Help / FAQ

[oztek]

Thank you for the answer, It would be great, if there is a plugin we can arrange time intervals and get reports...

Originally Posted by cagney

OpenCPN already does this for you. In the file opencpn.log the position is recorded every half hour. Like this

The setting cannot be changed, unless you hack the code and recompile.

To find this file, have a look at the button "About OpenCPN" in the toolbar.
The button looks like a blue book with a "?".

Thomas

[.Paul.]

Originally Posted by oztek

Thank you for the answer, It would be great, if there is a plugin we can arrange time intervals and get reports...

OpenCPN has the capability of tracking the position of your vessel over time. The track is displayed on the chart, and it is recorded. You can also view the track data (times, positions and speeds) in the Route and Mark Manager.

Here is a link to "Ship Track" in the on-line manual at OpenCPN.org

https://opencpn.org/wiki/dokuwiki/do...ons:ship_track

The manual is also included with the OpenCPN program (look under the question mark button on the tool bar).

Paul

[Herreshoff]

Are there free charts for Australia available does anyone know?

Thanks in advance.

[nohal]

Originally Posted by Herreshoff

Are there free charts for Australia available does anyone know?

Thanks in advance.

No, there are not. Earlier this month o-charts.org started distributing the official Australian charts under reasonable conditions though.

[Herreshoff]

Originally Posted by nohal

No, there are not. Earlier this month o-charts.org started distributing the official Australian charts under reasonable conditions though.

That's great news. Reasonably affordable. That will go a long way to getting more in Australia involved. Also we would like to create a plug in for OCPN but previously, without easy access to charts of Australia it wasn't really an option. Thanks for the help.

[bcn]

Originally Posted by Herreshoff

That's great news. Reasonably affordable. That will go a long way to getting more in Australia involved. Also we would like to create a plug in for OCPN but previously, without easy access to charts of Australia it wasn't really an option. Thanks for the help.

Any idea or proposal how to get the news about the availability of the oeEVC (=oeSENC in down-under speak) for OpenCPN spread?

Hubert

[Herreshoff]

Originally Posted by bcn

Any idea or proposal how to get the news about the availability of the oeEVC (=oeSENC in down-under speak) for OpenCPN spread?



Hubert

I would probably have the right connections to get the word out in OZ, as I’m in the same industry. I’d want to give it a good test first before recommending it to others on a mass scale. I might look to get OCPN and the Australian charts and check the over the data.

If all is well then I would imagine it will be quite a hit here. Australia may be a relatively small population, but it has a very high percent of boaters.

[bcn]

One should know that the oeEVC set brings the identical cells, scales and contents as the AHS S-63 charts. Including their bi-weekly update period.
They share their pro's and con's.

We just can't call them official charts or ENCs.

[Herreshoff]

Ok. Noted.

The potential issue I see with trying to gain popularity in Australia is that because the charts aren’t free it’s not possible to promote it as a free alternative to the big brands. The charts are 35euro which I think is about $60 AUD or so, making it as expensive or even more than their current options (Navionics, isailor etc). Non the less I’m sure some will take a likening to the full array of features available on OCPN.

[Coral Trekker]

Dear all basically I am a paper chart guy. I have a Garmin chartplotter too :-)
I wanto to go to San Blas and read all about charts not being correct. So I started with openCPN. The set up and getting maps unless US charts from downloader plug in is a scientific exercise.
Questions:
1. Is the an “openCPN for dummies” I am computer literate but neither a programmer nor IT buff.
2. Where do I get maps from Cartagena de los Indies to Papete in Thahiti via Galapagos and Marqueses?
3. From a friend I got copies of the San Blas in a *.kap file. In what program can I see these?
4. I have an Eric Bauhaus BOOK 5th edition. How to get his echarts?
5. Where can I read the echarts from Eric Bauhaus? On my Garmin GPSmap 7412xsv with SD card slots?
6. How can I superimpose satelite images on nautical maps?
Sorry six questions might be too much that this really bugs me.
Thank you for advise in simple step by step terms
Robi

[victor15]

You don't have to be much computer literate to use Open CPN.

With Open CPN you can use kap, S57, S62 and cm93 charts. Also some Google charts while its projection may not be Merkator and those don't show much details, say it's useless.

Your Chart Plotter will not accept likely any other charts than Garmin or Navionics.

All those mentioned formats you can load into Open CPN in minutes. Go to Tools-Charts and select.

My mooring boy does it 100 times daily or select HELP, its good.

[nohal]

Originally Posted by Coral Trekker

1. Is the an “openCPN for dummies” I am computer literate but neither a programmer nor IT buff.

https://opencpn.org/wiki/dokuwiki/do...pn_user_manual
It really is no rocket science.

2. Where do I get maps from Cartagena de los Indies to Papete in Thahiti via Galapagos and Marqueses?

I suppose Cartagena de los Indies is Cartagena de Indias in Colombia and you want to get to Galapagos via the Panama canal...
Leaving aside CM93 you can get from various doubtful sources and the next to useless OpenSeaChart .KAPs, the last part of your route is at small scale covered by the free charts published by the government of New Zealand and available directly from the chart downloader in OpenCPN. The rest unfortunately only seems covered by the official S-63 chart cells (not exactly cheap).

3. From a friend I got copies of the San Blas in a *.kap file. In what program can I see these?

In OpenCPN.

6. How can I superimpose satelite images on nautical maps?

Using the Weatherfax plugin for OpenCPN

[Coral Trekker]

Thank you guys for your help. I am getting on to it
Robi

[Jon Hacking]

Originally Posted by Coral Trekker

Dear all basically I am a paper chart guy. I have a Garmin chartplotter too :-)
I wanto to go to San Blas and read all about charts not being correct. So I started with openCPN. The set up and getting maps unless US charts from downloader plug in is a scientific exercise.
Questions:
1. Is the an “openCPN for dummies” I am computer literate but neither a programmer nor IT buff.
2. Where do I get maps from Cartagena de los Indies to Papete in Thahiti via Galapagos and Marqueses?
3. From a friend I got copies of the San Blas in a *.kap file. In what program can I see these?
4. I have an Eric Bauhaus BOOK 5th edition. How to get his echarts?
5. Where can I read the echarts from Eric Bauhaus? On my Garmin GPSmap 7412xsv with SD card slots?
6. How can I superimpose satelite images on nautical maps?
Sorry six questions might be too much that this really bugs me.
Thank you for advise in simple step by step terms
Robi

Hi Robi, & welcome to Cruiser's Forum! Here are *some* answers:

(2) Most folks use a copy of CM93(v2) charts. These are charts of the whole world, but they don't have much detail (or accuracy) when you get off the beaten track. They're mostly pirated copies (which is why CMap went to encrypted charts for v3) but many cruisers have them, & they're hellishly $$ to buy. Latest v2 is 2011, I think. You'll have to ask around if you want a copy. V3 charts are also $$, but I think OpenCPN can read them, & they're much better quality than v2 (but you still need to be careful with them).

(6) For the San Blas (or other archipelagos) I strongly recommend that you get or make some .KAP files from satellite imagery, like Google Earth (GE) or SAS Planet. .KAP is a MapMedia format that's become an open standard. On our KAP Files page we provide step by step instructions on how to make them from GE. All the tools are free, but it does take some time & internet bandwidth. But once you get them, they're amazingly accurate. Google doesn't show everything, but where they show land, that's *exactly* where the land is.

On our Track Files page we have some downloadable tracks from other cruisers who went through the San Blas that you might find handy. Instructions on how to use them with OpenCPN are on the page.

Hope this helps.

[ChrisLee]

Hi. I am new to Open cpn. All going well so far but can someone please tell me how to get place names on the vector charts I am using.
Thanks