pc type plotter /software

[Yngmar]

http://o-charts.org/shop/index.php?id_category=8&controller=category&id_lang=4

Charts available growing constantly.

We bought the Spanish o-charts this year, primarily to try them out. The price was fair, but the charts were disappointing. They were much the same as the 2011 CM-93 everyone has as "base map", only of course up to date. That means they're very good, accurate shipping charts, but completely lacking for cruising. They're the same as the official Spanish charts though, which are also completely lacking in detail for most anchorages and even some marinas. They're not aimed at the leisure market at all, they're for shipping.

We also have Navionics on the phone, which had extremely accurate soundings for every anchorage and marina on it, along with all the other stuff. Not sure where they get that from if the official charts don't have it, perhaps it's all crowdsourced data from their "Sonarchart" feature, or perhaps they do their own hydrographic surveys, but it works. Sadly not in OpenCPN.

So for now we use them together, OpenCPN for passage planning/offshore and steering to track with the autopilot and Navionics when we are close to shore or anchoring. We didn't bother buying the Italian o-charts, as we expect they're much the same as the Spanish. Not sure if there is a good source of leisure charts for OpenCPN for these areas.

 

[david_bagshaw]

What do you use for charts on OpenCPN these days? That was the problem when I last looked at it.

visit my harbour uk admiralty download. comes with one windows licence and 2 android. needs master mariner for the android..

personally use a wifi box from nmea tools to connect to the nav data stream

 

[mbroom]

We bought the Spanish o-charts this year, primarily to try them out. The price was fair, but the charts were disappointing. They were much the same as the 2011 CM-93 everyone has as "base map", only of course up to date. That means they're very good, accurate shipping charts, but completely lacking for cruising. They're the same as the official Spanish charts though, which are also completely lacking in detail for most anchorages and even some marinas. They're not aimed at the leisure market at all, they're for shipping.

We also have Navionics on the phone, which had extremely accurate soundings for every anchorage and marina on it, along with all the other stuff. Not sure where they get that from if the official charts don't have it, perhaps it's all crowdsourced data from their "Sonarchart" feature, or perhaps they do their own hydrographic surveys, but it works. Sadly not in OpenCPN.

So for now we use them together, OpenCPN for passage planning/offshore and steering to track with the autopilot and Navionics when we are close to shore or anchoring. We didn't bother buying the Italian o-charts, as we expect they're much the same as the Spanish. Not sure if there is a good source of leisure charts for OpenCPN for these areas.

I agree. Just returned from 3 months sailing, I tried o-charts for UK, France, Azores and Spain and was disappointed with them.

 

[Joker]

I bought the Swedish ones. Was underwhelmed. Adequate but lacking detail.

 

[GHA]

Seems these days the official hydrographical office charts aren't very popular any more - so where do the rest of the alternatives get the data from?

Not so sure about navionics, seen it way out before but in fairness that was in the middle of nowhere up the top end of the Guadiana.

 

[moomba]

Sorry if this sounds silly but what more data do you need on a chart , im under the impression that the official hydro graphical charts have enough detail to navigate so what is missing that makes then only adequate or people disappointing in them
, im assuming it is the detail of the coastline i.e harbours etc or am i wrong , asking as just about to invest in o charts and it seems
their no good but at 29 euros for the whole of the UK AND FRANCE can we really complain , obviously safety is paramount ,

 

[fergie_mac66]

can anybody post a screenshot of o charts . to see what the problem is .
heres cm93 of alderney in opencpn.I have limited display of some detail

 

[maby]

Sorry if this sounds silly but what more data do you need on a chart , im under the impression that the official hydro graphical charts have enough detail to navigate so what is missing that makes then only adequate or people disappointing in them
, im assuming it is the detail of the coastline i.e harbours etc or am i wrong , asking as just about to invest in o charts and it seems
their no good but at 29 euros for the whole of the UK AND FRANCE can we really complain , obviously safety is paramount ,

I guess it comes down to supporting information - things like the characteristics of moorings, marinas and harbours, fuel depots, chandleries etc. etc. These are all included with charts like Navionics and Garmin. Admittedly, those charts cost quite a lot more than 29 euros - each purchaser will have to decide how much the additional information is worth.

 

[david_bagshaw]

I guess it comes down to supporting information - things like the characteristics of moorings, marinas and harbours, fuel depots, chandleries etc. etc. These are all included with charts like Navionics and Garmin. Admittedly, those charts cost quite a lot more than 29 euros - each purchaser will have to decide how much the additional information is worth.

isnt that what a pilot book is for?

 

[Mikedefieslife]

Sorry but you have obviously not used PC Plotter or many similar things. It is a fully functional and independent PC-based chartplotter, independent of whatever your marine chartplotter is. It (and many things like it) supports AIS, GRIB overlay, etc etc (probably not radar other than MARPA work because not many/no PC solutions do). It is more analogous to the sort of thing used on Volvo/clipper racing and not what I suspect you are thinking if, which is some basic PC software bundled with or sold by Garmin.

OpenCPN does do radar overlay and ARPA (rather than cumbersome MARPA), but then is more of pain to try and get decent charts covering the Med like you can with Navionics and Garmin.

 

[GHA]

I guess it comes down to supporting information - things like the characteristics of moorings, marinas and harbours, fuel depots, chandleries etc. etc. These are all included with charts like Navionics and Garmin. Admittedly, those charts cost quite a lot more than 29 euros - each purchaser will have to decide how much the additional information is worth.

So is the "extra data" missing on Ocharts stuff which you wouldn't find in admiralty 5011?

 

[bitbaltic]

OpenCPN does do radar overlay and ARPA (rather than cumbersome MARPA), but then is more of pain to try and get decent charts covering the Med like you can with Navionics and Garmin.

I didn’t say it didn’t (most or all proper PC charting systems inc Open CPN do, open CPN would be covered in my ‘many others’)

It does seem to have a weakness in terms of chart availability but then the software is good and free so what do people expect.

 

[RobbieW]

So is the "extra data" missing on Ocharts stuff which you wouldn't find in admiralty 5011?

From my observations, I find that the 'shipping' charts are much slower to include up to date plans and soundings from smaller ports that are not visited by commercial shipping. As an example, though I dont have Licata in my Navionics portfolio anymore, the new marina facilities in Licata have been very slow to show up.

Certainly Navionics crowd source much of their depth data, I think Garmin do as well, so its different to the data derived from hydrographic surveys of an area. Whether its more accurate is up for debate

 

[maby]

isnt that what a pilot book is for?

That is certainly an alternative - but it can be convenient to have the information available on the screen that you are using for navigation. I have not purchased a pilot book in quite a few years.

 

[bitbaltic]

From my observations, I find that the 'shipping' charts are much slower to include up to date plans and soundings from smaller ports that are not visited by commercial shipping. As an example, though I dont have Licata in my Navionics portfolio anymore, the new marina facilities in Licata have been very slow to show up.

Certainly Navionics crowd source much of their depth data, I think Garmin do as well, so its different to the data derived from hydrographic surveys of an area. Whether its more accurate is up for debate

You can take or leave the crowd sourced depth data in Navionics (turn it off in the app or not bother downloading it to the SD cards).

Where I sail there is no crowd to source any data from so I ignore it.