Best Navigation Software

[transmitterdan]

OpenCPN has a chart downloader built in. You don't have to do very much but read the manual. It knows the web location of all free official US charts and some other countries as well.

[jonbuilder]

Thank you GrowleMonster
John

[Ed-White]

Good day folks. I am trying to find a way to transfer my C-mapcf-95 NT card data onto OCPN without having to fork out the substantial $ for the PC Planner package. I am in Canada, thus cannot access free chart data from CHS like you lucky Yanks can from the NOAA. I do have all the US charts by the by on my OCPN program. I have been doing the google overlays on the base chart but this takes considerable fiddling and space. Would like to be able to plug the c-maps in. I have a usb gps which works fine on OCPN. Any ideas..perhaps a used item?
Thanks. Have also got the Navionics charts but they are not compatible with OCPN of course.
Cheers.

[sy_gilana]

Don't confuse the ENS (Electronic Navigation System) or ECDIS or the program, in our case OpenCPN, with the actual charts underlying the system.

Your position will be accurate on any system but the chart might be off some.

[GrowleyMonster]

Originally Posted by Ed-White

Good day folks. I am trying to find a way to transfer my C-mapcf-95 NT card data onto OCPN without having to fork out the substantial $ for the PC Planner package. I am in Canada, thus cannot access free chart data from CHS like you lucky Yanks can from the NOAA. I do have all the US charts by the by on my OCPN program. I have been doing the google overlays on the base chart but this takes considerable fiddling and space. Would like to be able to plug the c-maps in. I have a usb gps which works fine on OCPN. Any ideas..perhaps a used item?
Thanks. Have also got the Navionics charts but they are not compatible with OCPN of course.
Cheers.

Depends on what kind of coverage you need. If you just need a few charts and you don't need depths and nav aids then you can georeference saved google earth images. Usually the water color tells you go / no go fairly well if you only draw a few feet of water. It is said that some OCPN users are downloading copies of CM93 2011 edition I think that are being passed around, and using those out of date charts for non critical navigation. So they say. No large scale harbor charts but fairly complete worldwide coverage otherwise.

You may just have to bite the bullet and buy those charts that you just have to have, or run the navionics package.