Cruisers Forum
 


Reply
  This discussion is proudly sponsored by:
Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on Cruisers Forums. Advertise Here
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Rate Thread Display Modes
Old 18-03-2015, 08:52   #1
Moderator
 
Dockhead's Avatar

Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Denmark (Winter), Helsinki (Summer); Cruising the Baltic Sea this year!
Boat: Cutter-Rigged Moody 54
Posts: 33,764
Depth Logging

I am thinking about putting a depth sounder in my dinghy.

Since I've decided to keep and log around the heavy, difficult to store thing for the time being (Avon 340 wheel-steered with 25hp mariner), I want to get as much out of it as possible.

It occurred to me that it could be just tremendously useful, if I'm going to have a depth sounder on board anyway, to be able to buzz around the anchorage collecting soundings for later analysis. Or check out a questionable place in the dinghy before attempting it in the mother ship.

The thing is, is that most of the Baltic Sea is not really surveyed -- the chart data only approaches completeness in the areas traversed by commercial ships. The bays and passes of the millions of islands, which are the delight of recreational sailors, are largely uncharted, as I found out the hard way last summer.

Could we log depth data and combine it with position and time data, to create a log we could display in OpenCPN or otherwise on a chart? That would not seem to be much of a technical challenge, but how to do it, most conveniently?

Maybe using something like this?

http://www.jgtech.com/pdf/JGT-800BT.pdf
Dockhead is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 18-03-2015, 15:33   #2
Moderator Emeritus
 
Paul Elliott's Avatar

Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 4,663
Images: 4
Re: Depth Logging

I can't help with the display, but you can certainly log the raw depth / position / date / time data with NavMonPc (NavMonPc). Adding this data to a chart will take some work though.
__________________
Paul Elliott, S/V VALIS - Pacific Seacraft 44 #16 - Friday Harbor, WA
www.sailvalis.com
Paul Elliott is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 19-03-2015, 00:35   #3
Moderator
 
carstenb's Avatar

Community Sponsor
Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: May 2012
Location: At sea somewhere in the Pacific
Boat: Jeanneau Sun Fast 40.3
Posts: 6,351
Images: 1
Re: Depth Logging

Navionics apparently now does it

http://www.navionics.com/en/plotter-sync
__________________


https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=carsten...ref=nb_sb_noss

Our books have gotten 5 star reviews on Amazon. Several readers have written "I never thought I would go on a circumnavigation, but when I read these books, I was right there in the cockpit with Vinni and Carsten"
carstenb is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 19-03-2015, 02:01   #4
Registered User

Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Gulf Harbour, New Zealand
Boat: Farr Phase 4, 12.8m
Posts: 1,160
Re: Depth Logging

Navico Insight Genesis - already does this, makes either private or public charts, see https://insightstore.navico.com/insightgenesis
One of the lowrance sounders might suit you?
__________________
Matt Paulin
Neptune's Gear is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 19-03-2015, 15:14   #5
Registered User

Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Maryland USA
Boat: Beneteau Oceanis 37
Posts: 83
Re: Depth Logging

Definitely doable if you have NMEA depth sounder and GPS receivers. I don't know what kind of off the shelf software is available for this but I wrote myself a little Java program to record NMEA streams like this. Then I run another small program to parse the log into a file that can be opened in Google Earth as an overlay.


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum
Davidasailor is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 19-03-2015, 15:43   #6
Registered User

Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: STX and Portland, until refit finished
Boat: 1999 Steel (Tom Collin's design)
Posts: 371
Re: Depth Logging

I know next to nothing about the more sophisticated depth sounders and fish finding units.

Are there depth sounders that take a more or less 2D image for each point along the boat's track? Say return a depth for points a few feet to the port or starboard of the transducer's path?

So you could map a broad track through an area, and not have to run the survey dinghy through an area every hand full of feet?
ViribusUnitis is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 19-03-2015, 17:22   #7
Registered User

Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Gulf Harbour, New Zealand
Boat: Farr Phase 4, 12.8m
Posts: 1,160
Re: Depth Logging

Yes, that is what insight Genesis does. With a conventional depth finder (must be a Navico Genesis compatible unit) or a fwd scan unit...
Makes your own charts for areas that dont have one, or are poorly charted.
__________________
Matt Paulin
Neptune's Gear is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 21-03-2015, 05:49   #8
Moderator
 
Dockhead's Avatar

Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Denmark (Winter), Helsinki (Summer); Cruising the Baltic Sea this year!
Boat: Cutter-Rigged Moody 54
Posts: 33,764
Re: Depth Logging

Quote:
Originally Posted by Neptune's Gear View Post
Yes, that is what insight Genesis does. With a conventional depth finder (must be a Navico Genesis compatible unit) or a fwd scan unit...
Makes your own charts for areas that dont have one, or are poorly charted.
Very cool! Does it work if depth is coming from an ordinary N2K sounder?

I don't have a plotter in my dinghy, however. Are there any other options?

Sent from my D6633 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app
__________________
"You sea! I resign myself to you also . . . . I guess what you mean,
I behold from the beach your crooked inviting fingers,
I believe you refuse to go back without feeling of me;
We must have a turn together . . . . I undress . . . . hurry me out of sight of the land,
Cushion me soft . . . . rock me in billowy drowse,
Dash me with amorous wet . . . . I can repay you."
Walt Whitman
Dockhead is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 21-03-2015, 11:12   #9
Registered User
 
DeepFrz's Avatar

Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Winnipeg
Boat: None at this time
Posts: 8,462
Re: Depth Logging

WIFI??
DeepFrz is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 21-03-2015, 12:22   #10
Registered User

Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: between the devil and the deep blue sea
Boat: a sailing boat
Posts: 20,420
Re: Depth Logging

I think we had a MaxSea version that did just that.

BTW We found Swedish parts of Baltic waters very, very well surveyed. Now available from e.g. NV charts. Or get Swedish coastal folios (paper or CD) and you are done.

b.
barnakiel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 21-03-2015, 13:40   #11
Registered User

Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Gulf Harbour, New Zealand
Boat: Farr Phase 4, 12.8m
Posts: 1,160
Re: Depth Logging

For Insight genesis, you need one of the plotters listed here https://insightstore.navico.com/supported-products
One of the little Lowrance ones would be suitable for a dingy...
__________________
Matt Paulin
Neptune's Gear is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 21-03-2015, 14:06   #12
Moderator
 
Dockhead's Avatar

Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Denmark (Winter), Helsinki (Summer); Cruising the Baltic Sea this year!
Boat: Cutter-Rigged Moody 54
Posts: 33,764
Re: Depth Logging

Quote:
Originally Posted by Neptune's Gear View Post
For Insight genesis, you need one of the plotters listed here https://insightstore.navico.com/supported-products
One of the little Lowrance ones would be suitable for a dingy...
Thank you; hot tip!

Some of them are even sold -- at a very reasonable price -- with high powered sonar.

Maybe the right answer; thanks!
Dockhead is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22-03-2015, 11:27   #13
Registered User

Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 208
Re: Depth Logging

These guys were at one point looking for volunteers to contribute GPS tagged water depths. Not sure the status of it, but might be worth checking into.

http://www.openseamap.org/?L=1
monstads is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
depth

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Logging Programs SSB Ham and Marine Reality Check General Sailing Forum 0 26-10-2012 18:53
Logging In Bob on OTTER Meets & Greets 7 17-06-2011 19:27
Raytech Navigator Data Logging slbenfica Marine Electronics 0 27-04-2010 01:02
logging out in multihull forums schoonerdog Forum Tech Support & Site Help 1 03-02-2009 10:35
What Is The Problem With Logging Onto This Site Recently? CaptainK Forum Tech Support & Site Help 16 10-01-2006 03:35

Advertise Here


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 06:35.


Google+
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Social Knowledge Networks
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.

ShowCase vBulletin Plugins by Drive Thru Online, Inc.