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Old 05-09-2009, 09:27   #1
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Charts on CD

I need charts from St croix to south america on CD that will work with sea clear. I have the us charts and they work great, does any one have a suggestion
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Old 05-09-2009, 14:26   #2
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You can scan paper charts and use them in Sea Clear.

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Old 05-09-2009, 15:30   #3
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The US government famously publishes free charts. Elsewhere, you may have to resort to commercial providers.
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Old 06-09-2009, 05:03   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by idpnd View Post
The US government famously publishes free charts. Elsewhere, you may have to resort to commercial providers.
Unfortunately the US Govt. free program doesn't extend to St. Croix to South America.

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Old 07-09-2009, 07:23   #5
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As long as I can get a good set of charts, I don't mind paying for them. I just don't want to buy a set and have buyers remorse. So if anyone knows of a good set let me know.
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Old 09-09-2009, 19:56   #6
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If you ask around you will probably find some old timers with CD's of the older raster charts that can be traded.
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Old 10-09-2009, 08:43   #7
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thank you for the info I am still looking around
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Old 10-09-2009, 08:47   #8
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What do one of these charts typically go for anyways?
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Old 10-09-2009, 08:53   #9
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The cd I have found is 225.00 it is from st thomas to greneda I just dont know if it will work on sea clear it has bsb format one will work with sea clear one will not. I just didn't want to spend $$$ if it will not work with my system I have now
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Old 10-09-2009, 09:31   #10
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When I was in the carribean 98-02 someone gave me a set of cd copies that had charts of the whole thing. Did that stuff disappear? just poppeed them in my laptop and used them for planning mostly...
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Old 10-09-2009, 20:45   #11
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Cheechako, Those CD's are still circulating in the Caribbean, just not in any place affiliatied with the USA. The fact of the matter is that the "old" charts are the exact same charts being sold as "new." Other than Explorer Charts and Wavy Line Charts, there have been no new charts made in decades if not longer. All the old information and data is still in use, they just change the way they record and protect the CD's/chips/whatever. Most of the "new" charting programs will not read the really ancient e-charts - the original Maptech charts with HDR files, which include many hundreds of bays and coves and regions which the "new" charts simply ignore. Of course a good Cruising Guidebook will fill in these strange "gunkhole" harbors. But it is nice to have them up and running on the chart display system.
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Old 11-09-2009, 03:11   #12
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Maptech Bahamas Chart Formats

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Originally Posted by osirissail View Post
... the "old" charts are the exact same charts being sold as "new." Other than Explorer Charts and Wavy Line Charts, there have been no new charts made in decades ... they just change the way they record and protect the CD's/chips/whatever. Most of the "new" charting programs will not read the really ancient e-charts - the original Maptech charts with HDR files, which include many hundreds of bays and coves and regions which the "new" charts simply ignore ...
I'm a bit puzzled by some Maptech Bahamas charts I've encountered. The first set seems pretty straightforward. It contains the Explorer charts put out by Monty and Sara Lewis. They are dated 2001 and are in BSB format (.kap and .bsb). This CD-ROM also contains folders named "Marine" (.bmp), "Overview" (.jpg), "Pictures" (.oph), and so on. It also features a small viewing program. I am pretty sure this CD will run on Capn 8.3, SeaClear II, OpenCPN, Offshore Navigator Lite, etc. I am familiar with the Explorer charts from previous use.

The second CD in the set seems to have the types of charts you referred to above. These files are dated 1998. There is a folder named "Charthdr" that contains .hdr files which I presume are the individual registration files for each chart. The charts themselves are in individual numbered folders (e.g., "M1146150) and contain files of type .A01, .A02, ... .L12, etc. Maptech's Offshore Navigator Lite can see and display these directly, but Capn 8.3 and OpenCPN do not seem to recognize them. What am I looking at here?
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Old 11-09-2009, 04:54   #13
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I have found a company that has all the charts on CD , They are maptech do they have the detail that we see from the noaa charts.
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Old 11-09-2009, 05:22   #14
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I buy almost all my charts from Bluewater Books and Charts. The reason is because they have such knowledgeable folks on the phones. And their prices are good. When I get to the point you have, I call them and ask them what they think. They are also good at recommending guides, etc. for particular trips, and the best way to get the exact paper charts needed for the best price. So, even though I could order through the web, I usually do my orders in person over the phone. Just usually a nice conversation and a little free information.

I have no connection with them other than as a customer.

If you call them, I'd be interested to hear if you have a similar experience.

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Old 11-09-2009, 05:47   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kerrydeare View Post
The second CD in the set seems to have the types of charts you referred to above. These files are dated 1998. There is a folder named "Charthdr" that contains .hdr files which I presume are the individual registration files for each chart. The charts themselves are in individual numbered folders (e.g., "M1146150) and contain files of type .A01, .A02, ... .L12, etc. Maptech's Offshore Navigator Lite can see and display these directly, but Capn 8.3 and OpenCPN do not seem to recognize them. What am I looking at here?
As Osirissail said, the .hdr files are an early type of raster format used by Maptech. They are in a proprietary format owned by Maptech so the free nav programs cannot display them without paying for the license.

I keep my old copy of Capn 6.0 just so I can use my CD's that are in the .hdr format. Waypoint has a list programs that used to read .hdr files. Many of these programs are no longer available and I don't which if any of the currently available programs will read .hdr.

Quote:
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I have found a company that has all the charts on CD , They are maptech do they have the detail that we see from the noaa charts.
The Maptech raster charts will have all the detail of the original paper chart. You need to get a list of the chart numbers on the CD if possible and find out if they are the newer encrypted BSB's or if they are the unencrypted BSB1 - BSB3 series. To use the encrypted versions you will need a commercial nav program.
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