The Raymarine C140W is the king-of-the-hill in the newly released C-series widescreen lineup. This next-generation network capable multi-function chartplotter can do it all and in a very big way too with its huge display screen.
Raymarine C140W
The C140W ships with the display unit, a sun cover, documentation, and cabling. The display unit has an internal GPS sensor while still maintaining the ability to interface with an optional external GPS antenna if desired.
The unit came preloaded with cartography covering U.S. coastal waters. The C140W can also use Navionics Gold or Platinum cards in its single front panel card slot.
The display unit is huge. It measures nearly 17-inches wide, 11-inches high, and about 6-inches deep. Our test unit was loaded with software version 1.13.
We mounted the Raymarine C140W to our test rig using an optional metal trunion bracket and took it out on our Seacraft for some at sea chartplotting work. Normally a display of this size would be flush mounted in a panel on any permanent installation. Hardware to do so is supplied.
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Connectivity
The power supply, which can be either 12- or 24-volts DC, feeds the display through a cable that also supplies NMEA0183 data and a video port. The cable attaches to the case back with a twist lock connector that fit securely.
Youll also find two SeaTalkhs network ports that allow the C140W to connect to another C-series widescreen display, radar, or a black box sounder.
A fourth cable connection is for SeaTalkng, an N2K compliant network.
A trio of NMEA0183 ports are built-in to the C140W. Port one is a normal NEMA0183 input/output port. Port two is also input/output capable and high-speed, meaning it can operate at 38,400 bauda necessity today for anyone looking to connect a high-speed device like AIS to this unit. Port three is normal speed input only.
Screen Size and Viewability
The Raymarine C140W can display a chart page in one window and weather page in another window. Up to 4 windows can be displayed.
The C140W display screen uses a landscape layout and measures a whopping 12-inches wide and 7.5-inches high, on the diagonal it measured 14-inches. Resolution is a very high 1280 by 800 pixels. That is the highest screen resolution of any display weve tested and is only equaled by the slightly smaller Raymarine C120W.
During our daylight viewing look-see we found the screen to be bright and easy to read even when viewed on our test boat with no shade cover at all. The screen can be read even at steep side angles. When we put on our polarized sunglasses the screen darkened a bit but was still quite viewable straight-on and at side angles. I gave the C140W an excellent rating for daylight viewability. Because of its high resolution this screen shows amazing detail when viewed close up, while still having the ability to show data in large numbers and letters that can be read from far away.
The C140W has two soft key selectable screen color palettes for viewing the chart page. A slider lets you adjust the brightness of either the Day and Night setting as needed. The Night mode dims the screen significantly. We rated the C140W excellent for night viewability. At night, when viewed from side angles the screen remains clearly readable.
Operation
A number of page presets are available. You can select a combination with the page button or via the menu. Custom pages can be built by the user.
The Raymarine C140W has five soft keys, six function pushbuttons, and a rotary trackpad with an OK button in the middle. Soft key functions change to enhance the usefulness of the displayed page.
The unit can show full screen views of the chart page, course deviation indicator with data, and user selectable data in large numbers and letters. If so equipped, it will also show full screen radar, fishfinder, video, and 3D chart data.
The C140W can also display combination views in two, three, or four windows. Pressing the Active pushbutton toggles between open windows making each active and bringing the associated soft key functions onscreen. We found the unit very intuitive and easy to operate.
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Waypoints
A press of the WTPS key brings up waypoint related soft key functions. You can place a waypoint at the cursor position, the vessel position, or input latitude/longitude. The remaining soft keys bring you to waypoint lists. Pressing the WTPS key twice, from any screen page, will create a waypoint at the vessel position. To navigate to a waypoint you first select it from the chart page or off a waypoint list, then select the GoTo soft key. This puts data boxes up with course and distance to the point, plus shows a course line to follow on the chart page.
One thing we really like on the C140W is the restart XTE soft key function. When you are traveling to a waypoint and need to maneuver off-course for some reason and then want to navigate back to the same waypoint without getting back on your original course track all you have to do is hit the restart XTE soft key and the unit will reset the cross track error to zero and recalculate the course to the waypoint. When I am traveling or fishing I find this function a necessity.
Routes
Route building with the Raymarine C140W is a snap; just follow the soft key prompts. The cursor pad can be used to place waypoints directly onto the chart page wherever you desire. More soft keys options let you save the route, edit it, follow it, and reverse course on it. We found it to be a very intuitive and easy to use function.
Odds and Ends
A status icon in the upper right portion of the screen lets you know which connected devices are operational. Pressing and holding the WTPS/MOB function key puts the unit in man overboard mode. An audible alarm will sound and if you are on a chart page the view will automatically zoom into the MOB position, draw a course line back to the MOB, and change the data box display to that needed for a quick return. If you are not on a chart page navigation data back to the MOB will only be displayed in the data boxes. A second press of the MOB key takes the unit out the MOB mode.
Data boxes can be placed on the top or side of the screen. The normal data box display mode has shows you minimal information. We prefer the large mode, which shows cursor position, course/distance to waypoint, vessel position, COG and SOG. Each data point can be changed by the user.
Map detail levels can be set to automatic or adjusted manually by the user. A declutter soft key function removes large amount of chart detail without having to delve into the menu structure.
The depth safety contour on the chart can be changed be the user to a minimum water depth of seven feet. This turns all water deeper than seven feet white and can improve daylight viewability somewhat in sunny conditions.
Screen redraws on the C140W are fairly fast, even when ranging in or out several levels at once.
We tried Heading Up, North Up, and Course Up chart orientation on the Raymarine C140W and found all worked well. The unit responded quickly even when making large turns at slow speed.
Placing the cursor over a service icon then hitting OK will bring up data on the facility. Tide information can be found in the same manner and can also be searched by proximity to the vessel or by name. Once you find a tide station and hit OK youll see tide data in tabular format. To see a graphic you can hit the tidal data soft key.
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Final Thoughts
The Raymarine C140W has a huge display screen, user-friendly software, and the ability to interface with a variety of other devices. All this makes it a top system for your boat.