Feature Requests

[antxon]

OCPN is becoming better in every new release. Anyway, I think that a Route Properties enhancement, making it editable, would be a great step forward as it's one of the few basic functionalities still not implemented in OCPN. When planning routes many days long, the only way to have a usable information about the route is being able to input a start date and diferent speeds for each leg, and obtain a real Day-and-Time of arrival for each leg and for the whole route, far more useful than the simple ETE now provided, with only one overall speed. Beeing in front of an expensive pc, running an otherwise beautiful piece of navigation software, it´s not logical to go back to a hand calculator to know the date of arrival. Also, when you have a list of written waypoints, the easiest way to build a route from them is through the route properties table, so you can input them consecutively and keeping a good overview. At least, if the table could be exported/imported to excel you could do there the editing and calculations and then go back to OCPN. Is there a way to do this?

[RhythmDoctor]

If this has already been requested, please add my vote for it:

It would be nice to have text, especially depth soundings, display right-side up even when the rest of the chart rotates for course-up mode. I realize that this is impossible for raster charts, but it should be technically possible for vector charts. It would also be nice to have the option to round off depths to an even number of feet, so the screen is not cluttered up with decimals.

Is this feature on the list for future releases, or is it too difficult to program and/or too taxing on the hardware?

Another feature that I know has been already requested is additional NMEA inputs for more devices. In particular, I would like to have inputs for depth, wind, and DSC distress signals. I have just ordered a SH GX2150 VHF/DSC/AIS radio, and I understand that it can be configured to send AIS and DSC through one port. Does anyone know if NMEA sentences for DSC that happen to come over the AIS channel get interpreted and displayed by OpenCPN? I have not seen any mention of DSC in any of the online documentation, so that has me guessing. Eventually, when the radio comes, I'll be able to experiment with this to figure it out on my own.

[bilgewater]

Not sure if this has been addressed or not, so here goes...

How about a button in the route manager dialog box for a "SAVE AS" to save a new route to the GPX folder based on the currently displayed route or the selected route in the route manager dialog box.

This would save quite a bit of time when creating a new route which shares many of the same waypoints as an existing route.

[fgd3]

Originally Posted by bilgewater

Not sure if this has been addressed or not, so here goes...

How about a button in the route manager dialog box for a "SAVE AS" to save a new route to the GPX folder based on the currently displayed route or the selected route in the route manager dialog box.

This would save quite a bit of time when creating a new route which shares many of the same waypoints as an existing route.

"Save" doesn't put a route in the GPX folder. To do that you use "Export". When you export a route you specify the file name under which you want it saved. Before you export the route you can use Route Properties to change the name of the route (which is not the same as the file name under which it is exported).

Right now there is a bug that prevents a route which was exported with a different name from being imported if the route from which it was created has been imported. You can get one or the other, but not both. I'm confident that will be fixed reasonably soon.

The bottom line: what you've asked for is already in there.

Fabbian

[wdkester]

I recently used OPENcpn on a trip from the northern Chesapeake to Isla Mujeres MX. The version I used was current with last September. I was quite pleased with the functionality. I did have a few crashes; but restarts are quick. I think they are fixed in the latest vers.

I do have one feature request. I had trouble with the track function; mostly due to my own clumsiness, and consequently do not have tracks for a lot of the trip. I would like to have some indication, permanently displayed, that track is off/on. One way is to alter the track icon to indicate on/off. It might be tempting to change the background color; but 1 out of 10 males are color blind.

Thanks for a great product!

[petermoree]

The indication is there but in my opinion far to subtle. You can see the outer edges of the track button turn grey when *ON*. This is the same with the other buttons. It would make the system much more idiot (crew) proof if the change between ON and OFF for all buttons would show up far more clearly

Peter

[wdkester]

RE: Track Icon
Thanks, petermoretree
Now if I can just remember; grey means on. Or is it .....
The AIS button would be a good example to follow.

[fgd3]

Originally Posted by petermoree

The indication is there but in my opinion far to subtle. You can see the outer edges of the track button turn grey when *ON*. This is the same with the other buttons. It would make the system much more idiot (crew) proof if the change between ON and OFF for all buttons would show up far more clearly

Peter

I agree. There needs to be more contrast in the toolbar and the selected icon images. There should also be feedback showing "left mouse button down" was recognized. Take a look at the attached screenshot and see if you think that would be an improvement.

Fabbian

[petermoree]

Fabbian, thanks. These black rectangles would be invisible in the nightsetting. Instead of the black I would choose a light blue. Maybe you can check also with someone who is color blind. These people have better nightvision but cannot distinguish several color combinations.

Peter

[HotRod]

How about just a cross over the entire icon when not activated.... Why wreck the nice edges of the icon with a frame? Even colorblind persons would see a X over the icon no matter what color it is...

[wdkester]

Originally Posted by petermoree

Fabbian, thanks. These black rectangles would be invisible in the nightsetting. Instead of the black I would choose a light blue. Maybe you can check also with someone who is color blind. These people have better nightvision but cannot distinguish several color combinations.

Peter

Peter,
Does the X used on the AIS button (with no AIS attached but defined) show up on night mode? If so this is a solution for the track button.

The x is clear; but I would prefer a little "on" and "off" at the bottom of the button. I really don't think anything is needed for the route manager button as the dialog box makes it obvious that the button has been left clicked.

A short disertation in color blindness: There are 3 basic types:red/green, yellow/blue, and total. Red/green people are unable to distinguish pure red from pure green of the same intensity. That's why most traffic lights have a green that is blueish and a red that is orangeish. Most color blind people are men and the most common type is red/green. Total color blind people are rare.

[petermoree]

David, I cannot test the AIS as I am onshore (winter in Holland and the boat is inside a heated shed for maintenance, we do spoil our yachts over here).

Uniformity of clickable buttons and how to make this visible under all conditions is almost an art form I guess.

Peter

[PjotrC]

Originally Posted by RhythmDoctor

Does anyone know if NMEA sentences for DSC that happen to come over the AIS channel get interpreted and displayed by OpenCPN? I have not seen any mention of DSC in any of the online documentation, so that has me guessing. Eventually, when the radio comes, I'll be able to experiment with this to figure it out on my own.

To this end I have just added a feature request to flyspray, together with a patch implementing a potential solution. Feedback and real data for testing appreciated.

Piotr

[cagney]

This is what Dave requested more than 6 month ago.

DSC Radio
Here is a "feature request" from me...

If you have DSC capable VHF radio, connected to opencpn by some means, then right click on AIS target should have context menu option to place direct bridge-to-bridge DSC call to this target.

I don't have such a radio, but they are becoming cheap and common in US waters.

Dave

Original post here:http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...tml#post471158

Nobody answered Daves post, so this is a feature that needs some testing. If it works...then it will be documented.

Thomas

[PjotrC]

Thomas,

NMEA 0183 output (DSC, DSE) is indeed becoming popular and available now even in low cost, handheld VHF (like HX851). However NMEA 0183 input in most VHF units is restricted to GPS functionality (RMC, GLL, GGA, more seldom ZDA, GNS).

Dave was probably referring to the DSI (DSC Transponder Initialize) and DSR (DSC Transponder Report) functionality. I think the integration between the radio and chartplotter here can be only partial, and I am not sure if Individual DSC Calls are very popular even with the coast stations, let alone OOWs... so maybe it is still early for doing this.

On the other hand, there seems to be a fast growing interest in tracking various types of targets on chartplotters - AIS, DSC, GPSGate. Unfortunately I do not have the equipment available for real use.

Piotr