Furuno 1834C - CMap chart issue

[SailorLinda]

We are trying to purchase a C-Map chart for the Mediterranean and Black Sea. We own and love our Furuno 1834C and have always purchased our C-MAP electronic charts through a marine supplier. I realize that Furuno does not sell C-Map products but I am receiving conflicting information - see below.
The C-Map chart compatibility page shows that our old, but good, 1834C is compatible with the chart I want so today I phoned our usual supplier to order one.
The person I spoke was not familiar with our chart plotter so they put me on hold and telephoned Furuno to make sure I was purchasing the correct item. After they finished speaking with Furuno, they spoke with me again and told me that the chart I want to purchase is not compatible with my chart plotter. I do not understand this as we have used the same chart format before. Why would Furuno tell my supplier this, do not all C-Map charts work in the 1834C chart plotter?
The chart I want is the 'Mediterranean and Black Sea' Number EM -M917;a MaxMega Wide chart on an SD card. We have used MaxMega wide charts previously. Please provide clarity on this confusion as I would like to order this chart soon.

Thanks
SailorLinda

 

[Johnny Electron]

Normally if you have an urgent question; you want to contact technical support directly by phone. It can take time to get an answer on the user forum, sometimes. In general the Vx2 uses C-map Max on SD card and the file numbers and chart storage size is limited. C-map should know those limits and what they list is probably correct. We normally recommend the wide and local area charts for here in the USA. Mega wides can be a lot of data for the older Vx2 units to process. I know C-map used to offer a Megawide for USA coverage (both coasts) and it would definitely bog down the machine. While they listed it (at the time), I would not consider it compatible because the machine ran too slow to be usable and AIS wouldn't process. I will contact some of my European contacts to see what they can tell me, but it might take a day or two to get an answer. If you were to find a wide area Max for what you need, that would work fine. When you try to eat megawide in one bite, I would worry. C-map might know best because they have that megawide listed as compatible and it is their product. There is more than just reading the chart. You still want the rest of the machine to function, correct? I can't tell you if that European megawide will bog it down or not but I will ask our European counterparts and see if we can get you an answer. The local distributors who live/work in that area would know better than I.

 

[SailorLinda]

Thanks for the very quick answer and I will wait to order my chart(s) until I read what you learn from your European counterparts.

 

[Johnny Electron]

They answered overnight. They agree with C-map, long as you update the machine to the newest version of 4.03 software, it will work.

 

[SailorLinda]

Thanks Johnny, stellar service. We are not on our boat at the moment so I cannot check if we have that update, but I think we do. When was this update released? I remember contacting Furuno in 2014 or 2015 and they sent me an SD card to update as, at the time, I was in a marina with unreliable internet.
If, when we return to our boat I discover I do not have the update, is there a way to update over the internet?
Thank you for all of the help.

SailorLinda

 

[Johnny Electron]

Yes the update software and instructions are posted under the C-map model number of your product at www.FurunoUSA.com. (You would use "1834C/NT" as the model) I think 4.03 software originally released in 2012.

 

[SailorLinda]

Thank you for all of your help. Awesome customer service.

Linda