Updating to Garmin 15.10 on 3 Chratplotter via ActiveCaptain

[baz]

Subject: Updating to Garmin 15.10 on 3 Chratplotter via ActiveCaptain

I post this in an attempt to forewarn and advice/help others.

I have a R29 CB NW Edition. It has 3 Chart plotters, Auto Pilot, 2x Garmin radios and AIS 800. The 3rd Chart plotter, and 2nd Auto pilot control display and hand held Garmin VHF on on my Command Bridge.

I have a single 8GB SD card for ActiveCaptain and it's inserted into my primary Chart Plotter 7612xsv along with a G3 SD card. The other two Chart Plotters are Garmin 7612s.

N.B. Let me say up front that to update each Chart plotter the ActiveCaptain SD data card MUST be in the Chart plotter to be updated. I discovered this requirement the hard way. 😉 😱 The Toal elapsed time to perform all the updates for the 3 Chart plotters took me around 3 hrs.

Step 1 - Using the ActiveCaptain app on the iPhone download all the specified software.
Step 2. - Connect the iPhone to the locally hosted Garmin's Wi-Fi network.
Step 3 - Allow the ActiveCapatain downloaded software on the iPhone to be transferred to the Chart Plotter's ActiveCaptain SD card. This would be one of the 3 Chart plotters and in my case the primary one 7612xsv as it had the ActiveCaptain SD card in it.
Step 4 - wait for the software to upload to the Chart plotter - the software will upload and then be validated and does take some time for this phase.
Step 5 - Once the software is in place on the Chart plotter (either its memory or on the AZctiveCaptain SD card) follow the update instructions in the ActiveCaptain display screen; its the top left icon and select it to start the update.
Step 6 - Now wait for the software to be loaded and installed. There will be progress bars and it takes time so be patient.
Step 7. - Once the update completes use Settings on the Chart plotter and navigate to System -> System software to checjk the software version - in this case it should read 15.10.
Step 8 - Power OFF all the Garmin devices and remove the ActiveCaptain SD card from the just updated Chart plotter and insert it into the 2nd Chart Plotter.
Step 9 - Power up all the Garmin devices.
Step 10 - Repeat Steps 3 thru Step 8 for the 2nd and 3rd Chart plotters.

After each update power off all Garmin devices and turn of the House power and leave it off for around a minute. This will ensure a cold restart for the Garmin devices.

Power on the House and continue on with the updates as described in the Steps above.

It's a real chore having to update all 3 chart plotters but what I discovered today is what you have to do. I wish Garmin/ActiveCaptain had a better way of doing this; and hopefully it's not required to have an ActiveCaptain SD data card for each Chart plotter as a solution.

 

[BB marine]

Barry I was told by Garmin to start out with a 32GB Sd card for Active Captain. This will maintain enough memory for Active Captain updates, Garmin software updates, mapping updates and all your way points, and routes that you set up with your mobil devise. I have a 7612 xsv and did the 2019.0613.0 update 15.10 last weekend. I use my iPad for all Active Captain, and software updates. I normally do my updates at home because my download speeds are much faster with my at home internet then my AT&T hot spot on the boat. When I get to the boat it is as simple as turn Garmin on, select Active Captain on the Garmin, select (Garmin ---- wifi ) for iPad, open active captain app on iPad. The Garmin and iPad sync and the transfer begins. The 15.10 software transfer took about 15 minutes to complete. I have been using the Active Captain app for a year to do all my updates. I used a 32GB iPad last year and purchased a newer edition this year 256GB down load times and transfer times seem faster with the newer iPad. Hopefully the update helps with your Garmin issues.

 

[baz]

Brian: I appreciate your explanations and response. Thank you. 🙂

First, I had 3 Chart plotter to upgrade..... presumably you had just one.

Secondly, my ActiveCaptain SD card is just 8GB and only 680 MB of it has been used so far and I've updated 3 times now. I'm not sure why you say one must have 32 GB SD card but maybe that is because of all the other things you've mentioned you're doing such as mapping update, way points and routes --- none of which I do.

Thirdly, I agree that software downloads to the mobile device such as the iPad and iPhone need to be done ahead of time when you have a faster internet connection. I have found using my AT&T cellular connection on the boat is as fast as my 200/200 Mbps home internet connection - although I've not timed the comparison the Cellular connect is pretty darn fast enough for me.

Forthly, When the mobile device transfers data to the Garmin devices and/or the ActiveCaptain SD card there are several software update components involved, and each has to be uploaded to the Garmin on the boat one at a time and then validated to ensure there was no corruption in the transfer. These data transfers take time.

Fithly, your 15 minutes sounds about right but you don't mention what takes place after the 15 minute upload, the validation phases, how long it takes to actual update the Garmin devices and so on. They all take time.

...and finally...
I had to update 3 Chart plotters and associated other Garmin devices and had to learn how to actually update each Chart plotter. This is why it took me 3 hrs with some telephone time spent talking with RT who were unaware about having to update each Chart plotter separately by moving my single ActiveCaptain SD card from one Chart plotter to the next in order to update ALL the devices correctly.

My post was directed at boat owners that have multiple Chart plotters such as can be on a R29 CB.

 

[Admiral S]

I have 5 plotters on my boat and my upgrade experience is quite different than yours

I have a 32gb SD card in the primary lower helm display, and NO SD card in any of the other plotters

With the entire system powered on, the Active Captain app transfers the update and applies it to all plotters and other networked items.

The 15.10 update took forever to complete, but all devices including my AIS 800 updated via the single transfer

 

[mjq1987]

I have never had to update each chart plotter separately or move the SD card, either. As long as all of the NMEA networked units are turned on at the time of the update, my experience has been that each piece of hardware affected by the available updates receives it. I also use a 32GB SD card and keep it in my lower helm chart plotter with no card in the CB plotter.

 

[BB marine]

The bottom line is you were successful in your update and I'm sure the well written explanation of your experience will help others. It sounds like it was your first time utilizing Active Captain to do software updates and doing three it is understandable that it could be a lengthy process. My comment about doing it in 15 minutes referred to the fact that I have been using this method for a year and it is simple now. It wasn't at first.

If the 8GB works fine.I installed my 32GB card March of 2018 and continue to update Active Captain information weekly, and have performed several Garmin software updates. The 32GB SD card is only using between 5 to 6 GB. It was explained to me by the Garmin rep. The 32GB should give years of memory space. I was just indicating that Garmin recommends the 32GB. You seem to understand this better then I do. I'm good with mechanical and electrical issues, but when it comes to electronic issues I follow directions and when it works I'm happy and when it doesn't I swear!!! With a full vocabulary :lol:

To utilize all of the available features of ActiveCaptain, some Garmin devices will require an SD card be inserted into the device. The following Garmin devices require a maximum of 32GB SD/Micro SD to be inserted. Class 10 cards are recommended as they allow for faster transfer rates.
(This is from the website explaining the procedure of using Active Captain the 7000 and 8000 are in the list of devises.)

If you have 200/200MBPS at home and on your phone disregard my comment on that. We don't get speeds like that in Chicago at least I don't. My 150 MBPS Comcast package normally is around 100/60 MBPS which is very good I thought. My LTE AT&T hotspot on the boat works well and is sufficient at average of 20/20 MBPS. We stream TV shows and movies no issues but I found that downloading Active Captain information it was a bit slow compared to at home. Thats the only reason I suggested that.

I apologize if you felt that my comment was negative. That was not the intent. I read your well written explanation and made comments based on my experience after a year of using Active captain. Good luck troubleshooting your Garmin issue.

 

[baz]

Well, I really appreciate the replies to my OP. Thank you ALL.... and Brian, I did not view your posting as being negative... I reacted the way I did as my experience was so very different from yours... and of course I had just gone through an awful experience having to update all three Chart plotter one by one while my Wire Hair Fox terrier was getting very impatient with me, barking at me which didn't help me concentrate, and then needing to deal with his nature calls several times. 😱

Brian: I appreciated your information.

Based on the responses I have to conclude my case is unique and that there must be some issue with my NEMA network or something amiss with the overall wiring in my R29 CB NW Edition.

My 8GB SD card was simply a spare I grabbed off my shelf at home and at first blush seems sufficient. Maybe it's possible because it's just 8GB the space was insufficient causing only one chart plotter being updated at a time. I will change this card for a 32GB one and retest things.

I have used ActiveCaptain three times to make software updates and will admit I did so without reading any manuals or Garmin Web site for directions. I simply used seat-of-the-pants and followed the instructions on my ActiveCaptain phone application and the instructions on the Chart plotters. This may explain the oddities I encountered compared to others who've report a very different experience updating their Garmin software.

My conclusion at this time is that my boat's NEMA and/or wiring needs to be inspected for anomalies such as loose connections and other things outside of my knowledge base by RT and Garmin.

RT techie will be at my boat on Monday at 7 AM to go over things as this whole issue has been raised due to my AIS 800 not working correctly.

I will also admit that when I contacted RT when updating to 15.10 because only one chart plotter received the 15.10 update at first they were very puzzled as they also said it should have updated all connected Garmin devices such as my three chart plotters. It was just my persistence and experimenting moving the ActiveCaptain SD card from Chart plotter to chart plotter to find a solution and consequently assumed this was the way to update all three Chart plotter. Because of the replies to my OP here I'm returning to square one to figure out what's wrong with my boat's Garmin electrical connects etc.

Thank you ALL..... it has been very helpful.

I will post back with how all this issue falls out and hopefully I will end up being able to perform software updates as y'all have indicated you do for yourselves.

🙂

[EDIT]
One of the things I failed to mention in my OP was that at first I had three SD cards inserted. Two (a G3 card and the 8GB ActiveCaptain card in my primary 7612xsv Chart plotter and in the 2nd 7612 I had a G2 Vision card. I eventually removed the G2 card per RT's advice as it was unnecessary to have a G2 card with the G3 card being used. I have no idea if this in any way caused problems for me.