Best Boaty Apps for Android Tablet

[Hurricane]

I was following some of the links in this thread and wandered to map.openseaorg.org which appears to be a sea-going version of OpenStreetMap which I use on my phone via the Maps.Me app.

If you go to the website and choose the view tool you can switch on a layer which runs smoothly and shows you all the AIS traffic.

Interesting site
Obviously you would need an internet connection but looks like it might be useful

My thoughts on using OpenCPN if or when it becomes available are that we could develop a device that transmits ships NMEA data wirelessly to the tablet
That way you could have all the ships data running on board on a tablet in parallel to the ships systems without breaking the integrity of the main nav system.
OpenCPN incorporates dashboard displays as well as AIS etc.

 

[kcrane]

My thoughts on using OpenCPN if or when it becomes available are that we could develop a device that transmits ships NMEA data wirelessly to the tablet
That way you could have all the ships data running on board on a tablet in parallel to the ships systems without breaking the integrity of the main nav system.
OpenCPN incorporates dashboard displays as well as AIS etc.

Ah, I was wondering about that bit.

 

[Hurricane]

Ah, I was wondering about that bit.

Actually, I already have a system on board that will transmit NMEA data.
I've used it with Windows based laptops.
My ships PC has NMEA data fed from our Raymarine system and there are some PC based applications that enable me to transmit this data over my WiFi network.
The trick would be to make a simple (perhaps Arduino type) board that other boats could use.
This device would connect to a spare NMEA 0183 output and transmit the data round the boat.
Data both ways would be good - routes etc could be uploaded into the ships (Raymarine etc) plotters - thats exactly what I do using my ships PC.

Might be useful to people.

 

[kcrane]

Actually, I already have a system on board that will transmit NMEA data.
I've used it with Windows based laptops.
My ships PC has NMEA data fed from our Raymarine system and there are some PC based applications that enable me to transmit this data over my WiFi network.
The trick would be to make a simple (perhaps Arduino type) board that other boats could use.
This device would connect to a spare NMEA 0183 output and transmit the data round the boat.
Data both ways would be good - routes etc could be uploaded into the ships (Raymarine etc) plotters - thats exactly what I do using my ships PC.

Might be useful to people.

It would be useful. I was pondering how it might work with other stuff on the boat. For example: I use my Galaxy S4 (which is on the Three network with no data limits) to create a hotspot on the boat using the 4G available in Plymouth. This is what the tablets and smart TV log into as their internet feed. The fact they are on the same hotspot also allows the tablet to cast to the TV via a GoogleCast dongle.

I'm planning on having an A series Raymarine on the new small boat, which I'll view on a tablet, but I guess only if I log it on to a wi-fi hotspot created by the A series. So now I have two hotspots. It would be pretty handy if the A series also broadcast position, SOG, COG etc. but I haven't heard of them doing that. It would remove the need for a separate NMEA box, wouldn't it?

 

[Hurricane]

but I haven't heard of them doing that. It would remove the need for a separate NMEA box, wouldn't it?

Yep - but there are loads of ways of achieving loads of different outcomes.
Most people stick with what the manufacturers provide.

IMO, the confusion here is that OpenCPN is so good now that it offers another approach.
I have scanned loads of charts and geo-referenced them myself.
OpenCPN can use vector or raster charts so there is lots of scope.
This gives me an electronic plotter with loads of different charts - currently, I only use it on the PC but maybe on the tablet later.
I always have OpenCPN running my own raster charts, raster charts that I've bought, CMAP vector charts and my Raymarine system running Navionics.
This gives me several different sources for navigation - going into a anchorage that we haven't been before gives us lots of different views etc.
Most of these views are achieved through the use of one piece of software - OpenCPN - which is free!!

 

[kcrane]

How did you scan big charts?

 

[Hurricane]

How did you scan big charts?

The really big ones, I sent off to be scanned but more recently, I've just been scanning A4 chartlets.
The big problem is scanning and reducing the colour depth to just a few colours.
The big professional scanners tend to scan an image into millions of colours and it is quite difficult to get the colour range down to the few colours that we need for charts.
The best tool that I've found for this is a command line image editor called ImageMagic - I was doing lots of charts and ImageMagic was able to process the same criteria for each chart so that they all had the same colour depth, tone and gamma etc.
ImageMagic also output the image into a .png format with the correct pallet etc.
Once in a .png, I use the old Memory Map software to do the georeferencing and the a conversion program that I wrote to output the final chart into a BSB (.kap) format for OpenCPN to read.
Longish process but rewarding when it is done.

EDIT
Here is an example of an OpenCPN screen (I've cut out the control buttons and menus etc).
On this image, there OpenCPN is displaying 3 charts - all "quilted" together on the same display.
The bottom one is a large scale chart showing the rocks in Santa Ponsa (the ones that Temptation 2 should have watched out for!! - see other thread)
The middle chart comes from a set of charts showing the whole of Mallorca
And the top chart is actually a vector chart.
See how well the coastline ties up with each chart.

 

[kcrane]

Funny you should use that chart as an example, those black x's are probably there for a reason

 

[Hurricane]

Funny you should use that chart as an example, those black x's are probably there for a reason

And a couple of cardinals!!

 

[karl.e]

Apps, chart plotters are tools.
Nevertheless, here are a couple to try. I would have posted a few more. But it's not letting me.

Opencpn is now available for android. It's 10 bucks.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.opencpn.opencpn&hl=en

Here is a free one (trial version).

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.skiracer.nautical_astore_lite&hl=en

 

[Hurricane]

I bought mine.
In fact, I've been downloading their beta versions and adding a few comments to their discussion forums.
It works well on my Samsung Tab10 and my Samsing S3 phone.
All my charts just work - even the ones that I've produced/scanned myself.
Also the CMAP CM93 vector charts are working on this Android version.

On the boat, my ship's PC runs the Windows version of OpenCPN - and I've set up IP connections through my onboard LAN.
The result is that OpenCPN on my tablet and phone receives NMEA data wirelessly from the boat's Windows PC.
This means that GPS, AIS and even the autopilot can be handled from the Android devices whilst they are in range of the boat's WiFi LAN

 

[markdj]

What software is that, that you are suing to send the received nmea over IP?

 

[Hurricane]

What software is that, that you are suing to send the received nmea over IP?

It all happens inside OpenCPN.
No extra multiplexers etc are required.

There is a section of the OpenCPN application where you set up your (virtual) "Connections".
A "Connection" can be an input or an output - and it can come or go to whatever or wherever you want.
So, on our boat for example, GPS data comes from our Raymarine Nav system (NMEA 0183) - AIS data comes from our Comar AIS Transponder (NMEA 0183).
Other NMEA data (autopilot, depth, speed magnetic course etc) also comes down the Raymarine NMEA channel.
We do have NMEA 2000 on board but I haven't linked that with the PC.
So, OpenCPN now has all this data - so I have set up another OpenCPN (output) "Connection" in the form of an IP (Broadcast) using UDP onto the ships LAN (which includes WiFi).
Then OpenCPN running on my Android devices have similar "Connections" set up to receive all this data.
Actually, it is simpler to set up than it sounds.

The outcome is that all the ships data is available inside OpenCPN on the Android.

OpenCPN also has the ability to control the autopilot but most of us have plotters doing this function.
But if someone was considering running a totally PC based Nav system, controlling the autopilot from a cheap Android tablet might be worth considering.

My concept has always to keep our dedicated Raymarine system separate from the PC - and just run the PC in parallel.
But as technology progresses, the PC is becoming increasingly more capable of doing the whole lot.
During our summer long cruise, I used the PC far more than the Raymarine displays.
There was just that more information available - multiple chart sources - good track logs - better AIS integration etc.

My installation has multiple monitors throughout the boat fed by the ships PC's VGA video.
So there really isn't much advantage in using our Android devices but if you only had (say) a single plotter and a ships PC, the ability to have all the data (even AIS) on a very cheap Android device might be useful.