GPS chart help needed please.

[Bud]

I have a West Marine 276C Plus chart plotter.

The memory card looks like a very slim thumb drive. I currently have 010-C1014-10 US East gw2 in the unit. It also has HUS040R Feb 2012 on the label.

I was looking for a US West or Canada West in the same physical format. All I seem to find are SD or Micro SD formats when looking online to buy one.

Can anyone point me to a source for the proper chart that will be companionable with the the West Marine 276C chartplotter?

Thanks in advance for answers.

Double thanks if the answers are correct.  ;D

[Tim]

Isn't that a Garmin product? I would think you should be able to get a data card right from them or WM.

[Bud]

One would thinks so, but so far I have had any luck.

It's an older unit. The problem is the card. Garmin sells the charts but they are not on the right physical card.

[Bob J (ex-misfits)]

You could download the Open CPN program to a laptop & get all the charts you need for free at the NOAA web site. Buy a $20.00 GPS hockey puck style antenna that plugs into your laptop via USB connection & you would be good to go.
Chart plotters are convenient & offer an additional check/balance but nothing beats paper charts in my opinion.

[Tim]

One would thinks so, but so far I have had any luck.

It's an older unit. The problem is the card. Garmin sells the charts but they are not on the right physical card.

Well then if you can't reach someone at Garmin for a work around, you might go the Navionics/Ipad route.

[Bud]

Thanks for the suggestions Tim.

I do have all the Canadian charts for that area.

[Tim]

I still use my Garmin Map76S as backup, and those charts are just downloaded off CDs to the unit when I need them, there may be a way of doing that. I wish we lived closer so we could try that.

[Owly055]

     If the card is actually a very thin USB thumb drive, you should be able to plug it into your computer and view the files.   You could then order the SD card with the charts you want, and presumably transfer them to a USB thumb drive, assuming that the file format was the same.   It's worth a try at least.   
     There is no way they can really copy protect files on an SD card, so this should work unless the document format has been changed for the newer equipment.    Tech support at the company should be able (and willing) to advise you on this sort of thing in advance of buying their card.


                                                    H.W.

[Bud]

I may have confused you with my description.

It isn't really a very thin thumb drive, I was just trying to describe the look of it.

But thanks for the suggestion. ;D

[Owly055]

I may have confused you with my description.

It isn't really a very thin thumb drive, I was just trying to describe the look of it.

But thanks for the suggestion. ;D

Is it one of the old "memory stick" camera cards?    This page has a photo showing four variants of the memory stick......... Whatever it is, it probably isn't proprietary.

http://www.siliconpopculture.com/articles/review/sony_cybershot_dsc_t1/

                                   H.W.

[Owly055]

I ran into a discussion thread a few minutes ago where some one with the same problem, but with a Garmin branded device, was able to get one directly from Garmin with a phone call even though it was not listed in the catalogue.  This was a 2 year old thread.  Here's a web site that sells the data cards and a photo of a blank card of the type I suspect you are talking about.  http://www.tigergps.com/garmin512datacard.html

They sell map and chart updates, and probably either have what you want or can direct you to someone who has.      In this day and age of the internet, you can find anything if you are persistent and determined.

                                          H.W.

[Bud]

I ran into a discussion thread a few minutes ago where some one with the same problem, but with a Garmin branded device, was able to get one directly from Garmin with a phone call even though it was not listed in the catalogue.  This was a 2 year old thread.  Here's a web site that sells the data cards and a photo of a blank card of the type I suspect you are talking about.  http://www.tigergps.com/garmin512datacard.html



They sell map and chart updates, and probably either have what you want or can direct you to someone who has.      In this day and age of the internet, you can find anything if you are persistent and determined.

                                          H.W.

Thank You H.W.

YES!!!! That is the card. Yikes, expensive!!!

Here is a more reasonable price

https://www.gps4us.com/GARMIN-512-MB-data-card-RoHS--P69.html

[Tim]

Just maybe you would be better off putting the money towards something else. Looks like you still may have to pay for the data to put on it.

[Bud]

You may be right, I need to cost it out.

If I could find a used one, it would make it less expensive.

[jotruk]

try ebay found a good garmin gps card there for my chartplotter

[Bud]

Thanks, been checking it out, but without luck so far.

[Bud]

You could download the Open CPN program to a laptop & get all the charts you need for free at the NOAA web site. Buy a $20.00 GPS hockey puck style antenna that plugs into your laptop via USB connection & you would be good to go.
Chart plotters are convenient & offer an additional check/balance but nothing beats paper charts in my opinion.

Wondering if Canadian charts are available electronically. I doubt that NOAA covers the west coast of British Columbia, but I could be wrong.

[Captain Smollett]

Wondering if Canadian charts are available electronically. I doubt that NOAA covers the west coast of British Columbia, but I could be wrong.

Yes, Canadian RNC and ENC charts are available:

http://www.charts.gc.ca/charts-cartes/digital-electronique/index-eng.asp

[Bud]

Thanks

[Bud]

After a lot of head scratching and mucking around on the interwebby thingy, adding the costs to upgrade my current 276C to include the Western Half of the US and Canada, it seemed to me (because Tim suggested I look into it) that the best route would be to purchase a new GPS with charts of all of N. America.

So that's what I did.
Bought a SI-TEX SVS-460CE Chartplotter - 4.3" Color Screen with external antenna. It includes  Navionics Gold North American Chart Card. So we shall see how it all works out in practice. Because I have the Eastern US and the Bahamas on the current 276C, I think I will hang on to it or a backup.