Open CPN Maps for Australia

[SV DINGO]

Good morning from Tasmania,

i normally use navionics but in the lockdown time have started to look into Open CPN.

I have installed it on my Laptop and researched the available mappings , found the New Zealand Marine maps which are very good as far as i can see.

Now my dilemma is i am in Australia and so far all my research has ended up negative for maps covering Australia. I have heard from a couple of people that in the past there have been maps for this region but i can not everfind those older maps.

My Question here is , does anyone have those maps , are they still up to date , where can i obtain them from and i dont mind if i have to purchase them.

Would appreciate any comments and suggestions.

Thanks

[Dsanduril]

Australia is not one of those places that gives away charts for free (US, NZ, Brazil, a couple of others). For the most up-to-date visit the OpenCPN companion site O-Charts.Org. They sell the latest and greatest Australian charts.

These charts are S-63/oeSENC format, which, amongst many other things means they are encrypted - once you install them they are essentially "locked" to the device on which you installed them. I'd have to look carefully, I think you get two installs. Also check the O-Charts site, IIRC (it's been a while) there is an option to use an external key that allows you to install in multiple places but use in only one at a time.

[Reefmagnet]

At 1/10 the price of buying the official Australian Hydrographic ECS charts, o-charts is the biz! If you buy the dongles (you can install on two with each order), you can run the charts on anything you can plug the dongle in to. Updates do expire after 12 months (as do the AU Hydro) but at the price, it's no big deal to buy a new license every year if you want the updates.

[lockie]

I can help you, pm me

[StuM]

Yep I'm another happy user of OeSENC encoded Aus charts. Very reasonable price and the Aus charts cover PNG, Solomons, Vanuatu and New Caledonia as well. Either two installations or a USB dongle on any machine.


(But the good old CM93's actually have more details for some of the outlying areas than OeSENC).

[SV DINGO]

Hi everyone,

appreciate all replies.

All working pretty good so far.

Thanks again

[ilenart]

Originally Posted by StuM

(But the good old CM93's actually have more details for some of the outlying areas than OeSENC).

Would agree that the O-Charts are great value and worthwhile having. However the Australian charts are a lot less detailed than the equivalent C-Map and Navonics charts. Are ok for planning / navigation but for detailed pilotage, particularly entering tricky entrances, I would rely on another source. I use OpenCPN / O-Charts at the Navigation table and C-Maps on a B&G chartplotter in the cockpit. Plus as a crosscheck I have iNavX available on an ipad.

Ilenart

[spiv]

I can also help if you still need it.

[peter57]

Originally Posted by StuM

Yep I'm another happy user of OeSENC encoded Aus charts. Very reasonable price and the Aus charts cover PNG, Solomons, Vanuatu and New Caledonia as well. Either two installations or a USB dongle on any machine.


(But the good old CM93's actually have more details for some of the outlying areas than OeSENC).

Stu, you will be in violation of Chinese territorial waters, except for PNG so far but their politicians could buckle for a few million renminbi.

[RaymondR]

Originally Posted by StuM

(But the good old CM93's actually have more details for some of the outlying areas than OeSENC).

I used CM93 to go from The Great Sandy Straits to Exmouth and back over the top and never hit a thing.

I'm now using Navionics and the only advantage I can see is that the coverage of creeks and rivers is good whereas CM93 does not include them.

I have found that staying on the purple line in Navionics whilst ascending and descending them is prudent and since some of them are fairly changeable suspect Navionics has good sources of local knowledge for updates.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by RaymondR

I used CM93 to go from The Great Sandy Straits to Exmouth and back over the top and never hit a thing.

I'm now using Navionics and the only advantage I can see is that the coverage of creeks and rivers is good whereas CM93 does not include them.

I have found that staying on the purple line in Navionics whilst ascending and descending them is prudent and since some of them are fairly changeable suspect Navionics has good sources of local knowledge for updates.

Most of the CM93 installations around are from 2011. A lot may have changed since then. Here's one such.

[ChrisJHC]

All,

I’m skippering a boat in the Sydney to Gold Coast Race at the end of July.

I notice that I have to carry the following charts - in paper OR electronic form:

• AUS 809 - Port Jackson to Port Stephens
• AUS 810 - Port Stephens to Crowdy Head
• AUS 811 - Crowdy Head to Smoky Cape
• AUS 812 - Smoky Cape to Clarence River
• AUS 813 - Clarence River to Danger Point
• AUS 814 - Point Danger to Cape Moreton

While I do have old and worn paper charts, it would clearly be better to have them electronically.

Does anyone know if the OpenCPN charts available via O-Charts are equivalent?

Note - I already have OpenCPN working with a GPS puck on my MacBook but don’t yet have the Australian Charts.
I also use Navionics on both tablet and phone.

[nohal]

O-charts are exactly the same as official AusENC cells, only delivered in a different format and much cheaper.

[ilenart]

Originally Posted by nohal

O-charts are exactly the same as official AusENC cells, only delivered in a different format and much cheaper.

Over the last 8 months sailing from Fremantle to Brisbane I found a lot of rocks missing on the O-Charts maps which are displayed on the Navionics maps. Just past Esperance they were missing an island! Hopefully the official AusENC charts are better than this.

Ilenart

[ilenart]

And before anyone asks, attached are screenshots of the island missing near Esperance (called Round Island on the Navionics charts.)

The two Navionics charts are at the top with the first chart zoomed in and giving the lat / lon. The O-Chart map is at the bottom, at the bottom of the screen you can see it is showing the same lat / lon. Something is missing!

Ilenart