Chartplotter navigation software for Raymarine
- Thread starter smokey73
- Start date
Have you tried downloading Raymarine software through the WiFi? I believe yours has WiFi. I have an e-version, but the last time I updated SW, I believe I downloaded from Raymarine directly to my boat via Wifi.
You can download the Raymarine a98 software updates through WiFi but that is the operating system, not the Mapping program. As the Navionics customer rep implied (not said) you are SOL without the card.
I said scr*w Garmin 6 years ago after they EOL'd my chartplotter a year after purchase. I use OpenCPN, with the Garmin chartplotter as radar display and backup mapping device. It is not pain free but the occasional inconvenience is offset by the cost of the software (free) and the NOAA charts (also free). I pay $20/year for charts of the west coast of Canada. I run it on an old Thinkpad i3 NUC that I bought for $100.
It's not for everyone, but for me it was worth the effort to become proficient in its care and feeding. The base software is pretty straightforward. Autopilot and radar integrations are challenging. There are many plug-ins to extend functionality but I try to keep it simple.
It's not for everyone, but for me it was worth the effort to become proficient in its care and feeding. The base software is pretty straightforward. Autopilot and radar integrations are challenging. There are many plug-ins to extend functionality but I try to keep it simple.
I’m a fan of OpenCPN at home, but is there a cost effective waterproof sun viewable touch screen to make it feasible at the helm?
Yes, but they're pretty expensive. I see links posted on Cruisers Forum from time to time, but I haven't made the leap myself. I use a tablet in a waterproof case that has worked well so far.
You lose a product and expect them to replace it at a discount? Try that with any other product and you’ll probably get the same response unless the maker is culpable in the circumstances of your loss.
It’s wise to look at alternatives, but don’t boycott them just because they didn’t insure you. Registered or not, you didn’t buy insurance and they have no way to deactivate the old card. They have the best alternative to your built-in charts, IMHO. Good luck.
Last edited:
Interesting, but I don't think I ever said I was going to boycott them, simply I was looking for alternatives.
When you speak to a customer service rep one expect some level of civility, especially when I admitted it was lost and was asking if they could "help" me. I was very pleasant when I called and really didn't expect a replacement card. However as it appears they have a pretty good idea of who owns what a particular card and you pay an annual subscription fee to update that specific card (can't be used on another card) a reasonable and "customer service response" might be something like "Let me see if I can do something? Do you have a subscription for updates? I'm sorry but we can't replace the card but we can credit your current update subscription to a new card" or something along that line.
By the way, I have had experience with a "product" that included a "subscription service for updates" that, when the product was lost, they simply refunded the remaining balance on the subscription service.