Why TimeZero nav software ?

[Trawler_traveler]

I'm trying to understand the advantages of the TimeZero "TZ Navigator" software over other software packages for laptops and tablets.

I have nothing negative to say about the software, the website just doesn't seem to have much technical content so I can't even tell what the system requirements are. Since we have Furuno TZtouch MFDs I suspect there might be an advantage with possibly being compatible between our Mac laptops, iPads and the Furuno MFDs but at this point I can't tell.

Insights ?

Thanks.



-Sven

 

[rochepoint]

Here is a link to the system requirements for TimeZero.........

 

[Trawler_traveler]

Here is a link to the system requirements for TimeZero.........

Many thanks ! So much for that option :lol:



-Sven

 

[Lepke]

I have TZ, but don't find it much better than OpenCPN. I never use the 3d feature. I did use TZ on a Mac, but installed windows 7 to run it in. At the time they didn't have a Mac version. I don't like the propitiatory charts. If it took common charts I'd use it more.

 

[Sailor of Fortune]

I have TZ, but don't find it much better than OpenCPN. I never use the 3d feature. I did use TZ on a Mac, but installed windows 7 to run it in. At the time they didn't have a Mac version. I don't like the propitiatory charts. If it took common charts I'd use it more.

TZ uses both Raster scan charts and vector charts,your choice.

I agree, unless you use the advanced features, not much different than OpenCPN

 

[Ang]

We are currently having a Furuno system installed on our boat. While I've been using Coastal Explorer for a number of years (and like it) we are looking at licensing TZ-Navigator plus the radar option. Some of the things that might be useful for us:

-moving routes and waypoints between our PC at home to our PC on the boat and the MFD via the TZCloud

-with our configuration, the PC on the boat will have the same functionality as the MFD. if the MFD goes TU, will have radar, AIS, depth, etc. on the PC.

-the routing features and current displays look nifty.

We have not done this yet. Should have some real time results in March.

Having spent some time in the software industry, there can be a gap between the marketing materials and the actual release.

Cheers,

 

[Cigatoo]

I have TZ on my iPad. I like the raster charts to compare with the Gamin chart plotter. I find myself using TZ more and more.

 

[Fletcher500]

I have also wondered about Time Zero/Nav in the past. Looks like it not available for Apple products?

Edit, Post #7 says it is, but a brief check of their website didn’t support that. Am I missing something?

 

[twistedtree]

I have also wondered about Time Zero/Nav in the past. Looks like it not available for Apple products?

Edit, Post #7 says it is, but a brief check of their website didn’t support that. Am I missing something?

It's a windows app. To run on a Mac you would use Parallels or VMWare. They allow any windows app to run on a Mac. I use VMWare on a daily basis and have yet to find an app that doesn't run on it.

 

[rochepoint]

You can also use Apple Bootcamp to set up a partition on the Mac which you then install Windows in that partition. Then when you turn the Mac on it asks if you wish to use the MaxOS or Windows. I did that with my Nobeltec and it also works great........

 

[Moonfish]

We run TZ on our iPad with the Furuno wireless radar overlayed. We like it a lot!

 

[Cigatoo]

I have also wondered about Time Zero/Nav in the past. Looks like it not available for Apple products?

Edit, Post #7 says it is, but a brief check of their website didn’t support that. Am I missing something?

It is an apple app. Search for (TZ i boat) It doesn’t have all of the bells and whistles that the professional has but is still a great navigational tool. Gives me a complete set of raster charts on my iPad. (Downloaded as needed)

 

[ranger58sb]

We've used TZ on a Windows laptop for 10 years or so... in the beginning, primarily because it matched up well with our Furuno NN3D system... and then more and more because we became more and more comfortable with it.

I do like having both raster and vector charts... although with the more recent decision to bag the raster charts I guess that becomes a non-issue.

I can't compare it to other similar packages, though. (I've avoided OpenCPN only because I don't put up with science projects anymore, but that's just a personal bias.)

I didn't realize TZ doesn't run on Apple machines... especially since their "app" version ONLY runs on iThings.

-Chris

 

[cardude01]

I have an older 4 th generation iPad I was using for backup navigation. I was using Garmin Bluechart but that got disabled, then switched to something called AquaMaps for awhile but now it’s not supported anymore evidently.

I searched for the TZ app and found it, but because my old iPad isn’t running the latest version operating software I can’t download it.

I really liked having redundant hand held navigation, so I guess I need to buy another iPad? Or do y’all know of a good nav app that will run on an older gen iPad? Not trying to hijack the thread but seems like there are some knowledgeable computer and iPad folks on here so wanted to ask.

 

[rslifkin]

Personally, I just keep an inexpensive (bought used) few year old business grade laptop aboard for nav purposes. Not too expensive to replace if something happens to it and can be upgraded software-wise until the hardware fails or is too slow.

 

[sunchaser]

You can also use Apple Bootcamp to set up a partition on the Mac which you then install Windows in that partition. Then when you turn the Mac on it asks if you wish to use the MaxOS or Windows. I did that with my Nobeltec and it also works great........

Yup, a nice interface and works fine. 11 years ago we converted to two station NN3 MFDs with associated devices. Nary a problem and Furuno backup is wonderful on their legacy units.

 

[Fletcher500]

Thanks.

 

[HeadedToTexas]

I would rather not get back into Windows after many years of running a Mac. I think Windows 7 was the last version of Bill's software I used.

That said, how is the TimeZero app on an iPad better or worse than Navionics?

 

[Andosan]

I’ve run Timezero for the last six years on two boats.

At a basic level it works just like an MFD - you can show charts, navigation, radar etc. However it does a bunch of things that are more advanced than any regular MFD.

PBG (personal bathymetry generator) interfaces with the sounder to build a 3D model of ground you pass over. It gets more accurate as you go and will show stuff not on any chart.

Marks, routes, tracks etc are managed by layers. This is especially powerful as it allows you to group information in multiple ways and selectively show or hide it on the chart.

Track history is effectively infinite; you never run into the track point limit like you do on regular plotters.

It has very advanced weather download and display functions including sea surface temps, currents, wind etc.

If you run it on a laptop you can take the laptop home for route planning etc. Alternatively with TZ iBoat it will sync routes and marks FLIR on iPad to yourTZ machine (if connected to the internet).

It refreshes faster than any MFD ever built.

Using the mouse interface is faster and more flexible than a touchscreen or dial/button interface.

Not sure about other brands but it interfaces perfectly with my Furuno TZT units. For example if I activate a route or goto a mark on the Timezero it automatically send the nav data to the network and I hit go on the AP. When I mark fish on the sounder I touch the sounder screen, mark the spot and the spot pops up on my Timezero screen.

It really does add a lot of function and flexibility but I always have a dedicated MFD in my system as the PC is just not reliable enough for remote travel.

 

[Hobbit]

Hi I have run both TZ and Rose Point Coastal Navigator on 2 different boats the TZ is very complicated and probably beyond what most people would ever need for coastal cruising. Rose Point is a lot less money and has all the bells and whistles needed for cruising the BC and Alaska coasts. I also use a Furuno 1971 chartplotter as a second or back up system if my computer fails, both are connected to my autopilot with the flip of a switch.

 

[stevemitchell]

I have a whole Furuno system including TZT2 12" MFDs, dual TimeZero Pro PCs, and MFDs from all of the other manufacturers.

For a protected driving station, I prefer TimeZero by far. For exposed stations, I still prefer an MFD. I prefer Furuno because it is completely integrated - TimeZero on the PC syncs to the MFDs and also to TZ iBoat on the iPad/iPhone.

In addition, TZ is fast, redraws instantly, is infinitely configurable in ways most MFDs cannot match, and you can split screen a lot more things on a big monitor if you want. Interacting with routes, planning, and changing things underway is far easier with a trackball than trying to use an MFD touch screen.

I find it far easier to interact with it, configure it, zoom in on AIS/radar contacts, and generally just find it more usable all around. It has been extremely reliable and stable.

The charts are a pain, but that seems to be the case for most solutions now. Copying large files, etc. should be a thing of the past, but it is still a challenge for pretty much all solutions. At least with MFDs you can use SD cards....

Running Windows isn't that big of an issue if you take the appropriate steps when you set it up, don't use it as a general email machine and expose it to other things, and turn a bunch of things off. I have an item on my list of articles to write that includes all of these steps, and several folks have sent me their recommended steps too.

I'm almost to the point where the MFDs will be coming out and TimeZero will be the only thing I use normally. I might keep one just to have a backup and for software upgrades to things that might require it.

 

[BandB]

We got started with Timezero as a secondary or backup system. It had and still has excellent interface and compatibility with Furuno, which is our favorite. Timezero has the perfect combination of attributes in that by itself it is such a simple, quick and excellent system, but it's interfaces with other systems, like Furuno, and it's advanced features just turn it into a supercharged solution.

 

[donpjr]

I purchased Timezero while installing a new TZT2 system. Initially I wasn't sure what the benefits would be or how much I would use it, but having used it for a year I find myself using the Timezero more and more. I do all my trip planning at home and make modifications as needed during trips on the Timezero. When I arrive at the boat I plug in the ethernet connection between the laptop and the TZT2 system and the Timezero laptop exchanges information with TZT2, activated routes are activated on both systems, I have AIS and if needed radar on the laptop. If I want ot make a route change I do it on the laptop and it syncs with the TZT2. Timezero stores routes and data in the cloud and it's easily available to TZiboat that I run on an ipad pro. The more I use Timezero the more I like it, and the more I use it. If you are installing Furuno TZT system, Timezero is really built for you and I would for sure go with that option.

 

[Lepke]

You can run TZ on a Mac new enough to load windows. I ran TZ on a Mac 17" laptop, running windows 7, for about 5 years without any problems. Now I run it on a pc desktop so I can run a big screen. No connection or reliability problems on the Mac, other than apple planned obsolescence, lack of repair options, etc.

 

[Arthurc]

I started on OpenCPN/Rose Point and moved to TZ Pro when I did a big electronics retrofit. My take is that unless you have a bunch of the stuff that it slickly integrates with its not worth it. If you have a Flir system, modern furuno radar, autopilot, depth sounder and AIS its pretty incredible how integrated it is. You do also need a sat compass for the overlay and flir integration to work well but once its setup its really impressive. I like that it uses NavNet (cat5 with a dedicated hub for connectivity).

Quick list of the things I use most: **one big caveat to these, many require having the radar really dialed in and adjusting settings for the specific scenario, without doing that you get lots of target drops which messes up the ptz tracking, this happens a lot tracking someone on a paddle board if they go behind a tall boat.

-Flir and PTZ camera integration with Augmented Reality makes cruising a night slick, you can target possible boats with the radar and then track them with the cameras, same for buoys, etc.
-Excellent stormy weather or crowded anchorage watch, combo of the depth sounder and radar plus target tracking the other boats you can quickly see who is dragging.
-Integration with TZT panels. In my case I have a dual monitor setup for the TZPro and I use that to id and track targets and run the radar in the fog, on the TZT which I navigate off of all that shows up is the target and vector lines making my display much cleaner.
-Quick settings for AIS, since class A has a bunch of destination/eta settings its nice to just configure it with a few clicks.
-Tracking my partner with the flir/radar when she is on the paddle board and its getting dusk/dark.

What I wish it had:
-Good DSC integration with Icom, it picks up distress signals but I can't for the life of me figure out how to display the location on TZPro. I hear it does have 0183 integration but haven't tried.

Overall I believe its hands down the best nav software, but only if you have all of the electronics that integrate with it. Basic chart plotter use its overkill.