Garmin BlueChart Americas Saltwater Map CD-ROM (Windows)

by Garmin

Product Details

Product Manual [445kb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 4.8 x 3.4 x 0.3 inches ; 1.6 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00005V8Q8
• Item model number: 010-10317-00
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Garmin's exclusive line of BlueChart marine cartography products is designed to provide interactive viewing of detailed nautical chart data. These detailed electronic nautical charts look just like paper charts when displayed on your Garmin chart plotter. Descriptive details for features typically found on nautical charts can easily be viewed with a simple key press. Cursor movements over the chart provide descriptions for contour depths, chart number, navaid name, and much more.

BlueChart data includes shaded depth contours, intertidal zones, spot soundings, wrecks, navaids, port plans, restricted areas, cable areas, anchorages, and more. Additionally, BlueCharts include information from the paper chart used in the digitization process, such as chart number, name, scale, revision date, and Notice-to-Mariners date.

Three MapSource BlueChart CD-ROMs are available: Americas, Atlantic, and Pacific. The Atlantic CD-ROM covers Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. One CD-ROM contains BlueChart data for an entire region. MapSource BlueChart is a Microsoft Windows-based program that uses Garmin Unlock technology, allowing you to use one coverage area from the CD-ROM when initially purchased and to purchase additional coverage areas. Internet access is recommended for the unlock process.

Compatible products include these Garmin marine chart plotters: GPSMAP 176, GPSMAP 176C, GPSMAP 182, GPSMAP 188 Sounder, GPSMAP 232, GPSMAP 238 Sounder, GPSMAP 2006, and the GPSMAP 2010. BlueChart CD-ROMs are also compatible with Garmin GPS receivers that accept map data, including the GPSMAP 76, eTrex Vista, and eTrex Legend.

Product Description

Garmin's exclusive line of BlueChart marine cartography products is designed to provide interactive viewing of detailed nautical chart data. These detailed electronic nautical charts look just like paper charts when displayed on your Garmin chart plotter. Descriptive details for features typically found on nautical charts can easily be viewed with a simple key press. Cursor movements over the chart provide descriptions for contour depths, chart number, navaid name, and much more. BlueChart data includes shaded depth contours, intertidal zones, spot soundings, wrecks, navaids, port plans, restricted areas, cable areas, anchorages, and more. Additionally, BlueCharts include information from the paper chart used in the digitization process, such as chart number, name, scale, revision date, and Notice-to-Mariners date.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

126 of 129 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Misleading and very costly: buyer beware, March 2, 2007

By 

Peter V. Owens (Marstons Mills, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Garmin BlueChart Americas Saltwater Map CD-ROM (Windows) (Accessory)

Although the packaging offers coverage of the U.S., Canada, Caribbean, and South America on this expensive CD, you can only unlock a very limited "region" with your original purchase. Says Garmin tech support, "When you purchase BlueChart, you're entitled to one free region, and then additional regions can be purchased for $116.65." The word "free" here reflects Garmin's generally abysmal use of language found on their Web site, a labyrinth of obfuscation tangled in their arcane and ultra-paranoid "unlocking" technology and hidden prices. Unlike their Topo and City Navigator CDs where you get a lot of maps for your money, BlueChart gave me a limited sliver of southwest Florida for my purchase price. When I went to load Cape Cod, I discovered I would need to pony up another $116 for this small region. To unlock everything on this CD would costs many, many thousands of dollars, and nowhere is this clear to the unwary consumer.

What is especially grating in all this is that Garmin relies on U.S. government maps and GPS satellites that we taxpapers have already paid for. I find the marketing of Blue Chart really deceptive, especially given the important public safety implications of nautical mapping.

I would add that boat-towing travelers and nautical siteseers will need shoreside mapping and road info, for which these charts are useless, so you'll need additional map products and memory cards to show roads, parks, dining, and local amenities. Buyer beware.

72 of 75 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive, fast, and easy to use, June 22, 2003

By 

Barnaby Dorfman (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Garmin BlueChart Americas Saltwater Map CD-ROM (Windows) (Accessory)

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.

49 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply the best!, April 29, 2002

By 

"jlr-" (Franklin, MA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Garmin BlueChart Americas Saltwater Map CD-ROM (Windows) (Accessory)

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.