the antenna would be an improvement. Great portability.

John

[donrr1]

I am planning on using a laptop at the Nav Station as well. I don't have any experience with this software buts it's got my eye, here is a link.
http://www.furuno.com/Furuno/Rooms/DisplayPages/LayoutInitial?Container=com.webridge.entity.Entity %5BOID%5B3DED26BBA2F8514F931A0899756405E7%5D%5D

Don

[CaptKermie]

Can anyone see or read the laptop/notebook display screen out on the water under the bright sun? I find that it needs to be kept below out of the light to see it.

[sailingdog]

Most laptops will need to be kept below or heavily shaded in order to read the display. The only laptops that are daylight readable are usually "ruggedized" models that have a transreflective LCD display, and are designed for use outdoors.

The Cap'n program is pretty good if you want a Windows-based solution, and it can work with the free NOAA ENC charts. MacENC works pretty well if you're using a Mac-based laptop, and also works with the free NOAA charts.

[PBzeer]

CaptK - haven't really tried, but I think it might work in night mode. By and large though, laptops aren't made for sunlight viewing.

The Fugawi also works with the free NOAA charts, vector and raster. As does the SeaClear, though it's only raster charts.