GPS Route Plotters

For many sea goers, the GPS route plotter is a very valuable navigation aid. The advent of these electrical units has meant sea faring, range finding and route plotting has become much eaiser. Rather than rely solely on the old charts and compass, (which still works very well!) the modern system utilises GPS technology to plot the best course and tell the skipper where the vessel has been and is going.

Much like the TomTom GPS units featured on our homepages, the GPS route plotter works with the range of 24 satellites around 14km up in the atmosphere, to locate its place on the earths surface at any one point in time. This is highly accurate and can quickly determine range down to about 1.5m accuracy. The increase in accuracy (for road uses) has meant marine uses have become much more accurate also.

For those who fish on specific spots, this has been a real bonus. Like the TomTom GPS navigator tells you which street corner your coming upto, the GPS chartplotters on a boat can tell the skipper what offshore pinnicle they are approacing, or what underwater reef they are coming into range of. Coupled with a depth sounder device (which most chartplotters have as well) they are deadly for getting onto the fish accuratly, time after time.

Additionally, the ability to mark spots and to retrieve route lines has meant that you can easily retrace a route, with accuracy each time. For those that navigate shallow, narrow or tight channels and harbour entrances, this is a very valuable feature. You can now travel safely at night with the aid of the chartplotter, telling you exactly the route your following. Even in very low visibility, they helmsman can keep his eye on the sea, without having to stop and refer to a chart. The realtime display of direction and tracking means the route is always at hand, in real time.

Charts are available for the GPS route plotters, and nearly all used waterways in the world have mean mapped into C-Maps that can be bought, and inserted into the GPS unit via an SD card. Updates and new charts are coming out all the time, so like your tomtom GPS navigator, you can get the latest information when it comes out.

We have heaps more info on this topic and much more to do with GPS at our site, www.tomtomgpsnavigator.com.

Check it out today!

All the best,

www.tomtomgpsnavigator.com