Jeppesen Marine, the maker of Nobeltec navigation software, plans to release a major upgrade to its Admiral and Visual Navigation Suite products this spring–and it will be no ordinary change.
The new version of the software will not support the company's well–established Passport Charts, following Jeppesen's announcement last month that some chart information contains defects. Instead, it will support the C–Map Max Pro line–a change that will require users to abandon their Passport chart library and purchase new C–Map charts. 
Such is life for users of Nobeltec, brand–name products aimed at the high end of the market that often require additional fees for additional functionality. While Nobeltec products are full–featured, the company's "a la carte" pricing quickly bumps the cost of an installation to thousands of dollars.
Two products comprise the Nobeltec software line: Nobeltec Visual Navigation Suite ($490) and Nobeltec Admiral ($1,200). We reviewed VNS late last year and here we review Nobeltec Admiral version 9.3. Unfortunately, Jeppesen was unable to offer finalized plans and pricing for the coming Max Pro release. But despite the changes in cartography, the software will remain familiar in terms of features and functionality.
Admiral is the same base program as VNS, but adds specialized features geared to larger vessels, most notably Nobeltec's GlassBridge Network, multi–monitor support, and Tender Tracker. Admiral also adds a customizable NavView window of data, enhanced AIS target tracking, ARPA radar support, and OCENS WeatherNet, a subscription weather service.
These rarified features–and the matching price tag–are likely to attract large–boat owners who have special requirements, such as multiple redundant navigation stations or the ability to track a fleet of tenders. But most recreational boaters will almost certainly be better served by a more economical package (perhaps Nobeltec VNS) at less than half the price.
In fact, the two applications are so similar they share assets and folders, and hence cannot be installed on the same PC. If you upgrade from VNS to Admiral, the installation of Admiral prompts the uninstall of VNS. For most users, who will either load VNS or Admiral, this is not a problem.
