Chart availability?

wkearney99

Furuno Super Fan
I'm boat shopping and one candidate has four MFD12 NavNet3D plotters in it.

I see Furuno has discontinued these and is about to also discontinue the MyNavNet website. :shock

I don't yet have possession of the boat (pending splashing for a survey) so I don't yet have the serial numbers or software versions currently installed. Nor do I have a run-down of a full range of what modules might be installed with it. A quick look showed depth/temp/stw in the hull, radar on the mast, sat weather and a simrad autopilot. There was also a switch labeled AIS, so I'd assume that module may also be present. No IP cameras though, and I wouldn't mind having a stern-facing one for docking.

I'm generally fine with whatever plotters a boat has installed, provided they're large enough to see/use. I think with four of them (2 up, 2 down) I'll have that covered! That and charts (paper or electronic) are never "up to the minute" in accuracy, so local familiarity remains important. But it's great to have good depth/contour and marker details via the plotter. My last boat had a Raymarine E-80 and a Navionics chart chip. Along with depth/temp, gps, sat weather and radar. I've been fine with that. From what I gather the NN3D setup is going to be reasonably similar. That and if I don't have to spend a ton of money upgrading FOUR of them... my wallet will be happier.

The boat was used in the New England area, and we'll likely be using it more in the Chesapeake and points south. Are the charts likely loaded going to be limited to the northeast or would they have included all of the US east coast? I know some chips came in sets for just certain areas.

If I could get the current owners/brokers to get me data, what should I ask for them to pull from the current units? Ideally they'd already have registered the units on mynavnet and could do a last minute download. Barring that?

What're my options going to be after they close the website? Will I still be able to use/purchase charts for these?
 
I would ask them for the serial numbers and what the current version of software loaded is. These are very easy to update. Software and instructions are posted under the MFD12 product page on our website. (www.FurunoUSA.com) The charts are not read from a chart card. They are loaded into the machine by SD card but then held internally. These charts are the same charts used in the newer TZT and TZT2. You might want to update the NOAA USA charts in the units. (these charts are free) Charts outside the USA will require licence but he might have already purchased some. The chart licence goes with the machine not the customer. If you get the system ID number, you can have tech support check to see what has already been purchased. (410-479-4420 or 360-834-9300)
 
Are the serial numbers at all visible on the front of the hardware, or anywhere in the menus? I've seen pix online that show there's a printed label on the back. But is there anything that wouldn't require removing the unit to get to that? I've no idea if there's going to be any paperwork onboard that'd have the info. One would hope they'd held onto it, but who knows.

The flybridge helm station does have a large storage area underneath and that would allow viewing of the label, but I'm nowhere near the vessel and that'd be asking a lot out of the surveyor or other personnel to go crawling in there.
 
It is the SI (SYSTEM ID) that is needed, not the serial number.
The system ID is located under MENU - MYNAVNET- General Tab
 
Yeah, but you need the serial number to register it. Or, actually, the registration number, which is just on a paper label supplied with it?

I've sent a support e-mail to furuno asking what my options are. I'll report back once I know more.
 
Back
Top