Programs for Ship's Computer

[moseriw]

for cruisers: OpenCPN - notting else

[Davidhoy]

Don't forget to add some shoot-em-up games for when you need to vent your frustrations after working on a particularly frustrating repair...

-David

[UNCIVILIZED]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Sure. I thought I mentioned that this box will not be used for general computing or for my work -- I have my company laptop for that. Nor reading or Internet browsing -- I have a tablet for that.

Although it's not primary navigation (I use the B&G system for that), OpenCPN is so extremely important to my work process, that I consider it more or less mission critical, so I won't use this box for anything except navigation and playing music and movies on the fixed-installed AV systems on board.

So I was not asking for general software tips for general computing -- I have that under control. Rather, what helpful boat-specific programs people are using. I've already gotten some interesting answers -- keep 'em coming.

These are things I was fairly aware of, but was also pretty certain than not everyone else was. Thus my post, so that people could better tailor their replies.

Originally Posted by Dockhead

It depends on how and where you sail.

With a full crew and with very complex jobs like dealing with heavy ship traffic, or navigating very complex waters like the Baltic archipelagos, I spend a lot of time at the nav table. I do a great deal of passage planning in any case whenever I'm sailing long distances or in unfamiliar waters. My annual four month cruise takes me 1500 nautical miles each way -- further than Miami to Nova Scotia -- and back. Every year.

In fact in many situations I like to be on watch from here, with a lookout posted on deck.

One reason why my next boat will have a pilothouse -- so I can do all this stuff above decks and with a view out.

Concur with you on the above. As between nav/nav planning, & dodging other vessels, there's a lot of information juggling to be done at times. So that tools to make it easier are handy. At least so long as one knows how to do said chores manually. Since without the skills & judgement to do things correctly with little electronic help, your being out there is a hazard at times. To yourself, as well as others.

For sometimes there's zero time to check screens, or look something up; you just have to act. And act correctly. Period. Even if said action is turning around 180 deg. & going back through known, safe waters, until you can better figure out what to do when you again reverse course towards your original goal. Which, knowing when to do this is a foundational judgement skill upon which many others are built.

Sermon mode off

[StuM]

Originally Posted by Capt.Don

In addition to previously mentioned Airmail and OpenCPN, I have on my ancient Gateway Netbook,

• qtvlm - grib display and weather routing
• zygrib - alternate grib download (normally use Sailmail)
• foobar 2000 - listening to music
• Foxit Reader - lightweight alternative to Adobe Reader
• MS Office 2007 - for the occasional Excel spreadsheet or Word document
• iTunes - for dealing with iPhone, iPad
• Google Earth, GE2KAP & Open Object Rexx - fabulous way to make satellite KAP charts
• Coastal Explorer - though I'm slowly moving to OpenCPN - note, I'm finding OpenCPN's chart groups, waypoint layers and custom icons to surpass all other navigation tools!!
• Icom CS-M802 - manage Icom M802 settings
• Notepad++ - better than Notepad

Utilities, not used often,

• 7zip - dealing with zip files
• Winscp & putty - manage serial and TCP/IP wifi/network
• Syncios - PC/iPad/iPhone transfer utility
• Folder Plus - transfer files to/from iPad w/out iTunes
• Splashtop Streamer - allow's iPad to remote into Windows desktop

Seems to work well for me,
Don

Irfanview, for cropping,cleaning up, managing and viewing all your photos!

[Reefmagnet]

Can't be all work and no play - Stellarium

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by Capt.Don

[*]Icom CS-M802 - manage Icom M802 settings

Don
Where did you download this from?

[Capt.Don]

Originally Posted by Paul L

Don
Where did you download this from?

Paul,

I'm sorry, I can't share the program(s). There are two US versions based on serial numbers:

(1) current models (CS-M802-R1)
(2) earlier models (CS-M802 V1.2) (yes, versioning is odd)

It is truly annoying that Icom does not provide an end-user program to update the channel list and speech compression.

Don

[UNCIVILIZED]

What about a program that helps you with Celestial, including telling you what stars to look for, where, & when. If you don't use it much, it still may be a big hit with guests, & or, those looking to learn Celestial for their liscenses & cert's.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by UNCIVILIZED

. . . Concur with you on the above. As between nav/nav planning, & dodging other vessels, there's a lot of information juggling to be done at times. So that tools to make it easier are handy. At least so long as one knows how to do said chores manually. Since without the skills & judgement to do things correctly with little electronic help, your being out there is a hazard at times. To yourself, as well as others.

For sometimes there's zero time to check screens, or look something up; you just have to act. And act correctly. Period. Even if said action is turning around 180 deg. & going back through known, safe waters, until you can better figure out what to do when you again reverse course towards your original goal. Which, knowing when to do this is a foundational judgement skill upon which many others are built.

Sermon mode off

Well, it depends on the job.

The first job is to avoid in the first place getting into a situation where you have to make any quick decision. That's especially true of collision avoidance, but it's also true of navigation and pilotage. If you do your work properly when the ships are still over the horizon, then there won't be any need for any desperate moves on deck. Likewise with pilotage -- if you have thoroughly studied (and memorized!) the waters you are sailing through, before you get to them, then there should be no surprises when you do get there and no need for spontaneous maneuvers.

For that you need radar, AIS, GPS, good cartography, radio, pencil, paper, knowledge, skill, and concentration. And you need to do the preparation work. Unless I am in my own back yard (Solent, Poole Bay, etc.), I always do a thorough passage plan, usually in written form, for every day's sailing. If it involves longer distances, it may take me an hour or more. For me, doing this well is one of the most enjoyable parts of sailing.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by UNCIVILIZED

What about a program that helps you with Celestial, including telling you what stars to look for, where, & when. If you don't use it much, it still may be a big hit with guests, & or, those looking to learn Celestial for their liscenses & cert's.

That's a great idea.

I have a mechanical chronometer (off a World War II destroyer, which I had rebuilt and calibrated), and my Father's gorgeous SNO-M sextant on board. Learning celestial has been on my list for years, and I really regret not letting my dad teach it to me when he was offering.

Any specific recommendations?

[Reefmagnet]

Originally Posted by UNCIVILIZED

What about a program that helps you with Celestial, including telling you what stars to look for, where, & when. If you don't use it much, it still may be a big hit with guests, & or, those looking to learn Celestial for their liscenses & cert's.

Originally Posted by Dockhead

That's a great idea.

I have a mechanical chronometer (off a World War II destroyer, which I had rebuilt and calibrated), and my Father's gorgeous SNO-M sextant on board. Learning celestial has been on my list for years, and I really regret not letting my dad teach it to me when he was offering.

Any specific recommendations?

No one clicks my links

Stellarium can be utilised for this

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by Reefmagnet

No one clicks my links

Stellarium can be utilised for this

I just did

An interesting program that would keep boredom at bay and cure insomnia in equal parts

What I have on the ship's computer..

Sailmail.

Burgle brand C-map

AIS thingo that came with my AMEC AIS

that's it.

I have most of my stuff on my Mac....

[conachair]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

)

Google Earth

If you want to use the very useful ge2kap to create kap chart files for OpenCPN from Google earth then you'll need an older version.

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ml#post2443144

Or use venturefarther.com, easier to use but not as clever as ge2kap.

Also, if you don't have them already, channel tide atlases can be downloaded here, very useful for passage planning, ctrl - arrows to flip through them.

Tide Stream Charts - Monty Mariner - Monty Mariner


An another prog to add might be Evernote, wonderfully useful for keeping everything and anything you might want to find again, fuel filter sizes, save handy web pages, photos of kit serial numbers, infinite really.

[UNCIVILIZED]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Well, it depends on the job.

The first job is to avoid in the first place getting into a situation where you have to make any quick decision. That's especially true of collision avoidance, but it's also true of navigation and pilotage. If you do your work properly when the ships are still over the horizon, then there won't be any need for any desperate moves on deck. Likewise with pilotage -- if you have thoroughly studied (and memorized!) the waters you are sailing through, before you get to them, then there should be no surprises when you do get there and no need for spontaneous maneuvers.

For that you need radar, AIS, GPS, good cartography, radio, pencil, paper, knowledge, skill, and concentration. And you need to do the preparation work. Unless I am in my own back yard (Solent, Poole Bay, etc.), I always do a thorough passage plan, usually in written form, for every day's sailing. If it involves longer distances, it may take me an hour or more. For me, doing this well is one of the most enjoyable parts of sailing.

All of these ideas sound good in theory, but in reality it's easy to wind up in situations where as the skipper you have to make snap decisions. That'll never change, especially when you're; in congested waters, areas you don't know well, areas where not everyone or everything has AIS & radar or good radar reflection, there's poor to zero visibility, or some combination of all of these. Even to include all of these stated navigational handicaps at the same time. And in point of fact, this is the norm.

And that said, you yourself may be on a boat which doesn't have AIS & radar, or even a chart plotter. Much as is the case with a decent percentage of our readers here, so it pays to know how to operate without this stuff. And it's why I'm endlessly touting folks learning the basics of nav & good situationa judgement, prior to becoming utterly dependent on electronics. Plus, even with it, it may not be interfaced well, may not be functioning properly, or simply may be giving the skipper too much information to handle, thus muddling up his grasp of the big picture, & his decision making skills.

Even with all of said electronic nav aids, few recreational boats have enough folks with the correct skills to simultaneously handle; pilotage, traffic tracking & avoidance, along with handling the boat; under power, sail, or both.

This is particularly true with regards to fully dealing with everything within range of AIS & radar, meaning over the horizon type targets. Not even professional ships can do this. As the picture changes too quickly, & as stated, not all of the vessels & hazards that you have to keep an eye on, show up on radar & AIS, or behave by proper rules of the road. And quite often they even randomly, & arbitrarily change course (assuming you can track them). Which, from 10nm, or even 2nm away, you can't always anticipate or make allowances for such. Especially if/when some of the targets/other vessels are restricted in their ability to manuever, constrained by draft, powered only by sail, not displaying proper lighting (if any) etc.

So that statement to the effect that you should never be in a situation where where rapid action needs to be taken is fallacious. All sorts of things can & routinely do happen which goof up one's pilotage & traffic handling plans. There are 1,001+ reasons as to why & how this can transpire, regardless of what one's navigational tools or skill level are.

[Sandero]

My sense is the more screens people are peering at on a boat the less situational awareness and skills they have... or those skills get rusty.

I love having a zoomable, sunlight readable gps chart plotter in the cockpit to refer to... and of course data from wind, and speed, and GPS COG, SOG... In cockpit radar and AIS would be great as well. I use MyRadar and SailFLow for wind and weather on a mobile device... quickie check is all that is needed.

I wish more skippers were in the cockpit paying attention to their surroundings..