Using NOAA Charts on GPS

[76GMC1500]

Is there any way to use a NOAA Electronic Navigation Chart or Rasterized Chart on a Lowrance/Eagle GPS? I have an SD card and a way to download files to the card, but I don't know if there is any way to convert the files to a format the GPS can read.

[Captain Dubble]

I researched this very thing myself, and came to the conclusion that all GPS makers use proprietary files. Reason: Well, I have been told it was because of accuracy concerns, but my underlying feeling was that they simply do not want us making and using our own charts, they want to sell them to us...

Dubble

[76GMC1500]

The funny thing is, all computer based GPS programs can use these charts so I doubt the accuracy is the issue. I think you're right about them just wringing every last dollar out of us.

[cravenMH]

Captain Dubble - 5/4/2006 8:20 AM

I researched this very thing myself, and came to the conclusion that all GPS makers use proprietary files. Reason: Well, I have been told it was because of accuracy concerns, but my underlying feeling was that they simply do not want us making and using our own charts, they want to sell them to us...

Dubble

Your conclusion is wrong. Furuno, Raymarine, Northstar, and Simrad all use Navionics or C-Map. They don't get a penny from the charts. They don't even sell them.

[76GMC1500]

But they all also charge a fortune for their hardware so they don't need to make any additional profit off their charts.