Help / FAQ

[tlawler]

John,
Thanks for the quick reply. I'm running p, li { white-space: pre-wrap; } Google Earth
6.2.1.6014 (beta)
I would rather not go backwards and don't understand how the version of GE would affect OpenCPN. Google earth is not even open when I put the google earth .dll into the plugin folder and restart OpenCPN.

Tom



[QUOTE=teneicm;901894]John-

What version of GE are you running? The newest version (6.2 and above) turned off support for certain APIs, but I'm not certain if the plugin requires this. You can either wait for folks who know the plugin better to chime in ...

[Jon Hacking]

Originally Posted by tlawler

... I'm running Google Earth 6.2.1.6014 (beta). I would rather not go backwards and don't understand how the version of GE would affect OpenCPN. Google earth is not even open when I put the Google earth .dll into the plugin folder and restart OpenCPN. Tom

Tom, the plugin is only a link joining OCPN to GE. It's the real GE code that's running & generating the images & functionality. That's why GE has to be installed for the plugin to work. The plugin activates & drives GE. So it might be a good idea to go to a released version of GE instead of beta code.

But that doesn't explain why OCPN doesn't even recognize or try to do anything with the GE plugin. If OCPN were trying (& failing) to contact GE through the plugin, you'd think there would be some mention of it in the log. Since there isn't any mention of GE in the log, I assume there's some other problem. Frustrating... Any help out there?

[r.fairman]

Verson 6.2 no longer supports the COM API so any call to GE using this interface will no longer work The utility GE2KAP also uses the COM API so works with 6.1 GE but not 6.2 GE This move was to make people use the GE Web plugin so as to increase traffic though Google that they could monitor

Load GE 6.1 and try again

Here is alink to the older version

http://www.plaisance-pratique.com/IMG/zip/GoogleEarthWin.exe

regards

richard

[tlawler]

Thanks Richard but still no joy.

I downloaded and installed google earth 6.1 from your link. I opened GE and verified that it really changed to 6.1.

Then I opened Open CPN and the tool box still does not have the google earth plug in. I checked the plugins folder and there are these 3 files

dashboard_pi.dll
gecomapi_win32_pi15_v08_pi(1).dll
grib_pi.dll

What next?

Tom

[nohal]

Tom...
Easy help here. Rename gecomapi_win32_pi15_v08_pi(1).dll to gecomapi_win32_pi15_v08_pi.dll

Pavel

[prroots]

I'm running OpenCpn V2.5.0 under Windows 7 on a Fujitsu model ST6112 table PC. While on a passage, both gps data and AIS data would drop out from time to time. The data was still being transmitted, but OpenCPN wasn't seeing it. The quick fix was to unplug and replug the USB cable. This didn't happen simultaneously on both ports, rather it seemed random ie, not correlated to anything I was doing at the time.

I would soon see the loss of gps data since the boat turns black and points North, however, it was not obvious when I lose AIS data which is quite worrisome with lots of ships crossing our path. Any ideas?
Pete

[tlawler]

Originally Posted by nohal

Tom...
Easy help here. Rename gecomapi_win32_pi15_v08_pi(1).dll to gecomapi_win32_pi15_v08_pi.dll

Pavel

Pavel,
Your quick fix worked. The google earth plugin showed up. Yippee.
Thanks
Tom

[dinajui]

Originally Posted by bdbcat

This thread is reserved for general questions regarding the functions and features of opencpn, in its current RELEASED state.

It is intended that this is where a new user will land first, and hopefully answer most or all of her questions about initial configuration and operation of opencpn. This include things like "Where do I get charts?... What is an ENC?...How do I <blank>?"

Over time the thread will generate a list of FAQ's, by definition. These will be extracted at some point, and split off into a separate document or thread.

I would very much like it if some existing experienced forum members would take a proactive role in working with this thread. You know who you are.

Otherwise, it will be of little use to new users or to anybody, really.

I will be monitoring this thread only infrequently, and contributing rarely.


Thanks
Dave

hello, i just installed ocpn and gps usb reciver in my laptop (windows), the cpn does not get satelite reception and i do get a fix on the gps window, what can i do?

[Jon Hacking]

Originally Posted by dinajui

hello, i just installed ocpn and gps usb receiver in my laptop (windows), the cpn does not get satellite reception and i do get a fix on the gps window, what can i do?

Hi Dinajui, & welcome to Cruisers Forum! Only 1 application at a time can receive the GPS information (unless you've installed special software to split the serial data stream). Close your "GPS window", then start OpenCPN. Go to the Toolbox (icon with a wrench), go to the GPS tab, and set your NMEA Data Source to the serial port that your GPS is using. Baud rate should be 4800. Your GPS must look like a serial port (usually with Serial-to-USB converter software) for OpenCPN to work. Hope this helps!

[riccardo1948]

Hi, Sorry to break into this thread, but I have just set up OpenCPN with a set of CM93/2 charts, and an old U2 GPS USB and everything is working fine, but I have a small query regarding the charts.
When looking at a detailed chart with quilting on, where the edges of the detailed chart meets the smaller scaled chart, some of the chart lines don't seem to meet up correctly.
I haven't used the setup for navigation yet, but I just wonder is this normal with CM93 charts?

[jackdale]

I must be missing something.

I am using raster charts.

I would like to be able to stay of the same chart but as I scroll into title block a new chart is loaded. Is there some way I can prevent this and stay on the same chart?

[riccardo1948]

Hi Jackdale,
On my charts, it auto-opens the higher detailed chart automatically when I zoom in, just the same as on my Raymarine plotter with a Cmap chip, except that on OpenCPN the edges of the detailed chart don't quite match up with the smaller scale chart behind?

[HappySeagull]

Jackdale, my rough observation on this :

The easiest fix is to zoom in more and cover more screen territory. Nasty, but there it is.

..as soon as chart border (quilting off OR on) gets past halfway up or down, the next chart will be loaded. (More speculative, because I haven't been doing this for awhile, it may even be specifically the quilt border that determines this so charts with the info on the side might be especially problematic)

[HappySeagull]

@Riccardo1948
Yes, that is normal. There are tortuous fixes. See the manual per cm93 offsets but that's not me telling you to DO it, it's just an illustration that the cm93 charts are not perfect. Putting a round earth on a flat screen in various scales is problematic no matter what, given these were taken off various paper charts in the first place. Larger scale should always be best.

[riccardo1948]

HappySeagull, Thanks for the info, I just needed to know that this is normal, so I can stop looking for a fix. I am planning to use a pc system for my next nav system, so am just playing around with software to see what I like. At the moment I have an RL70, which is great, but the screen is becoming dull and doesn't accept AIS data.