I had written earlier about the huge problems I was having with my upgrade
to Nobeltech Max Pro and thought the list might be interested in the
outcome. First though, I would like to thank all the various people from the
list who contacted me. Their help was invaluable in getting the elevated
technical support from Nobeltech that was required to get effective results.
You may recall that the process of upgrading and trying to get the software
to work was a 1-1/2 month process. The final straw though, was that even
after the arduous journey of installing the program and then installing the
charts and getting them all to work, the program still crashed consistently
and completely whenever 3D view was selected.

I discussed this with a major Nobeltech dealer and received a very candid
answer. For whatever reason, Max Pro was apparently rushed into release
without adequate testing and does in fact have significant problems. This
has caused massive distress for users and the dealer now strongly
discourages anyone from buying or upgrading to Max Pro. Worse yet..... Apart
from the problems I experienced, there are apparently also problems with
dying dongles. In fact, the dealer keeps a large keyring of extra dongles
available so that they can be programmed and flown by floatplane to the
commercial fishing customers who need them when theirs unexpectedly die.
Think of what that might cost! As an alternative to Max Pro, the dealer does
however recommend its predecessor VNS and VNS Admiral Version 9 (currently
9.3.2240) and World Folio 43 (there were also problems with WF 39).

To their credit, the Nobeltech Sales department readily agreed to
"downgrade" me to VNS Version 9 and World Folio 43, provided I return the
Max Pro software and dongle, which I was only too happy to do. Because the
coverage of Max Pro charts is broader than that of the WF charts, they even
gave me an unlock code so I'd have comparable coverage up to the North end
of Vancouver Island. So far this version appears to be far more stable and
is working well.

As a final note, while we were at Trawler Fest Anacortes I acquired and
installed an ACR Nauticast-B Class B AIS. It plays very well with the
Nobeltech software and in my opinion is an absolute must have for the
additional levels of safety and awareness it provides. If you've got an
account with Fisheries Supply, you should be able to get one for just under
$750. This is a real bargain as receive only units by others cost nearly as
much. Call John Rothermel and he can set you up with one but you'll have to
provide vital vessel information (MMSI, call sign, vessel name, etc.) for
the dealer to program prior to delivery (it's the law). Don't screw up here
though because once programmed, the info cannot be changed except by factory
reset. (I'd suggest also faxing a copy of your FCC document just to be
safe.) The unit is supplied complete and ready to install, including the VHF
and GPS antennas. An added bonus is that the GPS signal of the unit provides
a backup for your primary GPS if it should fail. Installation is easy and
only takes a couple of hours. You'll be amazed at how much information it
provides about other vessels in your area. We're seeing full data available
on vessels up to 18 miles away. Will take a lot of the worry out of our
encounters with the fast moving B.C. Ferries in any weather.

As a final note, be sure to provide data on the placement of the ships GPS
antenna in "meters" not feet. Another fellow who'd recently installed an AIS
didn't like his because he was constantly being contacted by other ships
inquiring as to his intended movements. Turns out he'd not only entered his
64' boat as being 64 meters, but had reversed the length and beam dimensions
as well. One can only imagine how frightening it would be to have the AIS
outline of this craft proceeding toward you. Best Wishes to all and thanks
again for all the help you provided! J.

John, I'm sorry to hear how much difficulty you've had in the upgrade to MAX
PRO.  Glad to see Nobeltec got you onto a version that works for you.  I'm
curious, did they ever indicate what was responsible for the MAX PRO upgrade
not working in your environment?  I ask because I had no problems with the
upgrade and none of the others I've discussed it with have had anything like
what you experienced.  And in the interest of equal coverage of opposing
opinions, I'd like to remind Nobeltec bashers that your experience is rare
and unusual and not suffered by everyone.

Bob Peterson
"Lopaka Nane"
Lien Hwa 47' CPMY
San Francisco