![]() ![]() As shown above, the SonarCharts can compare well with the BlueChart g2 charts built into most Garmin MFD’s (I don’t have a BlueChart g2 Vision card for this region, which would show more detail). However, the basis for our decision has not changed… Garmin will continue to make the necessary changes to our marine products to ensure only content that is authorized to work on Garmin systems will do so.” So, unless I never update the 8212 and 741xs again, the screens I’m illustrating this entry with will soon become history on Gizmo. I also checked with Garmin this week and their position has not budged: “ We acknowledge and regret that Garmin’s response to the distribution of ‘SonarCharts’ for Garmin chartplotters by Navionics has led to frustration for many boaters. But early this week I updated to HomePort 2.2.9 - which adds more sonar viewing features - and the Navionics SonarChart cards no longer work. So, it could be a great tool for someone surveying a pond or a wreck (as well as the fine planning and logging tool it’s long been). Just combining track histories (which can go to Navionics as sonar logs), ActiveCaptain info, and the SonarCharts I helped make for the Barred Island anchorage above was interesting, and this free program can now play back SideVu, DownVu, and sonar recordings with synchronized track animation. I liked using the Navionics SonarCharts with Garmin HomePort Win/Mac software. And you can see the strategy bearing some fruit in this Hull Truth forum discussion like, “ Well if Garmin does indeed break the Navionics chip from working with their equipment that does it for me ever buying another Garmin product.” Yike!īut Garmin is playing hardball, too. The apparent Navionics strategy is to get the product out there and hope that Garmin users will want it so much that they will shame Garmin into supporting it. What happens when someone buys a Navionics chart card for Garmin and it suddenly won’t work? Will Navionics blame Garmin or apologize and refund the sale? I’d think it would be a hassle either way, and that Navionics has an obligation to make this caveat crystal clear to all prospective Garmin card customers. So Navionics doesn’t have grounds to act surprised about what is happening and the implication that Garmin made them put up the notice above also seems calculated. In fact, Garmin sent out a dealer notice making the same threat in early December when the somewhat public Navionics for Garmin beta program was getting started. Indeed, Garmin has stated that they will change their plotter software to make these Navionics chart cards incompatible, no may about it. But a prospective buyer who clicks on the little, “Verify that your plotter is compatible with this product here…” link will discover a very disturbing caveat: ![]() The concept is attractive as the first real alternative to Garmin’s own charts and one with nearly worldwide coverage and support for crowdsourced depth data that you can easily improve yourself. Navionics announced SonarCharts for Garmin during the Miami show, and the enticing HD bathymetry map for Garmin GPS page above went live shortly thereafter. ![]()
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