Garmin HomePort is a streamlined OS X application designed to help its users view Garmin marine chart products and handle geographic and nautical data. HomePort trip-planning software for Garmin marine devices lets you transfer BlueChart data between your chartplotter and your computer, making it easy to view charts in detail on your computer and mark waypoints and other points of interest. Meanwhile, back at headquarters, we just announced the introduction of HomePort – our new marine planning software. This must-have tool will help mariners plan and manage trips, routes, tracks and waypoints, and transfer them between a PC computer and applicable Garmin chartplotter.
Garmin Homeport Review
Garmin Homeport Mac
I've got pretty much the same setup as you, GPSMap 76CSx, a GPS 20x, nRoute, BlueCharts Americas v2008.5 (Version 10.50) with the Region CA005-Halifax to Cape Breton, Jul 08 unlocked to both receivers. I also have Garmin Mobile PC (with the GPS 20x mentioned above) for use in the car. I have a number of other maps unlocked and ones that don't need to be unlocked that I use in the 76CSx and on the PC with nRoute and Mobile PC. Mobile PC doesn't work with the BlueCharts, it can't display the maps properly, having difficulty where there are smaller highly detailed areas layered with the larger scale charts.
I'm also stuck with what I have as Garmin seems to have decided to get out of the marine Navigation using a PC line of business. I suppose they want us to buy one of their chart plotters.
I'm also still running Nobletec Visual Navigation Suite 4.1.400 on the laptop for sailboat navigation, coastal cruising and near offshore in Atlantic Canada but that software and the charts I got for it at the time are well out of date now.
I think the reason Garmin can sell vector charts so cheaply is because they made their own vector charts independently of what NDI was doing, having only to pay the licence fee to NDI then, and the Canadian Hydrographic Service now.
There is some more information in these threads:
http://www.laptopgpsworld.com/2015-marine-navigation-laptop
http://www.laptopgpsworld.com/724-there-laptop-pc-gps-navigation-software-nautical-use
http://www.laptopgpsworld.com/2516-car-marine-navigation-trekking-etc-laptop-garmin-mobile-pc-nroute
I'm also stuck with what I have as Garmin seems to have decided to get out of the marine Navigation using a PC line of business. I suppose they want us to buy one of their chart plotters.
I'm also still running Nobletec Visual Navigation Suite 4.1.400 on the laptop for sailboat navigation, coastal cruising and near offshore in Atlantic Canada but that software and the charts I got for it at the time are well out of date now.
I think the reason Garmin can sell vector charts so cheaply is because they made their own vector charts independently of what NDI was doing, having only to pay the licence fee to NDI then, and the Canadian Hydrographic Service now.
There is some more information in these threads:
http://www.laptopgpsworld.com/2015-marine-navigation-laptop
http://www.laptopgpsworld.com/724-there-laptop-pc-gps-navigation-software-nautical-use
http://www.laptopgpsworld.com/2516-car-marine-navigation-trekking-etc-laptop-garmin-mobile-pc-nroute
Manual For Garmin Homeport Tutorials
I wondered if anyone has any practical experience of the 'Homeport' software from Garmin.
Garmin support say that it is the only way to transfer data (including charts) from their chartplotter to a PC - in this case a 551. At extra cost of course.
If it really does give the ability to use the charts at home for passage planning and then transfer all the needed data to the plotter then the cost is probably worth it.
But other supposedly seamless software has disappointed - so a bit of actual user experience would be helpful.
Thanks.