Garmin Bluechart/G2/Vision Compatibility

M

marco422

New member
I have a Garmin GPSMAP 545s chartplotter/sounder. I bought a G2 Vision card for my local area and it is working fine.

I am going to the Great Lakes this summer and want to get a card for the Georgian Bay area but I wanted to get the cheaper BlueChart or G2 card because I will probably only go there once. Will they work in my unit?

I have tried all the websites, but they only say my unit is compatible with the Vision cards. They don't say anything about backward compatibility with older version SD cards.

Anyone?
 
Just to clarify, I don't need to know about my particular unit. I just want to know if the new Garmin Vision-compatible units can use the older charts as well. Thanks.
 
Hi there, Garmin supports it's products for quite a while after new technology comes out. Older unit chips are still available, but unfortunately as far as I'm aware the backwards compatabiity won't work. The Vision chips have a ton more detail than the old chips. Depending on how far you're going, as the US waters are loaded you may find the info already on your unit. The pre-loaded units have data until just past Nanaimo with no chip. Do a "go to" on your unit and see what the detail looks like. In my work as a West Marine manager I phone Garmin techies a few times a week and if you need to just give them a call they will know instantly.
Cheers George
As an aside have you thought about coming up to the gathering in Nanaimo in late July? Love to have lots of local boats out.
 
I suspect that the G2 charts will work on the 545. I have an earlier model which will use G2 vision and G2 (as well as the built in charts of the US.) My Garmin Colorado 400 has good charts of Georgian bay. That plus a few paper charts should be enough for navigation.

I am sort of facing the same issue--in launching in Prince Rupert and then going to AK--not worth buying the chip for upper BC--I'll just use the paper charts to get into US waters--used paper charts, without even GPS for many years. Here at least you have the lat and lon, plus a good base map, even if you don't have the details...
 
Good question on the compatibility. Have been wondering the same thing myself. Hope some one knows definitely whether they are compatible or not due to already having several of the BlueCharts and considering a Garmin 545.

Agree with Bob on his plan of using paper charts with GPS for lat and lon for navigating like He plans from Prince Rupert north to US waters. Even without his vast experience of navigating only with paper charts for years we were able to find our way around some pretty remote areas north and south from Petersburg, Alaska using an old garmin E map hand held and papercharts after losing our computer and Nobletech charts in 2004. The E map only had base map information with no marine charts, but like Bob said, with good papercharts and the addition of gps lat and lon not difficult to stay on route. When we started north from Prince Rupert in 2004 we didn't want to spend the money for detailed BC map, so with the gps connected to computer with nobletech software didn't have detailed charts till crossing US border. Went through Venn Passage then Khutzymateen Grizzly Bear Preserve then crossed West Dixon using base Nobletech chart until reaching border.
 
Hi Doctor Bob,

You mention launching in PR and not having coverage of northern BC. Are you talking about your built-in charting, or chart data cards?

My older BlueChart data cards for AK, and also the newer BlueChart G2 data cards for AK, cover PR and parts north, including all the detail of Venn Passage. At least for those two kinds of data cards the BC and AK coverage overlaps conveniently. I wonder if the built-in charting does as well.
 
Marco 422
I am looking to pickup a 545 and am wondering if the local chart goes as far east as Harrison lake where we have our cabin.
West Marine says they THINK so but aren't sure.
Any way you can check this?
Tnx, Jimbo
 
I phoned Garmin support today (35 minutes on hold) and they apologetically told me that Garmin's 2008 models only support G2 Vision cards-- not the vanilla G2 cards or Bluechart cards. That is a real bummer for Canadian purchasers or travelers whose areas are not included in the US basemap. We can only purchase the Vision cards (with all the bells & whistles) at twice the price!

If only we could establish a co-op to share cards for those occasional trips to Ontario, BC or Florida. Probably violates the license agreements...
 
Jimbo":upvghb7g said:
Marco 422
I am looking to pickup a 545 and am wondering if the local chart goes as far east as Harrison lake where we have our cabin.
West Marine says they THINK so but aren't sure.
Any way you can check this?
Tnx, Jimbo
Click to expand...

I'll try and check it out today. I doubt that the basemap covers Harrison Lake but the Vision cards do. I take my boat out there often-- my G2 Vision card is for the whole BC Coast (cost $450, though you can get cards for smaller areas for $350).

I believe the basemap just includes NOAA US charts which are publicly available in electronic format. Canadian charts distributed by the Canadian Hydrographic Service are not licensed and are only included on the individual cards. Harrison Lake is a Canadian chart.
 
Richard, You are correct--the Garmin Colorado 400 C built in US charts do go down to PR and Venn passage. I have to assume that my 492 base map, which also uses the G2 charts--has the same coverage. We took the Cal 46 through Venn passage in heavy fog--no chart plotter--but radar, with no problem. So any C Dory with a chart plotter is a breeze, but I still want the paper charts to check for the rocks--and check off each buoy as we go by.

About 10 years ago I gave up on Garmin, because of their license agreements--you could only down load the CD MapSource onto two chart plotters. I had three boats with chart plotters, and it seemed a bit unfair to have to pay $99 for each unlock-. The new units with the chips, and no limits on units used in, plus the excellent US charts seemed to solve that. Now we see that they are back to some old tricks--cannot use G2 in G2 Vision chart plotters! Yet, my 492 manual says I can use the G2 vision charts in it....so it works one way, but not the other! Too bad.
 
Jimbo":1r5yln2i said:
Marco 422
I am looking to pickup a 545 and am wondering if the local chart goes as far east as Harrison lake where we have our cabin.
West Marine says they THINK so but aren't sure.
Any way you can check this?
Tnx, Jimbo
Click to expand...

The cards that cover Harrison Lake are on these links:
http://www8.garmin.com/cartography/g2vi ... onPK=25509
http://www8.garmin.com/cartography/g2vi ... onPK=25508

I have the VCA501L and it definitely has full coverage of Harrison Lake. No Interior Lakes (Okanagan, Arrow or Kootenay) though.
 
Those G2 Vison cards each cost $100 more than I paid for the Garmin chart plotter (OK it was discontinued) which has all of the Coastal US,including Hawaii and AK. I guess that Garmin has figured out how to increase their bottom line. (I assume that it has something to do with the license byback from NDI.) Even though the G2 charts are about $100 each less for each region--they are still pricey! The entire inland waters of the central US (for the Loop) are $214 for the G2 and $321 for the G2 vision--so there has to be close to a $100 license fee involved in the Canadian charts.
 
I checked my 545 out this evening and found that the base charts (if I remove my card) are very sketchy in Canada. While there is basic coverage of the Strait of Georgia toward Nanaimo, the waters among the Gulf Islands (through Active Pass) are not covered.

In Ontario, the Great Lakes passage charts are included, but God help you if you try to navigate the Georgian Bay small boat passage with that level of detail! Also the base map (not the satellite photo at low zoom levels) seems to go completely blank in the area around Ottawa!

Overall, I would say the base US Coastal and US Great Lakes coverage is fine, but if you're going to gunkhole in Canada, you'll need a Vision card.
 
Marco422
Thanks for the info. I'll make sure I get one of those cards with it.
Looking at the coverage, I'll go with the lesser of the 2, which will hopefully be cheaper.
Tnx, Jimbo
 
I've been reading this thread, which has answered some of my questions. I am also looking at buying a Garmin 545 S. I am new to all this so please bear with me. My understanding is that the base maps should work well for coastal waters, which include the Great Lakes but will not include the inland lakes and rivers. If I buy the unit and the G2 vision for the inland lakes and rivers, will I be OK? Do the base maps for the Great Lakes, and the East and West coasts provide sufficient details to survive?

Thanks,

Ramon Sr. :?:
 
From the Garmin web site on the 545s "The 545 has preloaded detailed maps cover all U.S. coastal areas and the Bahamas." I have several versions which have the coastal maps, and they are as good or better than the NOAA maps. I use the G2 chip for Canadian waters, which is excellent. These detailed maps are far better than "base maps"--which are very rough images and outlines. Some "base maps" do have nav aids. The coastal detailed maps, even have some private aids to navigation, as well as all of the official aids.

I have a Colorado 400c which you can get inland charts and topo's for--and these are also excellent. I have other brands (Lowrance and Standard Horizon) and have their chips for the inland waters from Mobile to Great Lakes--and most of the major tributaries inbetween--Garmin should be comperable.
 
Ramon Sr":12vx3nam said:
I've been reading this thread, which has answered some of my questions. I am also looking at buying a Garmin 545 S. I am new to all this so please bear with me. My understanding is that the base maps should work well for coastal waters, which include the Great Lakes but will not include the inland lakes and rivers. If I buy the unit and the G2 vision for the inland lakes and rivers, will I be OK? Do the base maps for the Great Lakes, and the East and West coasts provide sufficient details to survive?
Click to expand...

The US base maps are fine but they only cover NOAA charts. For the Great Lakes on the Canadian side, this can be a problem. For example, the east side of Georgian Bay is only covered by the US passage chart and does not provide sufficient detail to navigate the Small Boat Waterway. You need the Vision card. The Thousand Islands area on the other hand is covered by the US chart in sufficient detail.
http://www8.garmin.com/cartography/g2vi ... onPK=25506

This link shows the coverage of NOAA charts in the Great Lakes (Canadian charts are outlined in grey).
http://www.charts.noaa.gov/Catalogs/gre ... side.shtml

Coastal coverage on the East and West Canadian Coasts only extends as far as the NOAA charts, so you need a Vision card beyond approximately 30-100 miles into Canadian waters (which is the approx disance covered by US charts). The basemap coverage does not suffice for any navigation at all.

The inland lakes of the US are covered by several cards; there is no single card which covers them all.
http://www.garmin.com/garmin/cms/site/u ... akesvision
 
One thing to remember is that the GPS will tell you exactly (within feet) of where you are globally. The chart will tell you where a rock is relative to another point. That point MAY have been plotted in the 1800's using a sextant and hour glass so that position on the face of the globe may be off by 50-100 yds, or more. When the two "references" are merged the outcome may not be predictable enough to use to navigate a rocky channel. Keep your head UP.
 
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