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Budget electronic charting

A

AlanH

compulsive typist
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-353-S4-USB-Receiver-Black/product-reviews/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/mcd/Raster/download_agreement.htm

and

http://www.charts.noaa.gov/InteractiveCatalog/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?
 
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.
 
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!
 
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.
 
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??
 
FUGU-W30 said:
. . . 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??
Click to expand...

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.
 
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).
 
hodgmo said:
. . . 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).
Click to expand...

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:

Comm port settings.jpg

Open to any suggestions.
 
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Have any of you tried using OpenCPN on Linux, using a Windows emulator, like Wine?

EDIT: never mind...runs on LINUX!
 
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Actually, looks like I have a free copy of Windows Vista I can use on this ancient laptop. That's nasty, but it should work.
 
Pretty slick. I downloaded and installed it tonight. I used the chart downloader to grab about a dozen local charts for SF Bay and the coastline a couple hundred miles up and down....works great. Now to pick up a little usb gps receiver.

Heck, I might have to buy a new battery for this laptop, this is so painless to use.
 
There was an inexpensive Chinese BU-353 GPS receiver in Alan's stocking this Christmas. It works great with OpenCPN. I've discovered that I can't run OpenCPN at the same time as their included GPS monitoring software, but that's no big deal. Sweet! Now to buy a new battery for this ancient laptop.
 
AlanH said:
It works great with OpenCPN.
Click to expand...

Same plan here, i.e. OpenCPN. In fact if there's enough interest on the forum with Bay locals would any be interested to meet up and discuss how to best use this and qtVlm and other plug ins, getting weather forecasts etc?
 
So, the terribly clever Jacqueline Philpott showed me her nifty little Samsung Galaxy Tab E Lite, 7 inch electronic whiz toy at the cruise-in this weekend. She pointed out that she'd installed a $14 app and a bunch of NOAA charts. Because the Galaxy has a GPS built in, it displays charts and puts a little red boat on the chart in your location. Well, cool. Just like the big boys'n girls. Also, apparently OpenCPN now has versions which run on Android tablets, but two blog reports I've read say it's still kind of buggy.

This thing is the perfect size, IMHO. It's about the overall size of a paperback book, so it's significantly more view-able than a cell phone, but not so big that it's a PITA in the cockpit. I just bought one on ebay for $65. I will follow her lead and install a kids shockproof holder, as she pointed out that she's dropped a couple of them. They're $10... That would be me, I will drop the thing for sure. It will live mostly in a ziploc bag, when it's in the cockpit.

Any dedicated marine GPS charting display with a 7-inch screen is $200-$400.

I bought a new battery for the laptop, as well. So now the laptop will live down below and the Galaxy will sit in a little cloth pouch in the cockpit in it's plastic bag, safe and dry until it's 1:00 AM on a Farallones race and the fog is thick as peanut butter. Also, this fulfills the YRA and Coasties requirement that the boat have a GPS on board. My old early 2000 Magellans give me lat/long, speed and course but are so old they're not mapping units. They also can take 5 minutes-plus to acquire 4 satellites to get a really good fix.

THANKS, Jackie!
 
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