Old Nav Net and New Nave Net 3D questions

[Dwain]

I presently have the Furuno Nav Net 1833C-which has the Navionics Classic chip, have 4KW 36 Mile radar and GPS. I would like to install a Furuno 585 Fishfinder with a 1000 watt shoot thru or transome 1000 watt if available. My questions are:
Does the new Nav Net 3D fishfinder mode on the unit the same as a Furuno 585?
Would my old 4 KW radar work with a New Navnet 3D unit? I am assuming it will not as it is not digital.
Do you think this is overkill purchasing the New Nav 3d or should I just install the 585 Fishfinder?
Please keep in mind I do not want to purchase the Nav Net untill I can see the charts etc. for the Great Lakes, and especially the Canadian side. I believe the new Nav Net is preloaded for the U.S. charts etc.
For you guys who have already seen the New Nav Net 3D-What do you think? Thanks. Dwain

[ClassicGuy]

Your current radar will not work with the NavNet 3d displays. The radar for the 3D units is a self-contained network radar with the signal processing in the radar array itself, while the older units had the signal processing in the display. Why don't you just get a DFF1 sounder module for your 1833C? It has the same sounder circuitry as a 585 and would be cheaper, plus you would have a 10" screen for it.

Check with Furuno, but I think it is possible that if you had a new NavNet 3D display on the network hub along with the sounder module, both of your units could share it. Then you could use the 1833C as a radar or sounder and use the NavNet 3D as your main plotter.

I have seen and tried a NavNet 3D unit and it is a hige step up from the older Furuno plotters. In my opinion at least it blows away everything else in its category, including the newest Garmin and Raymarine plotters. It is even priced fairly reasonably compared to the other top of the line products considering that you don't have to pay anything extra for charts (at least for US waters).

As for the Canadian charts, I am pretty sure that any raster or vector chart you can get in BSB or ENC format could be loaded onto the NavNet 3D. It is really basically a PC platform running a version of the MaxSea software. I assume that you can get charts in one of those formats for Canadian waters.

[Dwain]

Thanks ClassicGuy: I have emailed Furuno with some questions and waiting for their response. I will let you know what they recommend. Thanks. Dwain

[Dwain]

ClassicGuy: Here is the message from Furuno that I just received. I emailed again for a couple of additional questions.

Hello Dwain,

Thank you for contacting Furuno USA, Inc.

The 3D's fish finder module, the DFF1, is very similar to the FCV585, though I would not go far as to say it has the FCV585 built into it.

Though I have seen all the coverage areas for the 3D charts, it would surprise me if there was not coverage for the Great Lakes.

From everything I have heard there will be nothing from your current NavNet system which will work on the 3D with the exception, maybe, of the BBFF1. This includes all cables will have to be replaced.

Thanks again for contacting Furuno USA, Inc. We hope we have been able to answer your question. Please feel free to contact us with further questions in the future.

[ClassicGuy]

Normally Furuno tech support is very good. You seem to have gotten a trainee. If you look at the specifications, you will see that a 585 and the DFF1 are identical -- both have 600w/1kW selectable power output and the various other parameters are also identical. They use the same trandsucers. The software and controls are different but the performance is the same. You would not have to replace all of your cables if you added a DFF1. All you would have to do is connect your existing display to it using a network cable. If you added a NavNet 3D display as well, you would need an ethernet switch (hub) and a cable from the old display to the hub as well as from the sounder module and the hub. The cabling for your radar and GPS woud stay as they are with the old display.