Quality of CM93

[CassidyNZ]

I did a quick search and didn’t find what I needed so forgive me for perhaps opening old cans of worms.

I’ve just looked at OpenCPN to compare with my old MaxSea which doesn’t like Windows 10. I loaded the CM93 chart folder that I used to use for MaxSea and referenced it in OpenCPN. It loaded just fine and appears to operate well enough.

Perhaps I’ve forgotten how charting has progressed but the quality and detail of the charts in CM93 is dismal when compared to Navionics. Is that a reality or have I missed a trick? My chart portfolio is probably 15 years old so I understand that chart corrections are well behind the eight ball but the lack of detail goes way beyond that. Or is it the way OpenCPN manages/interprets the charts

So I guess the real question is a simple one: is there a later version of CM93 or is mine the standard? Or is there another chart source that won’t require me taking a mortgage on my home?

[CarCode]

The latest known version of CM93ed2 is from May 2015.

[conachair]

Which area are you comparing navionics to cm93? Generally I've found cm93 to be vaguely OK for a lot of areas though fishfarms/tuna nets etc could well have moved. Which is where google earth/navionics/cmap images converted to charts can be really useful to double check. OpencpnV5 supports mbtiles, so you can view raster images in opencpn created from sasplanet.
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ml#post2860707
Or use sat2chart >
Sample

Ocharts also have more up to date charts coming online, works in Opencpn>
https://www.o-charts.org/

[Tupaia]

Originally Posted by CassidyNZ

I did a quick search and didn’t find what I needed so forgive me for perhaps opening old cans of worms.

I’ve just looked at OpenCPN to compare with my old MaxSea which doesn’t like Windows 10. I loaded the CM93 chart folder that I used to use for MaxSea and referenced it in OpenCPN. It loaded just fine and appears to operate well enough.

Perhaps I’ve forgotten how charting has progressed but the quality and detail of the charts in CM93 is dismal when compared to Navionics. Is that a reality or have I missed a trick? My chart portfolio is probably 15 years old so I understand that chart corrections are well behind the eight ball but the lack of detail goes way beyond that. Or is it the way OpenCPN manages/interprets the charts

So I guess the real question is a simple one: is there a later version of CM93 or is mine the standard? Or is there another chart source that won’t require me taking a mortgage on my home?

I am pretty sure NZ charts are available free from hydrographic office. Not sure what form they are in but if not ready to go should be easily converted to use in OpenCPN.

[Dockhead]

CM93 v2, later editions, is mostly all the same cartography as C-Map, just years out of date. Some areas are better than others.


Because it is terribly out of date, CM93 should not be used for navigation, but makes a great base map.


I have never seen a 2015 edition of v2. Does it really exist? Because v3 came out in something like 2011.


To the OP: Note that OpenCPN has very powerful controls to determine how vector charts are rendered. If these controls are set wrong, the chart can look awful. Chances are what you are seeing is an artifact of this, not the chart itself. I would suggest having a look in settings and playing around with them.

[.Paul.]

Originally Posted by Tupaia

I am pretty sure NZ charts are available free from hydrographic office. Not sure what form they are in but if not ready to go should be easily converted to use in OpenCPN.

The NZ charts in BSB 3 raster format are freely available, and the chart downloader in OpenCPN can download them. No conversions are needed for OpenCPN to use them.

Paul

[bcn]

The official vector chart portfolio from LINZ for NZ will be getting available for free at the end of the year.
LINZ is running beta tests currently.

The charts will be in S-63 format, thus requiring the S-63 plug-in and a S-63 Userpermit for OpenCPN available from o-charts.

[Schnapsy]

Originally Posted by CarCode

The latest known version of CM93ed2 is from May 2015.

I do not believe.
IMHO, the most/last recent cm93v2 cards are from 2014, as indicated by the red arrows in the attached image.

[CarCode]

Originally Posted by Schnapsy

I do not believe.
IMHO, the most/last recent cm93v2 cards are from 2014, as indicated by the red arrows in the attached image.

You should check all charts not only one.

[CassidyNZ]

Originally Posted by Tupaia

I am pretty sure NZ charts are available free from hydrographic office. Not sure what form they are in but if not ready to go should be easily converted to use in OpenCPN.

Unfortunately all the areas that do not form part of NZ’s protectorates (Cooks, Tonga, Samoa, etc) are not covered by LINZ charts. No Fiji, no New Caledonia, no French Polynesia, no Vanuatu. These are the primary cruising grounds for voyagers in NZ and LINZ do not cover any of them.

So charts for NZ, yes. Anywhere else of value, no.

[CassidyNZ]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

To the OP: Note that OpenCPN has very powerful controls to determine how vector charts are rendered. If these controls are set wrong, the chart can look awful. Chances are what you are seeing is an artifact of this, not the chart itself. I would suggest having a look in settings and playing around with them.

Thanks for that and yes, I haven’t done any exploring within OpenCPN yet. Will spend some time there and have a look at the options. My thinking up to now has been let’s find out whether it’s worth wasting time with 20yo charting.

Personally I think it’s a lost cause but will have a go at it for interest.

[Simi 60]

Mine works perfectly all through NZ, Vanuatu, everywhere.
Got to be your settings

As for 20 year old charting, many areas of Vanuatu, New Cal are a hell of a lot older than that.
Pretty sure I used the latest paper in the bottom of new cal that said it was done by capt cook, so my understanding of electronic charting is that would have been used for the electronic version.

[fxykty]

Originally Posted by CassidyNZ

Unfortunately all the areas that do not form part of NZ’s protectorates (Cooks, Tonga, Samoa, etc) are not covered by LINZ charts. No Fiji, no New Caledonia, no French Polynesia, no Vanuatu. These are the primary cruising grounds for voyagers in NZ and LINZ do not cover any of them.



So charts for NZ, yes. Anywhere else of value, no.

I have the NZ raster charts and they include Fiji and Tonga. Not all areas and not harbour chart detail everywhere, but certainly good enough with sat photos to get to the main areas.

I use OpenCPN as a secondary chart source and primary grib viewer, with Navionics on my chart plotter and iSailor on my phone/iPad sharing primary, along with Ovitalmap.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by Simi 60

Mine works perfectly all through NZ, Vanuatu, everywhere.
Got to be your settings

As for 20 year old charting, many areas of Vanuatu, New Cal are a hell of a lot older than that.
Pretty sure I used the latest paper in the bottom of new cal that said it was done by capt cook, so my understanding of electronic charting is that would have been used for the electronic version.

The survey may well have been done by Captain Cook.
But he didn't plot the navigation aids etc. And a lot can happen since the commonly used CM93 charts were produced. This is less than 10 NM along the coast from me. Old CM93 versus current OeSENC A visiting yacht using CM93 could get into a lot of trouble.

[Simi 60]

Interesting.
My 2011 version of cm93 shows more than yours but admitedly, still not as much as OeSENC.

A visiting yacht would only get into trouble if they were silly enough to venture into an area obviously lacking in detail without using height and daylight and satellite overlays.