Hi Bill,
That is correct! I spoke to Navionics May, 2008 and they told me the software program on their chip is proprietary and I could not add any waypoints on their chip. Their chip would simply show the land and ocean depth contour (they said it was not very detailed for the Sea of Cortez, even their Platinum chip). They said that to be able to add waypoints I would have to be able to have access to their software and they were not going to allow that. Maybe they've changed there way of thinking, so you might want to call their help center and see if they will allow waypoints to be added now... They program will show tidal movements though (you can get those for free) and detailed information on all the ports/harbors.
I planning on purchasing a platinum chip, but after talking to Ric (he does not use one) I felt it was a wasted of $ for my use. I know Stu has and uses his chip. I'm sure he has great reasons for using it. I just can't afford one, and I'm not sure how it would help me. Some day, I'd like to visit him and take a look to see the info on the chip.
I'll be happy to email you a copy of a recording I took back in Feb. To view it you'll have to download a free software software from Lowrance. At that time of recording, I was playing with the unit, changing parameters so while viewing it, you will see the changes but it was just me playing with the unit. At that time I was not sure how long it would record data, so I only had the recording feature on for a short time. BTW, Lowrance offers some extremely valuable information on interpreting recordings.
If you were to purchase a Lowrance radio, it will tie into your Lowrance GPS unit so in case of trouble, you can flip a switch and it will send out a distress signal to with your location. From what I understand, other boats/harbors must have a similar type of radio to receive your distess signal, so I'm not sure how well that would work in RP. I would call the toll free # for Lowrance and speak to them about that feature.
From what I understand and reading, your antenna is extremely important, your life link. So, even with the best radio and a cheap antenna you're not going to get the most of your radio. Go for the best antenna you can afford! I'm sure the others with vastly more experience, have great advice on the antennas and radios.
I bought a Lowrance radio for the reasons stated above.
