Open CPN Setup

[matthewriches]

I will be renewing all my equipment in the next month due to a lot of it being the old stuff that came with the boat and some water damaged, etc...

I am looking at getting a Garmin GMR 18 HD which will feed into Open CPN. This will be run on some sort of computer (maybe a Dell Optiplex of some description or a laptop/notebook. These will feed onto 2 screens mounted above the helm windows. Being fed from the same PC will be chart plotter, speed, distance, gps, navtex, AIS, etc as well as CCTV from the boat and engine room.

I'll save the iCom and simrad radios as these are fairly new.

I carry a couple of iPads and these will be available incase of a failure with the main system. I will be able to view the screens from up on the flybridge meaning no nav equipment to get wet of damp over the winter.


I'm hesitant to go out and buy some chart plotter or system that will be out of date in a few years.

What have people got in the same way as my plan?

 

[SteveSarabande]

the screens won't work in sunshine, chartplotter is better

 

[prv]

the screens won't work in sunshine, chartplotter is better

They will if you buy ones that are bright enough. Chart plotter manufacturers don't have some sort of monopoly on bright display panels.

Pete

 

[TSB240]

I will be renewing all my equipment in the next month due to a lot of it being the old stuff that came with the boat and some water damaged, etc...

I am looking at getting a Garmin GMR 18 HD which will feed into Open CPN. This will be run on some sort of computer (maybe a Dell Optiplex of some description or a laptop/notebook. These will feed onto 2 screens mounted above the helm windows. Being fed from the same PC will be chart plotter, speed, distance, gps, navtex, AIS, etc as well as CCTV from the boat and engine room.

I'll save the iCom and simrad radios as these are fairly new.

I carry a couple of iPads and these will be available incase of a failure with the main system. I will be able to view the screens from up on the flybridge meaning no nav equipment to get wet of damp over the winter.


I'm hesitant to go out and buy some chart plotter or system that will be out of date in a few years.

What have people got in the same way as my plan?

I havent got a Garmin radar! We feed our ais/GPS into open CPN running on one of these....

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_sacat=0&_nkw=Pipo+X9&_sop=15

No fan no hard drive basically a tablet without a battery but with connectivity.

I use my phone as a repeater


plug in to your widescreen telly and you can have a 42'' plotter or bigger if you want.

You can use LAN wifi and blutooth for repeaters.

I currently feed the unit with GPS and ais to open cpn Open CPN then multiplexes at different baud rate back to boat instrument with nav info.

Boat network feeds it with wind and boat speed and depth/temp.

Unit also runs Navmonpc that allows you to data log any NMEA sentences speeds winds depths fuel etc.

Proper paper chart style charts available from Visit My Harbour. Way better than the mickey mouse cartoon rasters!

 

[matthewriches]

What AIS and GPS do you use?

 

[ianj99]

They will if you buy ones that are bright enough. Chart plotter manufacturers don't have some sort of monopoly on bright display panels.

Pete

I've tried various screens, including 400cd/m ones and they were, a) no use in bright light and b) power hungry (especially the brighter ones so I have gone back to a plotter with sonar (Lowrance Elite). I will keep the pc system (a Gigabyte Brix mini pc) as a backup or for down below.
Have you come across any which are both bright >400cd/m and low power (<30watts)?

 

[TSB240]

What AIS and GPS do you use?

Some links for you....

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?385367-Matsutec-HP-33A-AIS-Transponder

http://huayang-tech.en.alibaba.com/...ec_HP_33A_4_3_marine_GPS_AIS_transponder.html

 

[prv]

Have you come across any which are both bright >400cd/m and low power (<30watts)?

I haven't, because I don't use a computer on board so I've never needed to look. But google easily finds a selection, eg

http://www.ginsbury.co.uk/products/sunlight-readable-displays-c-50
http://www.tru-vumonitors.com/products/sunlightreadablelcd.html

Pete

 

[RobbieW]

I've tried various screens, including 400cd/m ones and they were, a) no use in bright light and b) power hungry (especially the brighter ones so I have gone back to a plotter with sonar (Lowrance Elite). I will keep the pc system (a Gigabyte Brix mini pc) as a backup or for down below.
Have you come across any which are both bright >400cd/m and low power (<30watts)?

I use a Toughbook CF74 onboard, display rated at 460 nits (equivalence with cd/m2) generally uses about 3 amps - no its not as good as a plotter in direct, bright sunlight but it aint bad

 

[prv]

I use a Toughbook CF74 onboard, display rated at 460 nits (equivalence with cd/m2)

All the displays I linked to above are 1000 or more, quite a few 1500 and a handful of 2000.

At the end of the day, Raymarine and Navico don't manufacture LCD panels, they buy them in from far-eastern manufacturers who have other customers too. The idea that only a niche product like yachting plotters would have access to a commodity technology like that is obviously implausible.

Pete

 

[matthewriches]

I'm thinking I'll use a Digital Yacht AIT2000 to give me GPS and AIS straight into Open CPN by usb. A NEMA feed will then also come out of the AIT2000 to the already installed autopilot.

My VHF is a Icom M505 which will remain standalone and is already in place.

All I then need to add when I can afford it, is the Garmin radar.


I think that's all at least :ambivalence: