New Garmin GPs/chartplotter

[Bob F]

Has anybody bought the new Garmin 176? Nice compact package with color screen for about $550-600. And the "Bluechart" makes it pretty nice. Its portable too. I'm looking at it now and its alot less than the $1500 for other larger screen chartplotters.

 

[John Faro (Afterglow)]

Beware of incompatablity

the new Garmin Blue Chart plotters is Garmin's response to other "proprietary" software systems (e.g. Raychart "sea talk)my experience is with the Garmin 232 - it is incompatable with the more popular electronic raster charting software. moreover, the new Garmins use a newer version of Nema that is not necessarily compatable with sea talk - a problem when you want to drive the autopilot (Autohelm 6000) with the 232. In a sea talk environment, you cannot connect the Garmin 232 to sea talk without "some" incompatability. Sea talk is similar to the old computer networks - it must be "terminated", and therefore you cannot simply disconnect an obsolete GPS (Autohelm) and plug in a Garmin. DO NOT DISCONNECT THE OLD GPS - JUST ADD THE GARMIN AND IT WILL WORK! DO NOT ATTEMPT TO USE BOTH AT THE SAME TIMEI hope this save you and others a moderate amount of aggrevation and not an inconsideralbe amount of money to discover what I have learned over a period of two months - John Faro, 305, 365-7733

 

[John Faro (Afterglow)]

Any experience with Software

Have you used this gps (Blue Chart software) with any of the more popular raster chart programs (MapTech, Global Tech, etc.) It is appears that Garmin has locked out these raster chart programs from competing with its own mapping softwareAny suggestions or experience would be appreciated - John Faro, 305, 365-7733