Feature Requests

[Godot]

There is one feature that I haven't seen mentioned that would be a great help to folks like me who tend to, well, make mistakes.

Undo.

I've learned to build smaller routes that can be activated in sequence as a way to compensate for my unfortunate propensity of hitting the delete key by mistake (or, less critical, just accidentally moving a waypoint). But an undo feature would be awesome.

As would a feature that would automatically activate the next (smaller sized) route in a larger sequence. That is, once I've made it to So-and-so Lighthouse, activate the next route which will bring me to Thing-a-ma-jig Cove. Since I have many routes that start the same and branch off at a later point, this seems like something that would be handy. Not absolutely required; but definitely handy.

[GWB]

A great feature would be the ability to check a box for autopilot out sentances. For example, if you want VWR;MWV;RMB;RMC you just check the appropriate box and voila you are in business Seaclear has this functionality..

Thanks for a great product!

[wingssail]

Two enhancements to reduce nuisance (frequently repeating and hard to acknowledge) AIS Alerts.
Add “Acknowledge” and “CPA/TCPA Alert Count” to
· AIS Target Query
· AIS Target List
Problem:
AIS Alerts can sound repeatedly and may be difficult to acknowledge or silence causing a nuisance situation which may distract users from dealing with a potential collision situation.
On a small boat at sea CPA and TCPA calculations are constantly changing due to course and speed variations caused by wind and waves. This may result in an AIS Target CPA calculation falling within the defined limits and the momentary sounding of the Alert (until the calculation is possibly changed a moment later).
Often it is difficult or impossible to react quickly enough and click on the “Acknowledge” box before it disappears.
The Alerts then will sound and stop repeatedly. On a vessel like ours, where the sound signal is loud and aggravating enough to wake the dead (or a sleepy watch stander), this is a significant distraction.
Proposed Solution
1. Add “CPA/TCPA Alert Count” (number of times Alert has been displayed for this target) and “Acknowledge” button to the AIS Target Query. With this enhancement a user can right click on an AIS target and see that alerts have sounded previously and then acknowledge the target, preventing repeated alerts until the timeout period has expired.
2. Add “CPA/TCPA Alert Count” to each line on the AIS Target List, add “Alert Status” (blank, silenced, acknowledged) to each line on the AIS Target List and add an “Acknowledge Target” button which would applied to the selected target.
These enhancements would allow the user to preempt future alerts for selected targets and reduce nuisance alerts.
Fred Roswold, SV Wings, Trinidad, W.I.

[bdbcat]

wingsail...

Fred, a good suggestion, and I'd love to see it in the Flyspray Feature Request Tracker....

Meanwhile, have you tried enabling the
Toolbox->AIS->Target Alert Acknowledge Timeout?

This option will prevent repeated alerts from acknowledged targets for a specific time.

Dave

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by bdbcat

wingsail...

Fred, a good suggestion, and I'd love to see it in the Flyspray Feature Request Tracker....

Meanwhile, have you tried enabling the
Toolbox->AIS->Target Alert Acknowledge Timeout?

This option will prevent repeated alerts from acknowledged targets for a specific time.

Dave

Thanks, I figured out what flyspray is now and added FS807.

About Alert Acknowledge Timeout: For the situation I describe, for a vessel (my own probably), yawing and changing speeds on waves, the acknowlege button is not on the screen long enough to click on it. the length of the timeout us not a factor if you can't even "acknowledge"

[cagney]

Originally Posted by wingssail

Thanks, I figured out what flyspray is now and added FS807.

About Alert Acknowledge Timeout: For the situation I describe, for a vessel (my own probably), yawing and changing speeds on waves, the acknowlege button is not on the screen long enough to click on it. the length of the timeout us not a factor if you can't even "acknowledge"

Wingsail

You need to read bdbcat's last post one more time!
Then have a look at The Toolbox AIS tab. That is where you activate and set a time for "Target Alert Acknowledge Timeout".

Thomas

[wingssail]

Thomas,
I don't want to be argumentative but you (and bdbcat) might be missing my point;

Setting a time for "Target Alert Acknowledge Timeout", a feature which I use regularly, in no way solves this problem. That setting only establishes how long a target which has been "acknowleged" will stay "acknowledged". It does not apply to any target, even one which sets off a CPA Alarm, until you also click the "Acknowledge" button on the alarm dialog, when the alarm sounds.

Here is how it is supposed to work:

If, for example, you have set the timeout parameter to 20 minutes, and then a target approaches which causes an alert (alarm) and you, at that time, click "acknowledge" the alarm will stop and stay silent for 20 minutes, at which time the timeout runs out, and the target can again set off an alert. This works perfectly.

However, if the alarm for the approaching vessel, when your motion or the other vessel's motion is causing the CPA calculation to vary wildly (a common occurance) the alarm will sound only momentarily and you will have no time to move your cursor to the "acknowlege" button and kill the alarm, timeout or otherwise. It does not matter if the timeout parameter has been set or not.

I know this may be hard to grasp, but honestly, if you sail much in the ocean, using this system, you will experience this problem. Sitting at a computer in your office or on a boat anchored or in a marina, when you motion is nil, you will not have this problem.

And I just want to add that other systems also have similar problems. We have a SH Matrix GX2000 VHF radio with AIS alarm monitoring, and it is far worse. Many other users have complained about it. I am also taling to SH. My feeling it that these systems must have been designed without the awareness of what actually happens on a vessel at sea.

Fred R, SV Wings, Trinidad. W.I.

[cagney]

Originally Posted by wingssail

Thomas,
I don't want to be argumentative but you (and bdbcat) might be missing my point;

Setting a time for "Target Alert Acknowledge Timeout", a feature which I use regularly, in no way solves this problem. That setting only establishes how long a target which has been "acknowleged" will stay "acknowledged". It does not apply to any target, even one which sets off a CPA Alarm, until you also click the "Acknowledge" button on the alarm dialog, when the alarm sounds.

Here is how it is supposed to work:

If, for example, you have set the timeout parameter to 20 minutes, and then a target approaches which causes an alert (alarm) and you, at that time, click "acknowledge" the alarm will stop and stay silent for 20 minutes, at which time the timeout runs out, and the target can again set off an alert. This works perfectly.

However, if the alarm for the approaching vessel, when your motion or the other vessel's motion is causing the CPA calculation to vary wildly (a common occurance) the alarm will sound only momentarily and you will have no time to move your cursor to the "acknowlege" button and kill the alarm, timeout or otherwise. It does not matter if the timeout parameter has been set or not.

I know this may be hard to grasp, but honestly, if you sail much in the ocean, using this system, you will experience this problem. Sitting at a computer in your office or on a boat anchored or in a marina, when you motion is nil, you will not have this problem.

And I just want to add that other systems also have similar problems. We have a SH Matrix GX2000 VHF radio with AIS alarm monitoring, and it is far worse. Many other users have complained about it. I am also taling to SH. My feeling it that these systems must have been designed without the awareness of what actually happens on a vessel at sea.

Fred R, SV Wings, Trinidad. W.I.

Ok
I had the impression that you did not use "Target Alert Acknowledge Timeout". Sorry, I misunderstood you.

Try Filter nmea data in the gps tab. try 10 secs foe example. May help.

[capt_wang]

PLS ADD AIS HEADING IN NEXT VERSION.
ALSO AIS SHIP SIZE IS EXPECTED
THANKS A LOT

[nohal]

capt_wang...
We've heard you yelling at us last time, no need to repeat it... What you ask for is already available as you've been told in http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...tml#post945676
If you mean something else, please try to explain it so that we understand. And, please, avoid using red color and capital letters, it's not looking nice in the forum posts

Pavel

[hwecken]

i would like to explane the feature request of capt_wang a little more precise.
Show the AIS targets with the real ship size on the chart when beeing in an zoom level which makes it possible
Thanks Hartmut

[P_Dub]

Mr Pavel what I think they are asking is the actual ship sizing of all ships, including your own ship, being put to scale and shape (more or less) upon zooming to a scale that it is possible to show the vessel proportions. Some chart programs are already doing this and it is quite usefull in restricted area.
Regards
P_dub

[hwecken]

Hello,
would it be possible to show true wind data, upwind and downwind laylines on the chart in real-time with data coming from the vessel's instruments via NMEA.

[white74]

I really like the GRIB integration. Are there any plans in the future to implement GRIB2?

[tiljanssen]

We use a laptop for navigation, sourced by a GPS mouse, but hooked up to the raymarine nmea/seatalk interface. I can send track info to the autopilot, through the interface, but as we do not have the (expensive) raymarine GPS in the system, we would like to echo the GPS data into the nmea port. This will give the VHF a reliable position (for possible distress calls).

I would like at least the current position, but it would be nice to be able to checkbox different nmea sentences that can be sent.

The Fugawi package did this, but I like OpenCpn better.