which is the best Electronic Charts to buy for Chart Plotters

[beachturkey]

I'm using a slightly older Lowrance LCX95, which is combination Sounder & GPS. About 12 months ago, the unit was 3 years old and screen went into lines only!

I contacted Lowrance/Navionics and sent it back and they replaced it with a new unit for about $500 from memory with a further 12 months warranty! Not a bad deal, since I paid about $3.5k 4 years ago for the lot!

While talking, I was advised to update my maps and when I got it back, my resolution had increased to allow me to zoom down to about 1/128th of a kilometre, which was about 10 times more zoom than previous maps allowed!

Mind you where I fish at Turkey Beach, I've actually been about 7k up a creek, that has shown as a Mudflat on their maps, in an 18'6 F/Glass, so it draws a bit of water! Probably not too much interest in that area for them to get the detail that spot on! Bt the rest is very good and I'm okay with quality of maps generally!
Good luck with your search
Alan

[QuinnyII]

I voted Navionics as that is what i now have( allthough I have used other cards previously).

I just purchased a lowrance LMS527 with the Australia Wide Navionics card and have been playing with it in the backyard and the weather in the last few days has not been boat friendly.

Overall i have found the chart data to be great. Just cant wait to get it in the bay for a decent test run.

Quinny

[notsa]

Here are some shots of my GPS420 using Blue Chart g2 Vision. I think there is also just Blue Chart.

[tenzing]

I run cmap on my navman which i transplanted from the old boat, and I use navionics gold in the A 65 . There is no comparison .
THE NAVIONICS IS SO MUCH CLEARER . The A65has the advantage of allowing the user to customize the contrast shading for a set minimum depth . I imagine this is the navionics not the unit. I have mine set for 7 feet So it clearly shades in all areas that at the time the software was created were even close to being in the shallow range . I had a chap from BCF onboard the other day and he commented that he didnt realize there was such a difference especially in a live comparison as it was. Get the navionics.
Brendan

[Barry Blacker]

I have 585 sounder @ gp7000 GPS they both have the anti reflective screen which I have scratched not the actual screen just the anti reflective coating any ideas how to fix new screens $1500.00 plus. I also have 620 up the front and its fine

[Bandit1]

G'day all,

I am currently trying to decide between the lowrance 7200c and a garmin 525 my mate tells me he thinks that lowrance (navionics) is better because although both show good levels of contours he seems to think the navionics chips show more detail in pinnacles and single/ scattered bombies and reef structures,, is this true?

Also can anyone comments on the fact the garmin has internal antenna and i would want to flush mount would the performance still be comparable to the lowrance with its external?


Thanks heaps guys

[crabbie]

Hi Bandit1

I do not know about other brands and models but the Garmin 178c internal antenna can not be flush mounted. This is because of the antenna protrusion
on the top of the unit. I would assume that any unit with this protrusion at the top of the unit also could not be flush mounted. I found this out the hard way after ordering from overseas and the first thing I noticed upon opening the box
was a message stating that the unit could not be flush mounted. Fortunately I was able to sell the unit to another Ausfish member and re-order an external antenna model

Crabbie

[scrubba01]

I have the 525 not sure if it can be flush mounted but you can get a external antenna, it can run either. I have mine mounted in a box on the dash underneath the hard top and it works just fine on the internal.

I voted blue chart because that is what I have but I have been told Navonics are better. I know the blue chart is much better than the C-Map as a friend has the 5507 Nav Man and we were looking at the 2 units side by side much more detail and current lines on the Garmin.

[Bandit1]

Thanks for the replies guys but i ended up with a garmin 4008 with ext antenna anyways so original question doesnt really matter much but thanks again.

Cheers
Bandit

[oldboot]

I'm raising this thread from the dead to see how things have changed and if anybody has changed their view.

It seems the navonics are considerably more expensive than the bluechart products and not just the charts.....the management software seems to be considerably cheaper.

the bluecharts also seem to be better packaged .....like they do a whole east coast...which seesm reasonable.

I was thinknig about an eagle 5" while they are running out cheap......but once you put a usefull chart with it the garmin is looking more reasonable.

They are on run out too..and not many left arround.....and the new range hasn't surfaced yet.

cheers

[ozscott]

This info might be a little out of date but a few years ago Garmin did their own mapping as well as using the Navy Charts...whereas CMap and Navionics just used the Navy Stuff - for example Garmin had very good mapping of the Pin compared to CMap when I was looking. I went Garmin Blue Chart and its excellent. Bandidt I reckon its better than my mates Lowrance 7inch GPS with Navionics bought in the same year but there isnt much in it.

Cheers

[SatNav]

1. Garmin did their own mapping? Did they? Where did this info come from?

2. So Garmin has better mapping capabilities than the Navy ?

3. Does Garmin know they did this?

[lee8sec]

Why does this thread keep coming up as current day post when it isn't ? Leigh

[Blackened]

Why does this thread keep coming up as current day post when it isn't ? Leigh

Because of the Poll