Free GPS charts

[ZuidWester]

....for my new Garmin Geko 201 please.

Just got the cable to connect to my laptop, got GPS Utility, just need lots of charts now. Anyone know of a free equivalent of Garmin MapSource CD, especially for Europe?

Living in hope on a dutch barge!

 

[trouville]

when you find charts, ill be interested to know how you get them to open,the ones ive got remain small files for which i have to give the opening program?

 

[silvertop]

Free!! Dont be so tight.

 

[Guest]

Often a free viewer comes with charts .... such as Maptech Lite .... but you have to pay for the charts.
When you consider how much work goes into a chart - and then digitising it ... Mmmmm !

There are plenty of P2P netwroks out there that pirate copies can be downloaded from - but then thats illegal and cannot be condoned.

GPS Utility ........... blimey you want to do some work ?? There are much better easier to work with programs out there .... shareware such as Oziexplorer, freeware and EXCELLENT - Seaclear which has already sorted out AIS integration .... as well as lite versions of commercial chart programs .....

 

[Guest]

thats because they are not supposed to be opened as individual files ...... they are suppose to be opened by the correct chart program which will seamlessly go from one sector to another ...... as you scroll across /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[bendyone]

Look at Seaclear its very good and free. Providing you spend time scanning the charts it will work well

 

[henkm]

You can not upload maps to the Geko 201, so I suppose you are talking about maps for the GPS Utility software.

There are some very old charts on: http://j.neostrada.pl/mapy/
(slow connection!)
They could be used for trying out your software (but not for real navigation).

If you plan to sail in and around Holland, I suggest (have no shares in it) the program WaypointsGPS on http://www.waypointsgps.nl/
It has free (rough) charts for Belgium to Norderney, and comes with regular updates of the positions of buoys in this area: a must for places where changes occur so fast that even the newest charts can't keep up.
[More on this subject: see my home page.]
WaypointsGPS also accepts Maptech, BSB, and DKW charts (GPS utility does not).

henkm

--
http://www.filo.nl/zeilen/

 

[trouville]

i went to a p2p site, and looked for charts,all i found was some advertising for Garmin!
I have got some old electronic charts in a file,from yeman?? but how can i scan them to seaclear? OR do you mean scan my paper charts??????????????????

If so i have a canon Lide80 A4 and a small 5X4 HP scanner, how do i scan an A0 chart?? Perhaps i should have bought the HP "see through" without lid scanner???

Another question Please! If i have maptech emap garminmap or magellenmap do i need a special program for each??

Can ANY emaps be used with sea clear2???? (i meen digimaps in case "emap"s a product)

I went to a shop to buy a GPS mouse, but with soft wear and maps for s.France and Spain (med) was £80 for the hard wear and £920 for the softwear????

I pay £12 per water proof chart and for Spain will need between 15/20 but many i already have and others i can swap or be given.

Could i scan all my charts to a file to use in seaclear??

Useing a sextants in comparisons simple! not to menton air tables and a calculater !! But i still need charts!

 

[trouville]

Just been to look hear http://www.waypointsgps.nl/ and it says "Bestellen" that meens order them, no free cards other than my own scanned ones. I do speak and understand Dutch,having learnt Flemish from a girl friend when working in Antwerpen.

I must say as a compleat beginer and being winter, NO one anywhere sailing or on his boat now has these ecards, and its very very hard to try them even at the shop.
I did find one person who is copying CDs all day but to sell with equipment and not free, and even he dident have time to show me whats what..Having spent so much time and really not getting any further, perhaps i shoud wait untill summer, then see if i can try one of these gps s with a map-or is it the same thing people have in the car??????????????????????????????

 

[henkm]

Trouville,

I'm afraid I can't answer most of your questions or remarks.

Indeed scanning an A0 (or even A2) paper chart to make it digital is an accurate and time consuming job. Seaclear will surely accept your self scanned charts.
BTW, there is a French manual for Seaclear on:
http://www.sping.com/seaclear/sc_ii_man_fr.zip

Garmin and Magellan maps that are meant to put *into* the GPS are not compatible, you will need separate -Garmin or Magellan proprietary- software.

For further information you might do a search (or pose a question!) in:
(french)
http://groups-beta.google.com/group/alt.fr.systemes.gps/
http://groups-beta.google.com/group/fr.rec.bateaux
or (english):
http://groups-beta.google.com/group/alt.satellite.gps
http://groups-beta.google.com/group/alt.satellite.gps.garmin

henkm

PS: I only mentioned the Dutch program WaypointsGPS to 'Zuidwester' because he is based in Holland. The program is not free (Euro 79), but has free basic charts included.

 

[bendyone]

from the seaclear site
Charts:
SeaClear II can use most BSB/KAP version 1 - 3 and GEO/NOS commercial charts. Most common projections are supported. Chart datum's are supported. You can add your own charts, scan or capture them, save as PNG, BMP or other common format. Skewed and rotated charts can be calibrated. Chart border can be set to reduce the actual chart area.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

scanning a a0 page is not easy stich and join together but it can be done with time.

 

[ZuidWester]

Thanks for the info Henk. I will look into the sites and report progress. I may even buy some software if I get enough work in the near future!
Do you know anyone who needs a German to English translator/English teacher/climber/dog owner?
/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[henkm]

I'm sorry, I don't.
Have sent you a PM (to cheer you up;-)

H.

 

[trouville]

Yes i wish i were in Holland? well not if its snowing, but to sail in summer---,anyway ill visit those sites thanks.

Now with sea clear i cant find any "edit" "file" ref that will import any chart??I can move about but how can i import a chart?
I now have one a self scanned chart, flat. can still see the folds but flat! How can i get this into my seaclear program?? pewww

I havent drunk anything but tea since the 27th dec 04 but this mystery has driven me to open a bottle of wine--of which i have had and needed almost the half!!

 

[jimboaw]

Oh dear, I sense a crisis! open another bottle quick!

 

[trouville]

You laugh,but ive spent several days trying to try a chart ploter or chart on PC.
The dealer who sells them,dose so to vacation sailors,those that never leave port,Everyone hear (its winter) says the only people that buy chart plotters are those that sit in harbour and plan but never go anywhere.

Even with my PC which has a 12" screen while the map details good,i wouldent like to use it to arrive in a new place with a mistral blowing. Far better my way points and a large paper chart,to decide my alternative landfall!!

Now i will have another cup of tea,to put off the moment when i have to clear the galley, i dident wash up yesterday either! (and i did finnish the bottle)

 

[Anonymous]

I was planning yesterday for a possible passage today (now postponed) and had put several new routes (alternates) into PC Planner NT, but not downloaded onto the User Card (was going to do that this morning). This morning, two of the routes have become scrambled and the third is missing. OK, maybe I made some error, maybe my laptop is in trouble (but only with PC Planner since everything else seems fine), maybe the software is flakey, I don't know.

What I do know is that the lines I drew on the paper chart yesterday will still be there; I don't even feel the need to have a look to check!!

 

[compie1]

if you us c-maps NT+ cartidges you can download SOFTWAREONBOARD from www.digiboat.com.au wich is freeware, just register to get the code,pop your
c-map cardreader in yr USB slot and youps, maps are on yr PC, you can ad an USB GPS antenna so you can have yr own chartplotter works fine, trown my 5" plotter out and am using 15" screen of my laptop now.

 

[wiggy]

I have old c-map charts on CD does any one know how I can get them into SeaClear?

 

[Guest]

READ THE MANUAL included

The second program Mapcalc is the chart one .... READ the manual ......

Then seaclear will perform better than you expect ! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif