Open CPN / navionics

[Tintin]

I've always been a fan of proper charts, a chartplotter, and maybe navionics running on my phone at the helm.

I've never played with Open CPN, and like much "open" software it seems you need a certain level of tech understanding.

Can anyone make it easy for me? I have a Microsoft surface pro. I want to try opencpn for UK and Europe passages.

What do I need to download?

What do I need to buy?

And is there a solution to being able to overlay AIS?

Many thanks

 

[RichardS]

I use OpenCPN on both Windows and Android but I use downloaded charts which are rather out of date for safe navigation. However, they are fine for AIS use although you don't necessarily need any charts for that.

To get the AIS data onto my tablet and PC I have an AIS unit which sends the data over wifi. Depending upon your AIS unit I assume that you could do this over a USB cable but I've never tried that with mine as wifi is more convenient.

Richard

 

[AngusMcDoon]

I use o-charts which are compiled specially for OpenCPN. They are very cheap, about £25 for almost all the UK. There's a downloader in OpenCPN now. It's very easy. AIS for me comes via Bluetooth.

 

[adwuk]

Another vote for o-charts. I also use Antares charts on OpenCPN. Runs on my mobile phone and Macbook, with AIS feed, as well as all other instruments via WiFi from the NMEA network.

 

[Tintin]

I use o-charts which are compiled specially for OpenCPN. They are very cheap, about £25 for almost all the UK. There's a downloader in OpenCPN now. It's very easy. AIS for me comes via Bluetooth.

What are you using for the ais? I've only ever used hard wired systems into plotters (garmin).

 

[AngusMcDoon]

What are you using for the ais? I've only ever used hard wired systems into plotters (garmin).

Something I made myself.

 

[Tintin]

Right, I've downloaded Opencpn - now what? How does it get a GPS signal? Usb dongle? Which one is good?

 

[RobbieW]

Right, I've downloaded Opencpn - now what? How does it get a GPS signal? Usb dongle? Which one is good?

Youre going to need to get to grips with Options > Connections in OpenCPN. There are various ways to connect; using a Com Port is usually the way for USB devices (its a pseudo serial connection), you'll need the ComPort number and the speed of the connection; using a WiFi connection usually needs an IP address and port, assuming TCP the default port is generally 10110. I've had AIS data coming in using both USB and WiFi connections so either are possible. OpenCPN is generally flexible but that flexibility needs some comms knowledge.

 

[RichardS]

Right, I've downloaded Opencpn - now what? How does it get a GPS signal? Usb dongle? Which one is good?

If you are not going to receive AIS data from a receiver/transceiver, you will need a USB or bluetooth dongle to get GPS positioning unless your tablet has GPS built in.

If you are going to receive AIS data and you don't have built-in GPS, then you can receive the GPS data along with the AIS data so can skip the dongle.

Richard

 

[Robin]

I have 2 dongles with open cpn on 2 laptops, a Blue NEXT USB plug in nd a BU354 ditto on a USB lead. I Don't have AIS on it or radar but do on the main Raymarine enetwork. I'm still using very old CM93 full world cover charts from when they were freely pirated. 2010 dated methinks, but my use of opencpn is for planning and backup only. I also have google earth linked to opencpn which is excellent if in wifi range to link to googles servers.

 

[AngusMcDoon]

I'm still using very old CM93 full world cover charts from when they were freely pirated. 2010 dated methinks, but my use of opencpn is for planning and backup only.

O-charts are so cheap it's hardly worth using those old pirated ones. They also have more useful information to small boats that CMap remove, like drying heights, for example. That's unless you are sailing in an area that o-charts don't cover, like Greenland or Bora Bora.

 

[AngusMcDoon]

Right, I've downloaded Opencpn - now what? How does it get a GPS signal? Usb dongle? Which one is good?

Start off simple. Get a GPS mouse. They are £5 if you get one from China but have to wait 3 weeks, or £15 for the same thing from a UK seller that you will have in 2 days. Even if you don't use it in your final setup it's still useful to have. Report back when you've got it.

 

[youen]

Please how do you find the port number ? Can Open cpn read thé Nmea sentences coming from a Seatalk through a wifi device converter and so shows all the data in a window.

 

[Robin]

O-charts are so cheap it's hardly worth using those old pirated ones. They also have more useful information to small boats that CMap remove, like drying heights, for example. That's unless you are sailing in an area that o-charts don't cover, like Greenland or Bora Bora.

Point taken and IF I was actually using my laptop to navigate it might be worth it but not just for easy planning and as a backup to my backup notebook with navionics loaded and also streaming live from my main Raymarine network, including AIS and radar overlays. I do usually remember to turn opencpn on to automatically record track and log positional data regularly using theopencpn add-on 'Logbook Konnie' plug in. If my laptop was viewable in sunlight and waterproof it might be a different case entirely as opencpn itself is excellent even if it weren't free. When in the USA it was used in anger with free charts from uncle Sam, either vector or raster as these could be freely downloaded even daily to stay up to date but the sunlight and rain was too much a PITA and the inherited Garmin won out.

 

[laika]

Please how do you find the port number ? Can Open cpn read thé Nmea sentences coming from a Seatalk through a wifi device converter and so shows all the data in a window.

On the OpenCPN side, per RobbieW's post #8 data sources, whether via serial/USB devices or network (including port/address/protocol) are configurable via Options > Connections:
The Connections [OpenCPN Manuals]
You would normally find out the port number/address of your wifi data source with reference to the manual for the device you are using to convert the data to wifi.
Seatalk to wifi devices can normally convert seatalk to NMEA-0183 which OpenCPN can happily read. Some such devices have modes where they convert seatalk to special sentences representing the "raw" seatalk (e.g. $STALK sentences for didital yacht devices and others, $PSMDST for the shipmodul miniplex). Unless something has changed recently OpenCPN doesn't support those but I'm not aware of any commercial seatalk to wifi devices which can't convert to NMEA-0183 first, so you should be fine.

To Comrade Red, here's you uk chart options:
https://o-charts.org/map/en/UK/index.html
I agree with AngusMcDoon that they sufficiently cheap that it's not worth hunting down the old pirated CM93s for UK sailing. It's the same deal as with other charts: updates for a year then you get to keep the charts but they aren't updated.

An alternative to USB GPS dongles is to plug directly into the boat's data. How you do that depends on how your boat is wired. If you have an n2K network you can plug something like an actisense ngw-1-usb into a t-piece and then into your laptop. If you have various data sources feeding into a plotter at the helm and that plotter can convert e.g. n2k/seatalk to nmea-0183 and you don't mind having the plotter on while you're using OpenCPN at the chart table, if you have a spare NMEA-0183 output, configure it for 38400 baud, run 4 wires to the chart table and wire it up to a usb to serial converter you can plug into the laptop.

Obviously many wifi multiplexer options exist which will make your life easier but commercial ones can be pricey if you don't want to muck about with raspberry pis

Edit: further option on GPS: as an alternative to a USB dongle you could consider a bluetooth one. Considerably more expensive than a cheapo USB one but my garmin glo has the advantage that I can pair it with my (wifi-only) ipad as well.

 

[RobbieW]

Please how do you find the port number ? ....

Just on this, the Windows Device Manager is your friend. Using W10, 'Windows'+x then 'm' is one of several ways to start that utility. Once started look in 'Ports' for the device your NMEA stream comes in through and use that to configure OpenCPN. The Connections resource @laika has above covers most of the variables in some detail, just bear in mind that OpenCPN has been updated since that was written so the user interface now has a modified look.

 

[Robin]

Just on this, the Windows Device Manager is your friend. Using W10, 'Windows'+x then 'm' is one of several ways to start that utility. Once started look in 'Ports' for the device your NMEA stream comes in through and use that to configure OpenCPN. The Connections resource @laika has above covers most of the variables in some detail, just bear in mind that OpenCPN has been updated since that was written so the user interface now has a modified look.

+1 or search device manager under settings. Also IIRC, in the opencpn options/connections tick display nmea data and it is all there to show you nailed it.

 

[CAPTAIN FANTASTIC]

As a matter of interest; what are the advantages of OpenCPN over Navionics?; is it the cost of annual fee of ~ £35 for Navionics? if this is the only reason, over a period of 10 years the cost is only appro £350, which is not too bad. Any other reasons?

 

[RichardS]

As a matter of interest; what are the advantages of OpenCPN over Navionics?; is it the cost of annual fee of ~ £35 for Navionics? if this is the only reason, over a period of 10 years the cost is only appro £350, which is not too bad. Any other reasons?

In usual parlance, they are different things. OpenCPN is simply a display program which is free, more or less depending upon the platform, but which needs to be provided with charts to display. Navionics is a combined display program and set of charts which are updated regularly if you subscribe.

Richard

 

[RobbieW]

As a matter of interest; what are the advantages of OpenCPN over Navionics?; is it the cost of annual fee of ~ £35 for Navionics? if this is the only reason, over a period of 10 years the cost is only appro £350, which is not too bad. Any other reasons?

Historically, OpenCPN has run on PCs for about 15 years - way before tablets and smartphones were as ubiquitous as they are today. In the US, charts are free and downloadable as @Robin points out above. Today, for me, the main argument for continuing to use OpenCPN is that the way AIS data is displayed is probably best in class. That and the ease of configuring to accept data from many sources, just a pity it doesnt (yet?) take NMEA2000 sentences.

Edit: Also I find route planning easier on the bigger screen and I can use a mouse plus cursor keys to do stuff. I can certainly export OpenCPN routes to my Simrad plotter, not tried to do that with Navionics.