Laptop charts/software

[saltyrob]

Hi Folks,

I have been given a laptop and want to use it as a back up to gps/charts. I have been recommended a GlobalsatBU-353 to provide the gps signal.The next bit is what charts to download onto the laptop. Can any one explain what I would need and what would be recommended for our cruising area of Harwich and the southern North Sea. I understand that digital charts may be purchased or can be downloaded free,in which case are they ok/up todate.A bit of clarity on how it all works would be brill,

Many thanks

Rob

 

[OGITD]

Open CPN

Hi Rob,

Just use Open CPN and CMAP93 combined with a GPS dongle.

OG.

 

[electrosys]

Hi Folks,

I have been given a laptop and want to use it as a back up to gps/charts. I have been recommended a GlobalsatBU-353 to provide the gps signal.The next bit is what charts to download onto the laptop. [snip...]

No - the next bit is for you to identify which navigation program you intend using. There are a dozen or more to choose from, and everybody has his/her own favourite.

It is the navigation program which lies at the heart of a navigation system, and it is that program which determines the type (raster or vector) and make of charts which can be used.

There are many navigation programs to choose from, which vary in their hardware* and operating system requirements.


* Perhaps I should expand on this: a folio of raster charts will be significantly larger than the vector equivalent, and will thus require a much larger hard drive (or memory stick) to hold them on. But, if you like seeing leading-light info etc., then Admiralty-style raster charts are to be preferred. Vector charts contain less info, but are more convenient to use when zooming, as well as being smaller and faster to load/ re-draw. Swings and Roundabouts.

There is another, extremely good free navigation program called Seaclear which has, until recently, been dogged by the laborious process of scanning-in charts manually - but of you check:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/seaclear_mapping/messages message 2749 - than you'll see that up-to-date Admiralty charts for the whole UK are now available for £30. Downside is that a CD or DVD drive must be available and in use all the time.

 

[contessaman]

laptop and a gps dongle/ usb receiver is all the hardware you need. As others have said there are many different plotter software out there with various pro's and cons.

The free one you mention is OpenCPN, which you can download here:

http://opencpn.org/download

this will need the CM93 chart system which you can goolge to find a torrent for and then download it using a torrent client like vuze or azureus.

In my experience the above system is simple to use, clear, is free and has an AIS input which is really useful - as well as your yachts vector you will be able to have all the shipping in the vicinity plotted with their respective vectors.(AIS rx required)

That said my system of choice is Tsunamis99 by transas. This is older and does not have the AIS input. this also was not free but I like it as for UK and northern europe the charts are admiralty charts in vector format. I like the look of the admiralty charts and as I do all my navigation on the admiralty paper charts and all the pilotage on the pc its nice to see the chart boundaries on the plotter so you can relate it exactly to the paper admiralty chart.

all my opinion and there are many more sytems out there.

I might add that I have long been a big fan of using a pc for a plotter rather than buying a purpose made chart plotter. It has a clear advantage, In that for a given piece of hardware (pc) you can try many different types of plotter software to see which one suits you. If you buy a branded plotter you are stuck with whichever chart system it supports.

good luck!

 

[edsailing]

Hi Rob,

Just use Open CPN and CMAP93 combined with a GPS dongle.

OG.

Yes, I'd go with that - I've done about 10,000 miles in the last year with exactly that set up - flawless and easy to use.

 

[Amulet]

Hi Folks,

I have been given a laptop and want to use it as a back up to gps/charts. I have been recommended a GlobalsatBU-353 to provide the gps signal.The next bit is what charts to download onto the laptop. Can any one explain what I would need and what would be recommended for our cruising area of Harwich and the southern North Sea. I understand that digital charts may be purchased or can be downloaded free,in which case are they ok/up todate.A bit of clarity on how it all works would be brill,

Many thanks

Rob

Sounds like you are not a million miles from me in Woolverstone. I work in the way you describe. I have not tried any of the "free" solutions as they all seemed to me to require a lots of futzing around, but others may tell you different. I have played with many of the "Cheapish" solutions (say less than £150). Currently I have/had test setups with the following:

Maptech Offshore Navigator
Memory Map
Belfield
Imray Digital Charts
Meridian EasyCharts
The old RYA system
EasyGPS (A data transfer, not a navigation programme)

I run these from a Garmin GPS72 (about £130) which sits in the cockpit visible to the helmsman and connected to the computer. I build routes on the computer and send them from the software to the 72. This means I can set the 72 to tell the helmsman where to steer, display speed, eta etc. Usually this main info is just a compass telling the helmsman
the direction to the next waypoint. However, if I am going into the Deben (say) I put the exact route from the latest survey into the computer, send it to the 72, and then get the 72 to display cross-track error, which simply tells you in feet how far off the route you are, to left or right.

My requirement to be able to send routes to the GPS from the software is the limiting factor. It is not possible to do this if the communication is done using the widely adopted NMEA standard (* see note below). I run the computer and the GPS using the Garmin protocol - all perfectly easy.

Maptech Offshore Navigator - is the only program among those I have tested which allows this kind of route transfer to the GPS. (There are indirect ways of doing it with most of the others - in all cases I have found a way, but it has been a faffabout.) Weaknesses of Offshore Navigator are - 1. it cannot take input from an AIS engine, and 2. Maptech are hopeless at updating tidal data. At the beginning of every season I end up with no tides for several weeks. I think you spend about £100 for the whole UK charts which come with a less capable version of the software I think. I bought the s/w ages ago and don't know current prices.

Memory Map - Cheap and cheerful - about £45 for the whole UK plus s/w. No tides. The interface is a development of a land based nav system and is **** for being at sea (e.g., changing scales and charts is a pain. Some other forumites will tell you how to use their charts with free software I imagine - never tried it. It can output routes and everything in the open GPX standard which everyone OUGHT to support.

Belfield - forget it - so limited in capability as to be useless

Imray Digital Charts (IDC) ably my second choice, but damned by the inability to transfer routes as far as I was concerned. At first glance looks as cheap as Offshore Navigator, and it is for you if you never go round the corner into the channel - you'd need to buy a second region of charts for another £100 or so then.

Meridian EasyCharts - this is the cheap offering from the same outfit that produced (IDC) I only had a test version, but I think it might be OK if (again) you don't want to transfer routes.

The old RYA system - so long since I tried it that I can't remember. Rejected for the same reason as the others.

EasyGPS (A data transfer, not a navigation programme) - handy for maintaining routes, waypoints etc. and can convert things to GPX.

Having GPX is quite cool as you can do things like transfer your track to google earth and display where your boat has been, see
here.

*note about transferring routes. I do not know enough to state that it is impossible in the NMEA protocol, and some have told me it is not. Software engineers from Maptech and from Meridian have told me that it is indeed impossible.

You can transfer waypoints via NMEA. Many bits of software say offer the option of transferring a route and appear to do it, however when you look at the GPS you discover that it is a string of unconnected waypoints not a route. I can't overstate how convenient it is to be able to nip below and draw a route (e.g., if you change your mind about destination), and then send it straight to the display for the helmsman.

 

[edsailing]

laptop and a gps dongle/ usb receiver is all the hardware you need. As others have said there are many different plotter software out there with various pro's and cons.

The free one you mention is OpenCPN, which you can download here:

http://opencpn.org/download

this will need the CM93 chart system which you can goolge to find a torrent for and then download it using a torrent client like vuze or azureus.

OpenCPN works with a wide variety of chart formats - not just CM93

 

[saltyrob]

Hi ,

I have access to a A1 scanner therefore am I right in saying,that charts can be scanned onto a disc and then the seaclear program used .

Many thanks

Rob

 

[fishermantwo]

Hi ,

I have access to a A1 scanner therefore am I right in saying,that charts can be scanned onto a disc and then the seaclear program used .

Many thanks

Rob

Rob, I have been a Seaclear user for more than 10 years. I have all the digital charts I need but even with them you need a good picture programme to convert the format and resize etc for your convenience. I use ACDsee but Irfanview which is free will do as well. Charts can be obtained from all over the place digitally, Google earth is a good example. Scanning is fine if a good machine is available. Save all your charts in the picture programme then once you calibrate and convert in Mapcal you can either leave them in the picture programme or drag and drop them straight into Seaclear charts, no need for discs if your doing it yourself for free. If I lived in the UK however I would just spend the 30 pounds for the eBay Seaclear chart package.

 

[seapro]

* Perhaps I should expand on this: a folio of raster charts will be significantly larger than the vector equivalent, and will thus require a much larger hard drive (or memory stick) to hold them on. But, if you like seeing leading-light info etc., then Admiralty-style raster charts are to be preferred. Vector charts contain less info, but are more convenient to use when zooming, as well as being smaller and faster to load/ re-draw. Swings and Roundabouts.

Not sure your statement of "vector charts contain less info" is correct!

It would be more accurate to say "at certain zoom levels, the detail may not be apparent".

 

[James Marinero]

GPS Dongle

I use an Evergreen GPS dongle. £30 four years ago.

 

[Stoaty]

Weaknesses of Offshore Navigator are - 1. it cannot take input from an AIS engine

Offshore Navigator was superseded with Chart Navigator Pro by Maptech. Which does take an AIS input and handles it very well.

 

[Amulet]

Offshore Navigator was superseded with Chart Navigator Pro by Maptech. Which does take an AIS input and handles it very well.

That is true, but Chart Navigator Pro was subsequently discontinued, and now their top end product is OSN again! I failed to buy CNP and wonder if that was a mistake. I so strongly disliked the tidal display that I stuck with OSN and now don't have the option to change.

I have run CNP, but ended up junking it and getting my money back - I was in a huff about the tides.

 

[Amulet]

* Perhaps I should expand on this: a folio of raster charts will be significantly larger than the vector equivalent....

This is true, however, the entire UK in raster form is only a couple of gig, so size is unlikely to be a limiting factor.
I have four copies in formats for different software on my hard disk (actually my solid-state "disk"). My collection of photographs (boat porn mostly), occupies 15 times as much space as my charts.

 

[electrosys]

Not sure your statement of "vector charts contain less info" is correct!

It would be more accurate to say "at certain zoom levels, the detail may not be apparent".

I stand by my comment - with vector charts it's necessary to click on an object in order to get further info about it. With decent raster charts (Admiralty and derivatives) this info is printed directly on the chart itself, and is thus immediately apparent. Leading light info, buoy names, caution notices are just some which spring quickly to mind.

To be pedantic - perhaps I should have said "vector charts display less info".

 

[saltyrob]

Hi

Many thanks for your very helpful information.Is it possible to obtain digital versions of single charts rather than having to obtain digital portfolios of charts. I only need the Imray C30 or its equivalent.Am I right in saying that the free chart downloads are in the USA and far away places.

Regards

Rob

 

[Barry Jones]

Seatrak UK from Meridian with tides and AIS input. Use a GPS dongle.
BA raster charts which I correct manually from the free BA NtMs from the web.

 

[Rouser34]

Hi

Many thanks for your very helpful information.Is it possible to obtain digital versions of single charts rather than having to obtain digital portfolios of charts. I only need the Imray C30 or its equivalent.Am I right in saying that the free chart downloads are in the USA and far away places.

Regards

Rob

I'm like you Salty. I only need the Imray C30 coverage. I would want to use a laptop with 1Gb Ram . I am told that is the Minimum required for the Imray C30.