$100 Chart plotter

Everybody likes GPS and I hate grounding the boat, so I took a $39 RaspberryPi and a $25 USB based GPS receiver added the OpenCPN plotter software and bingo I have a full fledged chart-plotter with maps from Main to Key West. I needed a nice screen so I got a 5v usb powered 16″ GeChic monitor.

I had to add a Fomson blue-tooth keyboard with touch pad to finish the job. The monitor is mounted on a swing out arm but is not really sun light readable so it lives in the NAV station.

Now that not where I need info, and true sunlight monitors are costly so……

I stepped up an bought a usb powered wireless router HooToo HT-TM02 $18 to interconnect everything as well as provide streaming music and movies to everyone on the boat. Now that gave me the ability to use RealVNC on a tablet and share the chart-plotter any place. So now my IPAD in the cockpit is a touch screen Chart-Plotter.

Given the cost of tablets these days anything from $30 – $200 most of which will run VNC you can use it till it falls overboard or dies and never need the cash required for a standard low end chart-plotter.

Plus on a side note with a 128gb usb stick on the HooToo router you can have all the music, books on tape, and movies you could need. Oh and when I get near a shore Wifi it jumps on and gives me internet, or I just use my phones personal hot spot to share accross the boat.