My Personal Experience
My personal experience says they're great. I would basically differ with PS, although I see their point. The small screen on a handheld makes it next to impossible to get the "big picture with details" like you do on a chart on on a bigger charting GPS. HOWEVER There is no doubt that in the use I had for it, it was invaluable. I wouldn't have wanted to try to chart a course across the Gulf with it, but it showed me my markers in the Texas ICS with amazing accuracy. It showed me which marker I needed to turn into to get to Anchor Marina (where I had never been) on the southern tip of TX (never been, at least on the water), in the dark at 11:00 at night (behind schedule because of engine problem). The detail was great enough that I could see the "fingers" in the map for the marina slip. When we sailed to Port Aransas, it again showed us the channel (VERY narrow) leading deep across the island to Island Moorings. Again, I wouldn't want to chart a long course on it, but it served its purpose, without a doubt. And, had it not been for the Blue Chart software, the whole process would have been more involved and clumsy.
My personal experience says they're great. I would basically differ with PS, although I see their point. The small screen on a handheld makes it next to impossible to get the "big picture with details" like you do on a chart on on a bigger charting GPS. HOWEVER There is no doubt that in the use I had for it, it was invaluable. I wouldn't have wanted to try to chart a course across the Gulf with it, but it showed me my markers in the Texas ICS with amazing accuracy. It showed me which marker I needed to turn into to get to Anchor Marina (where I had never been) on the southern tip of TX (never been, at least on the water), in the dark at 11:00 at night (behind schedule because of engine problem). The detail was great enough that I could see the "fingers" in the map for the marina slip. When we sailed to Port Aransas, it again showed us the channel (VERY narrow) leading deep across the island to Island Moorings. Again, I wouldn't want to chart a long course on it, but it served its purpose, without a doubt. And, had it not been for the Blue Chart software, the whole process would have been more involved and clumsy.
