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Charting software

  • 04 May 2011 07:57
    Quote
    Reply # 583886 on 583559
    Anonymous member
    These are the current capabilities of OpenCPN:
    • BSBv3 raster and S57 ENC chart support.
    • CM93 vector chart support.
    • IHO S52 compliant display of S57 vector charts.
    • Single-chart and Quilted display modes.
    • North-up, Course-up and Skewed-up display modes.
    • Moving-map display mode.
    • Route navigation with ship tracking functions.
    • Waypoint navigation.
    • Dashboard for configurable on-screen display of ship's NMEA data.
    • NMEA 0183 GPS interface at selectable baud rate.
    • gpsd library support.
    • Autopilot output support.
    • AIS input with full target tracking and collision alerting.
    • Anchor watch/alarm functions.
    • GRIB file input and display for weather forecasting.
    • GPX Waypoint, Track and Route input and output file support.
    • Tide and Current prediction and display by location.
    • Multi-language support.
    And it runs on all of the modern operating systems, namely:

          * Windows 98,2000,XP,Vista,7
          * Linux, BSD, Solaris
          * Macintosh OSX

    Whats there not to like? The price is right (no charge) and there is plenty of support on the OpenCPN forum.

    You can get OpenCPN here: http://opencpn.org/download  and the forum is here: http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f134/ and you can view the manual here: http://opencpn.org/opencpn_manual .

    A good source for electronic charts and books is Navigators Bookshelf, mostly USA orientated but useful for others as well. The link is: http://www.jarogers.com/08.htm Much of the stuff they sell is available for free but their charges are modest and they do save you a great deal of looking.
    Last modified: 04 May 2011 07:57 | Anonymous member
  • 03 May 2011 22:56
    Quote
    Message # 583559
    Anonymous member
    When I was in the USA, I found that the USA ENC charts are open source, and you can download all 600-odd free:
    I bought MacENC for my Macbook, to run them on:

    I found it to be pretty good, but I can't read the laptop screen when the laptop is on the chart table, even in overcast weather, and even after I'd made a little hood like an old-fashioned radar, so my use of it was confined to printing of disposable paper charts on cheap copy paper of sections that I was about to pass through. That's not what computers onboard are supposed to be like, but it works for me, and for others who are concerned that the computer might throw a fit just as they come to a tricky passage with rocks to the right of them, rocks to the left of them...
       " ...there is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in junk-rigged boats" 
                                                               - the Chinese Water Rat

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