Has the PC finally come of age? – a review of OpenCPN

[PaulGooch]

I bow to your better judgement of the plotter.
My selection of plotter was based on my like of SH equipment generally and an SH plotter that I recently used on a sailing boat.
But as you say, it is generally accepted that Garmin pips all the other manufacturers these days.

Until recently, i would have suggested the same plotter. It's a good little plotter as a stand alone unit and SH are a good company. It's only that they seem to have sat on their hands and not updated anything, whilst Garmin keep bring new models out, the smaller ones mostly (all ?) have proper pre-loaded G2 charts, making them cheaper than SH.

I like your idea of having the plotter out in the cockpit and linking to it with a PC/laptop from below.
I think I can add a possible option to this idea.
If you have linked the two with NMEA, you will be receiving the GPS data from the plotter on the PC - right?
NMEA can be bi-directional so using this technique, you can also "upload" waypoints and routes from the laptop to the plotter.
Memory Map for example has an option (Send to GPS).
So you would do all your planning on the PC and upload waypoints/routes to the plotter.
Then, when underway, you will have both systems recording the track - a kind of backup.
This technique works with my Raymarine kit - maybe it could work for other manufacturers.
All my planning is done on the PC and then uploaded to the Raymarine kit before we leave.
You can also have different chart data. For example the PC could be using Admiralty charts and the plotter could be using Navionics (as in my case).

I've not been using PC navigation as long as you, i'm still in the tinkering stage, so thinking/learning new ideas/option as i go. I'm mostly working on a plan for my next boat, which will be a sailboat with internal and external helms. I'm currently using a Garmin plotter at the helm, connected to a multiplexor with Bluetooth. Also connected to the multiplexor is an AIS engine and the fishfinder. The multiplexor is also connected to an "IN" port on the plotter. So, the laptop gets GPS, AIS and depth data via bluetooth, whilst the plotter gets AIS and depth via NMEA 0183.

There's also a spare output port on the multiplexor that could supply all of the data to another plotter/laptop via NMEA 0183. I plan to connect a Garmin 4010 to this, at the internal helm, as i already have the plotter and a HD radome. This would give me fixed plotters inside and out, with radar inside and the laptop as an additional screen, also acting as a backup. The 4010 will also be connected to an "IN" port on the multiplexor, which means each plotter can be used stand alone, without affecting the laptop.

At the moment, the plotter at the helm obviously uses Garmin charts, whilst the laptop is using CM93. When underway, both do record tracks, as you suggest. I also do my planning on PC and upload to the plotter. I've always done that on the PC using Garmin software and taking the route to the boat on a SD card. I've exported all of my existing data to OpenCPN, which worked fine, but not planned any new routes since using the laptop, so hadn't given much thought to how best to do that.

I had thought that planning the route with Garmin Homeport as usual would be the way to go, saving it back as a GPX file for OpenCPN and in Garmin format for the plotter, transferring to both via an SD card, as i usually to the planning on my home PC.

Now you mention it, a couple of other options should be possible. I could plan the trip in Homeport as usual, saving it back as a GPX file for OpenCPN, but finally sending the route to the plotter as you describe.

Hadn't thought of doing the planning in OpenCPN, but for someone who is assembling a new setup, that does of course make sense. Make the plan in OpenCPN on the laptop, then just send to the plotter via NMEA, just as you said. Next time i'm at the boat i'll try sending something from OpenCPN to the Garmin plotter and see if it works. A quick look on Google suggests it should work fine.

EDIT I also carry a hand held GPS with a USB cable, so if the boat plotters all failed i can use the laptop as a stand alone plotter. The hand held also serves as a last ditch GPS in case of abandoning to the life raft, along with the hand held VHF.

 

[Hurricane]

Until recently, i would have suggested the same plotter. It's a good little plotter as a stand alone unit and SH are a good company. It's only that they seem to have sat on their hands and not updated anything, whilst Garmin keep bring new models out, the smaller ones mostly (all ?) have proper pre-loaded G2 charts, making them cheaper than SH.



I've not been using PC navigation as long as you, i'm still in the tinkering stage, so thinking/learning new ideas/option as i go. I'm mostly working on a plan for my next boat, which will be a sailboat with internal and external helms. I'm currently using a Garmin plotter at the helm, connected to a multiplexor with Bluetooth. Also connected to the multiplexor is an AIS engine and the fishfinder. The multiplexor is also connected to an "IN" port on the plotter. So, the laptop gets GPS, AIS and depth data via bluetooth, whilst the plotter gets AIS and depth via NMEA 0183.

There's also a spare output port on the multiplexor that could supply all of the data to another plotter/laptop via NMEA 0183. I plan to connect a Garmin 4010 to this, at the internal helm, as i already have the plotter and a HD radome. This would give me fixed plotters inside and out, with radar inside and the laptop as an additional screen, also acting as a backup. The 4010 will also be connected to an "IN" port on the multiplexor, which means each plotter can be used stand alone, without affecting the laptop.

At the moment, the plotter at the helm obviously uses Garmin charts, whilst the laptop is using CM93. When underway, both do record tracks, as you suggest. I also do my planning on PC and upload to the plotter. I've always done that on the PC using Garmin software and taking the route to the boat on a SD card. I've exported all of my existing data to OpenCPN, which worked fine, but not planned any new routes since using the laptop, so hadn't given much thought to how best to do that.

I had thought that planning the route with Garmin Homeport as usual would be the way to go, saving it back as a GPX file for OpenCPN and in Garmin format for the plotter, transferring to both via an SD card, as i usually to the planning on my home PC.

Now you mention it, a couple of other options should be possible. I could plan the trip in Homeport as usual, saving it back as a GPX file for OpenCPN, but finally sending the route to the plotter as you describe.

Hadn't thought of doing the planning in OpenCPN, but for someone who is assembling a new setup, that does of course make sense. Make the plan in OpenCPN on the laptop, then just send to the plotter via NMEA, just as you said. Next time i'm at the boat i'll try sending something from OpenCPN to the Garmin plotter and see if it works. A quick look on Google suggests it should work fine.

EDIT I also carry a hand held GPS with a USB cable, so if the boat plotters all failed i can use the laptop as a stand alone plotter. The hand held also serves as a last ditch GPS in case of abandoning to the life raft, along with the hand held VHF.

That all sounds good - as a final backup, I keep a very crude handheld GPS (just lat and long etc) in the grab bag - it's so crude that it only works on dry cell batteries so should always work.

So, you are thinking of moving to sail then.
IMO that might change the position of the goal posts.
Us motorboaters tend to go in straight lines so routes are easier to follow.
However in a sailing boat going either up wind or directly downwind you would probably want to sail to the wind rather than to the compass.
I think that most of the problem can be resolved in the autopilot by keeping it set to the next waypoint (tacking etc according to the data on the pilot).
VMG etc is much more appropriate in these circumstances.
So, some careful thought here with the system for the new boat.
Wind input to the system is also something that will be useful or necessary for the autopilot etc.

 

[PaulGooch]

That all sounds good - as a final backup, I keep a very crude handheld GPS (just lat and long etc) in the grab bag - it's so crude that it only works on dry cell batteries so should always work.

Same here, a little Garmin Etrex. Runs on AAA batteries or charges from the USB port when connected to the laptop.

So, you are thinking of moving to sail then.
IMO that might change the position of the goal posts.
Us motorboaters tend to go in straight lines so routes are easier to follow.
However in a sailing boat going either up wind or directly downwind you would probably want to sail to the wind rather than to the compass.
I think that most of the problem can be resolved in the autopilot by keeping it set to the next waypoint (tacking etc according to the data on the pilot).
VMG etc is much more appropriate in these circumstances.
So, some careful thought here with the system for the new boat.
Wind input to the system is also something that will be useful or necessary for the autopilot etc.

I'm thinking of fitting a Garmin wind system, so that should interface with the plotters and the laptop too. Not sure of exactly what i'll need to change for sailing, will look into that in more detail later i think.