Harmonic Data UK, France, Belgium, Netherlands

[George64]

Hello,

I noticed the Harmonic files from wxtide32 are somehow outdated. I came to this conclusion by using Reeds tidal data and a UK tide site (don't know the link, however mentioned on this forum many times...) Also read about various copyright issues regarding the data used to create a harmonic file.

Does anyone know if there is an up to date tide data file that can be used in Opencpn for the mentioned area?

Many thanks!

[sailorF54]

Originally Posted by George64

Hello,

I noticed the Harmonic files from wxtide32 are somehow outdated. I came to this conclusion by using Reeds tidal data and a UK tide site (don't know the link, however mentioned on this forum many times...) Also read about various copyright issues regarding the data used to create a harmonic file.

Does anyone know if there is an up to date tide data file that can be used in Opencpn for the mentioned area?

Many thanks!

If you want up-to-date, certified data/program, take out your credit card...
As it won't interface with OpenCpn, write the various authorities to demand this scandal to be ended...

Now if can live with unofficial approximate data (cheking against official source recommended) see
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BzWF...bEU/edit?pli=1

[George64]

😄😄😄
Thanks for the link to the file.

Tidal info should become open source too!!

[conachair]

Originally Posted by George64

Hello,

I noticed the Harmonic files from wxtide32 are somehow outdated. I came to this conclusion by using Reeds tidal data and a UK tide site (don't know the link, however mentioned on this forum many times...) Also read about various copyright issues regarding the data used to create a harmonic file.

Does anyone know if there is an up to date tide data file that can be used in Opencpn for the mentioned area?

Many thanks!

Which ports did you check? I just had a look at Sheerness and newhaven and the wx tides in opencpn were very close easytide.ukho.gov.uk/


Some channel & atlantic france with tidal currents as well here..

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BzWF...it?hl=fr&pli=1



Edit - beaten to it i think

[cagney]

One reason to introduce the ability to read xtides binary tcd tidal files in the current beta, is that they are kept up to date by David Flater over at XTide Downloads.
The available dataset is not very large, and in Europe only UK and the Netherlands are covered. The latest available data file is from December 2011.
Available stations in the "non-free" tcd file.


Thomas

[George64]

Thanks Thomas. Installed it and a "new" number of station showed up

George

[NickH]

Originally Posted by sailorF54

If you want up-to-date, certified data/program, take out your credit card...
As it won't interface with OpenCpn, write the various authorities to demand this scandal to be ended...

Now if can live with unofficial approximate data (cheking against official source recommended) see
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BzWF...bEU/edit?pli=1

Being a very slow adopter of new stuff, it has taken me over a year to get OpenCPN first to work with my existing BSB4 charts and secondly with my GPS/AIS on board. Happily I have now cracked these and am fast becoming a convert to this package.

Next step for me is to get the tide heights and currents, hence a search on this forum and finding this thread.

Under Options, Charts, Tides&Currents I have the Harmonics.idx file selected and can see tidal heights at the Primary UK ports when I click on the Show Tides icon.

However, I am not seeing anything when I click on Show Currents.

Should I be able to see something? If so what might I be doing wrong?

Thanks
(moodyNick on ybw)

[nohal]

Nick...
There are no free currents data available for this area, so no, you are not supposed to see anything.

Pavel

[cagney]

Nick

Have a look at the link in post #2 in this thread. A few UK tidal stream icons are available. Be careful though, as OpenCPn only displays reversing current. The general case with rotary currents cannot be displayed with the default current display. As an example, have a look at the current icon SE of the Scilly Isles and compare with the tidal stream diamonds or the Tidal Stream Atlas.

Alternatives are available. Current gribs are available for the North Sea and the Channel from a German FTP site. Go to ftp.bsh.de and navigate to the /Stroemungsvorhersagen/grib2 directory. Check out the tidal chapter of the wiki for more info and pictures.

A third alternative is presented in this thread:http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ts-101636.html. It's the good people over at Visit My Harbour sponsoring an OpenCPN plugin showing the Official Tidalstream Atlases as transparent overlays, on any chart.

If you have access to digital pictures of the Tidal Stream Atlases, the same result should be possible to achieve with the new WxFax plugin.
I think I need to test this possibility myself....

Thomas

[cagney]

Just a quick test. Displaying tides with the WxFax plugin, using Linux.



Thomas

[George64]

Originally Posted by cagney

Just a quick test. Displaying tides with the WxFax plugin, using Linux.

Attachment 63122

Thomas

@Cagney Maybe it's because I'm on Windows 7, but can you plse explain how you managed to show the tidal info?

[cagney]

Originally Posted by George64

@Cagney Maybe it's because I'm on Windows 7, but can you plse explain how you managed to show the tidal info?

First you have to be familiar with the weather fax plugin.
Then take a digital pictures of a page in one of the Tidal Stream Atlases and treat it as if it was a weather fax. That's all there is to it.
This was just a proof of concept. And ...sorry, I can't help you with any pictures.

Thomas

[George64]

Originally Posted by cagney

First you have to be familiar with the weather fax plugin.
Then take a digital pictures of a page in one of the Tidal Stream Atlases and treat it as if it was a weather fax. That's all there is to it.
This was just a proof of concept. And ...sorry, I can't help you with any pictures.

Thomas

Thanks Thomas. I assumed you downloaded Grib-files as tidal information.

[rgleason]

From Sinbad 7 in another thread:
I am pleased to let you know the European database of tidal streams are now also available in the old .grib format, parallel with the new .grb2 format on this URL:ftp://ftp.bsh.de/Stroemungsvorhersagen/

[Not yet uploaded in grb format, but hopefully coming]
There is a notice that this will be available only for a limited time, so perhaps it is time for grib_pi to be updated to include grb2 format?

[George64]

Originally Posted by rgleason

From Sinbad 7 in another thread:
I am pleased to let you know the European database of tidal streams are now also available in the old .grib format, parallel with the new .grb2 format on this URL:ftp://ftp.bsh.de/Stroemungsvorhersagen/

[Not yet uploaded in grb format, but hopefully coming]
There is a notice that this will be available only for a limited time, so perhaps it is time for grib_pi to be updated to include grb2 format?

Sounds great. Looking forward to GRIB1-version and hopefully is Opencpn going to support GRIB2