Navionics card upgrade

[netmaker]

im with fishfeeder. i have sent navionics my complaint about their blatant rip off. it appears the upgrade is not an upgrade. it is simply a replacement chart that they will sell you for half price with a years free upgrades. i paid 400 for my gold chart 2 years ago and now they want another 200 plus the 100 i have already spent on a card reader. they can get nicked. i entered the green zones into my gps using the coordinates in the gbrmpa guide and constructed routes from them. if i know i am close to a green zone i simply instruct gps to travel that route and it joins the dots for me. i for one will not spend another 200 to see purple lines instead. what if the state govt decides it wants to change the zones in another 2 years? another 200?
stuff that.
davo

[murf]

the purple lines on the charts for the SIMP marine park down here are way out so it is only clutter on the chart and as you said the Marine parks just did major changes to their zones only to undo them a couple of months later

Marine Parks NSW say they are talking with Navionics and others re mapping for the boundary's of the park but at what cost to us????

cheers Murf

[netmaker]

im cranky murf,

bloody disappointed i found this thread if it comes down to it. got all excited when i saw that updates were available. i have emailed navionics twice in the last year asking if updates were available that detailed the green zones. have yet to receive a reply. once i found this thread i ordered a card reader from whitworths only to discover later that to get use out of the bloody thing i will need to spend the 200 nicker as well to rebuy my chart. as soon as the reader arrives it will be going straight back for a refund. at least i will only lose out on the freight. can buy plenty of tackle for the dough one of these "exclusive" card readers costs. by the way the bloke at whitworths reckons you cant use any other type of card reader or you will risk chart corruption. another great way to rip off the fisho.
i let navionics know that i will be grumbling to anyone who cares to listen.
hope you have enjoyed my gripe
davo

[Scott Mitchell]

Marine Parks NSW say they are talking with Navionics and others re mapping for the boundary's of the park but at what cost to us????

cheers Murf

Murf - I believe Marine parks are also updating their boundaries up here as well & these new updated charts will be available through Navionics new with the 12 months FREE upgrade service with-in the next 12 months - Or if you already have a chart it can be upgraded for half normal retail & will also include 12 months FREE upgrades.

Technology changes all the time - do we compalin when we by a new TV & a better model comes out next month - be cool if you could exchange them over at 50% off the new model price ........

I'll also check out the card reader details with Gary & confirm if a standar one can be used ...

Regards Scotto

[fishfeeder]

"Technology changes all the time - do we complain when we by a new TV & a better model comes out next month - be cool if you could exchange them over at 50% off the new model price ........"

Well yes that is right but your not likely to get a fine for fishing the wrong side of the lounge !!!

[Jarrah Jack]

I'm sorry but 50% is still way too much for a new updated card..how much do they cost to produce? We've already paid for the r&d and profit when we brought the first card.

[netmaker]

scott,
no new technology here mate. this is just a software upgrade. you cant compare hardware costs to software costs unless your into comparing apples to oranges. the fact of the matter is that navionics are charging way over and above what a software upgrade should cost. a new sd card is less than 10 bucks. software alterations dont require them to re-write the product from scratch so why charge the customer so much for what is effectively an adjustment. if i were billed 50 bucks for a replacement card i wouldn't hesitate but 200 just to see purple lines delineating the zones is just a rip off. i have cancelled my sd card order and will not buy anything from navionics again.
cheers
davo

[Jarrah Jack]

Not that I'm naive enough to think it will happen but I the government, who make all these changes and then change the changes, should be negotiating with navionics about the cost of the changes to software. Part of the negotiations should be about subsidising the cost of the card upgrade. How else does the public and enforcement authorities know the exact boundaries of marine parks? Publishing co ordinates isn't enough.

In other words if the government wants to change or introduce boundaries then it should not only foot the cost of enforcement but supply the means for users to comply with their change. Bit like signs on land when there is a new park or restrictions.

[murf]

I asked about that cost of electronic map/chart upgrades of the marine parks Jarrah, she wouldn't give me an answer so I wouldn't hold my breath

we have so many circles and curved boundary's in the Solitary Islands marine park its not funny

cheers Murf

[Jarrah Jack]

I asked about that cost of electronic map/chart upgrades of the marine parks Jarrah, she wouldn't give me an answer so I wouldn't hold my breath

we have so many circles and curved boundary's in the Solitary Islands marine park its not funny

cheers Murf

I don't ask my misses much as there's not much point in bothering them Murf

[Scott Mitchell]

I spoke with Navionics again today & they told me that you can use any SD card reader to perform upgrades once you have an upgradable card - just don't open specific files. Put it in & run the update service via the web site. The actual Navionics card reader is specifically designed to be used in conjunction with their mapping software.

Once Marine park confirm their "exact" way point positions for their zones with in a marine park - it is released to mapping companies to be incorporated in their charts. This NEEDS to be precise for liability & legal reasons.

I have just sent my card back to Navionics today to be upgraded & will let you know if I have any trouble - I have been very happy with the Platinum chart so far.

Regards Scotto

[fishfeeder]

Scott you must be crazy to send it there for the upgrade at the moment. (No offense !!)
You only get 12 months worth of free upgrades, what if they take 13 months to get it all sorted, you then will need to PAY for another UPGRADE, and another $200 smackers down the toilet. They should call it a $200 a year membership to use Navionics Charts and not hide behind some BS Upgrade SCAM.

Just my thoughts on the matter !!

Cheers
Brett

[GLXMAN]

This thread has some disturbing info,
Navioncs support Humminbird and Lowrance,
I'm thinking of upgrading my current Humminbird to a larger Lowrance,
After reading this thread, I'm thinking a Garmin may just be a better choice

The agents for Lowrance and Humminbird need to address this problem as it will eventually affect sales figures, people will make the switch to a system that has a user friendly mapping software
Regards,
Gary

[netmaker]

hi all,
bees still buzzing in my bonnet. i rang navionics today and gave them ausfish website address. suggested that they go and read their customers complaints and see what fishos are saying about being ripped off. dont expect anything from it but thought they might as well get some free feedback. maybe with numbers of complaints they will reconsider the costs of their future upgrades?
davo