Marine GPS
Finding your position on the water
As with the inclusion of particular features for aviation GPS, marine GPS systems are manufactured based on the specific needs of boaters. While some GPS features and units are transferable between road, air and water, a dedicated boater will want navigation help that caters to the needs of naval travel.
The most basic of necessities for marine GPS is sturdiness. Marine units are waterproof and most often portable. They are designed with the particular shape and size restraints of boats in mind. The screens come in various sizes, but are typically smaller than those of automobile GPS receivers.
Hardware available for marine GPS units includes accessories such as marine radars to locate obstacles, as well as satellite antennas to ensure secure satellite links regardless of weather. These accessories make the marine GPS unit more useful out on the water.
Marine technologies
Marine global positioning systems focus on chart plotting and the planning of nautical routes. Most systems will come with maps that cover offshore and inland information so that boaters are able to locate points of interest on land as well as on the water.
The mapping capabilities will often be connected to a sounder that offers real time, accurate information about unseen obstacles and the topography of the underwater landscape. Sport boaters may be interested in purchasing a fish finder to increase the versatility of a marine GPS unit.
There are non-mapping marine GPS devices available. These units offer information based on navigational data. They typically contain databases of cities, as well as navigation aids in the form of tide data and sound signals. While there is no access to land based or topographical maps, the databases included with the units offer information on points of interest, marina locations and addresses and contact numbers for tourist sites and accommodations.
Bluechart and marine GPS
Bluechart is common marine GPS software now available. Bluechart offers detailed maps that cover North American lakes as well as oceanic information. The maps are a digital version of the most popular and accurate paper maps. They can be referenced to marine charts with chart specific information such as name and number.
Bluechart offers information on intertidal zones, depth contours, port plans, as well as tides, ship wrecks and access information. The software is compatible with most of the popular marine GPS units. Almost all new marine GPS devices can be used with Bluechart.
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