complementary plotter to Raymarine using a tablet (Android vs. Windows vs. Apple)

[CatNewBee]

Hi there,

I just try to figure out what the best set up could be to mirror the output of an Raymarine plotter to a tablet as secondary display.

What OS is best to use?

Also for alternative charts (OpenCPN), Weather / navigation planning / anchor alarm etc.

What system is better / easier? Is a tablet sufficient for the nav-station or is it better to install a regular PC with GPS dongle?

What kind of gear / apps / programs are you using and can recommend?

I guess this is discussed once a year - but technology develops fast, older treads are probably outdated... So please dont kill me for asking.

[Pizzazz]

If using earlier Raymarine gear (Classic series) your best bet is the Raytech Navigator on a Windows tablet. It is a bit quirky but it is a full featured navigational system that includes radar, weather routing, polars, full autopilot control, etc.

If using newer models you have to use their apps which are limited and slow to update but very user friendly. I would use the Android version.

[Hobie_ind]

I would suggest it depends on why you're looking to mirror the Raymarine plotter.

I actually preferred having tablet software that showed different chart data than the chartplotter. Particularly the further away from the beaten path we got, the more the quality of the electronic charts varied so it was good to see the variations and have the ability to check against GoogleEarth overlays (yes....... all as a backup to the Mark 1.0 Eyeball!)

In the Caribbean I used an iPad with either iNavX or Garmin BlueCharts running. It didn't really mirror all the plotter information (ie. radar, wind direction, wind speed, depth, SOW, etc.), but it did give all the GPS info (and AIS information from the Vesper AIS transceiver via WiFi) and I never really missed not having the other info.

In the South Pacific, I used a cheap laptop (and later a cheap tablet) using OpenCPN charts with tons of stored GoogleEarth overlays that we gathered as we went (largely from other cruisers). I still used the iPad with iNavX (grew to hate the Garmin software), but mainly for planning and weather. Again, never missed the full mirroring, but that's me.

[CatNewBee]

Well, the Raymarine 12" hybrid touch chart plotter with Raymarine i70 satellites is at the helm out side on the halfbridge of the catamaran and I would like to have all information in the salon on the navstation on a larger display too during long range cruises (there is only a tri-data display). Also for planning and setting way points or getting section alarms i assume, it would be a good idea to have something inside too that is connected / inter-operable with the main unit / autopilot.

I am a little reluctant to buy another chart plotter for this purpose only, I think a PC or Tablet can do so much more - e.g alternative charts, weather charts, internet access if near shore anchor watch, route planning software, e-mail communication etc.

A waterproof tablet for mobile use on board as an alternative chart display for the helm with OpenCPN or another chart provider would of course also be a good idea.

[boom23]

The newer Raymarine multifunction displays have wifi. You can use an Android tablet and run the Raymarine apps to view or even control the Raymarine multifunction.

For a backup, I am using TimeZero on my windows laptop. If you have Vesper AIS with WiFi, you can connect to that and see AIS and most other nav info on the laptop.

This setup has been working great for me.

[tdh1849]

Not an answer to your question but a few years ago I was bringing my Hunter 33.5, stock Yanmar 3gm30 and alternator around to Tampa from Ft.Lauderdale. 3am and we had every electric device on the boat turned on, radios, lights, chartplotter, including a lap top also being used to help navigate.
Suddenly the belt began to smoke and then came apart probably because the load was too much. Fortunately I carry a spare..............

[Halien]

I'm with Hobie. My boat came with a Simrad plotter at the helm. I installed a spare Raymarine plotter at the nav station to go with the below-deck autopilot, and kept the Simrad. I also use a four year old iPad mini with iSailor installed, and a handheld Garmin 78SC. It's not a PITA to keep the charts current.

Most of the time I use paper charts and the iPad. The iPad worked fine from Seattle to SanFrancisco to Hawaii to Panama to Seattle.

I like having nothing networked. Anything electronic will fail sooner or later, and redundancy will save your life. Imagine what will happen when your networked MFD/WiFi router fails, or you suffer a lightning strike that takes out all your electronics. The last thing you'll have is that handheld GPS, a bag of batteries, and a paper chart. This has actually happened to me, so I'm a big fan of separate, redundant systems.

[AJ_n_Audrey]

+1 what Hobie said. I have Furuno chartplotter with C-Map, and an iPad secondary with Garmin Bluechart. But if you go that route, get the waterproof case for the iPad (LifeProof works well), and I got an external battery (Anker), so I can charge while using the device and not snake a line to cockpit outlets.

[Dave22q]

My backup setup is a 15" laptop running OCPN w/ GPS dongle and AIS via USB cord. I use a 12v battery plugged in at the helm. A tablet might be preferable if it has at least 2 high speed USB ports. I just have not taken the time to look.

[Jorge M]

For me the best is iSailor. IT has excelent charts either with muy iPad or celular phone. Ver y handy and comfortable

[Cavalier]

A windows tablet/pc/surface with Raytech RNS can connect directly into your network and basically produces a copy of all of your chartplotter functions on your tablet /laptop. You can also run it in planner mode, create routes and then upload them into your plotter/network.

[Squanderbucks]

I also prefer not to run a mirror of the chartplotter on my secondary navigation device. I have a Garmin 1042xsv, Fathom 24 radar with AIS and Raymarine ST70 autopilot installed as my main navigation devices. But I run a small form factor PC with Win 7 and OpenCPN installed. I installed both Raster and Vector charts on it (mostly run Raster charts). I have been running Garmin units of one type or another for 15 years now and find them very accurate here in Florida and the Bahamas. That being said I usually run the OpenCPN at the same time and on a greater range setting than the chartplotter.

Then as an accessory that is seldom used but is a backup to my backup is an iPad running either Garmin Bluechart or Navionics Apps. I like the charts on the G Bluechart a little better but both work. Sonarserver lets me save depth data as I travel and it lets me send the GPS data such as depth and Lat/Lon to the iPad.

What I especially like is the ability to plan and save all of my waypoint and route data on my home PC running Garmin's Homeport App and then transfer it to both my chartplotter and OpenCPN on the PC . That way both units have the same info. Before this setup a few years ago I had to recreate all those waypoints and routes by hand by doing it twice. Now I do it once and do a transfer with a SD card and it's done in ten minutes.

Up to now I have had to still add any routes to the iPad by hand but should be able to transfer them now using the built in WIFI of the new chartplotter but haven't tried it yet.

The boat now has NMEA 2000 networking between GPS, Autopilot, AIS, Depthsounder but is still wired for NMEA 0183 as a backup with the ability to use either of two GPS sources should something go down.

As far paper charts I keep a Chartkit spiral binder of the Bahamas and a set of Intracoastal charts of my area of Florida. So far they haven't been opened in at least 10 years I think.

[Paul Kelly]

I think this may have already been said, but Raymarine has an App called RayControl . This allows you to Bluetooth your Raymarine Chart Plotter to your tablet and also to control the plotter from your Tablet if you want.

I have this on my iPad (my E7 Plotter is at the chart table) so I can use the iPad on deck to see and control the plotter without having to go down below.

I also have another App called Rayview, but I think that's view only.

I am not sure whether these are available on Android. Check with Raymarine.

[hoolie]

I am not sure whether these are available on Android. Check with Raymarine.

They are

[CatNewBee]

Thank you all, good to know!

Does someone know what a SWG Error is on Raymarine plotter? I beeps and pops up all 2-3 minutes both on the plotter and on the satellite i70 saying something like missing datapoint... Cant switch it off, could be related to AIS, but I am not sure. The GPS seems to work, there is a position on the display, also the radar works OK.