Help / FAQ

[jpiebrig]

Hi All,

I have navigated for 5 months with Opencpn. I use it basically, routes, tracks, tides, sometimes Grib overlay, and I am very glad of it. Some things are still unconfortable, but I will tell it in the Features Requests forum.

Thanks to Dave and the other developpers for this very good job..

But I have two problems.

The first one : I am under Linux, all was working fine untill I put the new version Ubuntu 10.04 LTS and the latest version of Opencpn (from the cvs).
I am using GPSD, and my GPS are no more recognized. I have two, a Garmin 126 (Set to NMEA interface) and a Furuno GP30. I connect the GPS with an USB-serial interface (Prolific) which is recognized (I have two Prolific) :

jp@jp-laptop:~$ dmesg | grep tty
[ 0.000000] console [tty0] enabled
[ 17.705526] usb 1-3.4: pl2303 converter now attached to ttyUSB0
[ 17.723163] usb 1-4.4: pl2303 converter now attached to ttyUSB1
[ 24.050445] usb 1-1.2: GSM modem (1-port) converter now attached to ttyUSB2
[ 24.050601] usb 1-1.2: GSM modem (1-port) converter now attached to ttyUSB3
[ 24.051094] usb 1-1.2: GSM modem (1-port) converter now attached to ttyUSB4

Nothing has changed here.

As I was using GPSD, I try to get the latest version 2.94-2, but it doesn't work much more and I don't see any data in the window of Opencpn.
I run XGPS and I get the position with both GPS, so they are working fine.
I try to close GPSD and set the data source directly with ttyUSBx, it is not working. I can see the data in the window the boat is still gray but it is turning on itself, not at the good place.

I have uninstalled the latest version of Opencpn and re-installed the previous one, 1.36. It is not working anymore with GPSD but it works with ttyUSBx.

Now, I don't know what to try and I need help !

The second problem arrived with the changement of version. Now, all the times, when I want to open the Toolbox, I clik on the icon, there is nothing for about 8 seconds, then the color scren becomes grayscale and I have to wait about 25 seconds more before the Toolbox open.

Any idea ?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Jean-Pierre

[cagney]

It's a well known that gpsd ha totally changed its interface with the 2.9x releases.
OpenCPN has not yet adjusted to this fact.
The fix is quite easy. Uninstall the two gpsd packages that comes with Ubuntu 10.4 and revert back to the packages that were in 9.10 (gpsd 2.39.5). To make it easy for you and others I have attached the three necessary packages. Once these are installed things should work as before. This is the setup I have on my two computers.

Also, very important, use synaptic or similar, to lock (peg) these three packages, otherwise they will disappear on your next update, and you have to do this all over again.
Thomas

[jpiebrig]

Thank you Cagney for GPSD 2.39-5.
But it is not working. I try with the last Opencpn Version 2.1.0 Build 514.
And now I cannot see any data in the window, even if it was not working.
XGPS is also no more working with both of the GPS. I have no data.
May be, I will re-install Karmic if I don't find, but I have no time to do that for instant.

Jean-Pierre

[jpiebrig]

Cagney,

I don't know why, but I try again this evening whitout changing anything and it is working with the version of GPSD you gave me this morning.
I shuted down the computer, restarted it and it is still working.
Thank you very much for that.
I have only the problem of opening the Toolbox which is remaining. It is annoying but it is working at least ! If you are not in a hurry...

Jean-Pierre

[Rik-lu]

I tried to save a track as "test1". Next day with gpx-in I called this track again , hoping that the new track continues where "test1" stopped the day before.
but when I save the track at the end of the second day as "test2" and look at this track, it only shows the second day.

can I later connect the file 1 and 2 and so on to one single continuing file which shows a whole journey ? or is there an other way to keep a continuing track ?

(by the way , can the tracks be shown in google earth? maybe thats for the "feature requests")

[idpnd]

They are xml files, take a look inside, you can probably just append them to each other.

[a_hoffner]

I want my enc charts to show lines of latitude and longitude on my computer screen. Can't find an option to do so in the open cpn workspace. Any suggestions?
s/v oddly enough

[idpnd]

Originally Posted by a_hoffner

I want my enc charts to show lines of latitude and longitude on my computer screen.

Not implemented I'm afraid to report. This feature request pops up occasionally, might be nice for passage planning, but conflicts with the "KISS for navigation" philosophy

[Netsurfer]

Originally Posted by idpnd

This feature request pops up occasionally, might be nice for passage planning, but conflicts with the "KISS for navigation" philosophy

How can a feature which you'll find on every paper chart conflict with the "KISS philosophy for navigation" (what exactly do I have to understand by this )?

BTW: I would find such a feature helpful, too. At least 2 rulers at the sides with the actual lat lon scale.

Gunther

[idpnd]

Follow the link its got a definition of the term KISS. As there is a continuously updated display of the position under the mouse pointer in the status bar, there's no need for a grid particularly, unless you navigate by tracing meridians or something along those lines?

[Netsurfer]

Originally Posted by idpnd

Follow the link its got a definition of the term KISS.

I am familiar with the acronym. I wanted to know what you ment relating to navigation.

As there is a continuously updated display of the position under the mouse pointer in the status bar, there's no need for a grid particularly,

Ah, you are talking about that small dark (with low contrast) display where most of the users have to put on their glasses first before being able to read something ...

unless you navigate by tracing meridians or something along those lines?

That may be true espacially for those who are used to navigate with electronical charts, but as always there may be others out there ... !

And as I always say: Add a checkbox in the config and everybody can choose whether to use a feature or not.

Gunther

[idpnd]

but as always there may be others out there ... !

feature creep - Wiktionary ?

[cagney]

That may be true espacially for those who are used to navigate with electronical charts, but as always there may be others out there ... !

Last time this was raised was here I believe...
No need to repeat myself here.
I'm not "used" to navigate electronically either, and remains a big fan of paper charts, I must still have in the region of 350 pcs of them. I do look forward to using OpenCPN next time we're off cruising, however....

The KISS principle is closely connected to "bloat". See Dave's original motivation to start OpenCPN.

WHY DID YOU CREATE THIS PROGRAM?


As a full time cruiser, it became clear that most of the added features on other programs were useless for practical cruising. These eye candy features were resource hogs. I couldn't find a fast running no-nonsense program, so I developed one.

OpenCPN could very easily become like one in the crowd of commercial application, by giving in to every user demand. There are loads of posts that goes like this, " I want this XXX feature because I'm used to it from the YYY application."
This is understandable and natural, but the challenge for OpenCPN is to come up with an interface that Keeps It Simple, Smart and fast.

In this particular case, I don't really understand the need....

Thomas

[Netsurfer]

Thomas,

Originally Posted by cagney

Last time this was raised was here I believe...
No need to repeat myself here.

OK, but your post is from the time before version 2.1.0 so there was no course up mode (why was this feature implemented? I am used to have my paper charts north up ) and many others features as well ...!

The KISS principle is closely connected to "bloat". See Dave's original motivation to start OpenCPN.

OpenCPN could very easily become like one in the crowd of commercial application, by giving in to every user demand. There are loads of posts that goes like this, " I want this XXX feature because I'm used to it from the YYY application."

Your last point is something totally different. Implementing features because they exist in a other application is not the point!
I am sure of that a lat lon scale (not a grid) would increase clarity (facility of inspection) for many users (as it is one of the most wanted/ asked features) and what else should be the main purpose of OCPN than to easily navigate?

This is understandable and natural, but the challenge for OpenCPN is to come up with an interface that Keeps It Simple, Smart and fast.

And easy to use!
To me keeping the interface simple and smart is not a striking argument (if there would be a possibility to choose in the config menu).
Arguing that a feature would slow down the whole program or would be too difficult to implement are valid arguments to me.

But to qualify such a feature as "bloating" because

In this particular case, I don't really understand the need....

is not correct.

I do not understand why you are so decidedly against a feature (that obviously is wanted by many users) which you are not forced to use?

Gunther

[sy_gilana]

Lat Long question. does OpenCPN use LL in the "standard" format DD.MM.mmmm or DD.MM,SS
ie decimal minutes, or minutes and seconds?