Navigation Software Search

After conferring with a Gentleman that teaches Advanced Navigation and has personally logged 30,000 miles cruising, I am searching for my best price/option on Coastal Explorer software by Rose Point. As a backup for the Raymarine Chartplotter on the new to us boat, I am wanting to use a Laptop, combined with a Garmin 18x GPS(via USB), and AIS(via Nmea 0183 to a RS-232 to USB Pigtail). I have an older laptop with a 17" monitor(Windows XP), that they say works great with the Coastal Explorer. As I always look for a Cost Effective(I'm Thrify Not Cheap), to find a solution to things - I am looking for a source for an Older Version of Coastal Explorer that can be upgraded to Rose Point's Coastal Explorer 2011. The 2011 is their newest version, but is current to today's charts / updates etc........
So, I was told I should be able to find this OLDER Coastal Explorer out there. That being said, Does anyone have a suggestion as to where, or who may hold this piece to My puzzle.
Thanks,
KIM

ransom

IMHO, a new version of CE is a thrifty and low capital outlay to insure all the latest tools are at your disposal in a cost effective fashion. not to mention their tech support is very good. Be very careful of old CE software that may have picked up the sniffles from someone's multiple use laptop.

Your call on hooking it up to WIndows XP. I have a backup plotter with XP that has never seen the internet, that is good but man is it slow! Like a 57 Plymouth, it will get you to the dance, but getting home?

It's a lousy 3.75 boat dollars for a nice new copy.

LMAO!!!! There you are, Shaming me for being Thrifty. We'll, I have saved us $10's of thousands by putting in a little extra effort. "Tight as a Crab's Ass, and That's Water Tight." OK, I'll Spend the money on the Software & Buy a Newer Basic Laptop.

No, indeedy, no shaming intended! We could have a leetle competition about being cheap. (Ex: I've been known to go around on trash day to pick up discarded bed frames for the angle iron.)

OTOH, Open CPN navigation software is free.

Polar Navy I believe is free also.... https://www.polarnavy.com/

I think it supports Active Captain but not sure as Jeff from AC thinks it's better than Open CPN whether you use it with AC or not.

I have used OpenCPN for 10,000 miles on 4 round trips between NJ and FL.

I love it but will admit to little recent experience with any others. Like many things...it does exactly what I want it to do, so why switch. It is backup...well really primary due to screen size and PC route making ease...to my Raymarine chartplotter.

When my lotto ticket hits, may explore other software, but by then PC nav will be different if tech keeps accelerating.

We used Open CPN for 8 years, but switched to Coastal Explorer 2.5 years and about 12,000 nautical miles ago. Have done 3 trips to FL and back. It is very powerful and I find it simpler than Open CPN. The tides and currents information is extremely helpful on the Atlantic ICW. We run CE on a Windows 7 machine which is only connected to the internet to download new charts. That is about every 2-3 days. We came south immediately after hurricane Matthew. NOAA and the USCG were right on top of the changes and we had charts showing all the new Nav aid positions as we came south. Navionics was equally on top of the USCG updates. CE supports Active Captain, but I prefer to access AC on my iPad, so that I am not fiddling around with the chartplotter while underway.

I used Coastal Explorer as my main navigation system for a 6 month trip from Washington thru SE Alaska & back last summer. Worked very well, kept me out of trouble and I only know how to work basics.

I got the Coastal Explorer GPS receiver too and was amazed at times when pilothouse clutter would have the puck all covered up and I was still receiving reliable position input.

I think Coastal Explorer is perhaps the best bang for the buck in the boating world. I've used it as our primary navigation tool for about 4 years now and love it. It's the best $350 or $400 (or whatever I paid for it) that I think I've ever spent on my boat. A while back I bought MaxSea/Nobletec which was over $1000 and is a total piece of sh%*it compared to CE.

I also highly recommend their upcoming Nemo data interface box. It accepts NMEA 2000, 4 NMEA 0183 inputs, and 2 NMEA 0183 outputs, and connects to your computer via ethernet. It completely eliminates all the nighmare of device drivers on windows, and uses proper RS422 interfaces for NMEA 0183 rather than RS-232 which doesn't work reliably with NMEA 0183. And as a bonus, it can put all your nav data on the network in a form usable by many ipad and other apps.

WOW!!! Thank You ALL. Seeing A Lot of High Praise for CE. How can I not take some of the GrandKid's Christmas Toy Money and Buy ourselves a Little Something.

A Wise Man once said, while talking to his children, "When I Die, IF there is Anything Left, I did something Wrong."

Yes. CE is excellent software and I find it very intuitive. It runs just fine on my dedicated windows XP machine. Fast as it needs to be. There is nothing else on this machine but CE and the rear view video display. Interfaces with NMEA 0183.

twistedtree said:

I also highly recommend their upcoming Nemo data interface box. It accepts NMEA 2000, 4 NMEA 0183 inputs, and 2 NMEA 0183 outputs, and connects to your computer via ethernet. It completely eliminates all the nighmare of device drivers on windows, and uses proper RS422 interfaces for NMEA 0183 rather than RS-232 which doesn't work reliably with NMEA 0183. And as a bonus, it can put all your nav data on the network in a form usable by many ipad and other apps.

Click to expand...

Peter: I'm going to need to talk to you about this after Xmas.

Jim

You can always try the free stuff and if not satisfied...then spend up.


It will also give you time to meet others and possibly have some hands on with the other software before settling in.

Hard to say what is better till you have used all the up to date versions over a period of time.

Defender has Coastal Explorer for $274. You have to add it to your cart to get that price.

When ActiveCaptain was younger, we sold Coastal Explorer among other products. We were the largest dealer for CE in the world and sold a lot of it. I'd venture a guess that quite a few people in this forum got CE from us (if not this thread!).

Given the way they handle the licensing, I really doubt you can obtain an older version from someone else (even purchasing it) and then upgrade it to the current version. The copy validation is probably going to stop that from happening.

I use CE on a very old pc that runs Vista. I got the beta copy for $10 at a boat show. Works great. I have cruised from Alaska to Mexico with it. US charts are easy
USE NOAA charts. Free downloads.

I did update the beta copy.

As a CE user for 9 years I second all the comments. I am looking forward to the NEMO gateway to get rid of the USB interface to N2K and to NMEA 183 ports. USB works just have to reset it on occasion.

Also remember that Rosepoint lets you install CE on up to 3 separate computers. That allows you to have a spare ready to go at any time since the wife has her own computer.

Tom

Jeffrey, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! I was on Defender's sight when I got your reply - that was a NO Brainer. CE is on it's way. I was on the sight looking for a couple decent inflatable life vests. Its a little difficult to buy something you can't put your hand on, but was leaning towards a couple from Crewsaver - Defender's sale price at $110.00 each. Pretty decent product?