Feature Requests

[StargazerWA]

I think these feature would be easy to program and would really be usefull for those of us that boat in regions with large tides. The attached picture is of the current stations at a moment in time for the SJ Islands. This kind of information is very useful for trip planning. When will the current change, how strong when should i leave in the morning to take best advantage of the currents etc.

the featuer i would like would be a viewing mode where i could display all these currents at times in the future. Say July 10th and then be able to step forward and back in time in 30 minute intervals and view the currents, This would be really useful for sailors. its really just the ability to use a clock other than the system clock for a while.

[HotRod]

Originally Posted by Sir Rondo Normal

Sorry if this has been said before but how about more options for instrument display. My new Maretron sensors offer data that no other program (other than the expensive N2KView program) will display. Paricularly, I'm having trouble finding a program that will display water temp from the dst110 and Atmospheric pressure, Air temperature and Relative humidity from the wso100. Given the growth in technology in this department, there are most likely other data sets from other sensors that are being missed as well.

I have been thinking and playing with this idea for a while. But for a OpenCPN plugin containing several views (Instruments, Warnings and Switches).

I'm gonna rebuild the console in my boat, stripping it for instruments and switches and use my new Raymarine a128 together with Actisence EMU-1 for instruments data and Empirbus NXT's for switching capabilities, together with one or two EmpirBus CLC switch panels.

I started thinking of using OpenCPN with a dual touch screen setup (chart + instruments and switches). If it can work with Raymarine a series MFD's that runs Linux OS, why not OpenCPN as well.

NMEA 2000 PGN's: National Marine Electronics Association - NMEA
EmpirBus NXT: EmpirBus: NXT Products
Actisense EMU-1: Actisense - EMU-1: Downloads - EMU-1

I do not have much coding skills when it comes to OpenCPN, but I have been programming a few the mentioned setups with Raymarine MFD's, EmpirBus NXT, MCU11, DCM11 and Actisense EMU-1.

Does this sound like mission impossible?

[bcn]

HotRod,

what I see here are two fields of action:
- the N2K integration
- and Virtual Instruments aka "glass cockpit"
The latter goes beyond of a plotter and navigation program as one wants to cover instruments like engines, tanks, comfort, lights and what ever you like.
The Dashboard is a some "little brother" of this concept.

You might have a look here:
Freeboard [MeshCMS]

For the first part the Actisense N2K to NMEA modules will do.

Making the integration of the two aspects easy is something the people at
Signal K » Welcome
are aiming for.
Merrimac is one of the developers. And I think Nohal has a close look on it.

Using SignalK implies a plug-in or a core module for OpenCPN.
This would be the elegant solution for your ideas. And for the N2K integration.

Some hardware dongle to access the N2K bus will be required in any case.

[Baikal]

the idea of expanding the sensor is good!
but it is necessary to solve the problem of all this display on the screen!
would not prevent the possibility of multi-monitor
as well as the division of the map window into several parts.

What then of course you can add a dashboard

[rgleason]

StargazerWA re Currents viewed at future times easy change of clock for planning. See OTcurrent. It is in the list at the bottom of Plugin Threads (List). I wish this thread were made STICKY!!! Please do it for New Years, who ever does these things. Thankyou

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[RhythmDoctor]

Originally Posted by StargazerWA

I think these feature would be easy to program and would really be usefull for those of us that boat in regions with large tides. The attached picture is of the current stations at a moment in time for the SJ Islands. This kind of information is very useful for trip planning. When will the current change, how strong when should i leave in the morning to take best advantage of the currents etc.

the featuer i would like would be a viewing mode where i could display all these currents at times in the future. Say July 10th and then be able to step forward and back in time in 30 minute intervals and view the currents, This would be really useful for sailors. its really just the ability to use a clock other than the system clock for a while.

Already done: http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ml#post1694771

[P_Dub]

It would be nice if the program would do automatiquely the rounding at each alteration of route waypoint. This to my knowledge was one of the recommendation of IMO or ECDICS people many years ago. I did had a program call ORCA MASTER of 7Cs a few years ago that was doing it. Of couse for pleasure crafts it not a necessity, but we must thing better than that.
Best Regards
Note:- hoping to get a favorable answer.

[bcn]

P_Dub,

ECDIS requires curved and straight segments for route planning and if I get you right you are asking for cornering radii.

I've seen that in the manual of ECDIS equipment together with the concept of WOP (Wheel Over Point) in addition to waypoints. Which makes sense for sure for a 100m (or even 300m) vessel.

Hubert

[P_Dub]

Originally Posted by bcn

P_Dub,

ECDIS requires curved and straight segments for route planning and if I get you right you are asking for cornering radii.

I've seen that in the manual of ECDIS equipment together with the concept of WOP (Wheel Over Point) in addition to waypoints. Which makes sense for sure for a 100m (or even 300m) vessel.

Hubert

Quite right, that is what was their recommandations.
Best Regards.

[jean_pfoumf]

Hello

I put a buoy icon on a small island. At large scale the buoy is larger than the island itself because its size doesn't change while zooming.
It'd be nice that icons have at least the same behavior as, for instance, those on vector charts (CM93) which disappear at large scale.

Jean

[wdkester]

In using marks as POI, here is a useful "feature"- if you 1. open the mark properties screen 2.select the description tab 3. close properties with OK; then all subsequent properties will open with the description tab on top.

Problem: The properties screen takes up 1/3 of the display. One improvement to this would be: if the user changes the size of the properties screen it will retain those dimensions until it is changed again. Some screens already do this e.g. Route Manager.

Lesser Problem: The properties screen always appears centered. If you have auto follow on, you just covered the most interesting area on the screen. I would like to have the properties screen remember where it was last dragged to and open there. Once again the example is the Route Manager

[seandepagnier]

Maybe this is a ridiculous suggestion, but the cost of AIS transponders is very high, it would be rather easy to implement in a plugin that uses the wifi in the computer.

Then when at sea to detect other boats running opencpn (with the same plugin) an alarm would signal the detection and plot the other vessel, and compute collision, and also make recommended course changes (so that you don't both turn into each other and collide anyway)

I calculated that even with marginal wifi on internal laptop antennas, as long as the boat is not metal, and the boats are headed at each other at full speed, there is still about 1 minute of warning time before collision occurs.

A secondary feature (or possibly separate plugin) might involve data sharing allowing swapping charts, plugins, and even upgrading opencpn itself, as well as sharing any type of data (which would mostly be used in anchorages rather than underway)

[sailor2014]

I would wish to have a function to DELETE ALL MARKS ON CURRENT SCREEN. In fact, if something drops on the keyboard and falls on the return key and stays there, its very difficult to delete all these marks

[bcn]

Originally Posted by boat_alexandra

Maybe this is a ridiculous suggestion, but the cost of AIS transponders is very high, it would be rather easy to implement in a plugin that uses the wifi in the computer.

Then when at sea to detect other boats running opencpn (with the same plugin) an alarm would signal the detection and plot the other vessel, and compute collision, and also make recommended course changes (so that you don't both turn into each other and collide anyway)

I calculated that even with marginal wifi on internal laptop antennas, as long as the boat is not metal, and the boats are headed at each other at full speed, there is still about 1 minute of warning time before collision occurs.

A secondary feature (or possibly separate plugin) might involve data sharing allowing swapping charts, plugins, and even upgrading opencpn itself, as well as sharing any type of data (which would mostly be used in anchorages rather than underway)

Sean,

have a look at SignalK perhaps. Similar ideas discussed there.

[rgleason]

Sean,
Would that all boats used Opencpn with wifi! A clever idea, perhaps if it were a standard and more universal so it could be used in other software too.... However I think your skill and efforts are best devoted to other things!