Feature Requests

[gungner]

Any one managed to send a route through openCPN (NMEA) to a Raymarine E90W? I can see that the E90W is receiving the data, but when setting it to receive-route-from-NMEA nothing happens.

PS: I've filled a support issue with Raymarine but I only get randomly answers in terms of "have you put the plotter on?"

[Down2TheC]

Originally Posted by fgd3

I haven't experimented with the MOB function but I was surprised to discover it creates a two-point route. I wonder what the logic is there. Why would I want to be lead away from the man overboard for ten or fifteen minutes before turning around to make the recovery? I expected it to drop a mark and go to that mark, as my GPS does.

It creates the two point route when you hit the MOB button/hotkey, but activates the MOB point, not the "1 mile in the direction of travel" waypoint. So it works fine for MOB and does not lead you away, and doesn't deactivate if you pass near the MOB point. But once it's deactivated, the route is no longer special. Then it will deactivate if you get near the last waypoint... like any other route.

Originally Posted by fgd3

My GPS continues to give bearing and range to a waypoint but it doesn't behave that way with a route until the final route point. The whole idea of a route is that when you get close enough to one route point the GPS automatically directs you to the next route point.

Perhaps I'm mistaken, but I think what you would like is to have an option that routes remain active until explicitly deactivated and automatically reverse when the final route point is reached. For example, after you run a route from A to B to C to D it automatically becomes an active route from D to C to B to A. Is that the behavior you're looking for?

Fabbian

Not that second thing. What I'd like is exactly what your GPS does. B&R to a waypoint indefinitely. If that can be done without usurping the route feature great. But it would be easiest to just have the option to make routes not change the active waypoint when so configured. Then I could leave a route active that will always lead me to the harbor entrance, even when I pass through it. That's the only reason I bring up routes.

As it is, I have to activate the route each time I leave the harbor, in order to get B&R to that entrance. Only a slight pain. I may try to rig an AutoHotKey script for the time being so at least I can hot key the repetitious process.

[fgd3]

Originally Posted by Down2TheC

It creates the two point route when you hit the MOB button/hotkey, but activates the MOB point, not the "1 mile in the direction of travel" waypoint. So it works fine for MOB and does not lead you away, and doesn't deactivate if you pass near the MOB point. But once it's deactivated, the route is no longer special. Then it will deactivate if you get near the last waypoint... like any other route.

I see. I tried it using the "Move Boat Here" option and the red line starts at the 1-mile waypoint and points back to the MOB icon no matter where I put the boat. The bearing to the waypoint changes as the boat moves. How does it behave when the boat is actually moving and its position is updated by the GPS? I was expecting to see a line from the boat to the MOB icon no matter where I moved the boat. I haven't had a chance to try it for real.

Originally Posted by Down2TheC

Not that second thing. What I'd like is exactly what your GPS does. B&R to a waypoint indefinitely. If that can be done without usurping the route feature great. But it would be easiest to just have the option to make routes not change the active waypoint when so configured. Then I could leave a route active that will always lead me to the harbor entrance, even when I pass through it. That's the only reason I bring up routes.

As it is, I have to activate the route each time I leave the harbor, in order to get B&R to that entrance. Only a slight pain. I may try to rig an AutoHotKey script for the time being so at least I can hot key the repetitious process.

I thought you wanted to have a two-point route. If you just need one mark have you tried "Go To Here" from the context menu? I know it deactivates if you get too close, but if it didn't deactivate would that do what you want?

I think I'd like to have the option to make a route automatically reverse when I reached the end. I run the same route in and out of my harbor and I have to manually reverse it each time. It makes sense to me that once I have followed the route from the dock to the bay the next time I use the route I'll want to go from the bay to the dock. What do you think?

Fabbian

[Down2TheC]

Bingo. Go To Here does deactivate. If that were persistent, I'd be set. But Go To Here sets up a route from present location to the point you designate. So it's still all about a persistent route that never deactivates.

I understand your reversal desires. Sounds like you have a trek to get out to sea. If you're doing daysailing and didn't need route navigation while out and about, perhaps as a workaround you could make your route go out and in. Could clutter up the screen a bit with double the waypoints in the channel/river, but the route back to the slip would be waiting for you upon your return without reverse. Then next sail you'd activate it from the start again.

And the MOB in practice works great. Did some testing in the car. The route it creates in 1 mile in the direction of COG at the time you hit the button. But that point never activates even though as a route, it's first. Not sure of the logic in that choice but the end result is accurate. (Perhaps for nighttime recovery if you do a Williamson turn, then the XTE would be handy) The B&R info is always to the MOB and never deactivates.

[dacust]

Originally Posted by Down2TheC

Bingo. Go To Here does deactivate. If that were persistent, I'd be set. But Go To Here sets up a route from present location to the point you designate. So it's still all about a persistent route that never deactivates.

I understand your reversal desires. Sounds like you have a trek to get out to sea. If you're doing daysailing and didn't need route navigation while out and about, perhaps as a workaround you could make your route go out and in. Could clutter up the screen a bit with double the waypoints in the channel/river, but the route back to the slip would be waiting for you upon your return without reverse. Then next sail you'd activate it from the start again.

And the MOB in practice works great. Did some testing in the car. The route it creates in 1 mile in the direction of COG at the time you hit the button. But that point never activates even though as a route, it's first. Not sure of the logic in that choice but the end result is accurate. (Perhaps for nighttime recovery if you do a Williamson turn, then the XTE would be handy) The B&R info is always to the MOB and never deactivates.

I can see where the line might help. If it was a minute or two before the MOB situation was noticed, you'd go back to the line, and go that direction to find them.

-dan

[PjotrC]

I realize my voice can be in minority or even in isolation... Fortunately, I never had to fish anyone out of the briny, but I did pick up danbuoys, liferings and buckets during sea drills. In that situation anything what is not 100% immediately obvious to anyone is a hinderance. Even the question returned by GPS after pressing the MOB: "Do you want to start navigating to the waypoint?" may seem ambiguous. "Go to MOB?" would be much clearer, best not asked at all...
What I would want is the following:
- drop a mark, that cannot be deleted easily (in Furuno GP32 I think it just stays there forever, until next MOB, which is right for a GPS, maybe not so for a plotter)
- enter a solid message in the log with time and position
- show MOB on chart, with complete annotation (position, time) that can be easily read out over the radio without clicking and searching more
- for navigation, which is an extra already, true bearing and distance is the maximum I could safely handle. The automatic routes (I tried this in MaxSea and SOB, was very happy OCPN did not have this feature then...) can be extremely misleading. If the boat comes to a crash stop, hove-to, drifting to leeward or going backwards, the COG can be anything, so the running road display may become meaningless for conning. Just the bearing and magnetic or gyro (not GPS) compass might be useful. If needed, clicking GoToHere can always be done independently.

Automated generation of search patterns is another story...

Piotr

[Down2TheC]

^^^ That's nearly an exact list of actions in OpenCPN presently. Hit the button and follow the B&R data to the mark (if you don't have a visual). I think they got the MOB function dead on. (Props to the architect of that feature). As a reminder, though MOB got into the conversation as a workaround, no one has asked for a feature change for MOB.

[fgd3]

It seems to me what's needed is a change in how OpenCPN handles waypoints and route points. An active destination should remain active until it is (1) replaced by a different active destination or (2) expressly deactivated. A destination may be replaced with another by (1) activating a route or (2) activating another waypoint with Go To Here. Does that describe what you need correctly?

Fabbian

[fgd3]

Originally Posted by Down2TheC

Turns out my current workaround wasn't really working. Once activated, a route with the MOB endpoint was really activating the first mark (originally the "1 mile" deal generated when you hit the MOB.) If you advance to the other mark, it will deactivate once you approach. So the workaround only works once. And that makes it useless if you have to move the mark (which requires deactivating the route.)
So please read carefully and consider this easy change. I haven't used C++ in 14 yrs or I'd knock it out. Thanks either way.



Essentially, I'm just looking to replace "go to waypoint" on any basic GPS unit (LORAN in my case). They continue to give you bearing and range until you tell it to do something else.

I'm a little confused by this. I think perhaps you misunderstood how the MOB function works and have later revised your thinking. Apparently, when you click the MOB button OpenCPN creates a route whose destination is the boat's position when the MOB button was clicked and whose start point is 1 mile away from that position along the boat's heading. It never directs you to the start point and the MOB destination remains active until you expressly deactivate it. So, in light of further exploration, does MOB serve as a workaround for you?

Fabbian

[Down2TheC]

Nope. Because for me to use that as a workaround, I'd have to deactivate the route, move the mark, then reactivate the route. Once reactivated, the normal behavior of "ending" once you come close is enabled. Despite it being messy, I could drop the MOB at the mouth of the harbor and leave it there. Then I'd get a persistent B&R to the mouth no matter how many times I pass through it. I'm just used to marking the flashing red harbor marker.
So I guess I have a workaround for my workaround.

[Extemporaneous]

Originally Posted by Down2TheC

I'm just used to marking the flashing red harbor marker.

Now that would be interesting..... A flashing gif as a waypoint or user placed marker.

Extemp.

[fgd3]

Originally Posted by Down2TheC

Nope. Because for me to use that as a workaround, I'd have to deactivate the route, move the mark, then reactivate the route. Once reactivated, the normal behavior of "ending" once you come close is enabled. Despite it being messy, I could drop the MOB at the mouth of the harbor and leave it there. Then I'd get a persistent B&R to the mouth no matter how many times I pass through it. I'm just used to marking the flashing red harbor marker.
So I guess I have a workaround for my workaround.

I'm still a bit confused about what you are trying to do and why the MOB mark doesn't work for you. Can you post a screen shot of your harbor chart with the marks you want?

Fabbian

[HunterWanderer]

I have a navionics card reader and chart cartidge but I can't get Opencpn to open it. Is there any way to achieve this? File types are .nv2 I believe.

Richard

[dacust]

Originally Posted by HunterWanderer

I have a navionics card reader and chart cartidge but I can't get Opencpn to open it. Is there any way to achieve this? File types are .nv2 I believe.

Richard

Nope. Sorry. Won't do it.

OpenCPN supports BSB3, ENC and CM93 charts, only. At least for now.

-dan

[Gaulois]

Originally Posted by SergeyKr

Hi!
It will be good to have ability for OpenCPN to insert GPS antena position and dimentions of the vessel to get real shape of ship on the chart. It will be very usefull for channel navigation and mooring.

The above suggestion becomes significantly important as your vessels dimensions becomes bigger.

And my suggestion:
It would be handy to be able to type waypoint coordinates during route creation using keyboard or clipboard (besides of plotting on chart by moving the mouse cursor on desired coordinates).

Thanks.