OpenCPN Version 5 Released

[bcn]

For Australian waters incl. PNG and Solomons consider the oeSENC plug-in and the corresponding charts set - called Australian oeEVC.
The charts at o-charts.org.

NZ offers raster charts for free.

[Tupaia]

Originally Posted by Aqualibrium

I have just downloaded OpenCPN 5 - could someone recommend chart and other plugins I will need to get up and running for Australia and the pacific thanks Gerry

Where abouts in the Pacific aare you planning to cruise? It is a big place.

[reflectionsv37]

I finally upgraded to OpenCPN 5.0. Finding the nearest tide station has always been burdensome particularly when there are not many tide stations in close proximity. The changes in 5.0 to allow assignment of a tide station to a particular waypoint are helpful, but I think there was much better way to implement this that would require much less effort on the part of the user.

It takes a good deal of time to select and add a tide station to a waypoint particularly if you have many waypoints and then one must right click on the waypoint, left click on properties, left click on extended and the lastly, left click to display the tide information.

If I can offer a suggestion, I think it would be much simpler, easier to use and more versatile to implement the following:

Add two new options to the right click that can be used anywhere on a displayed chart. The two new entries would be:

Display Nearest Tide Information - This would bring up the tide display box for the nearest tide station.

Display List of Nearby Tide Stations - This would bring up the list of tide stations as is now done in the new extended properties for waypoints. It appears that the new list box is already sorted in ascending order based on distance. The list box should be updated to include:
- The distance to the tide station from the location of the right click
- The lat/lon of the Tide Station
- The source of the tide station in the event multiple Harmonics files exist with overlapping tide stations

This change would allow a user to simply right click anywhere on a chart and display tide information for that location without having to set anything in advance. It would also eliminate any possible issues with a tide station specified in a waypoint with another user who doesn't have that particular Harmonics file installed. It should work with any Harmonics file that are installed.

I'll add this request to the FlySpray list.

Gene

[rgleason]

Why not just pick the nearest tide station from the tide icons on the chart rather than cluttering up the right click menu more?

[reflectionsv37]

Originally Posted by rgleason

Why not just pick the nearest tide station from the tide icons on the chart rather than cluttering up the right click menu more?

Seriously? One could ask that same question about adding the tide station to a waypoint that takes 4 mouse clicks to display the info not counting what it takes to initially set it up. Quite honestly, the implementation of that is a worthless feature that is far more trouble than it's worth to setup and use. Particularly considering there is a very simple way to implement it that would be far easy, far more versatile and useful. Not to mention the problem created when trying to share a waypoint with another user who may not have that harmonics file installed.

The right click menu currently has 9 entries. I hardly think it would become "cluttered" by adding a 10th or 11th. Why was it cluttered up with a link to AIS targets?

I'm not sure where you're located but I'm in SE Asia and the nearest tide station to me is 27 miles away(still reasonably accurate), the next is 65 miles and the third is 125. Even at 26 miles you have to search to find it assuming you know the bearing to the station. Yours might be a valid argument for San Francisco Bay. Not everyone has the luxury of having 25 tide stations in their vicinity.

All the work to implement my suggestion has mostly been completed. You have the list box that display the stations with the closet station being listed first. This was obviously done using the lat/lon of the waypoint. This wouldn't require much effort. Add a few items that you already have available to the list of stations and change it to use the lat/lon of the location of the right click, add an entry, or two, to the right click menu.

I'm actually shocked by your reply! Seems pretty short sighted to me.

[rgleason]

Don't be shocked, it's just overly expedient perhaps, and maybe I realize how many other things are being programmed.


Why not add this suggestion to the Tracker and vote for it? (I would also vote for it.) - Should this be an option to show it in the right click? (They don't like having too many options either.)

[P_Dub]

May we suggest to look at the UK tide predicions for the next 7days!
There are numerous tide stations in that area that one can view in the strait.
Best Regards.

[yachtvalhalla]

Originally Posted by rgleason

Why not add this suggestion to the Tracker and vote for it? (I would also vote for it.) - Should this be an option to show it in the right click? (They don't like having too many options either.)

It is in the tracker as #2582 and Dave has assigned it to himself.

I've also voted for it.

Terry

[reflectionsv37]

Originally Posted by P_Dub

May we suggest to look at the UK tide predicions for the next 7days!
There are numerous tide stations in that area that one can view in the strait.
Best Regards.

Now there is thoughtful suggestion. I'm fully aware there are tides available online. What do you suggest I do when there is no internet access? In fact, since tides are available online, why don't we just make OpenCPN a little leaner and remove all tide information from the program? Obviously, in your mind, it's not necessary.

My suggestion was to make tide information easier to access in OpenCPN. Another issue with finding tides online is that finding the nearest station is cumbersome due to the location and the names of the tidal station particularly in areas like Thailand and Indonesia. The names of the stations are often not meaningful. If you don't know the name of the nearest station, it makes it a little difficult to find.

For people who spend their entire life sailing around in one location, they likely recognize the names and locations of a list of tide stations. Those venturing further don't have that local knowledge and can certainly use any help in locating the nearest station.

I'm really astounded at the responses to this relatively easy change to implement, since all the heavy work has essentially already been completed. I'm just suggesting a simpler and faster method of getting to that information.

[reflectionsv37]

Originally Posted by rgleason

Don't be shocked, it's just overly expedient perhaps, and maybe I realize how many other things are being programmed.


Why not add this suggestion to the Tracker and vote for it? (I would also vote for it.) - Should this be an option to show it in the right click? (They don't like having too many options either.)

As yachtvalhalla pointed out, I added it to the tracker immediately after posting my original suggestion and indicated that I was doing so in my post. It's task #2582.

I noticed that very shortly after I posted it, it was assigned to you and given a "very low" priority. I've since added my own vote for the request although I assumed that happened automatically.

If real estate in the right click menu is so valuable, let's just change the request to display the Nearest Tide Station List to the menu like the AIS target list. In the advent there were 2 tide table in close proximity, one would probably want to check both before relying on the information. Like the AIS target list it would also be nice to have the ability to center the screen view on a tide station, but this is not necessary.

[rgleason]

The programmers have provided capability to read tidal harmonics, other programmers have written programs to use those harmonics (Rasbats) with a whole string of plugins, UKtides, OTcurrent to name several, others have provided plugin frameworks for tides, such as AdmiraltyTides, (which I have tried to shepard and support) which requires users to enter the data. (Nobody has bothered to use it because it is too much work I guess.)

Also there is the ability to modify and improve the tidal harmonics and even to load and use different tidal files for different areas that might be better and more accurate. I don't know why users have not been more aggressive about learning about tides and using the tools available.

No users have dissected and taken the time to publish how these files actually work. No users have really contributed knowledge or means to improve the tides and currents coverage. Some of the tidal plugins have languished because users did not take up the challenge to populate them with data and maintain them. Most of the Tide and Current tracker requests are asking for greater functionality of some sort (including some of mine).

https://opencpn.org/flyspray/index.p...rom=&closedto=


BTW if someone wants to start a page on the way the tide harmonic file works, I am ready to make you an editor.

As you have noticed, tides are not a terribly high priority for programmers, so long as they are working. I will say there is considerably interest in adding functionality to calculate ETA from A to B including tide/currents, somehow. Rasbats has taken the first try at producing a plugin that will do this. Those kinds of improvements may be more meaningful and better "programming bang for the buck".

Incidentally, the tracker program just assigned that particular task to me because I help to maintain Tracker, I did not pick it. We don't always use that field anyway, except when it gets up towards the top and is seriously being considered.

So perhaps users need to mount a "Tides and Currents" effort of their own, learning more about how the actual tidal file works, publishing this information, and perhaps developing alternative files that are better. Also consolidating the list of features needed, discussing their merits, so as to come up with (by consensus) one or two very detailed and specific things that would improve Tide functionality. Then with wide user support, try to get those recognized as important To Do items.

That's my suggestion, raising what I would call a "complaint" is not going to help much, IMHO.

BTW your joint and focused effort with others to improve the icons in OpenCPN was methodical and planned and it has succeeded, making OpenCPN much better for everyone.

[P_Dub]

For your informations, I have work for years in tidal analysis and have produce a file of more than 3540 stations around the globe, as I have the analysis systems; I did offer but nobody seems interrested. I have reduce the number of constituents from 173 (there is no need to have a bunddle of zero) to 92 in the list and this way it works also in android. So at least one was interrested.
Best Regards.
Note:- 10 years of work.

[rgleason]

For people who spend their entire life sailing around in one location, they likely recognize the names and locations of a list of tide stations. Those venturing further don't have that local knowledge and can certainly use any help in locating the nearest station.

It seems to me that using the Tidal stations located on the Chart is best for this problem. What is a distance sorted list going to do, you're still going to want to know the location and bathysphere info to determine its influence.

[rgleason]

P_dub,

For your informations, I have work for years in tidal analysis and have produce a file of more than 3540 stations around the globe, as I have the analysis systems; I did offer but nobody seems interested. I have reduce the number of constituents from 173 (there is no need to have a bundle of zero) to 92 in the list and this way it works also in android. So at least one was interested.
Best Regards.
Note:- 10 years of work.

P_Dub, Who knew? Of course we are interested!! You also probably know more about the format of the files than anyone on the forum. Here are some questions...

• For example, is there a way to manually shift the timing of tides and currents when storms and pressure systems affect it?
• How would one improve the accuracy of a particular station with respect to timing and current?

I am sure there are many other questions.....

BTW, I think someone should start a new "Tides & Currents" thread to keep the discussion focused. Who wants to make that new thread?

[HappySeagull]

actually there are quite a few threads...for instance, P_dub, Cagney and I were discussing (and fiddling around with) tides back in 2011...but I don't think many picked up on it as a hobby ...

Using/editing the Harmonic and Harmonic.idx files are not so difficult. but getting the "root data" is tricky, I think..per copyright in many countries.

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ml#post2571904
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...tml#post691614