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.

However, it was a setback for us as reviewers because we couldn't compare and contrast the two applications with other charting software (or with each other) without running two separate computers. We had to dedicate another PC laptop to Admiral, which had a different operating system and slightly different specifications than the machine we used throughout the series (see table for laptop specifications).

SETTING UP

Nobeltec is a modular charting and navigation application. You begin with a boxed set, to which you add raster charts and vector charts and optional add–ons called Plus Packs. In fact, the à la carte aspect extends to a 222–page spiral–bound User's Guide you must purchase for an additional $30. Personally, we think selling the documentation separately from the software takes the modularity concept a bit too far, particularly after spending $1,200. But, if you're frugal–despite dropping a grand for the software–you can download the User's Guide as a PDF document (see link).NOBELTECHOCENS WeatherNet ships with Admiral. For an additional subscription fee you receive downloadable weather data in GRIB file format.

Four Plus Packs are available for Admiral: XM Weather, Sailing, Bathy Recorder, and Tender Tracker. Admiral includes OCENS WeatherNet pre–installed, which means it is available should you choose to subscribe for an annual license fee and usage charges. You can also opt for the XM Weather Plus Pack ($300), which provides streamed XM Satellite weather data with a subscription and appropriate hardware devices. Unlike RayTech, MaxSea, Chart Navigator Pro and Coastal Explorer, Admiral does not include free weather downloads through their own server. Without purchasing a module, weather is constrained to Admiral's free, but limited, GRIB weather requests via Saildocs, an email–based document retrieval system.

The Sailing Plus Pack ($300) integrates lay lines, wind arrows, and polar diagrams. This module requires a GPS and a wind sensor that outputs apparent wind speed and direction. Admiral has added a folder with 50 default polars, ranging from cruising–class boats such as Valiant and Tayana to racers such as JBoats, Farr and Santa Cruz. You can choose to use these polars directly, or modify them for your particular vessel. You can also purchase a Performance Package ($250 member price) from U.S. Sailing, which includes polar diagrams and target boat speeds for hundreds of sailboats (see link). Using the apparent wind data, GPS position and your boat's polars, Admiral calculates true wind speed and direction and creates an optimal route (see photo).NOBELTECHSailing Plus Pack Polars and the resulting data establish a target level for sail performance. Here, a team would quickly see something is dramatically wrong (52% of target).

The Bathy Recorder Plus Pack ($800) enables you to record sea floor topographic information using your depth sounder, and then incorporate your data into a 3D display. This module is designed to allow fishermen or divers to create their own customized, highly–accurate sea floor charts.

The Tender Tracker Plus Pack ($1,500) uses a Seetrac Tender Tracking System to monitor affiliate watercraft, or even people if they carry the small wireless Seetrac Tender Unit. It tracks the location of up to 99 units, reporting back to your PC display. Note that you must purchase the Seetrac hardware separately, at about $7,500 for the first unit and $4,000 for additional units. Tenders can be tracked up to five nautical miles away, including boundary alarms to ensure children stay within range or to alert you of a stolen tender. Data transmissions are encrypted for additional security.

Installation of the Admiral base program and Plus Packs is straightforward, although Nobeltec's multi–step process of voucher codes and chart permits seems complicated at first. A Setup Wizard and a GPS/Port Setup Wizard guide you through the process. However, be aware that Admiral, when running on Microsoft's Vista operating system, may not properly check for updates. Our installation (version 9.2.2218) failed to connect to their Internet server. Jeppesen is aware of this issue and can assist you with a "workaround". Nobeltec VNS running on Windows XP fared slightly better: it did check for an upgrade, but failed to identify the existence of a new available version. In short, after installing either VNS or Admiral, you should go to Nobeltec's download site and manually obtain the most up–to–date version (see link).

For additional help with installation or licensing, Jeppesen Marine provides toll–free phone and email customer support, a searchable online Knowledge Base, a collection of well–organized FAQs and an eNewsletter (see links).

LOOK AND FEEL

Since they are the same base program, Admiral and VNS have the same interface, with the exception of some additional tabs and icons. In fact, the two packages are so similar that Nobeltec only shows Admiral–and not VNS–at boat shows (remember, both VNS and Admiral cannot be installed on the same computer), pointing out the small button and icon differences if the customer is interested in VNS.NOBELTECHThe Tender Tracker Plus Pack is available only with Admiral and requires a Seetrac Tender Tracking System. The Seetrac Base Unit can track up to 99 tenders, dinghies, jet skis or even passengers carrying Seetrac Tender Units.

Like most charting and navigation programs, Admiral uses a combination of toolbars, menus, and floating windows. Like VNS, Admiral has a highly customizable Toolbar and Console, including scores of Toolbar button and Console panel choices. The Night or Twilight screen intensity modes are also customizable, letting you set the shade of red (Night Vision) and/or the shade of gray (Twilight Vision) using a slider bar rather than choosing from pre–set factory selections.

Unfortunately, Admiral loses about a third of the screen to the combined area of the Toolbar, NavBar and Console–data windows that cannot be resized or repositioned. And although it is designed with many shortcuts, or "Hot Keys", Admiral does not include a standard Windows "Undo" command. Jeppesen provides a nice two–page list of all Admiral Hot Keys as a downloadable PDF (see link).

Since Admiral has more features than VNS, there are more choices under Tools>Options. Admiral has an active GlassBridge tab, which VNS does not have. It also adds tabs for any installed Plus Packs. Admiral's Enhanced AIS filtering shows up within the Targets tab, letting you filter AIS data to display only particular types of vessels, such as cargo ships, tankers, passenger ships or even law enforcement vessels. Of course data in is only as good as data out: for this feature to work properly the vessel must broadcast their class or type, in addition to their MMSI number.

The most important difference between the VNS and Admiral interface is the NavView button on the toolbar. NavView is an alternate interface with larger buttons designed for touch screens or rough weather. It includes an InfoBar at the bottom of the screen with navigation information, a trip odometer and a display of GPS signal strength. Within NavView, a NavInfo panel displays the most important navigation data, such as Course Over Ground (COG), Speed Over Ground (SOG) and GPS data in a large–font display. This information also can be displayed in a time series format, which Nobeltec calls a "Strip Chart".

WORKING WITH CHARTS

Admiral is designed to be used with its proprietary cartography, Passport vector charts, which must be purchased separately by region. However, the purchase of C–Map by Jeppesen last year, combined with the announcement of display errors in some Passport charts, have triggered a major shake–up.

The purchase of C–Map heralded a future switch–or at least integration–to C–Map's supplemental data. This is a welcome move, as we noted extremely poor or outdated supplemental data in our review of Nobeltec VNS. In fact, C–Map's treasure trove of data was a driving force in the acquisition.

However, the other shoe dropped with Jeppesen's media release Dec. 13, announcing it had, "...identified chart data rendering issues related to defects in both the code base of our navigation software and the encoding of our chart data. As a result of these defects, some chart information (including, but not limited to buoys, markers, contours, underwater obstructions, etc.) may not display correctly, or at all, on navigation screens."

In the same release, Jeppesen announced that Admiral and VNS will no longer support S–57 charts, which include free NOAA ENCs and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers IENCs for U.S. coastal and inland waters. In the current 9.3 update and the future new paid–for Max Pro release, any S–57 charts you have "will be deleted or otherwise rendered unusable" by Admiral or VNS.

To explain the removal of S–57 chart support, Jeppesen cited "concern about the safety associated with importing free data charts and in a process that cannot be controlled, monitored and verified to ensure the highest quality charts for our customers."

Perhaps they missed the irony in including this statement with the announcement that their own Passport charts contained defects. Even more ironic, the Jeppesen media release also says that, "only official government charts and Notice to Mariners contain all the information needed for safe navigation." Are they referring to the free and frequently updated government charts they just disabled in the recent release of Admiral and VNS?

Whatever the motivations or justifications, it is safe to say that C–Map cartography is part of Admiral's future. Unfortunately, Jeppesen may be a little too heavy–handed in forcing users to choose their cartography to the exclusion of frequently–updated, low–cost alternatives such as S–57s from the U.S. government. Other industries have tried to force users to buy their consumables, such as the printer industry with ink or toner, but in the past it has often invoked the ire of the consumer. If a user purchases a $1,200 piece of software fair–and–square, they should have choice over the source of the charts they can use.

Admiral does support raster–format BSB charts, including NOAA BSBs, Maptech BSBs, and NDI/DigitalOcean charts for Canada. Passport Deluxe Charts include raster format BSBs, but be aware that those included with the Passport set may be dated. Our copy, which shipped directly from Jeppesen, contained BSB chart versions dating back to 1997. If you rely on raster charts, we suggest installing the latest BSB chart files, which are available as a free download from NOAA or on disc from certified chart distributors for less than $50.

The good news is once you have purchased the appropriate raster charts, they display very well in Admiral. Like VNS, Admiral integrates a software feature called CrystalView to sharpen screen images. Charts are easily panned and scrolled, with smooth chart quilting for seamless integration. Various Autoscroll Modes automatically keep your vessel in the chart window, and you can customize the vessel position relative to the underlying chart.

Admiral adds a nice feature for larger vessels, called GPS Position Onboard. With a GPS now providing accuracy to within 3 meters, the position of the GPS on a large boat is a factor. This feature lets you customize where the GPS is physically located onboard your vessel and shows your vessel icon scaled to its correct size. A custom–sized vessel icon is more than a cosmetic touch. It helps a user gauge the scale of a chart feature relative to their boat, particularly when trying to sense the breadth of a swash or privately–maintained channel.

With the purchase of a Nobeltec InSight Radar 2 BlackBox ($3,000) and any NMEA 0183 heading sensor, your existing radar display can be overlaid on a chart. This device converts analog radar data into digital format, allowing it to be transmitted and displayed on your PC. Combined with a split screen display (see photo), this feature helps with interpreting the radar targets.

WAYPOINTS AND ROUTESNOBELTECHDigital InSight radar data is sent to your computer via Nobeltec's Black Box, an analog-to-digital converter. Admiral's NavView can display the raw radar display (left) or, with a heading sensor, can overlay the data on a chart (right).

Any application as sophisticated as Admiral includes extensive waypoint and route features, including unlimited waypoints and routes, a Route Wizard, an integrated ETA calculator, and a Great Circle route builder.

We had no trouble creating and working with waypoints and routes in Admiral. The interface was exceptionally clean. Routes can be customized to show bearing and direction. The Instant Waypoint feature creates a quick, simple route from the boat's current position to a destination mark for monitoring cross track error (XTE).

The Route Wizard automatically creates a route when given parameters for depth, distance from land or minimum and maximum lengths for the route legs. It requires detailed vector data or 3D bathymetric data, both available on Passport Deluxe charts. The Route Wizard is an advanced feature, but is very easy to use when following the field–by–field prompts.

The ETA calculator uses a similar interface, letting the user fill in information and obtain estimates for best departure times, transit times, required speed and fuel consumption. In order to use all the features, the tide and current data for your geography must be loaded. The calculator is easy to use and provides a slew of data to help plan your transit.

For longer passages, Admiral integrates a Great Circle route builder. Simply select Edit>New>Great Circle Route and choose an origin and destination waypoint. A route is automatically created with a series of waypoints along the shortest Great Circle path, which can be named and edited like any other route. For celestial navigation, Admiral includes a built–in sight reduction tool called Star Navigator. This separate program, available under Tools>Other Tools>Star Navigator, has its own online help.

Admiral can also associate any NMEA input data–such as water temperature or depth–with a corresponding track. This additional feature is available standard with Admiral or as part of the Sailing Plus Pack for VNS. It is a nice feature for sport fishing.

Like VNS, Admiral does not support the three standard formats for exchanging data: tab–delimited, CSV (comma–separated values), or GPX (GPS Exchange Format). Instead, Jeppesen has chosen a "stand alone" approach using their own format, ironically called Open Navigation Format (ONF). This format allows for the exchange of information between Nobeltec devices, but any other import or export of waypoints requires using a chartplotter as an envoy.

ADDITIONAL FEATURES

Admiral has an exceptional system for the exchange of data within a Nobeltec system, called Nobeltec's GlassBridge Network. With this feature, your vessel can have multiple PCs running Admiral, with full data sharing between displays.NOBELTECHThe Wireless Nobeltec Display is a private-labeled Panasonic Toughbook WirelessDisplay (Model CF-VDW07M). You can mirror the Admiral display of any wireless-enabled PC within 300 feet.

For example, one PC can receive AIS data and another can receive wind, speed, and depth–and both copies of Admiral will have both sets of data. Charts can be shared over the network, allowing them to be installed on a single computer. However, each computer on the GlassBridge network must have its own copy of the Admiral software–and that's $1,200 a copy. One can use multiple PCs or use a single PC with up to four monitors.

If you are concerned about too many devices sending the same data to your PC, the Port Priorities feature resolves conflict by prioritizing multiple sensors. For example, a GPS and LORAN may both send slightly different position coordinates, which would cause your vessel icon to reposition with each set of instructions from each device. With devices added to Port Priorities, data from the highest–priority device is used first, with the software automatically switching to the next prioritized device if the primary device stops sending data.

Admiral also has a wireless option with its Wireless Nobeltec Display ($2,500). This handheld device works with any wireless–enabled computer and provides portable access to your PC screen. It does not require its own copy of Admiral. Rather, it mirrors the display on your PC wirelessly.

ASSESSMENT

Admiral is clearly designed for a larger and perhaps professionally–captained vessel. The additional features over Nobeltec VNS, such as GlassBridge Network, OCENS WeatherNet and Tender Tracker, are of value primarily to mega–yachts. Only under rare circumstances would a typical 40–foot sailboat, trawler or powerboat require multiple networked computers or the ability to track a $2,000 dinghy.

Jeppesen knows this and understands that the mega–yacht demographic won't be bothered by the additional costs inherent to Admiral software. Modular packages are a bit like purchasing a Harley–Davidson motorcycle: the cycle is just the beginning, then comes the chrome and options. Harnessing the power of Admiral–and it is a robust and full–featured package–begins with the purchase of expensive proprietary cartography, then includes add–on modules, hardware devices and annual subscriptions.

The typical recreational boater, concerned about the value of their purchase, will not be happy with these significant additional costs. Yet without these extra purchases, which are necessary to fully engage its features, Admiral at $1,200 holds little advantage for the money over VNS at $490.

Capt. Mark Doyle and Capt. Diana Doyle are authors of the Managing the Waterway cruising guide series, and their work has appeared in numerous publications. They also produce CDs and DVDs of NOAA and USACE charts.