Garmin Bluechart

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Davey W

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I just picked up my new Garmin 76CSX handheld GPS. Nice unit, but the included basemap is horrible. I love how you spend $250 on a GPS product to only have to spend another $160 on a detailed map.

Anyway, I'm going to order Garmin Bluechart g2 for it. Anybody else using this map? How do you like it? I'm prior Coast Guard, so I like detailed NOAA type charts. I want to see every creek, channel, sand bar, depth contours, wrecks and navaids. Bluechart seems like the best.
 
I am interested to see the responses to this as I have been thinking about getting a new Garmin unit. I was checking out the bluechart software on their site this weekend.
 
I am interested to see the responses to this as I have been thinking about getting a new Garmin unit. I was checking out the bluechart software on their site this weekend.
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I think any handheld unit is going to come with the horrible base map. I was panning the map over some of the bay, and the base map doesn't even show the major creeks. I think its even missing some of the islands. It is pretty much worthless without purchasing the cartography charts. Bluechart looks pretty sweet. Shows channels, depth contours, shoals and navaids. Looks like its very detailed for small creeks and rivers as well.

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I have the same unit with the bluechart for using on the boat. Detail is good, but with the size of the screen, and my aging eyes, there is a point where you have to zoom in so close that you can't see anything else. It is the way to go, however, and I have been very happy with it. I keep my boat in Barnegat Light and fish in the waters around there and find it to be good. It is really amazing that you buy a GPS and there is not much in the way of mapping on it. It's kind of like buying a printer for $100, nobody is making any money it, they make money on the ink, and it is probably the same with m GPS units to an extent. Shop that bluechart software around, I found mine through an internet seller in South Jersey who had the best price. I don't remember how much I paid as its been 2-3 years, but it was significantly less. I also would not be afraid to buy a version that is a year or two old, because the bay changes so much year to year that I'm not sure it ever matters and the ocean really doesn't-the inlet is not moving, The North Ridge is not moving, the Hudson Canyon is not moving, etc... Good luck with your unit, I have been very happy with mine.
 
I work for a company that sells some Garmin handheld units. I think it is the Oregon 550t that comes with decent topo maps loaded but I don't think any of the units we sell have anything loaded from the hydrographic series. If you buy the GPSMap 78SC it looks like it comes with maps loaded. It is the most expensive handheld they have. I played with the Oregon 550t and really liked it. I wish I could get a better price. LOL

I currently use an older Lowrance H2O unit and it works quite well. I keep thinking it would be nice to have color.
 
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I have used the Garmin bluecharts and the charts on lowarance and delorme units. Blue charts are the only ones digitized in, the others are scans of the charts and then georeferenced. I liked the garmins software the best. The scanned Noaa charts on my delorme handheld (small screen) work but its a pain to see, I would seriusly consider the largest screen handheld you can buy. Some garmin models have them preloaded I beleive.
 
unfortunately you have to pay to play. The bluechart products are very nice and good in my experiance.
 
That's exactly why I went with the Delorme unit--maps, charts and aerial photos are available cheaply--unlimited downloads for ~$30 a year. I have a portable hard drive with USGS maps and NOAA charts for all the areas I hunt and fish, and aerial photos for many of them.

But, as Bill notes, screen size and digital quality also matter. The Delorme screen is small, and the maps and charts are just scans, so quality is lower than with some other systems.

But I could never afford all the data I want if I had a different system. I know that the some of the units offer a pretty good discount for buying in bulk, at least for USGS topo maps.

I'm waiting for someone to come with the technology to allow me to download anything I can find for Google Earth to my hand held. The Maine Office of GIS has a set of scanned USGS topo maps that cover the entire state that can be viewed in Google Earth, and resolution appears to be pretty good.
 
Guys, this is a subject that interests me a lot. A while back I was thinking seriously about getting an iPhone so that I could get one of the chart apps to use on the boat. Have any of you guys done that? How did it work out?

John
 
Guys, this is a subject that interests me a lot. A while back I was thinking seriously about getting an iPhone so that I could get one of the chart apps to use on the boat. Have any of you guys done that? How did it work out?

John
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My brother inlaw did the same exact thing. Paid like $20 or something for a marine chart on his iphone. Here are the problems- phone battery doesn't last long in chart mode. Maybe 20mins tops in 30 degree weather. Phone is not waterproof. You have to touch the screen on the phone (winter duck hands). If you need to call 911, you may have exhausted your battery.

Phones are expensive. Not that a gps isn't, but a gps is designed for all weather use, including wet weather and cold weather. My garmin 76CSX is waterproof, submersible to 1 meter and it floats. Also the battery supposedly lasts 18hrs continuous. I had to use my phone last year when I got stuck out on the bay in the dark, that prompted me to get a gps. Even though google earth saved my tail, I almost ruined my phone and the battery almost quit coming back.
 
Davey,

Like Greg, I have the same unit with BlueChart. i thought that I could use it on the boat and then take it deer/elk hunting upland. It works, but as several folks said, you have to zoom in so far due to screen size that you lose field of view. But as far as the Blue Chart goes, the detail and accuracy in the Chesapeake are pretty good (ain't hit nothin yet!).


Obviously, shoaling is variable due to the age of the databases that most of these charts are populated from...but that's true for all the products out there.


Oh, and someone on this thread mentioned GPS Store (online). They were the best price when i shopped mine 2 years ago.
 
Davey,

Like Greg, I have the same unit with BlueChart. i thought that I could use it on the boat and then take it deer/elk hunting upland. It works, but as several folks said, you have to zoom in so far due to screen size that you lose field of view. But as far as the Blue Chart goes, the detail and accuracy in the Chesapeake are pretty good (ain't hit nothin yet!).


Obviously, shoaling is variable due to the age of the databases that most of these charts are populated from...but that's true for all the products out there.


Oh, and someone on this thread mentioned GPS Store (online). They were the best price when i shopped mine 2 years ago.
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Thanks for the info Frank. I can see that when you zoom the screen down you lose some detail. As long as it can be used for navigation thats fine with me. I'm tired of heading out (or back for that matter) in the dark and having difficulty finding the channel markers. One of the bays that I hunt is ridiculously shallow and if you aren't dead in the channel you're going to be in for a hell of a time.
 
Cool. GPS Store also sells a hard-wire kit and swivel mount so you can power it from your boat battery (the CSx chews up AAs pretty fast). I just wired mine into the switch panel and clip it into the mount in the morning and away we go.

I know what you mean about those channels. we have a back channel out of Havre de Grace that is about 20 feet wide and has a 70 degree turn in it... try that in the dark! even at idle it takes about 3 seconds to bury the lower unit in a foot of mud!
 
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