I've got this Maptech marine navigation program - have had it for years

http://www.maptechnavigation.com/wat...ator/index.cfm

And, I've got tons of charts, aerial photos etc. It's all installed on my
laptop but my laptop doesn't have built-in GPS so I bought a USB
GPS that works great so now my laptop is a fancy chart/plotter.

Maptech charts are available for all over the world but one must pay
dearly for them. (more on this later)

This is the USB GPS that I bought:

http://www.amazon.com/GlobalSat-BU-3.../dp/B008200LHW

It initializes very fast and wasn't any trouble to install the drivers and
configure the com port info so the Offshore Navigator software can
recognize and utilize it.

Now for my question. Does anybody know what, if any, other charts
besides Maptech charts the Offshore Navigator software can use?
Preferably free charts like the one's NOAA offers.

--
Sir Gregory

On Tue, 24 Sep 2013 17:08:15 -0400, " Sir Gregory Hall, Esq·"
åke wrote:


I've got this Maptech marine navigation program - have had it for years

http://www.maptechnavigation.com/wat...ator/index.cfm

And, I've got tons of charts, aerial photos etc. It's all installed on my
laptop but my laptop doesn't have built-in GPS so I bought a USB
GPS that works great so now my laptop is a fancy chart/plotter.

Maptech charts are available for all over the world but one must pay
dearly for them. (more on this later)

This is the USB GPS that I bought:

http://www.amazon.com/GlobalSat-BU-3.../dp/B008200LHW

It initializes very fast and wasn't any trouble to install the drivers and
configure the com port info so the Offshore Navigator software can
recognize and utilize it.

Now for my question. Does anybody know what, if any, other charts
besides Maptech charts the Offshore Navigator software can use?
Preferably free charts like the one's NOAA offers.

===

Check out the OpenCPN web site. There is a lot of information there
on electronic charts. You might also decide that you like OpenCPN
(free). It is much more up to date than the older Maptech OSN
versions - tide and current info for example, plus a very decent AIS
implementation.

http://opencpn.org/ocpn/

"Wayne.B" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 24 Sep 2013 17:08:15 -0400, " Sir Gregory Hall, Esq·"
åke wrote:


I've got this Maptech marine navigation program - have had it for years

http://www.maptechnavigation.com/wat...ator/index.cfm

And, I've got tons of charts, aerial photos etc. It's all installed on my
laptop but my laptop doesn't have built-in GPS so I bought a USB
GPS that works great so now my laptop is a fancy chart/plotter.

Maptech charts are available for all over the world but one must pay
dearly for them. (more on this later)

This is the USB GPS that I bought:

http://www.amazon.com/GlobalSat-BU-3.../dp/B008200LHW

It initializes very fast and wasn't any trouble to install the drivers and
configure the com port info so the Offshore Navigator software can
recognize and utilize it.

Now for my question. Does anybody know what, if any, other charts
besides Maptech charts the Offshore Navigator software can use?
Preferably free charts like the one's NOAA offers.

===

Check out the OpenCPN web site. There is a lot of information there
on electronic charts. You might also decide that you like OpenCPN
(free). It is much more up to date than the older Maptech OSN
versions - tide and current info for example, plus a very decent AIS
implementation.

http://opencpn.org/ocpn/



Thanks, I'll check it out!

" Sir Gregory Hall, Esq·" åke wrote in message
...
"Wayne.B" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 24 Sep 2013 17:08:15 -0400, " Sir Gregory Hall, Esq·"
åke wrote:


I've got this Maptech marine navigation program - have had it for years

http://www.maptechnavigation.com/wat...ator/index.cfm

And, I've got tons of charts, aerial photos etc. It's all installed on my
laptop but my laptop doesn't have built-in GPS so I bought a USB
GPS that works great so now my laptop is a fancy chart/plotter.

Maptech charts are available for all over the world but one must pay
dearly for them. (more on this later)

This is the USB GPS that I bought:

http://www.amazon.com/GlobalSat-BU-3.../dp/B008200LHW

It initializes very fast and wasn't any trouble to install the drivers and
configure the com port info so the Offshore Navigator software can
recognize and utilize it.

Now for my question. Does anybody know what, if any, other charts
besides Maptech charts the Offshore Navigator software can use?
Preferably free charts like the one's NOAA offers.

===

Check out the OpenCPN web site. There is a lot of information there
on electronic charts. You might also decide that you like OpenCPN
(free). It is much more up to date than the older Maptech OSN
versions - tide and current info for example, plus a very decent AIS
implementation.

http://opencpn.org/ocpn/



Thanks, I'll check it out!



Update. I've downloaded and installed it and it's pretty cool. I also
downloaded ALL the free NOAA Vector charts for Florida. I like
the fact that they are updated weekly. So now I have all the Raster
charts for Florida and all the updated Vector charts. They even show
in night time colors. There is a row of boxes on the bottom probably
15 or so of them and each one displays a different chart. The green
ones are the Vector official navigation charts and the gray ones are
the older Raster Charts. I might have delete all those older Raster
charts out of the designated folder and download all the updated
Raster charts from NOAA.

The help files indicate that the program can use quite a few
different electronic chart formats so I'll be searching for all
charts for areas I might sail to. There are even up to date pilot
charts of blue water sailing that I've got to download and place
in the designated folder.

It was easy to configure the GPS com port so I've even got it set
up with the USB GPS already.

Kewl! Thanks again. Do you use it yourself when cruising?

--
Sir Gregory

On Wed, 25 Sep 2013 15:00:53 -0400, " Sir Gregory Hall, Esq·"
åke wrote:


Update. I've downloaded and installed it and it's pretty cool. I also
downloaded ALL the free NOAA Vector charts for Florida. I like
the fact that they are updated weekly. So now I have all the Raster
charts for Florida and all the updated Vector charts. They even show
in night time colors. There is a row of boxes on the bottom probably
15 or so of them and each one displays a different chart. The green
ones are the Vector official navigation charts and the gray ones are
the older Raster Charts. I might have delete all those older Raster
charts out of the designated folder and download all the updated
Raster charts from NOAA.

The help files indicate that the program can use quite a few
different electronic chart formats so I'll be searching for all
charts for areas I might sail to. There are even up to date pilot
charts of blue water sailing that I've got to download and place
in the designated folder.

It was easy to configure the GPS com port so I've even got it set
up with the USB GPS already.

Kewl! Thanks again. Do you use it yourself when cruising.

===

I'll be using it more now that I have a new AIS capable VHF radio. The
abilty to track commercial traffic by name and call letters (not to
mention course, speed, CPA, etc.) will be useful at times, especially
when coming back into the Keys from the Bahamas. We usually end up
doing that at night and the amount of large ship traffic out there is
astounding.

Up until recently I've been using Maptech OSN and it has served us
well. I have almost 40,000 nautical miles of saved track lines for
all of our cruises since we bought the trawler 9 years ago.

"Wayne.B" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 25 Sep 2013 15:00:53 -0400, " Sir Gregory Hall, Esq·"
åke wrote:


Update. I've downloaded and installed it and it's pretty cool. I also
downloaded ALL the free NOAA Vector charts for Florida. I like
the fact that they are updated weekly. So now I have all the Raster
charts for Florida and all the updated Vector charts. They even show
in night time colors. There is a row of boxes on the bottom probably
15 or so of them and each one displays a different chart. The green
ones are the Vector official navigation charts and the gray ones are
the older Raster Charts. I might have delete all those older Raster
charts out of the designated folder and download all the updated
Raster charts from NOAA.

The help files indicate that the program can use quite a few
different electronic chart formats so I'll be searching for all
charts for areas I might sail to. There are even up to date pilot
charts of blue water sailing that I've got to download and place
in the designated folder.

It was easy to configure the GPS com port so I've even got it set
up with the USB GPS already.

Kewl! Thanks again. Do you use it yourself when cruising.

===

I'll be using it more now that I have a new AIS capable VHF radio. The
abilty to track commercial traffic by name and call letters (not to
mention course, speed, CPA, etc.) will be useful at times, especially
when coming back into the Keys from the Bahamas. We usually end up
doing that at night and the amount of large ship traffic out there is
astounding.

Up until recently I've been using Maptech OSN and it has served us
well. I have almost 40,000 nautical miles of saved track lines for
all of our cruises since we bought the trawler 9 years ago.


The two programs seem to be similar so the learning curve for
the open source program is not steep.

I don't care for that AIS nonsense, myself. I've ridden motorcycles
and bicycles my whole life and I've survived intact mostly because
my philosophy is that nobody ever sees me so I have to take full
responsibility for avoiding all the idiots. I can't rely on them to even
be aware of me. AIS is like that. It won't work unless the shipping
sees me and they don't pay attention to something so small that
it represents no danger to them.

One time, crossing to the Bahamas at night, I ran into a flotilla of
blacked out Navy ships doing some kind of a training exercise.

There were dozens of them. One destroyer was on a collision
course so I luffed up and it passed a couple hundred yards
off my bow. I used the VHF to try to contact them and lo and
behold they actually replied. I enquired if it was safe to pass
directly astern (thinking they could be dragging some
anti-submarine apparatus) but they said that would present
no problems. WOW they do make quite the wake.

--
Sir Gregory