Imray's Digital Chart packs are roughly equivalent to the Admiralty/RYA offering. If you are one of the many yachtsmen who prefer Imray charts to Admitralty, you will feel quite at home.
Like the Admiralty packs, this software, supplied on CD, contains effectively a folio of paper charts and while it is simple to switch between them (much simpler than wading through a mountain of paper) it's not as easy as on a dedicated plotter, where changing scale is virtually seamless. With this, if you zoom in too far on a small scale chart, it simply pixelates into oblivion. But there are enough charts to choose from to find the scale you want.
Like the Admiralty offering, quite a lot of the screen in taken up by the information panel on the left.
Navigation (in the computer sense) is straightforward and relatively intuitive, with all the tools you would expect, for creating waypoints, routes and so on, measuring distances and bearings, and setting up the display the way you want it.
There is only a single card of instructions, but there is on line help and e-mail support, should you need it. I found it only took a few minutes “playing” to work out what all the buttons did, and to create some waypoints and a route, as a practical test of both the software and my own ability to make sense of it.
The Admiralty/RYA system does a better job with tidal information, presenting today's prediction curve when you click on the icon at primary and secondary ports. The Imray offering is very much based on paper charts: you click on the conventional diamond symbol to open the familiar table of figures.
On the other hand, the Imray versions covers bigger areas, and so arguably offers better value for money. Like Imray's paper charts, useful large scale harbour plans are included.
This is intended to be an affordable introduction to electronic navigation, and as such does what it says on the packet. It can be used at home for passage planning, or on board, with input from the GPS, to follow your vessel's progress across the chart.
It lacks many of the advanced features of more costly software, but then, how many people actually use all the functionality of the more complex packages?
As always, the software comes with warnings that it is not intended to take the place of conventional navigation equipment and techniques.
As an additional aid, this package has a lot to offer, and comes with free corrections, easily downloadable as zip files from www.imray.com
Pluses
- Doesn't need a very powerful or up to date computer
- Intuitive and easy to pick up
- Excellent value for money
Minuses
- Limited functionality
- Not available for all cruising areas
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A good introduction to electronic navigation and probably all the navigation software many leisure sailors will ever want. And if you don't want to take your laptop to sea, it would still be worth having for making passage plans at home.
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