dvd wrote:
1) Can I get away with one chartplotter, transferring it between stations? and 2) What type of wiring installation and/or equipment would be needed, if it is possible?
*Well, it will depend on what kind of chartplotter you want to get.* Something large like a Furuno would be a pain the butt to move back and forth and you'd have to have some way of feeding it power and the GPS signals in both positions.* And if it was a*combination radar plotter, you'd have to feed it the radar antenna signal, too.
Some systems can use a repeater screen, which is exactly what the name implies.* As we only run our GB from the lower station a repeater is not anything we've ever looked into.* So* I don't know what systems out there have repeaters available, but the chances are they are not*inexpensive systems.* They do solve the problem, however, of one system with two stations.
We do*have one GPS chart plotter that we can not only move between stations, we can move it between boats.* This is the little Standar Horizon CP190i that we bought earlier this year primarily for our Arima fishing boat.* But we bought an extra mount and power cable so it can be put up on the flying bridge of our GB if the day ever comes we do want to run form up there, or for guests to follow where we're going if they sit up there.* We used it in this manner during our recent cruise in the Gulf Islands.
BUT..... this particular plotter has a built-in GPS antenna.* So the unit just has to be able to*"see" the satellites, which it can from both the Arima and the flying bridge of our GB.* So all you need in each position is a mount and a power cord.
We are thinking of perhaps putting a mount for it at the lower helm station of the GB.* This is only because, like everything else, advancements in elecronics is so rapid that this little 5" screen plotter has features that Furuno hadn't even dreamed of a few years ago when we installed our NavNet VX2, and it makes our 1998 Echotec plotter seem downright steam powered (even though it still works perfectly).
But at the lower helm, the Standard Horizon won't see satellites very well.* So we'd have to add the available GPS antenna and run the cable down below.* We're told this will cost about $150.
But I would not recommend a small, self-contained plotter like the CP190i for the primary navigation device for a boat the size of ours simply because the screen is too small.* It's great on the Arima where the helmsman's head is about a foot from the plotter.
-- Edited by Marin on Monday 10th of October 2011 06:20:21 PM