![]() ![]()
It is, in our opinion, outdated.Īdditionally, The Capn does not support free vector charts from NOAA in S-57 format. Some new features such as AIS and vector chart support are there, but The Capn was the least stable and had the worst user interface of all the products, and it does not support weather data. Its a good thing Maptech is revamping, because The Capn let us down. DOES MACENC CHARTS PROFor recreational boaters looking ahead, Maptechs Chart Navigator Pro is the only product we reviewed that is capable of directly importing The old Capns routes and waypoints. Maptech will continue to offer support for the original Capn, but will no longer distribute it for sale. DOES MACENC CHARTS SOFTWARECapn Integra, which Maptech says is “very different” software that is not aimed at the recreational market, rolls out this month. It has since overhauled The Capn for “commercial fleet use” and discontinued SoftCharts. Maptech purchased The Capn and SoftCharts (both no longer available) from SAIC in April, after this test had begun. DOES MACENC CHARTS FULLThe Capn, which debuted 15 years ago, was the only product PS reviewed that meets government regulations for disabled usage-such as full RGB control for color-blind users. In general, cheaper products offer fewer features than more expensive products, however, there were a few surprises. In terms of price, you could group the software that was tested into three groups: low-cost, mid-level, and high end. You will want to check with the software vendor to see whether the software you intend to buy will support all the critical data from your specific model of GPS-not just the brand. Our value guide on page 22 shows the GPS manufacturers for which each software vendor supports route and waypoint transfer, but this chart is only a general guide and the level of support can very greatly. (The GPX file format described on page 22, “The Beauty of GPX Format,” specifies the format for this information, not how it is transferred.) If you want to maximize integration with a particular GPS or chartplotter, youll want software that supports its proprietary protocol. However, each of the major marine GPS and chartplotter manufacturers also supports its own protocol for transferring waypoint, route, and track information. ![]() All of the software in this test advertise compliance with the voluntary industry standard NMEA 0183 (some also meet the new NMEA 2000 standard), which lets various devices communicate with each other. DOES MACENC CHARTS UPDATE(Although Raytech was not included in this test group, PS published a review of Raytech Navigation Suite Version 5.0 in the May 2005 issue, and an update on the current Version 6.0 will appear in a future issue.)Ĭompatibility with existing electronics is key when shopping for nav software. Raymarines Raytech software is normally matched up with Raymarine electronics. For example, Nobeltec-originally just a software vendor-now distributes hardware, and hardware-maker Furuno is closely aligned with MaxSea. This trend is most pronounced among high-end software products that often require equipment from a specific hardware maker to deliver their full potential. Marine navigation software is increasingly being integrated with sensors and other navigation electronics, such as chartplotters, radar, and Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) receivers. Manufacturers of most of the premium real-time navigation software products reviewed in this article also provide their own inexpensive route planning software. This distinguishes it from route planning software, which is often free or very inexpensive. Real-time navigation software accepts data from sensors and can send control information to an autopilot. For this review, as in the previous one, our evaluation focused on real-time nautical navigation software aimed at U.S. DOES MACENC CHARTS FOR FREEThe most notable change since our last test has been NOAAs recent release of a full set of vector charts that can be downloaded for free from the NOAA website, which greatly enhances the value of the programs that work with these charts. Its been nearly five years since Practical Sailor took an in-depth look at PC navigation software, and its high time that we revisited the subject. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |