Garmin MapSource User manual

BlueChart
®
user’s guide

© Copyright 2001–2006 Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries
Garmin International, Inc.
1200 East 151st Street, Olathe, Kansas 66062, U.S.A.
Tel: [phone] or 800/800.1020, Fax: [phone], e-mail: [email protected]
Garmin (Europe) Ltd.
Unit 5, The Quadrangle, Abbey Park Industrial Estate, Romsey, SO51 9DL, U.K.
Tel: [phone], Fax: [phone]
Garmin Corporation
No. 68, Jangshu 2nd Road, Shijr, Taipei County, Taiwan
Tel: [phone], Fax: [phone]
All rights reserved. Except as expressly provided herein, no part of this manual may be reproduced,
copied, transmitted, disseminated, downloaded or stored in any storage medium, for any purpose
without the express prior written consent of Garmin. Garmin hereby grants permission to download
a single copy of this manual onto a hard drive or other electronic storage medium to be viewed and
to print one copy of this manual or of any revision hereto, provided that such electronic or printed
copy of this manual must contain the complete text of this copyright notice and provided further
that any unauthorized commercial distribution of this manual or any revision hereto is strictly
prohibited.
Information in this document is subject to change without notice. Garmin reserves the right to
change or improve its products and to make changes in the content without obligation to notify any
person or organization of such changes or improvements. Visit the Garmin Web site
(www.garmin.com) for current updates and supplemental information concerning the use and
operation of this and other Garmin products.
Garmin®, BlueChart®, MapSource®, and G-Chart® are registered trademarks of Garmin Ltd. or its
subsidiaries and may not be used without the express permission of Garmin.
microSD™ and SD™ are trademarks of SanDisk Corporation, registered in the United States and
other countries.
Microsoft® and Windows® are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States
and/or other countries.
January 2006 Part Number 190-00246-00 Rev. F Printed in Taiwan

Portions of BlueChart data may be subject to the following copyrights and notices:
© 2005 MapTech, Inc.
The chart information in this product is reproduced, in whole or part, with the permission of
the following national hydrographic offices and other organizations: Australian Hydrographic
Service; Editrice Incontri Nautici (Bolina); Hydrographic Institute of the Republic of Croatia; Kort
& Matrikelstyrelsen, Denmark, license no. G.9-2002; Hydrographic Office of Estonia; Finland
Hydrographic Office, license no. FMA 877/721/2004; Service Hydrographique et Océanographique
de la Marine (SHOM, www.shom.com), France, Contrat nº E 67/2005; Bundesamt für
Seeschifffahrt und Hydrographie (BSH), Germany, license no. 8095-01/2004-02 ÖA03; Great
Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA); Hellenic Navy Hydrographic Service (Greece),
license no. 171.7/22/03; Hydrographica chart data contained in this product is © 2005–2006
Hydrographica; Icelandic Coast Guard, license no. IS/16/01/2004; Imray Laurie Norie & Wilson
Ltd. UK; Istituto Idrografico della Marina, Italy; Latvian Hydrographic Office; Hydrographic
Office of the Netherlands, license no. NL AC-001-Garmin-20 December 2004; Land Information
New Zealand (Crown copyright reserved); Norwegian Hydrographic Service, license no.
NO24/021001/1; Instituto Hidrográfico, Portugal, license no. PT AC-001-Garmin-1 October 2005;
Lewis Offshore Ltd. (© 2003–2006); Russian Hydrographic Office; South Africa Hydrographic
Office; del Instituto Hidrografico de la Marina, Spain; Swedish Maritime Administration, license
no. 03-01453; and the UK Hydrographic Office and the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery
Office © the British Crown, 2001, GB AC-001-Garmin-24 March 2005. All rights reserved. Wavey
Line charts are produced, in part, from products and with the agreement of Wavey Line Ltd.
Some data and information contained in these Products are © Commonwealth of Australia,
Australia Hydrographic Service. Certain zoning information in this product is © Great Barrier
Reef Marine Park Authority; and is used under license with the permission of the Great Barrier
Reef Marine Park Authority. All rights reserved. Apart from the uses permitted to the licensee
under the license, the information may not be modified or exploited by reverse engineering of
formats and encryption or copied, reproduced, translated, or reduced to any electronic medium or
machine readable form, in whole or part, without the prior written consent of the Great Barrier Reef
Marine Park Authority, and © 2002–2006 Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, Canadian
Hydrographic Service / Sa Majesté du chef en Canada, Service Hydrographique du Canada and/or
Nautical Data International, Inc. Garmin International, Inc. is an authorized user and licensee of
selected Australia Hydrographic Service data products under licensing agreement 0548FL and
Nautical Data International Inc. data products under Licensing Agreement number 240502001-
001/2 and 021704-087. Apart from the uses permitted to the licensee under the licensing
Agreements, the information may not be modified or exploited by reverse engineering of formats
or encryption or copied, reproduced, translated or reduced to any electronic medium or machine
readable form, in whole or part.
iii

WARNING: The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (“the Authority”) does not check
the information in this product and accepts no liability for the accuracy of copying or for any
modifications that may have been made to the information which it has supplied. Use of and entry
to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park is controlled by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975
(Cth) (“the Act”). Penalties apply for use of or entry to a zone for a purpose other than for a purpose
permitted under the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Zoning Plan 2003 (“the Zoning Plan”) prepared
by the Authority pursuant to section 32 of the Act. This product does not contain all information
concerning permitted use or entry under the Zoning Plan. For purposes of use of or entry to the
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, this product should only be used in conjunction with the Zoning
Plan and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Regulations 1983 (Cth). For purposes of navigation,
users should consult official navigation charts released by relevant government authorities.
Reeds Almanacs port services data contained in this product is © 2004-2006 Adlard Coles Nautical.
Certain port services data contained in this product is © 2005-2006 Batmagasinet, © 2005-2006
BLOC MARINE Almanac & Cruising Guide, © 2004-2006 Bolina - Editrice Incontri Nautici, ©
2005-2006 Gasthamnsguiden SXK AB, and © 2005-2006 Kort & Matrikelstyrelsen. The Explorer
Charts logo is a registered trademark of Lewis Offshore Ltd., publishers of the Explorer Chartbook
series.
WARNING: No national hydrographic office has verified the information in this product, and none
accept liability for the accuracy of reproduction or any modifications made thereafter. No national
hydrographic office warrants that the product satisfies national or international regulations regarding
the use of the appropriate products for navigation or that it contains the latest hydrographic
information available.
WARNING: All charts are digitized directly from existing government and other official charts
and should not be used solely for navigation. Digital charts are intended to be used as an aid to
traditional navigational charts, not as a replacement. Only official government charts and notices
to mariners contain all information needed for the safety of navigation, and as always, the captain
is responsible for their prudent use. A prudent navigator never relies on any single source of
navigational information. Garmin strives to provide its customers with the most economical,
accurate and up-to-date electronic maps available. However, features are continually changing, so
the data may not reflect the latest modifications and/or additions in your area. Garmin makes no
warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of the map data.
WARNING: Garmin BlueChart data and bottom information are for navigation reference only, as
bottom conditions are continually changing. This product is for general reference.
WARNING: Some of the information in this product may have been produced, in part or whole,
from withdrawn national hydrographic office products. New charts and/or NTM corrections will
render this product obsolete and inaccurate.
iv

WARNING: The Licensee is hereby advised of the Canadian carriage regulations applicable to
Canadian ships in all waters and to all ships in waters under Canadian jurisdiction which requires
the master and owner of every ship to: have on board, in respect of each area in which the ship is
to be navigated, the most recent editions of the charts, documents; or to have sufficient knowledge
of specific information, such that safe and efficient navigation in the area where the ship is to be
navigated is not compromised.
WARNING: The tide and current predictions derived from this software are not to replace the
Canadian Tide and Current Tables, which are required under the Charts and Nautical Publications
Regulations of the Canada Shipping Act and which must be used for navigation within Canadian
waters. Official Canadian Tide and Current Tables may be obtained from the following location:
Chart Distribution Office
Canadian Hydrographic Service
Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Institute of Ocean Sciences, Patricia Bay
P.O. Box 6000, 9860 West Saanich Road
Sidney, British Columbia, V8L 4B2
Tel: [phone]; Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: http://www.charts.gc.ca
Tide and current predictions derived from this software may not be used commercially without
a license from the Canadian Hydrographic Service, Department of Fisheries and Oceans. Please
contact the Chart Distribution Office at the above address for more information.
v

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface ............................................................................................................ 1
Terminology ............................................................................................................1
Warranty Information .............................................................................................1
Product Registration ..............................................................................................1
Preprogrammed BlueChart Cards .....................................................................................1
MapSource BlueChart Software .......................................................................................1
Contact Garmin ......................................................................................................1
Introduction ..................................................................................................... 2
Understanding BlueChart Data .............................................................................2
Getting Started ................................................................................................ 3
Installing a BlueChart Card ...................................................................................3
Installing MapSource BlueChart Software ...........................................................4
BlueChart Card Caution and Unlock Disclaimer ............................................................. 4
Using BlueChart ............................................................................................. 5
Viewing BlueChart Information .............................................................................5
Getting Additional Object Information .............................................................................6
Getting Paper-Chart-Specific Information ........................................................................7
Using MapSource BlueChart ............................................................................................ 9
Viewing Tides and Marine Services Information ..................................................... 11
Understanding the Differences Between Electronic and Paper Charts ..........13
Reporting Chart Errors ........................................................................................13
Appendix ....................................................................................................... 14
Caring for Your BlueChart Card ..........................................................................14
Reading the ID Code on a BlueChart Card ........................................................14
Exclusive Garmin Programs ...............................................................................15
Software License Agreement ..............................................................................16
Purchasing BlueChart Cards or MapSource BlueChart Software ...................16
BlueChart® Data Card or microSD™ Card Order Form .....................................17
vi

PREFACE
Terminology
This guide uses the following terminology:
• Card—Garmin data card and microSD™ card.
• Garmin unit—Garmin GPS unit and Garmin chartplotter.
Warranty Information
Examine your preprogrammed BlueChart card or MapSource BlueChart disk for damage
immediately upon receipt. Garmin accepts returned cards within 10 days of the purchase date, if
the card is found to be defective. Garmin accepts and replaces opened MapSource BlueChart disks
within 10 days of purchase for defective software. Garmin does not refund or exchange opened
software for reasons other than defect.
Product Registration
Help us better support you by completing our online registration today! Why should you register?
By registering your purchase you are assured of notification of product updates or information
about new products.
Preprogrammed BlueChart Cards
Have the ID code of your preprogrammed BlueChart card handy, and connect to Garmin’s Web site
at http://www.garmin.com. (See page 14 of this guide for information about the ID code.)
From the Garmin home page, click on Product Registration on the left side of the page. Select
Data Card (Pre-Programmed), and click on Next. Select BlueChart Data Card from the drop-
down list, and click on Next. Complete the contact information, and then click on Next to complete
the registration.
MapSource BlueChart Software
See page 4 for information about unlocking MapSource BlueChart disks.
Contact Garmin
If you encounter any difficulty while using BlueChart, or if you have any questions, in the U.S.A.
contact Garmin Product Support by phone: [phone] or 800/800.1020, Monday–Friday, 8
AM–5 PM Central Time; or go to www.garmin.com/contactUs, and click on Technical Product
Support; or send an e-mail to [email protected].
In Europe, contact Garmin (Europe) Ltd. at 44/0870.8501241.
1

2
INTRODUCTION
BlueChart is Garmin’s exclusive marine cartography, which works with compatible
Garmin units. BlueChart’s detailed electronic nautical charts look like paper charts
when displayed on your Garmin unit or on your PC. BlueChart data is available in
three formats:
Preprogrammed Garmin data card or microSD™ card—contains detailed
maps based on map coverage regions. Garmin cards work only with compatible
Garmin units.
MapSource software—contains detailed maps that you can load onto
Garmin data cards, microSD cards, or SD™ cards; or you can load directly to
compatible Garmin units. This offers more flexibility in choosing specific maps
within a coverage area.
For information about purchasing BlueChart cards, see page 16 of this guide.
For information about transferring MapSource maps to a card or a Garmin unit, see
the MapSource Help file.
Understanding BlueChart Data
BlueChart electronic charts use graphic symbols to denote map features. Some
common symbols you might see include, but are not limited to, the following:
Airport/Seaplane Base Dangerous Rock Pilot Boarding Area
Anchorage Berth Explosive Precautionary Area
Anchoring Prohibited Exposed Rock Radio Report Point
Beacon Exposed Wreck Recommended Anchorage
Building Fishing Harbor Rescue Station
Buoy Fishing Prohibited Tide Station
Church Information Yacht Harbor
Marina Information

3
Other features common to most BlueChart data include:
• Depth contour lines (with deep water represented in white)
• Inter-tidal zones (displayed in green on color units)
• Spot soundings, as depicted on the original paper chart
• Navigational aids and symbols
• Obstructions and cable areas
For more information about nautical chart symbols in the United States of America,
see Chart No. 1 Nautical Chart Symbols Abbreviations and Terms at
http://www.noaa.com.
GETTING STARTED
Installing a BlueChart Card
Look for a compartment door or rubber weather cap on the bottom of your Garmin
unit. Beneath that door is a slot for the BlueChart card.
To insert the card, place the card into the slot (connector end first) with the label
facing toward the front of the Garmin unit. When the card is in place, close the
compartment door, or reinsert the rubber weather cap. See your Garmin unit owner’s
manual for specific card installation instructions.
CAUTION: Insert the connector end of the card into the card slot. Improper
installation can result in damage to your Garmin unit and can void your warranty.

Installing MapSource BlueChart Software
With MapSource software, you can view color maps on a PC. You can also create
waypoints, routes, and map sets to transfer to your Garmin unit. MapSource
BlueChart data is in locked regions within each of the three coverage areas (Americas,
Atlantic, and Pacific). When you unlock a region, you can select the individual charts
that you want to use.
Refer to the MapSource BlueChart software for installation instructions.
Refer to page 9 for information about using MapSource BlueChart software.
BlueChart Card Caution and Unlock Disclaimer
CAUTION: Do not use preprogrammed BlueChart cards for saving MapSource
maps. The preprogrammed data will be lost. Remove any BlueChart cards in your
Garmin unit before transferring MapSource maps to the unit to avoid losing the
preprogrammed data. If you overwrite the preprogrammed data on a BlueChart card,
Garmin will not replace or recover the lost data.
DISCLAIMER: Your MapSource unlock code is valid for use with your own Garmin
unit. You must have a separate unique unlock code for each Garmin unit. If you
own more than one Garmin unit or upgrade to a new Garmin unit, you must have a
separate code for each Garmin unit. If you personally own two Garmin units, you
may obtain a second unlock code for the same region for your own personal use at no
additional charge. Simply repeat the unlock process for the second unit. No more than
two Garmin units may be unlocked with the purchase of a single unlock code. You
must purchase a new unlock code if you have already unlocked two Garmin units.
Information about obtaining additional unlock codes can be found at:
http://www.garmin.com/unlock/. This agreement provides a one-user license and it is
illegal to share this data with others. Garmin does not give refunds or exchanges for
MapSource unlock codes.
4

5
USING BLUECHART
Viewing BlueChart Information
The details and symbols in BlueChart cartography are almost identical whether you
are looking at MapSource data on your PC screen or directly on your Garmin unit.
Viewing MapSource BlueChart on a PC
Viewing BlueChart on a Garmin Unit (GPSMAP 3006)

6
Getting Additional Object Information
For many objects that you see on a BlueChart map, you can access additional
information about that object.
To get additional information when using a Garmin unit:
Place the unit’s cursor on an object, and press ENTER. A window appears with
additional information for the selected object.
To get additional information when using MapSource on a PC:
1. Move the mouse cursor onto a map object. The map object name appears in a
white box.
2. With the selection tool (press S on the keyboard), and click the right mouse
button on an object. If more than one object is at a given map location, a list of
map object names appears first.
3. Select an object, and then select the Feature Properties option. A Properties
window appears.

Getting Paper-Chart-Specific Information
BlueChart cartography also provides paper-chart-specific information, such as chart
publisher, print date, edition date, NTM (Notice to Mariners) correction date, and
scale. Additional notes are available for the paper charts.
To display paper chart-specific information on your Garmin unit:
Place the unit’s cursor on an open area of the chart, and press ENTER. A
window displays the chart information and allows you to view additional notes
about the chart area.
BlueChart electronic map detail is presented on a chart-by-chart basis. By providing
paper chart-specific information, you can know exactly from which chart and
scale each displayed feature is digitized. BlueChart electronic charts are a faithful
reproduction of the published official paper charts that mariners are required to carry.
BlueChart data is not seamless. Just like the paper charts from which the data is
derived, you might observe some discontinuity along chart borders, both on your
Garmin unit and on your PC screen in MapSource. For example, if a contour is
present on one chart, and not on the adjacent chart, the BlueChart data is represented
on your Garmin unit or PC screen the same way. Likewise, if adjacent paper charts
that generate BlueChart data are of different scales, you might encounter shaded areas
on the Garmin unit. This can occur at any zoom level and can be easily remedied by
zooming out one or two scale levels on the Garmin unit.
7

A feature of presenting data in a chart-by-chart manner is selecting only those
paper charts that you have on hand or that you want displayed on the Garmin unit.
By default, all available charts are displayed from preprogrammed cards. With
MapSource, you can choose which charts to download. See your Garmin unit’s
owner’s manual for specific steps, but the Garmin unit screen generally appears as
shown.
From this screen, use the Garmin unit’s on-screen cursor and press the ENTER key to
deselect (remove the check mark from the box) the individual paper charts that you do
not want to display.
To display chart information on your PC screen using MapSource:
1. Place the mouse cursor within a chart boundary, and (with the selection tool)
right-click the mouse.
2. Select the name of a chart, and then select Feature Properties. The
Properties window appears.
8

Using MapSource BlueChart
With MapSource software, you can view color maps on a PC. Use the zoom and pan
functions for easy map browsing. With MapSource, you can also create waypoints,
routes, and map sets to transfer to your Garmin unit (see the MapSource Help file for
more information). In MapSource, BlueChart data is in locked regions within each of
the three coverage areas (Americas, Atlantic, and Pacific). When you unlock a region,
you can select the individual charts that you want to use.
9

Chart boundaries often overlap, and each chart is outlined in gray on your PC screen.
As you move the mouse cursor around the map with the Map Tool selected, each chart
is outlined in yellow. You can adjust the zoom level to see the entire outline of each
chart. To save a chart to a card or GPS unit, click inside a chart highlighted in yellow.
Select large scale charts and small scale charts, so that you can see the BlueChart data
at multiple zoom levels on your Garmin unit.
To focus on the details of only one chart at a time:
1. With the Map Tool selected, right-click the mouse within the desired chart
boundary.
2. Select the desired chart name (if necessary).
3. Select Show This Map Only.
4. To return to the full map display, right-click within the chart again, and select
Show All Maps.
Notice the red, green, and white circles on the MapSource BlueChart map. These are
light sectors, which show at what proximity in every direction the mariner can see the
lights. If there is a break in the circle, the light cannot be seen from that direction. The
color of each circle corresponds with the color of the light. This is a special feature of
MapSource BlueChart that is not seen in BlueChart data on all Garmin units.
10

Viewing Tides and Marine Services Information
MapSource BlueChart provides tide prediction. Because of overlapping charts and
duplicate symbols, MapSource separates the tides and marine services information
from the rest of the BlueChart data for easier viewing on your PC screen. Many
Garmin units can display tide information. See your Garmin unit’s owner’s manual
for compatibility and instructions on viewing tide information on your unit.
To view tide or marine services information using MapSource:
1. Go to View, then Region, and then select Tides and Marine Services.
2. With the Selection Tool (press S on the keyboard), right-click the mouse on a
Tide Station symbol, and select Predict Tides to see the tidal information for
that area. A Tide Prediction screen appears.
To view details about marine services:
1. Right-click the mouse on a Marina Information symbol.
2. Select Feature Properties. A Properties window appears.
11

To view tides and marine services information on your Garmin unit:
1. Select and download the desired tide and marine services maps the same way
you would with MapSource BlueChart maps.
2. To display the same marine properties information found in MapSource on your
Garmin unit, place the map cursor on the desired symbol, and press ENTER.
12

Understanding the Differences Between Electronic
and Paper Charts
Occasionally, boaters notice that the BlueChart data does not duplicate a particular
feature shown on the paper chart they are using. Garmin uses the best charts available
and carefully turns the paper charts into a digital format for display on an electronic
screen. If there are errors, omissions, or discrepancies on paper, they might occur
electronically too.
On paper charts, sometimes even large features like a breakwater might not be shown
clearly or at all. Large breakwaters are sometimes not shown on the harbor charts, but
are shown on coastal charts—or vice versa! These decisions are made by the chart
maker, such as NOAA/NOS. In some cases, bridges, or other features washed away in
storms decades ago, are still shown on the paper charts. Recent changes in coastlines
are often not reflected on paper charts for years.
The same is true for new marinas and ports. Sometimes, well-known local landmarks
might be shown so small on the paper chart that they are indistinguishable from
surrounding features to someone not familiar with the area. In these cases, a feature
might not be accurately depicted on the electronic chart.
Reporting Chart Errors
Even when a feature is shown on the paper chart, it can be overlooked or misspelled
during the data entry process. These are small problems that can be easily corrected
and do not affect the quality of the overall BlueChart data.
If you notice something missing or incorrect in the BlueChart data, first check the
best available scale paper charts of the area to see how the feature is represented on
the paper chart. If we have not represented it accurately, or if you know additional
information about the feature, please visit Garmin’s Web site and fill out the online
error report form. You can find this form at
http://www.garmin.com/cartography/bluechart/errorForm.html.
13

APPENDIX
Caring for Your BlueChart Card
BlueChart cards are not waterproof. When you are not using the card, keep it in the original
packaging for safekeeping and store it away from exposure to sun and rain. BlueChart cards are
susceptible to damage from static electricity. In low humidity environments, you should ground
yourself on a large metal object before handling the card. The card packaging is sealed and does not
contain any user-serviceable parts.
Reading the ID Code on a BlueChart Card
Preprogrammed BlueChart cards have a seven-digit ID code. This identification system uses the
following conventions:
A BB CCC D
Product
M=data card
X=microSD card
Region
AE=Asia, East (for example,
Japan, China, and Indonesia)
AF= Africa
AW=Asia, West
CA=Canada
EU=Europe (including all of the
Mediterranean Sea)
PC=Pacific Ocean (for example,
Australia and New Zealand)
SA=South America, Central
America, and Mexico
US=United States and Caribbean
BlueChart
Reference
Number
Coverage Size
S=Small
B=Bathymetric
R=Regular
X=Extra large
L=Large or extended
J=Jumbo
For the most recent listing of available BlueChart cards, visit the Garmin Web site at
http://www.garmin.com. From the Maps and Charts section of the Garmin Web site, you can view
the listing of available BlueCharts, the areas of coverage, and the paper charts contained within
each card. A printed list is also available, which lists Garmin’s current BlueChart cards, part
numbers, and the latest pricing.
14