Where to get charts for OpenCPN ?

[cwetto]

I have Raymarine set on board, but playing with OpenCPN for a while.
I have downloaded NOAA charts of US coast. Nice, but I am cruising Med and looking for charts (vector preferred) of Adriatic and Med.

Any download site for free charts?
Where can I buy commercial charts for openCPN? If I buy it, which format I have to request? Is it possible to use charts from plotter chips?
I have charts for C80 on CF card and old C-Map user card! Is there any way to use it with OpenCPN?

thank, c

[Netsurfer]

Please have a look at Chart Sources | Official OpenCPN Homepage
Vector charts like "CM93/2" are not freely available, even though Google may offer you some results ...

Gunther

[Rik-lu]

Vector charts like "CM93/2" are not freely available, even though Google may offer you some results ...

Gunther[/QUOTE]

I googelt that and found Jan2011 as latest.
Is there even a newer one or is this the latest?

[idpnd]

They seem to be the newest ones floating around.. enjoy

[lhsmith]

We need vector charts for Mediterranean, and OpenCPN chart sources info leads to nothing but internet dead ends (nv-charts web page not found) and vendors showing that Maptek BSB4 charts for Med are not in stock. Are there no other vector chart options for the Med besides Maptek?

[sailorF54]

Maptech BSB4 charts for the Med seems definitely available, at least in Europe (France)...
e.g. quoted available (en stock) at 169 euros here
Carte Marine Maptech - Mditerrane avec Nauticom

NV combo paper + digital charts can be found here
Willkommen beim NV-Verlag, Arnis

[hoolie]

I have recently bought a set of Region 5 BSB3 raster charts of the Mediterranean from an eBay seller here. He will post worldwide.

As he points out they are freely available for download, but his pack has over 5Gb of charts; well worth saving the download time.

I also have the Maptech charts mentioned by sailorF54, but they are a VERY incomplete subset of the Region 5 charts above (and a lot more expensive!).

[lhsmith]

Thank you everyone. I am making progress again, at least for now.
Fair winds,

[oem]

Originally Posted by hoolie

I have recently bought a set of Region 5 BSB3 raster charts of the Mediterranean from an eBay seller here. He will post worldwide.

As he points out they are freely available for download, but his pack has over 5Gb of charts; well worth saving the download time.

I also have the Maptech charts mentioned by sailorF54, but they are a VERY incomplete subset of the Region 5 charts above (and a lot more expensive!).

I admit, that from time to time it's an advantage to pay for some service added to free charts and sw.

But this guy is also selling copies of OpenCPN. (Including various charts, as you write, - however I'm not tempted).

He sells Scandinavian BSB3-charts for £13.99. He states that they ar updated until Jan 2012, but his 5 samples are dated mid 90-ties, National Defense Agency.

So again, I'm not, tempted, - I don't know which english/american word might describe his business idea.

Am I wrong?

[denverd0n]

Originally Posted by oem

Am I wrong?

No. But then hoolie thinks it is worth it to save the download time. Is he wrong? No. Neither of you is "wrong."

Personally, I agree with you. I don't mind taking the time to download charts, so to me it is definitely not worth it to pay someone else to give me something that I can get for free. Hoolie, and anyone else who doesn't like spending time searching the web and downloading files for themselves, is free to feel differently.

On the other hand, I suspect that a large percentage of the people who buy that guy's CDs probably don't realize that they can get this stuff for themselves fairly easily. In those cases he is just making money off of their ignorance. That's okay, too. One of the inescapable rules of the universe--right up there with the first law of thermodynamics--is that a fool and his money are soon parted.

[hoolie]

Yes, the guy is selling OpenCPN. But I would never dream of buying it off him as it's so easy to download the latest version from the OpenCPN website. In any case I usually use the latest beta.
Several Gb of charts is a different matter, but I'm not sure about how up-to-date they're going to be. I suspect no worse than CM93v2 downloaded from some obscure on-line source.

[nohal]

hoolie...
I'm afraid these charts are as up to date as we left them when we had to terminate the NGA calibration project on NOAA's request... But of course I might be wrong as I haven't seen them.

Pavel

[sailorF54]

Originally Posted by nohal

hoolie...
I'm afraid these charts are as up to date as we left them when we had to terminate the NGA calibration project on NOAA's request... But of course I might be wrong as I haven't seen them.

Pavel

I must admit this possibility had crossed my mind !!!

Pic 1 : A sample from a chart on Ebay
http://ebay.dbit.co.uk/Area5.htm?52118

Pic 2: the same sample from the NGA calibration project

[hoolie]

Originally Posted by sailorF54

I must admit this possibility had crossed my mind !!!

I must admit it had NOT occurred to me before I ordered on-line as, gullible as ever, I took at face value his claim of some updates to 2012.

I have some of the charts from the calibration project, but not the full set for Region 5. Of course, as pointed out, that's where they're from ... ... ...

[oem]

Originally Posted by hoolie

I must admit it had NOT occurred to me before I ordered on-line as, gullible as ever, I took at face value his claim of some updates to 2012.

I have some of the charts from the calibration project, but not the full set for Region 5. Of course, as pointed out, that's where they're from ... ... ...

Then, at least, we know what he's selling. Thanks, we all learned something :-) And btw, if the NGA-charts-project is illegal, then selling these charts must also be illegal.

I think I had a mail conversation a year or two ago with somebody also on eBay, selling OpenCPN. I tried to harass him a bit on selling open source stuff without adding much real value to it. He refused just selling open source stuff. This guy sounds exactly like the one I mailed with. In fact, 'they' might be the same, but under different names. For various reasons.