Click for Mulder Click for Ocean Alexander Click for Burger Click for Abeking Click for Nordhavn

MaxSea Time Zero vs Nobeltec Navigation Programs

Discussion in 'General Yachting Discussion' started by kelpy, Feb 16, 2011.

You need to be registered and signed in to view this content.
  1. kelpy, Feb 16, 2011
    #1
    kelpy

    kelpy New Member

    Joined:
    Jun 4, 2007
    Messages:
    12
    Location:
    Fort Lauderdale
    It is time to upgrade the main nav computer and programs. Is the MaxSea Time Zero nav program superior or even equivalent to the new Nobeltec offering?
  2. dennismc, Feb 16, 2011
    #2
    dennismc

    dennismc Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 29, 2009
    Messages:
    1,175
    Location:
    Vancouver BC
    Max Sea

    I used to have Nobeltec Version 10 series....after so many problems they replaced the entire package for me back to ver 9.3 at no cost...that's where it will stay. The charts in Ver 10 were terrible also. My 2c.
    I have used Nobeltec since ver 4...even before it actually was Nobeltec.
  3. MaxPower, Feb 17, 2011
    #3
    MaxPower

    MaxPower Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 3, 2008
    Messages:
    427
    Location:
    At Sea ... Aahhh ...
    i've used the maxsea time zero in tandem with the fununo navnet 3d on board (for over 3 years now) & it works flawlessly ...

    the latest maxsea timezero s/w is really good ... works both ways thru the usb & ethernet connection ... as a result, it duplicates the ais & radar on the notebook ...

    love it ... wld not replace with anything else ...
  4. Capt Bill11, Feb 17, 2011
    #4
    Capt Bill11

    Capt Bill11 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 27, 2006
    Messages:
    1,458
    Location:
    Sarasota/Ft. Lauderdale FL
    Between the two, MaxSea hands down.

    But for a lot less money this is worth a look: http://www.polarnavy.com/
  5. Dean Cameron, May 3, 2012
    #5
    Dean Cameron

    Dean Cameron New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 5, 2012
    Messages:
    3
    Location:
    The Dalles, OR
    Nobeltec is not state of the art

    I recently purchased Nobeltec Odyssey for my laptop (2/2012). I am very dissappointed. After 2 months of hard work, it is not usable for navigation. I have two new Garmin handhelds (eTrexHcx and Oregon 450T) and a Delorme PGS receiver antenna. They all connect via USB. Nobeltec can not read the signal from any of them. I have called Nobeltec customer support four times and Garmin three times. After 2.5 hours today, Nobeltec finally gave up and said they are not able to make their software work. They said it must be that Garmin sends out a corrupted signal. However, I have a $39 Delorme Streets software program that picks up the signal and works flawlessly. Therefore, the only answer is that Nobeltec software can't read state of the art signals. They said the software requires a serial port on the computer. You can't even buy a state of the art laptop with a serial port anymore. They suggested a desktop would have a serial port and might work. I'm not dragging a desktop unit around my boat. Thats not the purpose of computer based software today.

    The software has very little help or support and most of the features must be learned by trial and error. It is not user friendly.

    After 2 months of hassle and working diligently with the software and Nobeltec it turns out that it simply will not work with modern computers and GPS devices. Upon asking, they were unable to give me the name of any hardware that the software would work with. Since the process of determining the software is unusable has taken more than 30 days, I am beyond the return time frame and am out $800 and still don't have a usable navigation software solution. If anyone has a solution, I am all ears.
  6. sunchaserv, May 4, 2012
    #6
    sunchaserv

    sunchaserv Member

    Joined:
    Dec 16, 2011
    Messages:
    140
    Location:
    Carefree, AZ
    I run NN3 and Nobeltec 9.0 side by side. They both have worked well since day 1Nothing beats a PC based system for plotting and saving courses in my opinion. Laying out a course on NN3 is too tedious. NN3's main functions for me are location verification, radar and DFFI. AIS is piped into both NN3 and Nobeltec. Our boating territory is from Puget Sound to Gulf of Alaska.

    I'm not too concerned if my smart phone or Ipad can talk to the plotters. I have enough more serious boat things to worry about without getting my nickers in a twist over toys and gizmos. But I well understand that some enjoy the Apple activities versus changing out an impeller and being sure the vessel is ready for the open ocean, tight anchorages, snarly currents and fog that permeate our days' travels and activities.
  7. Pascal, May 4, 2012
    #7
    Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 29, 2008
    Messages:
    8,160
    Location:
    Miami, FL
    I ve been using PC based nav software for a few years now. In probably 20k miles I ve fewer failures or loss of position than the Furuno Navnets we have as primary instruments...The handful of issues were caused by the PC not finding the GPS when starting the software and a reboot was all it took

    I used openCPN for a year or two (free and ole source) before switching to PolarNavy a year and a half ago. Both are good but Polar includes offline Active Captain data which is a huge benefit. for $49 or do Polar is great value and best of all it is not a resource hog like some of the more expensive packages. I m running it on a 3 year old entry level laptop which also runs a webcam, gos tracking, etc all smoothly

    The gps receiver is a Bluetooth globalsat receiver. I also use Franson GPSgate so that the signal from the GPS can be shared by polar and Goops which uploads positions to my website

    I actually rely more on the PC than the Furuno as the charts are more detailed and easier to read
  8. dennismc, May 4, 2012
    #8
    dennismc

    dennismc Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 29, 2009
    Messages:
    1,175
    Location:
    Vancouver BC
    If Nobeltec will not give you a refund, at least ask for a downgrade ? to Version 9.3 VNS, it works really well and has been stable for 4 yrs now, all their new stuff is crap...
  9. sunchaserv, May 4, 2012
    #9
    sunchaserv

    sunchaserv Member

    Joined:
    Dec 16, 2011
    Messages:
    140
    Location:
    Carefree, AZ
    About 2-3 years ago Jeppsen, the originator of Nobeltec, was sold to a Brazilian company. There now is a back door ownership of charts used by Furuno and Nobeltec. They say this will be good for us, hummmmmmmm.

    Can one buy an Ipad 3 with an internal GPS? I've heard yes but yet to talk to anyone with that direct experience.
  10. PropBet, May 4, 2012
    #10
    PropBet

    PropBet Senior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 21, 2007
    Messages:
    1,216
    Location:
    Is Everything!
    Good for us how? Translation: Good for their sales.
    NOAA charts, free, pretty accurate, and readily accessible online.
  11. maldwin, May 4, 2012
    #11
    maldwin

    maldwin Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 20, 2009
    Messages:
    333
    Location:
    Dark Harbor Me/ Hobe Sound Fl
    I have also used an IPad 1 loaded with INAVX and a bluetooth GPS antenna. The biggest problem is day light visibility.
    Best,
    Maldwin
  12. Bamboo, May 4, 2012
    #12
    Bamboo

    Bamboo Senior Member

    Joined:
    Dec 19, 2008
    Messages:
    934
    Location:
    Palm Beach, FL
    I've used capn navigator on a notebook PC for many years now and love it. I run it side by side as a stand alone and with it's ability to keep and store tracks it makes the runs up and down the coast much easier. I like the more detailed charts. I use a garmin hand held connected to a USB which then uses a internal driver to deliver the data to a serial port. It's not expensive and it's reliable and accurate.