Furuno NavNet vx2 waypoint & route management software

[Deep Dreaming]

Does any one currently use a software product or know of one that successfully manages uploading and downloading your waypoint & routes? Also one that will write to the SD chip and can be moved between computer and NavNet. Wanted to move to the C-Map PC Planner but it doesn't support NavNet vx2 just yet.

[NauticalSmiles]

Maxsea is what Furuno is pushing, but it's really overkill for managing waypoints (and really expensive). I'm told PC Planner will support it by summer.

[Somethin-Fishey]

www.gpsu.co.uk

Works VERY well

Won't work with SD chip though, you have to plug it in directly.

[mickey7]

Deep Dreaming,
go to www.digiboat.com.au software is a free download it may be what you need.I have an 1824c vx2 which will be fitted in a few weeks[boat still being painted]Max version of software available december, let us know what you think.
regards Mickey.

[NauticalSmiles]

I'm deciding between the vx2 and the ray e120. What made you pick the 1824?

[mickey7]

the reasons i chose VX2 over E120 are
I'm in aus and raymarine have had service and warranty issues over here.[not nessesarily the E120]
platinum charts to suit were nearly 3x dearer and only superfical difference,everything i need is on max.
12 inch screen unessesarily large for helm station,only a 6.6 meter boat[22 feet]
my prefered choice of electronics package was the Simrad cx44e,however the price was about $3,500.00 Australian more than the furuno.Second choice was the 1824c because i couldn't find any negative issues with warranty,looked at many forums and sites etc,my reseach indicated navnet VX2 was gaining a good reputation and many people commented that furuno electronics was bullet proof,even a raymarine dealer. I have spent many months looking at all the brands and they all have the basics eg overlay etc,my criterior was purchasing a unit that i could learn to use and understand,to maximise my abillity to find fish and to navigate safely and to enjoy the experience while doing this and not having to have paid alot of money for a troublesome piece of equipment.I currently own an older model raymarine combo on my other boat,which is another reason why i chose furuno over raymarine.Best if luck cheers.
Mickey.

[sblunden]

I use Visual Navigation Suite 7.0 with my V1 NavNet system (I owned VNS for my previous sailboat and kept it when I swapped to the new boat). I had the installers put an external DB-9 Serial connector from my primary chart plotter as well as my 4th Ethernet hub's port RJ-45 connector on a faceplate mounted in the lower helm station, and I plug the laptop into the DB-9 serial port. This gives real time plotting and full upload/download on the VNS software. I can also build routes on the fly and upload them to the chart plotter, it's a lot easier using the mouse to create waypoints and routes than the Furuno interface. No problems found in the first year. If I ever get rich I might go to MaxSea V12, which will let me use the Ethernet port, but I can't justify $1200 USD for that software.

[Somethin-Fishey]

NauticalSmiles - 12/9/2005 2:52 PM

I'm deciding between the vx2 and the ray e120. What made you pick the 1824?

Read the forums for problems with Ray C/E series.

Tracks are funky at best
No way to easily exchange data between PC and unit
Navionics charts....Anybody who sacrifices accuracy for speed doesn't have a spot on my boat
Buttons on the bottom are not for every helm
Ray radar shouldn't even be spoken in the same sentence as Furuno radar
Fishfinders are real close
GPS/Chartplotters for me are tied to the charts, so read the one on Navionics again.

Ray has a really nice screen

[NauticalSmiles]

Raymarine will be fixing the track issue in the next few weeks.

I just read a report from powerboat reports that says the Navionics have the best accuracy of all charts (cmap and garmin). I've noted many inconsistencies along shorelines on my current cmap max chip.

What makes Furuno radar better? I'm not trying to defend one or the other, I really want to know. It seems to me the marpa option built in to the ray is better than nothing (or buying another $500 arpa option).

[Somethin-Fishey]

Furuno is true color radar. Ray is radar on a color screen.

How much advertising does Navionics do? What did they use to define accuracy.....That could mean they spelled the most Marina names right. They don't layer charts, they cut and paste the smaller charts into the bigger ones like a jigsaw puzzle. However you are now limited to the accuracy of the least chart. If you work with photoshop or flash, C-map has layers, when you enter a harbor it physically switches charts. Navionics just lets you keep zooming on a "Flattened" chart. Read they FAQ's on Navionics OWN website...

It is hard to find, so I will post it:

Why should I choose Navionics over your competitors such as C-Map & Garmin?

Navionics offers true vector information and creates a database from the paper charts into one seamless image. No holes in the information, no discontinuities, no overwhelming clutter. This allows for faster re-draw over our competitors.


As far as data near shorelines....Do you have a paper chart that you have compared it too? I can name 3 areas around here that my C-map will run you over land, so will the NOAA paper charts. There is a notice to mariners out, but it will be the same as paper.

[Somethin-Fishey]

Well I went to read the article, but it won't let me have a 14 day trial without a CC number...no thanks.

Hmmm...No Furuno unit tested, wonder if the same problems would show up. Linux runs on PC hardware just fine, but put windows on the same hardware...virus/spyware/malware city.


I fish on my boat and my buddies boat, he has C120 and I have NN1. He has had lots of problems and can't afford to ditch it. He ran aground due to the tracks problem, Neither of us can get the fishfinder to work properly without alot of fidgeting constantly. He probably has 6 CF cards that sometimes work, sometimes don't when doing updates. He has used 1 card to do an update, then tried to use the same card later and it won't take it. He pretty much just fishes with me now and neither of us have the headache. Maybe he just got a bad one......

[pwilly001]

Hello guys,

Regarding the Navnet VX2 PC-Planner, it is undergoing some final testing now, it we sincerely hope to have it available before the end of the year.

Very sorry for the long delays with this, and we certainly appreciate everyone's patience.

Thank you
Paul @ C-MAP

[NauticalSmiles]

I changed my order from a ray e120 to the Furuno 1834. The Ray had too many small issues for me, but the real killer was the navionics platinum update cost. They'd give me $75 credit towards the new chip, at $600 Canadian that would cost me over $500 a year for updates. I'm going to stick with C-Map and the $80/yr for updates.

I did find out something interesting. Furuno has a chip for $25 that will change your cmap navnet vx2 into a navionics navnet, and another chip that will change it back.

[Somethin-Fishey]

NauticalSmiles - 12/12/2005 1:51 PM

I did find out something interesting. Furuno has a chip for $25 that will change your cmap navnet vx2 into a navionics navnet, and another chip that will change it back.

If you have a good dealer that will cost you nothing and they will save your waypoints with the little furuno program (Very basic) and reload them after he changes the settings.

[NauticalSmiles]

I actually bought both chips to flip between cmap and navionics. I own the max chip for my area and just bought the navionics chip (it's better in certain areas). For $50 I think it will be fun to play with both.

PS. In southern Ontario there are no good Furuno dealers - only people that will order one but have never seen one before. I'll be able to send in the chips for updates and then update my unit on the boat (which saves a ton of effort over sending the unit in for updates) - again no dealers to work with me so I do what I have to.

[tarnold]

I'm confused. My 1834C has C-Map on the chart slot door. A Navionics will not display. Are you saying that you can do something to display either chart?

Also, my dealer downloaded a set of waypoints (about 135)to a cartridge. When I put the cartridge in and try to download it would load about 75 points and say download complete. Any idea what's causing this?

Thanks,

Tommy

[Somethin-Fishey]

The difference between Navionics and Cmap Furuno plotters is SOFTWARE. You windows a different OS and it recognizes a different chip.

The chips are real picky and any function completely overwrites a set of data. There are 4 categories and you have to enable each one seperately for transfer. Did you enable all 4? What categories were the points in? Did you backup your unit to the chip first?

[tarnold]

William, this is the procedure I think I followed trying to load waypoints from an SD memory card. The card had been loaded and checked by the dealer.I didn't backup my unit to the chip because I didn't have any waypoints saved in the unit.6.1.3 Playing back data from a memory cardData (track, marks, lines, waypoints, routes and setting data) can be loaded from a memorycard and displayed on the screen. This feature is useful for observing past data and settingup the equipment for a specific purpose with “setting data.”1. Press the MENU key followed by the SYSTEM CONFIGURATION and DATA TRANSFER soft keys.2. Press the UPLOAD/DOWNLOAD DATA soft key.3. Press the LOAD DATA FROM MEMORY CARD soft key to show the LOAD DATAmenu.LOADDATAEDITLOADRETURN?TRACKS OFFMARKS & LINES OFFWAYPOINTS & ROUTES OFFSETTING DATA* OFFWALLPAPER OFF * = Plotter data onlyLoad data menu4. Use the Trackball to select item to load. 5. Press the EDIT soft key. (The EDIT soft key is inoperative when no memory card isinserted or there is no data in the memory card.)6. Use the Trackball to select ON. (Select OFF not to load selected data.) Press the ENTER soft key. If the memory card does not contain the item selected, the unit beepsand ON cannot be selected.7. After selecting all items desired, press the LOAD soft key, then press the ENTER knob. The message “NOW LOADING FROM MEMORY CARD.” appears.8. After loading is completed, the message “COMPLETED LOADING DATA. PUSHENTER KNOB TO CONTINUE.” appears. Push the ENTER knob to continue.Notes on loading dataTracks: Since loaded track data is added to internal track, oldest track will be erased when the track memory capacity is exceeded.Waypoints & routes: The loaded data replaces like stored data.Marks & lines: The loaded data is added to internal data. When the mark/line memory becomes full no marks may be entered.Setting data: The loaded data replaces current configuration settings. If the memory cardcontents could not be loaded, push the ENTER knob to restart with default settings. Note that track memory capacity is not saved or loaded. To use loaded setting data, turn thepower off and on again.Wallpaper: Load desired wallpaper. (See Chapter 7.)

[NauticalSmiles]

I wish I could help you with the procedure, but I won't get mine until next week. I'll be checking and testing that function out right away though.

As far as changing maps, you absolutely can. The part numbers for the chips are SD1-VX2-10N (for Navionics OS) and SD1-VX2-10C (for cmap). Each chip is $25, buy both if you want to swap back and forth. You will lose ALL your waypoints and routes if you switch OS, so back them all up first.

[NauticalSmiles]

One question, do you find the redraw speed on your 1834 fast? And how is it compared to the Raymarine?