AIS Track Time

[Ops.Navig8r]

Hi Rob,
OK you nailed it this time it loaded fine and seems to be OK. I only tried the Vector Search but worked well. I think I seen a comment about this somewhere and you might like to consider it in a future mod. It would be good to add Degrees & Decimal Mins to the lat long options as these days I think most people set up their GPS that way, I reckon most of the general boaties we deal with don't even know about Degrees Mins & Secs.
So Thanks for you efforts good job
Regards
Steve.

[rgleason]

Thanks Steve, I agree with your suggestion! It would be much safer to have seamless copy of lat/long no matter what is being used.


SaltyPaws is to thank for the plugin!

[Ops.Navig8r]

Hi Rob,
That's all good. I'm not sure just how to contact "Salty Paws" yet as I'm new to this forum thing.
I think I've messed up this thread anyhow as it started with AIS and has now morphed to plugin's.
So I hope you not too cold up there, as here in the antipodes it is a balmy 37 degrees C and was up to 45 last week. OK for us with cast iron sails but you rag engine blokes where complaining as the seas were absolutely flat and not a breath of air, "in Irons" again. Oh well the winds will come sometime so go fishing now sailing later.
Cheers
Steve.

[rgleason]

I am responsible for the thread drift. Sorry.



Sticky Plugin Links are at the top of first page.


Looking down that list under SAFETY is Sar_pi
The forum thread, the Plugin Download page, Wiki P writeup are listed


The SAR_pi thread is here http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...sar-90663.html


Hasn't been posted in awhile.

[Ops.Navig8r]

Hi Rob,
That's Ok don't beat yourself up, we did sort out a couple with the plugin as well so its all good.
Cheers
Steve

[rhpike]

Ops.Navig8r,


I am curious why you use opencpn for nav software. I use Navionics and love it. However, I'm don't believe I can show AIS ships on it. Does opencpn allow you to see AIS signals?


Thanks,
Randy

[nohal]

Originally Posted by rhpike

Ops.Navig8r,


I am curious why you use opencpn for nav software. I use Navionics and love it. However, I'm don't believe I can show AIS ships on it. Does opencpn allow you to see AIS signals?


Thanks,
Randy

Randy...

Of course it does, that is what we talk about in this thread the whole time. So does Navionics if you have a source of the AIS data feed.
Navionics is nice for small boat navigation, very simple to use, does well what it was designed to do. I can't imagine I would be happy with it while managing multi vessel SAR operations which is what Ops.Navig8r does, but I sure may be wrong.

People usually use OpenCPN (or anything else) because they want to and because they think it suits their needs.

Pavel

[rhpike]

Thanks, Pavel. I track AIS vessels on my Raymarine chartplotter at the helm and at my Navstation. The iPad (and iPhone) is backup, and I can track AIS vessels on it via several apps. I will check into opencpn, although as a recreational boater, I can usually avoid traffic, unless taking the Houston Ship Channel down to Galveston and/or the GOM.


Thanks,
Randy

[Ops.Navig8r]

Hi RHPike Parvel,
There are a couple of reasons including the Multi vessel S&R management as Parvel said.
We use our own AIS receivers so are independent of the net or other URL sites to provide that info, web tracking sites generally show all vessels but only track one.
We do also use SOB (Software On Board) by DigiBoat which was very good as well, however the route files are written in its own format and need to be converted if required by other systems. OpenCPN obviously uses .GPX files. I have written a program to create both (.RTE) for SOB and .GPX route files so that is no problem. The Police use .GPX and most new on boat nav systems will read .GPX these days as it is a kind of standard, there is an industry push to make the importing of .GPX files to Plotters easier. We also send the search .GPX routes via email to vessels (when internet is connectable which is NOT reliable at sea) We are experimenting with sending .GPX files to vessels via our own radio network (Packet Data) so we tend to move more to OpenCPN. Not to mention the cost of fancy software to do the same stuff.
The only issue I have, and that applies to all software is chart updates are costly, Australian area charts are not easily available free as America so that is a major cost if we regularly update. I am using some old CM93 charts which I regularly update with a .GPX waypoint file with new or moved Nav Aids from the "Notices to Navigators" sent by the Aust. Hydrographic Office.
I have also used the "Ray Marine" Time Zero with GPX files but I found it too complex for my needs for training others.
Thanks for your interest and I hope this as given you some reasons to use and support OpenCPN.
I forgot to mention if you have an idea for a program addition/change/improvment you'll probably never get that done with proprietary software however if there is merit in a suggestion I reckon the writing team will take up the challenge for you.

Cheers
Steve

[nohal]

Originally Posted by Ops.Navig8r

Hi RHPike Parvel,
There are a couple of reasons including the Multi vessel S&R management as Parvel said.
We use our own AIS receivers so are independent of the net or other URL sites to provide that info, web tracking sites generally show all vessels but only track one.
We do also use SOB (Software On Board) by DigiBoat which was very good as well, however the route files are written in its own format and need to be converted if required by other systems. OpenCPN obviously uses .GPX files. I have written a program to create both (.RTE) for SOB and .GPX route files so that is no problem. The Police use .GPX and most new on boat nav systems will read .GPX these days as it is a kind of standard, there is an industry push to make the importing of .GPX files to Plotters easier. We also send the search .GPX routes via email to vessels (when internet is connectable which is NOT reliable at sea) We are experimenting with sending .GPX files to vessels via our own radio network (Packet Data) so we tend to move more to OpenCPN. Not to mention the cost of fancy software to do the same stuff.
The only issue I have, and that applies to all software is chart updates are costly, Australian area charts are not easily available free as America so that is a major cost if we regularly update. I am using some old CM93 charts which I regularly update with a .GPX waypoint file with new or moved Nav Aids from the "Notices to Navigators" sent by the Aust. Hydrographic Office.
I have also used the "Ray Marine" Time Zero with GPX files but I found it too complex for my needs for training others.
Thanks for your interest and I hope this as given you some reasons to use and support OpenCPN.
I forgot to mention if you have an idea for a program addition/change/improvment you'll probably never get that done with proprietary software however if there is merit in a suggestion I reckon the writing team will take up the challenge for you.

Cheers
Steve

Steve...

The Australian up to date charts for OpenCPN got very affordable some time ago, see https://o-charts.org/shop/index.php?...duct&id_lang=4 - official charts as released by your govt, frequent updates.

Pavel

[bcn]

Originally Posted by nohal

Steve...

The Australian up to date charts for OpenCPN got very affordable some time ago, see https://o-charts.org/shop/index.php?...duct&id_lang=4 - official charts as released by your govt, frequent updates.

Pavel

Well, we can't call them "official charts" due to licensing requirements.

"Official" is restricted to charts distributed by official bodies like AHO or IHO appointed VARs (Value Added Retailers - Chartworld, Admiralty, PRIMAR, TRANSAS) in S-63 format.
Even when the content and update frequencies are identical. And presentation in OpenCPN as well.

Therefore the EULA of the oeSENC charts (called oeEVC in Australia as AHO imposes that also the (sub-)term "ENC" can only be used for official material) explains that the charts are not sufficient to comply with "carriage requirements" for commercial purposes or other watercraft who are under IMO or other national regulations. [End of disclaimer].

In short: you can get the complete set of Australian charts for OpenCPN at an affordable cost.
And some bird has told us that Regional Australian Governments might start soon to complement the OpenCPN charts by genuine S-57 material for sites they survey additionally.

Hubert

[Ops.Navig8r]

Hi Pavel, & Hubert,
Thanks for the link, I have looked at it, it seems all a bit hard due to multi machines and licencing that may get stuffed up by the inevitable fiddlers. I'll take that on board (excuse the pun) but stay as is for now.
Thanks
Steve.

[bcn]

Steve,

if the system (Hw+OS) does not change, the charts will survive re-installs and other nonsense that happens. You can even create an install set offline using a fingerprint file of the target system.
In the pipeline there is as well a "USB-key dongle" as device to allow portable sets.
I suggest to contact us directly at "info" at "o-charts.org". In your special case some further investigation shall be done perhaps.

Hubert

[Ops.Navig8r]

Hi Hubert,
thank you for you kind help, time permitting I will contact your info address.
The SOB software we where using also had a USB key which allowed a cheaper licence fee however a licence was still required for each machine using the key and with at least one machine portable in our Field Command Vehicle the key was impractical as it was never were it was needed, by the time you buy separate keys you might as well have three or four licences.
I does make one envious of people who can easily acquire charts and updates free of cost. Our supplier does give S&R organizations a small discount but as the majority of Marine S&R Groups an Aust are volunteer organisations under direction of Police there's not a lot of money to be throwing around and of course there always seems to be something more important.
Cheers