Feature Requests

[one wolf]

I'm still using NOAA ENC and RNC charts that I download from NOAA directly. Are there better charting options I should be looking at using? USA East Coast (North Carolina) is my only use case.

[rgleason]

One Wolf,

Please use this thread
https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...92#post3153892

[QuentinC]

I have searched and not seen this request. I have noticed that manufacturers are offering multifunction displays like the B&G Triton2 Digital Display. It costs about 550 dollars. It occurs to me that the dashboard plugin would work great as a standalone program running in a pi zero wireless with a 4 or 5 inch touch screen display could be built for less than 100 dollars. Select which program you would like displayed on a consistent basis. The ability to be wireless hooked in to the main opencpn and able to add several if wanted. This would unclutter the main display.

[barnakiel]

There is this recurring misconception about needing to be 'plugged into a fixed something'. I think it is hurting us.



The whole beauty of mobile Apps is that you do not need to be plugged into remote anything software. It is NOT about your mobile device becoming a remote OpenCPN screen.


All you want - is having a wifi nmea data onboard. And then a tablet with the App that you like to use for navigation.



No need for having other copies of Navionix, OpenCPN or anything distributed anywhere.


Fire up your fave App on the mobile device, connect to the wifi nmea data and that's that.

b.

[jongough]

For transmitting nmea data over wifi you could use openplotter on a raspberry pi with all your instruments connected to it, then transmit all the information over the 'network' and have each individual machine handle it the way they want to. I use a PI with openplotter and opencpn running together and access the streams on my phone and other pcs. Works fine. It separates the gathering and distribution of information and the navigation functions which makes setting things up much easier.


https://www.sailoog.com/openplotter

[bfloyd4445]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

There is this recurring misconception about needing to be 'plugged into a fixed something'. I think it is hurting us.



The whole beauty of mobile Apps is that you do not need to be plugged into remote anything software. It is NOT about your mobile device becoming a remote OpenCPN screen.


All you want - is having a wifi nmea data onboard. And then a tablet with the App that you like to use for navigation.



No need for having other copies of Navionix, OpenCPN or anything distributed anywhere.


Fire up your fave App on the mobile device, connect to the wifi nmea data and that's that.

b.

provided you have an active internet connection. Or are you referrig to an onboard wifi system with nmed data stored on system device?

[QuentinC]

An onboard wifi system. Opencpn or openplotter running on a main display. Using the dashboard app running standalone without running the complete opencpn on a raspberry pi or pi zero driving a 4 or 5 inch display connected to the wifi nema data. Select what data you would like to see displayed separately from the main display, true and apparent wind, speed, depth, rudder angle, ais, etc. At the helm. So instead of having a dedicated display that only shows speed ie. Raymarine st60 speed display, it can be configured to show depth. This display would normally be set to what you wish to see at the helm.

[Dsanduril]

Have you looked at SignalK? It does exactly what you are talking about, although you have to have a SignalK server rather than an NMEA server, so probably a Pi or similar as the server. Collects NMEA data from anywhere you configure, then can serve it up to any device that can display a webpage (or several other options). Can even be made to display to a Kindle. You can design your own dashboards, and they can be common or unique for each device/location.

SignalK works well together with OpenCPN, and they are packaged together in the OpenPlotter system. We use OpenCPN on a Pi as our main navigation tool. The built-in WiFi then serves up SignalK pages that can be seen anywhere on the boat, and can be customized by each user.

[Edit] the newest versions of OpenCPN integrate SignalK directly as a data source into OpenCPN. With OpenCPN in the loop you can output the calculated values such as bearing and distance to waypoint, XTE, etc. rather than just the NMEA raw data and display that information[/Edit]

[QuentinC]

Originally Posted by Dsanduril

Have you looked at SignalK? It does exactly what you are talking about, although you have to have a SignalK server rather than an NMEA server, so probably a Pi or similar as the server. Collects NMEA data from anywhere you configure, then can serve it up to any device that can display a webpage (or several other options). Can even be made to display to a Kindle. You can design your own dashboards, and they can be common or unique for each device/location.

SignalK works well together with OpenCPN, and they are packaged together in the OpenPlotter system. We use OpenCPN on a Pi as our main navigation tool. The built-in WiFi then serves up SignalK pages that can be seen anywhere on the boat, and can be customized by each user.

[Edit] the newest versions of OpenCPN integrate SignalK directly as a data source into OpenCPN. With OpenCPN in the loop you can output the calculated values such as bearing and distance to waypoint, XTE, etc. rather than just the NMEA raw data and display that information[/Edit]

I will check into that. I still learn something new every day. Thanks.

[barnakiel]

You can broadcast the nmea data thru a simple nmea/wifi bridge.


No need for any in-betweens.


Sure, if you already have something that is wifi-nmea-transmit able, you use whatever you already have.


I have noticed many new people do not understand that if there are many nmea instruments a kind of 'mixer' (aka multiplexer) is required as a first step. So that your gps, depth, wind, ais, etc. data all at once in one wifi stream.



Another thing I noticed many people forget that many instruments are not nmea able. There are many SeaTalk, etc etc. instruments that do not put out nmea data. These can often be incorporated via special adapters that convert the brand-specific information into nmea (but not always the other way round).



It is all very simple job but not one that takes just 5 minutes. Once you understand which component does what, you are then set up pretty fast.



b.

[Dsanduril]

The request isn't to broadcast the data over WiFi, that, as you note, is trivial.

The request is to display the data, in the cockpit, on a device that is not a proprietary marine hardware platform. There are some, with reasonable justification, who will argue that this is the "proper" hardware for the task.

There are others of us who don't like the price, or in my case the design decisions and inflexibility of that hardware and search for other solutions. One such solution is to use consumer grade hardware and software for the task. I don't think this will ever make it as a feature in OpenCPN (and so maybe we should move this discussion) because that's is not O's core function, and because solutions already exist.

The request was a stand-alone application similar to the Dashboard plugin that could run on nearly any platform. The reason I suggest SignalK is because it displays data in a web browser. And browsers are readily available, in multiple flavors, for almost any platform. No need to write any special hardware. Just code a webpage. And share that code with other users if you like.

My current experiment is with a "waterproof" Kindle Paperwhite. Consumer hardware available new for $130 and much less used. Suitable for outdoor use (but I haven't truly doused it yet). Far, far easier to read than any marine instrument or tablet in daylight conditions. While using much less power. With a web-based display I get to display whatever data I want, in whatever layout, and at whatever size.

The downside to the Kindle (and any e-ink) display is update speeds. Ours is currently set to update every 2 seconds, and we find that quite suitable for route information, speed data, and usually depth information. But we still used dedicated wind instruments. When navigating shallow water we may use the dedicated depth display. And when tuning for speed we use the dedicated speed display. But for standing watch from up on the bow while the autopilot drives the boat? Priceless.

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by bfloyd4445

provided you have an active internet connection. Or are you referrig to an onboard wifi system with nmed data stored on system device?

Sorry! I did not grab at first the data is to be sent over the Internet.


I assumed the data is sent over wifi. (LAN, onboard the boat )



There are many free Apps that grab a wifi nmea signal and display it on any mobile device. So this is what I meant when I wrote my, likely premature, post!


Apologies.



Regards,
b.

[Hakan]

Dsanduril..
I'm not arguing now. Just narrate my use for what it's worth.
I've a dated laptop at the Nav board. All USB and other serials are connected to a docking station as is the wired IP connection to the radar scanner. (I've two of this laptop. Used. Cheep)
The laptop is also connected to a likewise dated and 12V wifi router.

In the cockpit I've dated Android ver. 4 tablet. RealVNC on both devises and I can see everything present on the laptop up there. Also the radar.
The dated tablet is some 40€ or less at any used equipment site. I've two of these. The battery are often week so I use a 5V supply.
If it starts to get wet outside I use a food plastic sheet cover.
A reliable, simple, cheep and functional solution for me.


For security fail safe I've OCPN also in my Android mobile. Just to switch on if/when any device get a malfunction.
(O on the Mobile is also a very power saving anchor watch. The PC can be switched off during nights.)
Håkan

[transmitterdan]

Originally Posted by Dsanduril

The request isn't to broadcast the data over WiFi, that, as you note, is trivial.

The request is to display the data, in the cockpit, on a device that is not a proprietary marine hardware platform.

http://www.navmonpc.com/

[QuentinC]

I just want to say thanks to the replies. I had only researched opencpn. I did not realize that signal k apps and others could display the data in a webpage. It should be a simple task for a pi zero to display in a smaller screen. I was looking at the price of a commerical display vs a diy project. Would I like to have the lastest greatest gizmos? You bet. Sadly those would put a good size hole in a budget very quickly. Thanks again for the suggestions.