Feature Requests

[P_Dub]

No problem in Windows 10 Pro, Dell Laptop i7 intel.
Bye

[RhythmDoctor]

Originally Posted by Hakan

On Win10:
I use a local portable mode all the time beside a normal OCPN instance. Both are using the same charts but the portable are storing the path in a different way.

My config file for the normal instance reads:

[ChartDirectories]
ChartDir1=C:\\Users\\admin\\Documents\\Charts\\CM93^

And my config file for the portable instance reads:

[ChartDirectories]
ChartDir1=..\\..\\Users\\admin\\Documents\\Charts\\CM93^

Håkan

Sorry, I've been away awhile and just now saw this.

Do you have OpenGL activated on your portable instance? Are you running v4.2 or v4.4? If both are true and it's not freezing, then that's a significant difference from what I am experiencing.

Would you be willing to copy your portable install (and some charts) to a thumb drive or SD card (i.e., a drive other than C: ), then set your path to the new chart directory? It may be helpful to know whether having the charts on the external portable install causes a freeze.

Here is my chart directory for my portable instance:

ChartDir1=..\\..\\Sailboat\\Charts^

It's almost identical to yours, except in my case the program and charts are kept on a drive other than C:.

That could be a significant difference. I will try a similar experiment moving my charts to C: drive once I get home. Right now I'm working on a work computer that prevents launching any non-company approved programs.

[Hakan]

RD...
I've had the same portable setup form O version 3 through all versions and at each time present Git code, now on current 4.5 and since I'm running the BR24radar plugin OpenGL is always active.

I could make a USB-portable test - no problem - but it will take some days before I'm able to do it. I'll revert.
Håkan

[rgleason]

Rhythm Doctor

Would you be willing to copy your portable install (and some charts) to a thumb drive or SD card (i.e., a drive other than C: ), then set your path to the new chart directory? It may be helpful to know whether having the charts on the external portable install causes a freeze.

After seeing Hakan's post and bdbcat posts, I wonder if this is at all related to upgrading to newer versions. The symptoms seem to be similar to problems I've had after building & torturing plugins, updating charts and then expecting my O upgrade to go as planned.

Perhaps you have already started out simple, with a new USB stick & new install, and then reference the charts, and process the DB etc?

Best (sorry I've not read the posts in full detail)

[Hakan]

Originally Posted by RhythmDoctor

Sorry, I've been away awhile and just now saw this.

Do you have OpenGL activated on your portable instance? Are you running v4.2 or v4.4? If both are true and it's not freezing, then that's a significant difference from what I am experiencing.

Would you be willing to copy your portable install (and some charts) to a thumb drive or SD card (i.e., a drive other than C: ), then set your path to the new chart directory? It may be helpful to know whether having the charts on the external portable install causes a freeze...................

RD....
Now I've copied my portable setup to a USB drive. I let O made a new config file.
The start file, on C:\, says: E:\OCPN_port\opencpn.exe -p
I loaded some charts on C:\ and on E:\. The config file says:
[ChartDirectories]
ChartDir1=E:\\OCPN_port\\charts^
ChartDir2=C:\\Users\\admin\\Documents\\Charts\\BSB _SE^1172097954198
ChartDir3=C:\\Users\\admin\\Documents\\Charts\\KAP _SE^9540480188
BUT!!!
ChartDir1 is not seen and thus no charts from USB drive are detected. There is no note in the log file for charts at E:\\OCPN_port\\charts.

BUT again!!

If I start the portable instance from E:\OCPN_port\OCPN_port_onE.bat that reads: opencpn.exe -p and reload all charts all these charts are found:
[ChartDirectories]
ChartDir1=C:\\Users\\admin\\Documents\\Charts\\BSB _SE^1172097954198
ChartDir2=Charts_E\\KAP_SE^8130525924

Logical or not, in that way it works.

Håkan

[George64]

In another forum there is a topic ongoing on performance measurement. This performance indicator shows the percentage of speed calculated in the polar diagram vs. the current boat speed at a given course and windspeed. Based on a parameter, the boat speed can be SOG or STW. Sending out this parameter as a NMEA-string, would make it possible to have it shown on a display as well. The NMEA-string probably as the be an excisting one that gets new parameters. This to forcome it's rejected by one of the instruments because of a unknown string.

The polar information has to be entered and for those values not known in the polar, an interpolation needs to be done by the OpenCPN-program or plugin.

Would it be possible to make a plugin (or standard OpenCPN-feature) to show the performance?

Thanks for thoughts on this one.

[seandepagnier]

Originally Posted by George64

In another forum there is a topic ongoing on performance measurement. This performance indicator shows the percentage of speed calculated in the polar diagram vs. the current boat speed at a given course and windspeed. Based on a parameter, the boat speed can be SOG or STW. Sending out this parameter as a NMEA-string, would make it possible to have it shown on a display as well. The NMEA-string probably as the be an excisting one that gets new parameters. This to forcome it's rejected by one of the instruments because of a unknown string.

The polar information has to be entered and for those values not known in the polar, an interpolation needs to be done by the OpenCPN-program or plugin.

Would it be possible to make a plugin (or standard OpenCPN-feature) to show the performance?

Thanks for thoughts on this one.

It's possible but how do you deal with sea states? What kind of sensors are you using?

[George64]

Thanks for your feedback.

In a more rough seastate, you will probably not make the polar values. The performance percentage you'll see, will tell you how the boat is performing in relation to the polar. So called direct feedback when any changes made in the boat trim.

I think the information should be (will be) regardless your sensors because you'll use the nmea sentences going into OpenCPN.

[seandepagnier]

Originally Posted by George64

Thanks for your feedback.

In a more rough seastate, you will probably not make the polar values. The performance percentage you'll see, will tell you how the boat is performing in relation to the polar. So called direct feedback when any changes made in the boat trim.

I think the information should be (will be) regardless your sensors because you'll use the nmea sentences going into OpenCPN.

I would implement something but I don't have any wind sensors with nmea output.

[George64]

If you don't have sensors with nmea output, what info do you see in OpenCPN?

[.Paul.]

Flyspray#2162 Requests the addition to the Chart Downloader Plugin of Buoys and Overlay Catalogs from the USACE.


In addition to the "IENC U37 Product Catalog" (IENCU37ProductsCatalog.xml) that is maintained in XML format by the USACE (US Army Corps of Engineers), and that is used by the chartdldr_pi (chart_sources.xml), USACE maintains two other XML chart catalogs: "US ACE Inland ENC Buoy Overlay" (IENCBuoyProductsCatalog.xml) and "US ACE Inland ENC SW Pass Overlay" (IENCSWPassProductsCatalog.xml). The URL locations for the three catalogs are noted in this USACE web page:

Catalogs

The river charts (IENC U37) produced by USACE are missing most of the buoys that are maintained by the US Coast Guard. That maintenance includes repositioning buoys as required by seasonal changes in water depths. USACE updates the ENC Buoy Overlay to show the positions of buoys that are reported by the Coast Guard, and the IENCBuoyProductsCatalog.xml is updated by USACE to show the date of the latest update. This catalog should be added to the chart downloader to make it easier for OpenCPN users to obtain the river charts with the latest buoy positions. Also, using the USACE maintained catalogs is better than having OpenCPN Devs update a custom catalog.

The "US ACE Inland ENC SW Pass Overlay" is an overlay of water depths for the Southwest Pass of the Mississippi River from a short distance south of the entrance jetties to just upriver from Venise LA. The USACE surveys the river depths, and this overlay chart probably has newer soundings than those on the NOAA ENC. When the overlay is updated, the date in the catalog is udated by USACE. Again, it is better to have USACE update the catalog than a Dev.

I revised my copies of chart_sources.xml and chartcatalog.cpp to add IENCBuoyProductsCatalog.xml and IENCSWPassProductsCatalog.xml to the chartdldr_pi. Patch files are attached to Flyspray#2162.

Paul

[jim321]

can you pin a photo to the chart so that if you are coming up on an inlet or unfamiliar area you can click the pin and show the photo.
something like get a screenshot from google earth pin it to the chart before you leave so that when you approach the area you can click get an overview ?
would be a nice feature..

[.Paul.]

Originally Posted by jim321

can you pin a photo to the chart so that if you are coming up on an inlet or unfamiliar area you can click the pin and show the photo.
something like get a screenshot from google earth pin it to the chart before you leave so that when you approach the area you can click get an overview ?
would be a nice feature..

Jim,

To "pin a photo" to a chart:
1. Drop a mark on the chart.
2. Double click on the mark. This will open the "Waypoint Properties" dialog.
3. Scroll down in the Basic tab to "Links" and click on the "Add" button. This will open the "Link Properties" dialog.
4. Click on the "Local file..." button. This opens a dialog that lets you browse your computer to find the picture. When you find the picture, click on it. That will put the name of the picture in the "File name" box. Click on the "Open" button and the "URL" box will be filled in for you. You have the option of filling in the "Link description".
5. Click on "OK" or "Cancel" to close each dialog box.

In the future, you can view the photo by double clicking on the mark to open "Waypoint Properties" and click on the "Link".

You could make a screenshot of the Google Earth screen to be used as a photo as described above, but it is often better to make a raster chart from Google Earth using the GE2KAP system.

GE2KAP allows you to create navigation charts in .Kap format from Google earth.
It also can produce charts from the OpenCPN or SasPlanet windows and chart images that have calibration data this includes GeoTiff and GeoPDF images that have embedded calibration data.

Contact Information for GE2KAP:
Author: Paul Higgins
Homepage: [url=http://www.gdayii.ca]

Requirements for GE2KAP:

Windows 2K/XP/Vista/Win7/Windows 8, Windows 10.
Note: It can be run on MacOSX >= V10.5 or Linux/Gtk >= V2.6 if running Windows in a virtual machine.

.Paul.

[jim321]

Thank you Paul.

[Jon Hacking]

We have posted a full tutorial on using GE2KAP to make KAPs. It's at: KAP Files. All the tools are free on the web. It's a great program, especially for us out in the boonies of E Indonesia...