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Thread: Budget electronic charting

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
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    San Francisco Bay Area
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    2,095

    Default Budget electronic charting

    I've been toying with the idea of doing some electronic charting on the boat. Not that I need iton the Bay, but down the line in a few years there's a LongPac in my future, so...

    Here' the plan.

    1.) Windows Notebook, probably Windows 7. I have one already. It's a bit flakey, so I'll probably get a new one, used off of CL for probably $100.

    2.) Sea Clear software. Don't know about this? -- http://www.officialnoaacharts.com/seaclear_ii.htm

    It's free. It displays raster charts. it works with Windows 7 and 10. I actually bought the CD a couple of years ago.

    3. USB GPS unit. Like this....https://www.amazon.com/GlobalSat-BU-...ews/B008200LHW
    plug it into the computer and string the sensor up outside the hatch.

    4. ) free downloadable NOAA raster charts
    https://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/..._agreement.htm

    and

    http://www.charts.noaa.gov/Interacti...log/nrnc.shtml

    I've messed with this a few years ago, and it worked. It takes some setup time. This means that you have to load the charts into a directory, then open it with Sea Clear. You have to select a few points in each chart and tell Sea Clear the exact Lat/Long of those points. 4-5 points per chart is fine. Anyway, it worked a few years ago in my study, and sitting in the marina. Has anybody done this at sea?
    1968 Selmer Series 9 B-flat and A clarinets
    1962 Buesher "Aristocrat" tenor saxophone
    Piper One Design 24, Hull #35; "Alpha"

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    Seattle, WA
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    296

    Default

    I used Sea Clear for years on a Windows 7 machine, and installed on the current Windows 10 machine I bought earlier this year. Current version does not require calibration of the NOAA charts.

    I have since switched, however, to OpenCPN. Also free and very robust. Also pretty intuitive, thought I'm sure there are more features than I'm using that I would know about if I took the time to read more of the extensive help files on the website. Biggest plus for me: you don't have to copy the files for the downloaded charts into a single directory for OpenCPN to read them (as Sea Clear requires). Instead, download the whole NOAA catalogue, unpack the zip to a single directory; each chart will have its own subfolder with the .BBS and .KAP files for that chart; point OpenCPN at the master folder, and it can see all the individual charts from there. The way OpenCPN quilts and zooms between different scale chart for the same area is also much smoother. The way it shows AIS data is also better, with a cool little feature that gives you a graphic on the chart screen of where your CPA with a given target will be. Overall the program is definitely a big improvement over Sea Clear.

    For GPS input to the laptop, I use the NMEA 0083 output from the Garmin chart plotter at the helm, then run that through a Serial-to-USB converter cable. In between is an multiplexer (Noland Engineering, XP15; $170 direct from mfr) that splits out the GPS feed so that the same data is going to the other things on board that can use it: DSC VHF, radar, and autopilot.
    Lee
    s/v Morning Star
    Valiant 32

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    Seattle, WA
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    Here's the screen shot of OpenCPN running right now while I'm anchored in Mission Bay, San Diego.

    Name:  OpenCPN screen shot.jpg
Views: 594
Size:  189.6 KB
    Lee
    s/v Morning Star
    Valiant 32

  4. #4
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    Sep 2007
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    San Francisco Bay Area
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    Default

    Nice!

    Thank you very much, I will be looking for this package next week!
    1968 Selmer Series 9 B-flat and A clarinets
    1962 Buesher "Aristocrat" tenor saxophone
    Piper One Design 24, Hull #35; "Alpha"

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    Montara, CA
    Posts
    803

    Default

    Concur with OpenCPN. It has everything you need (and some things you don't), but the downloads and settings can be a bit funky. If you run into trouble, there are many people here who can provide assistance. Unfortunately, I am not one of them, and I recently got a new hard drive so I need to reinstall the program, too. Maybe we can get a group together to do it. Personally, I'd include radar on this list. AIS is great for the big guys, but I picked up one singlehander on radar during the LongPac who came within a couple hundred feet, though I didn't see him anywhere at the helm when I had popped up out of the cabin to say hello as he passed very close by!

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Location
    Discovery Bay, CA
    Posts
    496

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    I have gone to budget budget electronic charting. I use MX Mariner on an Android tablet which is mounted in a cradle in the cabin. The tablet GPS works fine belowdecks. The app costs about $5.00 and allows you to load some or all of the US chart regions for free. It is basic and simple and extremely low power which has its advantages. When you buy it you can load on all your devices so I have it and the charts on my phone too. I did not want to pay $200 for Hawaii charts for my primary Raymarine plotter so I relied on my backup Garmin and the tablet (and paper) for final approach. I was pretty happy with the tablet. I did have a low power PC aboard and used that for weather.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
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    54

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    Very informative thread. Has anybody attempted to feed information from a VHF radio that includes AIS/GPS/DCS features into a laptop or tablet? I would think my position and AIS threats could be plotted against the appropriate chart background with relatively little cussing, fumming and referencing to owners manuals??

  8. #8
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    Aug 2013
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    Seattle, WA
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    Quote Originally Posted by FUGU-W30 View Post
    . . . I would think my position and AIS threats could be plotted against the appropriate chart background with relatively little cussing, fumming and referencing to owners manuals??
    In my experience quite a bit of cussing and fuming was involved, with much time spent unsuccessfully looking for help in manuals. Things I’ve learned:

    1. Not all serial-USB converters are created equal; a cheap one does just fine for my GPS feed, but will make the computer go nuts if used with the AIS feed.
    2. Use the same physical USB port for the same device every time; otherwise the computer will re-assign com ports, and the software won’t see the device anymore.
    3. The sequence in which you power things on, plug things in, and launch programs matters. It took considerable trial and error, taking copious notes, to get a reliable process for successfully initializing the Pactor modem each time. For example, turning on the SSB radio comes two steps after turning on the power breaker for the SSB!
    4. And some things just can’t be done. For example, Air Mail and OpenCPN both use the GPS feed, but only one of them can see it at a time. So if I want to send an email with automatic position report, I have to close OpenCPN before launching Air Mail.
    Lee
    s/v Morning Star
    Valiant 32

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Santa Barbara Sometimes
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    167

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    Frolic’s simple system allows OpenCPN and airmail self-reporting to co-exist. Position, etc, is output from a Garmin 76 handheld which feeds the laptop via USB, and the AIS radio, pactorIIIusb modem, radar, and autopilot via NMEA 0183. The AIS targets from a Standard-Horizon 2150 VHF radio are fed into the laptop via a serial/nmea (high-speed) to USB adapter (one recommended by Michael Jefferson). I’ve had no trouble running OpenCPN while simultaneously using airmail. Perhaps it’s because of the two interfaces to the Garmin GPS (USB and NMEA).

  10. #10
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    Aug 2013
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    Seattle, WA
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    Quote Originally Posted by hodgmo View Post
    . . . I’ve had no trouble running OpenCPN while simultaneously using airmail. Perhaps it’s because of the two interfaces to the Garmin GPS (USB and NMEA).
    Very interesting. My Garmin is an older GPSmap 192C, which seems to only have NMEA output, so I don't have the option of your solution.

    I'm going to have to play around some more next chance I get. I have the PTC-II Pro, updated with PTC-III firmware, with two serial connections, both routed to an EdgePort converter. The USB output from the EdgePort generates two com ports on the laptop, one of which handles the radio control functions. Perhaps the other could convey GPS info to Airmail, while OpenCPN looks to the separate com port handling the GPS.

    Here's a screen shot of Device manager with GPS, AIS, and EdgePort/Pactor all hooked up:

    Name:  Comm port settings.jpg
Views: 604
Size:  217.5 KB

    Open to any suggestions.
    Last edited by AZ Sailor; 08-16-2017 at 02:09 PM.
    Lee
    s/v Morning Star
    Valiant 32

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