OpenCPN problems and limitations

[JeffS-Sailing]

Hello,
I'm new to OpenCPN, installed it yesterday.
I'm hoping to use it to manage waypoints and routes that I use in my Garmin handheld which is an older unit, a 72H.

Findings so far:
- I was able to move the Marks & Routes from my 72H into OpenCPN using Garmin Homeport, exporting GPX files from Homeport and importing to OpenCPN.
- OpenCPN will only transfer a single waypoint to the 72H at a time, and will only transfer a single route at a time.
- OpenCPN seems to provide no route editor that allows inserting waypoints or creating a route from the list of waypoints, just a way to use the cursor to create a route.
- The Create Route feature only recognizes that it's near some marks. With other marks it does not present the "use nearby waypoint" option, no matter how much I zoom in, or how much I work with the cursor position to get it right over the center of the mark.
- Exporting routes to a GPX file results in a GPX file that Garmin's Homeport program regects with an error.
- Exporting waypoints to a GPX file results in a GPX file that Homeport accepts.
- The Route & Mark manager originally allowed me to set the icon associated with a mark, but the icons I select don't show up on my 72H, and the original icons from the marks on the 72H aren't displayed in OpenCPN, with a couple of exceptions.


What I was hoping for, was a way to use OpenCPN to create Marks, Create Routes (racing courses), transfer those to my 72H for use on the water, and manage future additions over time.


Questions:
- Are my findings correct, or am I missing something ?
- Is there a way to upload multiple Marks to the GPS at one time ?
- Is there a way to upload multiple Routes to the GPS at one time ?
- Is there a known problem with exporting Routes to GPX files, or a known problem with Homeport accepting the format of a GPX containing Routes from OpenCPN ?
- Is there a way to download routes & marks from my 72H directly into OpenCPN without going through Homeport ?
- Is there a way to select icons for Marks that will show up on my 72H as expected ?
- Is there a Route editor that will allow route creation by selecting existing Marks from a list, and allow marks to be inserted in an existing Route ?
- Is there some trick to getting the Create Route process to reliably recognize that it's close to a displayed mark ?

I hope that some of you with a lot of experience with OpenCPN can answer these questions, or help me figure out how to use OpenCPN to manage Marks & Routes for my 72H.

Thanks

[nohal]

What I was hoping for, was a way to use OpenCPN to create Marks, Create Routes (racing courses), transfer those to my 72H for use on the water, and manage future additions over time.


Questions:
- Are my findings correct, or am I missing something ?

Not completely.

- Is there a way to upload multiple Marks to the GPS at one time ?

No. The most reliable and comfortable way is to export them to GPX and use Homeport, which is the most reliable way to work with the notoriously incompatible Garmin units.

- Is there a way to upload multiple Routes to the GPS at one time ?

Same as for waypoints.

- Is there a known problem with exporting Routes to GPX files, or a known problem with Homeport accepting the format of a GPX containing Routes from OpenCPN ?

Yes, as of now. Homeport insists on IsAutoNamed element being present in the RouteExtension data (Which is correct according to the current version of the GPXX schema and should be fixed) To make the OpenCPN produced GPX importable until it is fixed, open the exported GPX file in any decent text editor and replace the string

<gpxx:DisplayColor>

with

<gpxx:IsAutoNamed>false</gpxx:IsAutoNamed><gpxx:DisplayColor>

.

- Is there a way to download routes & marks from my 72H directly into OpenCPN without going through Homeport ?

No, it is a proprietary feature of Garmin products.

- Is there a way to select icons for Marks that will show up on my 72H as expected ?

No, at least unless you use Homeport to tune the stuff exported from OpenCPN. The icons in your GPS are hard wired in the unit and the WPL NMEA sentence used to transfer the waypoints does not support anything but latitude, longitude and name. Same "issue" with icons applies to Homeport - it has a different set of icons than OpenCPN, with different names, as the GPX file only contains the name of the icon, not the picture, and we have no idea where are you going to import it, it may by accident result in something similar between the two programs. Or not.

- Is there a Route editor that will allow route creation by selecting existing Marks from a list, and allow marks to be inserted in an existing Route ?

If by route editor you mean something Excel-like, no (But you can sure use Excel to generate GPX).
If you right-click anywhere on an existing route, you can insert a route point to it.

- Is there some trick to getting the Create Route process to reliably recognize that it's close to a displayed mark ?

I don't know what exactly you mean, it works quite fine for me and my needs. I don't use any tricks (Except hand editing or using scripts to create the GPX files if I really want something special). I sure can imagine how much it would suck if I had many waypoints very near each other.

Pavel

[nohal]

FWIW, I have just submitted pull request with a fix for the GPX incompatibility.

[JeffS-Sailing]

Hi Pavel,
First... thanks a lot for your reply.
It's a real help.

If the GPX incompatibility gets fixed, then OpenCPN gets closer to being the kind of tool I was hoping for.

As for route creation and editing, I just tried what I have tried before, beginning a route at a mark... the same mark as before. In previous tries, the program did not recognize that a mark was near by. This time it did. This kind of thing has happened a number of times. Mysterious behavior that changes when I shut it down and start over.
This happened when I initially exported all routes and waypoints from my 72H, using HomePort, to a GPX file, and imported that to OpenCPN. The routes came in, but only some of the waypoints came in. I shut the whole thing down, brought it up again later, and imported the exact same file... this time it all came in correctly.

Thanks again for your response and your help.

[rgleason]

A carrot or a stick?

If the GPX incompatibility gets fixed, then OpenCPN gets closer to being the kind of tool I was hoping for.

It is a volunteer army! Thanks for being so specific.

You got the best ...Pavel's response.

I have Garmin Colorado and Homeport (old version) and haven't noticed any problems bringing waypoints into Opencpn., but it has been awhile and it was one way basically.

I don't know if the oBabel plugin which uses GPSBabel would help, but it wouldn't hurt to try. PM Rasbats about it. Let us know how it works. Then maybe we''ll use your methods (but only if it works) Peace

[JeffS-Sailing]

No stick intended, and I completely appreciate the volunteer army.
I've done a lot of software development, so I understand the value of feedback, particularly from new users who tend to find new or overlooked issues.
No criticism intended, just providing the best information I can.
I'll check out the babel plug-in.
Thanks to both of you.

[Rasbats]

JeffS ...

I have the Garmin 72 (not the 'H'). Just re-tested the oBabel plugin, which needs GPSBabel to be installed on your PC, using Windows/OpenCPN 4.8.0.

#1. With OpenCPN right click on the route. 'Copy as KML'. With the oBabel plugin - paste into the Clipboard area. Setup the other options - COM, KML, Routes, Waypoints. Press 'Clipboard -> GPSBabel'.

Result = Waypoints and Route are transferred but the route name does not get exported. You end up with 'EMPTY' as the route name.

#2. Export the route from OpenCPN. In oBabel use the 'oGPX' option.
Press 'File -> GPXBabel'. Select the gpx file. Route and waypoints transfer and the route name is preserved. Name is limited to 12 characters.

Mike

[did-g]

Originally Posted by JeffS-Sailing

Hi Pavel,
First... thanks a lot for your reply.
It's a real help.

If the GPX incompatibility gets fixed, then OpenCPN gets closer to being the kind of tool I was hoping for.

As for route creation and editing, I just tried what I have tried before, beginning a route at a mark... the same mark as before. In previous tries, the program did not recognize that a mark was near by. This time it did. This kind of thing has happened a number of times. Mysterious behavior that changes when I shut it down and start over.
This happened when I initially exported all routes and waypoints from my 72H, using HomePort, to a GPX file, and imported that to OpenCPN. The routes came in, but only some of the waypoints came in. I shut the whole thing down, brought it up again later, and imported the exact same file... this time it all came in correctly.

Thanks again for your response and your help.

Hi,
Can you share this GPX file?

[rgleason]

Thanks, jeff.

[HappySeagull]

- Is there a way to select icons for Marks that will show up on my 72H as expected ?
No, at least unless you use Homeport to tune the stuff exported from OpenCPN. The icons in your GPS are hard wired in the unit and the WPL NMEA sentence used to transfer the waypoints does not support anything but latitude, longitude and name. Same "issue" with icons applies to Homeport - it has a different set of icons than OpenCPN, with different names, as the GPX file only contains the name of the icon, not the picture, and we have no idea where are you going to import it, it may by accident result in something similar between the two programs. Or not.

Nohal pretty much nailed it as to Garmins- evil beasts...but, I have had success per icons on MY stable of Nuvis ,by putting the garmin icon into my UserIcons folder with the correct name ie: "<sym>flag, red</sym>"...The Garmin nuvis use pngs and bmps so it's not hard with them. Other garmins -well, they are all different in peculiar ways.

You will have to get a file out of whichever garmin to compare...with the older ones I have, gpx export with Mapsource is a help as tester and intermediary but exact instructions are best found in the tarpit of Garmin info rather than here on OpenCPN..

GPSbabel has it's strengths but...
If you have to, you can set up a "search and replace" in a good text editor and just directly edit the gpx.
"Notepad++" has a macro recording function so it's easy to repeat quickly.