Navionics

[Sticky Fingers]

You keep passing the stick around and then wonder why you're this thread's Piñata

Maybe i like poking the embers to see what catches alight...

 

[MrB]

Yes quite right. Though he was already engaged on this thread; I meant "someone else: but failed to say so... my bad I'll try to be clearer in future!

lol No....... It wasn't meant to sound as if it was directed at you rather than give Hurric some credit for his threads on the subject. I should have been clearer. All good.

 

[Sticky Fingers]

lol No....... It wasn't meant to sound as if it was directed at you rather than give Hurric some credit for his threads on the subject. I should have been clearer. All good.

No matter what I say in reply, @BruceK will come back FTW

 

[BruceK]

Moi? I was only helping out so you could bring your fenders in.

 

[fred247]

No. The Axiom also needs an active sub.

Wrong. If you do it manually via the micro sd you can transfer you just can't use the sync facility

 

[Sticky Fingers]

Wrong. If you do it manually via the micro sd you can transfer you just can't use the sync facility

OK thanks

 

[BruceK]

You dropped a fender there mate, where's it go?

 

[Hurricane]

A big step forward for opencpn was being able to view mbtiles from the likes of sasplanet, especially cruising when charts can be hard to come by and accuracy unknown.
Available (though copyright must be a bit suspect..) below cmap, navionics, google satellite, bing, yandex, here.com.
Fantastically useful

I didn't have the nerve to post about MBTiles and SASPlanet
I have a version that links to the Navionics website thus allowing downloads that can be converted into raster foemat.
Here is Santa Ponsa in Mallorca using OpenCPN and MBTiles format from the Navionics web site.
Two different resolutions - one in each OpenCPN window.
As you say, the copyright must be a bit suspect.

 

[AndieMac]

I now use opencpn on Hurricanes recommendation, also appreciated GHA's info and link to YouTube.
Thank you both, cheers

 

[wayneakp]

Well that question started a debate
So in the end I relented and updated my chart - by the time I had bought a tablet, interfaced the AIS etc it was going to turn into a big job. Like many I wont be going too far this year but at least early next year is now covered.
I must say though that the update process from a company as well know as Navionics is a bit crap - I have to download to the card, then go into the files and delete "data" folder and any .bp2 files, else it wont work with my E120. Given your login user profile states what plotter you have I wouldn't have thought it too difficult for the download to have a clean up routine based on requirements of your plotter.

During the winter I will look into Opencpn etc

Cheers All

 

[Sticky Fingers]

...
I must say though that the update process from a company as well know as Navionics is a bit crap - I have to download to the card, then go into the files and delete "data" folder and any .bp2 files, else it wont work with my E120. Given your login user profile states what plotter you have I wouldn't have thought it too difficult for the download to have a clean up routine based on requirements of your plotter.
...

Not my experience, mine's a Simrad. Are you using the the Navionics CI Launcher app?

Start app. SD card into computer. Click 'update'. Files download. Eject card. Put SD card in plotter.

 

[wayneakp]

Hiya
I am using Chart Installer and the instructions were given to me by Navionics UK

Cheers

Wayne

 

[Hurricane]

I now use opencpn on Hurricanes recommendation, also appreciated GHA's info and link to YouTube.
Thank you both, cheers

I might be wrong but I seem to remember that there are some free charts for use in the Australian areas that OpenCPN can use.

 

[Hurricane]

Well that question started a debate
So in the end I relented and updated my chart - by the time I had bought a tablet, interfaced the AIS etc it was going to turn into a big job. Like many I wont be going too far this year but at least early next year is now covered.
I must say though that the update process from a company as well know as Navionics is a bit crap - I have to download to the card, then go into the files and delete "data" folder and any .bp2 files, else it wont work with my E120. Given your login user profile states what plotter you have I wouldn't have thought it too difficult for the download to have a clean up routine based on requirements of your plotter.

During the winter I will look into Opencpn etc

Cheers All

Just to whet your appetite, here is a pic of OpenCPN's AIS display.
This photo was taken 5 years ago.
The OpenCPN team have added more enhancements to their AIS software routines since then.
IMO, it is one of the easiest AIS displays to understand.

 

[AndieMac]

I might be wrong but I seem to remember that there are some free charts for use in the Australian areas that OpenCPN can use.

Not sure H, my son set it up, there was a cost for the Oz/NZ charts, and running on a Surface Pro. All his research indicates Opencpn is the choice of many in full time cruising community.

 

[TwoHooter]

I've only just spotted this thread. When I browsed it I saw it included discussion of tablets.
Below is a photo of our flybridge tablet taken at Salcombe a couple of weeks ago. I was helming by hand at the time, but usually the autopilot is following a course.
The tablet display is a Panasonic Toughpad mounted in a RAM mount. It connects to the ship's computer using Splashtop via WiFi
Toughpads are expensive when new but can be bought as inspected/refurbished items for a few hundred pounds. I paid £400 for ours.
They claim 1,000 NITS. I'm sceptical, but the display is good enough 99% of the time because I can move it easily using the suction pad of the RAM mount so that it always faces away from direct sunlight.

The Toughpad is not as good as a purpose-made marine plotter screen. When you buy a Raymarine/Garmin/Furuno etc. system a big chunk of the hardware cost is the bright dimable screens. These are not cheap, even as OEM items, and very hard (impossible?) to buy at the consumer level.

Our system is as follows:

• Ship's computer is a Vasari "PC" running Windows 7 and displaying on 3 monitors, the biggest is 21" and that's where I set up waypoints and routes. I could set routes up at home on a desktop or laptop device and email the route to the boat. The display is then mirrored on the Toughpad.
• Nav software is Open CPN
• Charts at the moment are raster, from Visit My Harbour UK/Europe Admiralty series - others have mentioned alternative sources of charts
• AIS transponder is a Digital Yacht AIT2000 which also handles GPS for the Nav system
• Heading sensor and Autopilot are elderly Furuno
• We also have an elderly Furuno nav computer (Navnet) which is now used only as a dedicated display for the Furuno radar

In my opinion anyone contemplating changes to a nav system needs to start with the charts. My motive for building this system was to be able to have the widest possible choice of charts. And this is all quite relevant to the original post on this thread because my original motive for designing this system was that the price of chart cards for the Furuno Navnet system had become ridiculous - over £1,000 for the UK - because the cards themselves were an old format that couldn't carry much data.

(I had the idea of the system but Matt Riches made it work)

 

[Hurricane]

I've only just spotted this thread. When I browsed it I saw it included discussion of tablets.
Below is a photo of our flybridge tablet taken at Salcombe a couple of weeks ago. I was helming by hand at the time, but usually the autopilot is following a course.
The tablet display is a Panasonic Toughpad mounted in a RAM mount. It connects to the ship's computer using Splashtop via WiFi
Toughpads are expensive when new but can be bought as inspected/refurbished items for a few hundred pounds. I paid £400 for ours.
They claim 1,000 NITS. I'm sceptical, but the display is good enough 99% of the time because I can move it easily using the suction pad of the RAM mount so that it always faces away from direct sunlight.

The Toughpad is not as good as a purpose-made marine plotter screen. When you buy a Raymarine/Garmin/Furuno etc. system a big chunk of the hardware cost is the bright dimable screens. These are not cheap, even as OEM items, and very hard (impossible?) to buy at the consumer level.

Our system is as follows:

• Ship's computer is a Vasari "PC" running Windows 7 and displaying on 3 monitors, the biggest is 21" and that's where I set up waypoints and routes. I could set routes up at home on a desktop or laptop device and email the route to the boat. The display is then mirrored on the Toughpad.
• Nav software is Open CPN
• Charts at the moment are raster, from Visit My Harbour UK/Europe Admiralty series - others have mentioned alternative sources of charts
• AIS transponder is a Digital Yacht AIT2000 which also handles GPS for the Nav system
• Heading sensor and Autopilot are elderly Furuno
• We also have an elderly Furuno nav computer (Navnet) which is now used only as a dedicated display for the Furuno radar

In my opinion anyone contemplating changes to a nav system needs to start with the charts. My motive for building this system was to be able to have the widest possible choice of charts. And this is all quite relevant to the original post on this thread because my original motive for designing this system was that the price of chart cards for the Furuno Navnet system had become ridiculous - over £1,000 for the UK - because the cards themselves were an old format that couldn't carry much data.

(I had the idea of the system but Matt Riches made it work)

Still Windows then

 

[TwoHooter]

Still Windows then

Don't rub it in! Almost the next job on the list.

 

[Hurricane]

As you know, about 4 years ago, I was about to upgrade my computer from Windows 7.
I didn't like Windows 8 or Windows 10 so I stuck with Windows 7.
It seems you have done the same.
You will remember that we had long conversations at the time and had a little "workshop" between us - testing out how Linux might help.
We chose the Linux Mint distro because it had that early Windows feel about it without all the Window 10 guff.
Since those days, I have converted all by systems over to Linux and haven't looked back.
My systems include a Home Server, Media Centre, My Study Desktop, SWMBO Desktop, one we have for Hobbies, an Internet Server and, of course The Boat.
All now running under Linux.
On my Study Desktop (my main system) I set it up to dual boot Windows 7 and Linux but have hardly used the Windows 7 boot.
Three days ago, I finally scrapped the Windows 7 boot and replaced it with the latest Linux Mint (Version 20).
During this move to Linux there were three main software packages that helped - without them being multi platform, I'm not sure what I would have done.
These three being Thunderbird email, Chrome and OpenCPN (Yes - OpenCPN is multi platform - all my charts came across without any issues.
The Linux Mint distro that we picked contains most applications that you would need all in the one build.
Things like a good file explorer, Firefox and a full Office Suite - plus loads more.
And all this is absolutely free.

You will run into some learning issues in OpenCPN - the channels and devices are different under Linux so GPS and NMEA connections will take a little while to master but it all works in the end.
I've been navigating with Linux on the boat under OpenCPN for several seasons now.
As far as OpenCPN is concerned, you won't notice any difference once it is all set up.
Good luck and if you need any help - just ask.