OpenCPN big picture question

[sailorboy1]

I don't speak computer.....................So for the big picture question:

I have a 14 year old Raymarine chartplotter system at the nav desk with a radar unit at the helm that is networked to the chartplotter. The C Map NT chips for this are $200 ea and and I would need at least 4 to get South. Plus my system is getting old so don't want to spend a lot of money on anything for it.

So if I downloaded Open CPN and connected my laptop to the NEMA 0183 connection on the nav desk chartplotter would the operation from the helm really be just like it would if I had the C Map NT chips installed.

[psneeld]

I don't believe cartography is passed via nema.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by psneeld

I don't believe cartography is passed via nema.

Do you know this as a fact as even the Raymarine manual I have has directions on how to connect to it?

[Sailmonkey]

All the cartography for open cpn will stay on the computer. All you'll do is feed position data from your ray equipment to the computer, then display with different cartography on the computer.


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[muttnik]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

Do you know this as a fact as even the Raymarine manual I have has directions on how to connect to it?

Raymarine's cartography sharing is, AFAIK, proprietary and restricted to sharing between their own products. So you could connect a couple of their plotters together and share cartography or (for Navionics and various types of raster charts) their Raytech software.

Your location "northeast" doesn't say "northeast" of what or what you wish to get south of, but if that's the USA then jut load NOAA charts into OpenCPN, i.e. different charts but with other boat data shared over NMEA-0183?

[sailorboy1]

Didn't understand that answer. Are you saying that Open CPN charts will not display on the Raymarine displays if connected via Nema 0183?

[Dockhead]

Muttnik is right.

OpenCPN is great for US waters because you have access to oceans of free and constantll updated official cartography, AFAIK in both raster and vector.

The small charts is an excellent reason to ditch the old plotter and was one of the main reasons why I ditched mine (Ray RL70 and RL80CRC+). New plotters can be had for less than $1000 these days.

If you sail any kind of distances, the new plotters pay for themselves quickly with what you save on cartography.

Don't forget, also, the cost of keeping the cartography updated. Navionics now offer a service called Freshest Data which allows you to continuously update the charts over a period of year, included free with new charts, and half the cost of new charts per annum thereafter.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

Didn't understand that answer. Are you saying that Open CPN charts will not display on the Raymarine displays if connected via Nema 0183?

Correct. Ray gear of that era transfer charts (and radar data) over a separate HSBII connection between the plotters. 0183 is far too slow for that. Besides that, it's proprietary.

[Opie91]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

Didn't understand that answer. Are you saying that Open CPN charts will not display on the Raymarine displays if connected via Nema 0183?

Raymarine will not display charts from OpenCPN. Period. Not going to happen.

Like Dockehead said, a new chart plotter will probably be your most cost effective solution since many come with built in charts for US and Bahamas.

[colemj]

Just to be clear - even if you buy a new chart plotter, of any brand, it will not share charts with OCPN or any other computer-based navigation program.

Cartography is completely isolated to the device running it.

You can buy a chart plotter that can remotely display itself, and be controlled by, a tablet via wifi - but this is not sharing charts, just displaying them remotely.

Mark

[muttnik]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

Didn't understand that answer. Are you saying that Open CPN charts will not display on the Raymarine displays if connected via Nema 0183?

Probably redundant now given that everyone else has said the same thing but....actually I was saying that Raymarine charts wouldn't display on OpenCPN (perhaps I misunderstood the original question slightly) but yes, the reverse is also true.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by colemj

Cartography is completely isolated to the device running it.

You can buy a chart plotter that can remotely display itself, and be controlled by, a tablet via wifi - but this is not sharing charts, just displaying them remotely.

Mark

Ok this seems like word games and now once again don't know the answer. If I buy a tablet and load Open CPN and have it at the nav desk will it "share" the display at the helm on the RM unit?

Yes or No

This is really all that my RM system currently does. The chart chips are in the nav desk unit but that communicates to the helm, which displays the charts and allows all the same control.

[transmitterdan]

No, the RM chart plotter at helm will not communicate with OpenCPN cartography. All you can do is feed video from a PC to certain Raymarine displays. There is no way to share charts digitally in real time.

Some Raymarine units may be able to use the same charts as OpenCPN (NOAA ENC) but you put copies on each device. They don't share from a common server.

[colemj]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

Ok this seems like word games and now once again don't know the answer. If I buy a tablet and load Open CPN and have it at the nav desk will it "share" the display at the helm on the RM unit?



Yes or No



This is really all that my RM system currently does. The chart chips are in the nav desk unit but that communicates to the helm, which displays the charts and allows all the same control.

No.

Mark

[Opie91]

I do not know how many ways it can be said......

NO NO NO