Feature Requests

[cagney]

Originally Posted by barbara ann

I was looking on the OpenCpn site, and in this forum, for any mention of if and when the CM93 version 3 charts will ever be able to be used. I tried to "point" the program at the charts, but no go, and I see from your site that they are not compatible.

Thank you very much for your report, and update!

All proprietary encrypted formats mentioned on this page and CM93_3 are unlikely to ever be available in OpenCPN, a free and opensource software, unless the owner of the format writes a plugin that can be used with OpenCPN. Such plugins will not be free, neither in the meaning "free speach" or in the meaning "free beer".
There has been some discussions lately regarding a S63 ENC plugin. Dave invited interested commercial companies, to write a plugin. At least one company has expressed such interest. We will have to see what happens.
Why not contact Cmap (Jeppesen)?

Originally Posted by barbara ann

Also, the vector chart site link for free SE Asia charts (posted on a couple of cruising sites and forums) doesn't seem to work. The URL is not active.

I suppose you are talking about the South China Sea charts?
The East Asia Hydrographic Commission (EAHC), has updated their website, and the new link is: South China Sea Electronic Navigational Charts East Asia Hydrographic Commission

The link in the OpenCPN Wiki, Chart sources | Official OpenCPN Homepage has been updated.

Thomas

[dacust]

Originally Posted by barbara ann

...
Also, the vector chart site link for free SE Asia charts (posted on a couple of cruising sites and forums) doesn't seem to work. The URL is not active.
...

Hmmm, you're right. When I get home I'll look through my e-mails from them and see if they changed something, but I don't remember anything like that.

-dan

[b_syrsa]

Just back from two weeks sailing using OpenCPN. It works great. Only two small things:
1. I would like to be able to have two screens with different scales. One with an overview and one with detailed view.
2. Possibility to change size of ship and track marks.

Anyway its a great program and I would like to send many thanks to everbody thats working on it.

BR Sven

[Golden Mean]

Canadian BSB-4 Encrypted Charts
Canadian raster charts are encrypted in BSB-4 format which OpenCPN cannot read. Something I found out after I purchased two new CD sets of West Coast charts. I like using OpenCPN and want to avoid having to purchase other (higher priced) marine nav. software that can read the BSB-4 format. Any chance us folks north of the 49 th parallel can support development / licensing so that OpenCPN can read the Canadian BSB-4 charts? I would be prepared to kick in a few $ towards this process.
Thanks for all your good work!
Paul

[sv Aurelia]

Version:1.0 StartHTML:0000000167 EndHTML:0000002752 StartFragment:0000000484 EndFragment:0000002736 Chart boarders


I'm testing opencpn on mine Macbook to see if its fits mine needs. I use enc charts from iENC | RIS portal Nederland but they are still in a very preliminary state (no depth lines) etc and mine own scanned chart set. Converted them with RasterChart2BSB to a *.kap file and implemented them into opencpn so far went all good only when sailing from the Haringvliet out to the Northsee I noticed I was still on the Haringvliet chart but on the outside of the lock at the North sea without a proper vieuw of the boys etc. fig 1 is at the Oosterschelde passing the bridge you have to switch to the next chart but on the last one is still a blank place without navigational info and opencpn switch only to the next chart if you pass the border of the chart where you where on at that moment.
I solved the problem by hand due to drawing a route across the charts boarders
Saving this route as a gpx file and opening this in a text editor
Leaving the lat and lon data and getting rid of the rest will leave you with two collums of lat lon data of the route marks then completing each line so it will look like this PLY/<follow number>, <xx.xxxxx>,<yy.yyyyyy>
Open the .kap file which you draw the route outline on and select the 4 lines which begin with “PLY”

Paste the lines in this kap file you just made so it will look like this
Force a chart data base rebuild within opencpn and voila when passing the bridge next chart will be active also. One question is remaining if it also possible that data outside the chart boarders won't show up in Opencpn


Mine thought now is it should be reasonable easy to make work within Opencpn by just making a tool like route manager and then applying it in the chart in one go. I would do it but it is far beyond mine programming knowledge.

[ggarrouste]

Originally Posted by ColdFusion

I'm using a widescreen laptop, but I hadn't thought of that. Doh! Having the toolbar on the right-hand side of the screen would make a lot of sense It would enable the Look Ahead Mode to look, umm, further ahead

motorbaad for president

+1 for this !!!
Screens are becoming larger but loose height ..

[cagney]

sv Aurelia


I suppose you are using the mac 1.3.6 published on the opencpn.org download page? It is very unfortunate that there still is no 2.1.0 version for Mac.
Many of the questions you raise are treated differently in 2.1.0, for example, quilting changes quite a few things.

The PLY values in a kap file simply specifies the border of the chart.
In your case, there is no information of value in the NW corner and you want to force OpenCPN to move to the next chart earlier. You can do this very simple by just noting the lat&long of the points that define the borderline you want. Use these values, to directly edit the kap file, make sure the PLY values comes in the right sequence. To avoid possible file index corruption, then run "bsbfix".
There is no need to use routes and gpx files at all.
For more on this subject check the chart thread and related threads.

Thomas

[sv Aurelia]

I do understand it but also with chart quilting it is a problem see picture the charts are laing on top of each other so what Ithink would be nice to have a is a tool where i could draw the outline of the chart I want which paste this into the Kap file and opencpn would only show what would be inside this outline. chart quilting would be a lot nicer to look at I think.

yes it is 1.36 thats a pity. I build beta 7xx in opensuse 11.2 32 bit and 64 (pic is 64 bit) but I still in the learning curve to do a osx build so far 71 warnings and 4 failures still trying to narrow it down.

[sv Aurelia]

Oke I have build 809 more ore less up and running on mine mac and this is exactly what I mend with charts inside the boarder I don't have a clue why these two charts are quilted because chart quilt is not sellected yet, it clutters the charts but step by step its coming there.

[cagney]

Chart quilting is on, because you cannot see the zoom level in lower right hand corner. Quilting toggles with the "F9" key.

Thomas

[sv Aurelia]

Originally Posted by cagney

Chart quilting is on, because you cannot see the zoom level in lower right hand corner. Quilting toggles with the "F9" key.

Thomas

Thanks you where right

[sinbad7]

The Mark WP/ properties box is lacking a lighthouse icon and also regular IALA boyage icons. Would be good if the icons could be made the same size as shown in the full size attached illustration as I find the present ones a bit too small.

There is a problem with inserted navigation marks as they move when the scale is changed. Can not see why as all the new marks when saved also have their positions saved. I am entering the navigation marks in converted/calibrated .kap charts.

[teejayevans]

Is there a "goto" function to allow quickly going to a gps coordinate?
Also, would it be possible to search for text in the charts, searching for
a creek, etc?
TIA,Tom

[fbabian]

Has anyone thought about incorporating boat polar data (boat speed vs wind) into opencpn? Some features that would be useful to sailors:

1. Provide feedback on how close to optimal speed a boat is being sailed.

2. A basis for optimal routing software.

3. A method to measure polar data for comparison to predicted values.

For anyone interested theoretical performance data for many boats is available at U.S. Sailing for a modest fee.

Fred

[Healer52]

I'm not sure if this is a feature request or something I haven't figured out how to do yet...but for planning/dreaming purposes, being able to quickly set the chart (say US51) and drill down from there, rather than drill up and up and up then down again....