When purchasing marine navigation software for your powerboat or sailboat there are many things to consider. One of the first questions to answer is how do you plan on using your marine navigation software? Do you just plan to go fishing on the weekends or are you planning a trip across the atlantic or something in between?

Given the array of features available from all marine navigation software vendors and some of the most important to consider are what types of charts and route planning is supported, and what safety features are available such as MARPA and AIS target plotting as well as real time weather updates.

In the simplest configuration the marine navigation software is typically installed and configured on a laptop. A GPS antenna is then attached using USB port of the laptop and mounted in position with an unobstructed view of the sky.

In a more advanced configuration, the laptop is replaced with a dedicated onboard computer where all marine telemetry including weather, radar, sonar, satellite radio, AIS and DSC information is fed directly to the marine navigation software through the use of a multiplexer. Some multiplexers convert proprietary communications protocols such as Raymarine Seatalk into standard NMEA format.