60 of 63 customers found the following review helpful:
 Comprehensive, fast, and easy to use, 2003-06-22
The Garmin "Bluecharts" are vector charts, which means they use mathematic algorithms to store all the lines and features of a nautical chart. I have steered away from these in the past because they tended to give up a lot of detail vs. "Raster Graphic" charts, which are essentially photographic images of paper charts.With "Bluecharts" they have gotten to a level of detail (including multiple colors) that they look almost as good as a paper charts. The advantages of vector charts is that they take up much less room on your hard drive and run much faster on a PC. This is important when you are zooming in and out to see your depth or proximity to a wreck while moving on a boat. I use mine with an eTrex Legend and am able to load most of the detail (depth, obstructions, nautical aids, etc) onto the handheld. For the full look of charts, I connect the GPS unit to my laptop. The package also includes tidal charts, which are much more detailed and accurate than the little tide chart booklets I used to use. Overall, it makes navigation a breeze...your boat is automatically represented on the chart and you have many simple tools to calculate distance/time to a given destination. It also incorporates additional information on Marinas and service locations. The Garmin application the charts run on, "MapSource" allows you to easily switch between map types. I have "Americas Bluechart," "MetroGuide" (streetmaps), and "Tides and Marine Services," all without having to reconnnect the GPS unit. The only hassle is the "Unlock" process, which is a bit time consuming and involves providing the Garmin website with a bunch of codes, including the serial number of my GPS unit to unlock a set of charts from the CD-ROM. I'm not sure, but I think it will only work with that specific unit, which worries me a bit as I am thinking about buying a second unit for backup.
45 of 47 customers found the following review helpful:
Simply the best!, 2002-04-29
I'll cut right to the chase--if you have a Garmin GPS unit that is MapSource compatible, and use it on the ocean, buy this CD! Garmin's Water Ways & Lights CD is a total joke compared to the BlueChart CD. The level of detail is an exact duplication of NOAA paper charts--very, very accurate and very, very detailed. I use this software with my GPSMAP 162, and the only drawback is that with the detail level set to high, it slows the screen redraw rate down considerably. but, when you're actually on the water, this isn't even noticeable. Bottom line--this is a great product.
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