Any new technology updates?

[Island Time 1,220]

Check out the celestial plugin for opencpn! just take your sight, and your position lines appear on the chart, built in tables. Really simple in the event of a gps failure/outage. Provided your pc still goes and you have a sextant (or even the android sextant app at a pinch).

[rigger 47]

Have been looking at tablets for nav gear that is portable.

One that was recommended was the  HP Elite Pad 1000 G2 Rugged Tablet http://www8.hp.com/nz/en/products/tablets/product-detail.html?oid=7468174 price I had was about $2500 versus the tough pad at $4500. Both are IP65 rated.

[Island Time 1,220]

You can use your pc as a wifi access point, to provide opencpn data or screen mirroring to your mobile devices. In my video

[k88 7]

hI it or any technos,

As all my instruments are raymarine and opencpn only accept nmea1 protocol, how do i convert navman propritory protocol (ie seatalk) to nmea so I can plug into cpn. I know there are converters in particular the raymarine E85001, but when i call L&B, they said ththe have discontinued that model and not available or supported any more. They moved on to seatalk ng, which is a disguised version of nmea2000, due to complex legal propritery protection by nmea, but that is another story. I just want to interface my seatalk1 inst to my pc.  

I am sure there are many boats out there still with seatalk1, is there a simple economical alternative?

Thks   

[Island Time 1,220]

Which Raymarine instrument series do you have? ST 40, 50, 60, 60+ ??

There are several Seatalk to NMEA0183 adapters available - see http://opencpn.org/ocpn/raymarine_seatalk_to_nmea you don't have to have the raymarine one...

Matt

[Farrari 4]

You could try these guys

 

http://brookhouseonline.com/index.htm

 

I haven't used them nor do I know how economic they are but they are Auckland based.  The have a SeaTalk1 to NMEA0183 converter.

 

Brookhouse email addresses

General: brookhouse@brookhouseonline.com

Sales: sales@brookhouseonline.com

Support: support@brookhouseonline.com

Postal address

Brookhouse
P.O. Box 38-308
Howick
Manukau 2145
New Zealand

Physical address

Brookhouse
208 Sandspit Road
(Sandspit Park)
Shelly Park, Howick
Manukau 2014
New Zealand

[John B 106]

Are all GPS puck style recievers created equal?

 

The two I'm seeing are globalsat star IV and Hollux m215.

I don't know if they'll be compatible with win 10, the hollux talks about vista and xp but other models of the same brand don't mention that at all.As though it isn't an issue.

 

The 12 V charger for a panasonic toughbook is a freaking nightmare. Just saying.

[Tim C 23]

I thought an iPad would be an adequate answer for my navigation with Navionics loaded. What I didn't see as a problem that on a bright sunny day, the USB based charger can't keep up with the screen brightness energy demand, and so gradually goes flat. For cruising it would be perhaps ok to have to swipe it occasionally to activate the screen on an auto off screen mode, but for racing it is nice to repeatedly glance at the information, sailing angles, speed etc on screen. So not the answer I was looking for. Mid term I'll be looking for a marine GPS chart plotter again...

[John B 106]

No comments on the GPS puck/ receiver? I want to buy one today.

 

I bought an ex lease toughbook, downloaded the Open Cpn and have the nz charts. Baby steps but thats good for an old technophobe. Next is the mystery of the pacific charts and where to get them, the elephant in the room it appears.

 

After reading the stuff about the open source philosophy , how does that apply to the android app? Is that guy who is selling it for the $15( opencpn Dave Register) the developer or some other party?

Not grizzling , just curious.

[Island Time 1,220]

Jon, I've not used a Puck. Do you have a GPS on board already? If so, it ery likely does NMEA0183 output - just connect your PC to that. I can provide instructions if you tell me maker and model.

 

I do know of people who use a Puck no problems, and others who tried and gave up, but sorry I don't have the specifics. However, think about this - the antenna size in a puck is very small, and they don't get the reception a modern "real GPS" gets.

 

If you are going to buy one, make sure the seller confirms it is ok with Windows 10, then if it proves problematic, you can return it.

 

The PC version of OpenCpn is open source.

The Andriod version was written mainly by Dave Register, and he is free to charge whatever he likes for it. IMO it is not as useful as the PC version, as it does not support most of the plugins. There are many many examples of apps available for $$ that include parts of Opensource products. The Authors set the price. IMO OpenCPN 4 Andriod is cheap. It is a HUGE time commitment from Dave. 

 

Cheers

Matt

[ex TL systems 63]

hi I use two gps pucks on 2 laptops a g star 1v with windows 10 and a g mouse 162 with windows 7 both are very quick and reliable much faster to get a position than the garmin and lowrance handhelds I have and work inside the cabin too. Worked well crossing the Tasman and everywhere else I have used it. I have open cpn and it seems to have all or a lot of charts of the pacific, originally from a stick bought on trademe for around 70$ which may have included the puck.

[John B 106]

Thanks Matt and Exy, I bought the Gstar because its 10 compatible . excellent advice.

Matt , this is learning curve stuff. This week I have ( sharp intake of breath) bought the machine , have a chart to look at and have a GPS SIGNAL! Which puts me at my desk in sunny otahuhu.

So the idea is I can have it set up on the boat or play with other stuff over winter just to get familiar , we're likely to be trotting off in 2017 for an islands cruise.

I'll be talking to you Matt about vesper at some stage too. And then a way ( or the best way)of integrating it .

There are 2 other GPS aerials on the boat now , one for an old nav station machine which will be replaced by the Vesper, one active one for the chartplotter on deck.

 

On the Vesper AIS subject , I called them a couple of weeks ago to ask if some change or new product was coming up. Don't want to buy something and find out some new and superior product is on the drawing board or first manufacture. Glad I did, they are in the process of adding the anchor watch from the 850 into the Vision.

May have even done it by now.

Having used that in a remote anchorage , its worth having.

[Island Time 1,220]

John, no problem. Vesper SOFTWARE updates are free anyway, so waiting would have made no difference - the hardware is the same.

 

Your plotter almost certainly has an NMEA output  that could be used direct to the PC in place of the Puck. An advantage of this (Dependent on the plotter) is that you can then create a route on the PC, and send it to the plotter (or vice versa).

 

Next step is to integrate your instruments to the PC, including your AP (if capable and fitted?). That allows the PC OR the plotter to control the AP, as well as steer to wind (dependent on AP abilities) etc. (Plus of course it give you virtual instruments on the PC!)

 

Connection of the Instruments and AP to the PC can be via the Vesper unit, wired or wireless, OR direct to the PC via a cheap USB to serial adapter. IF IT IS ALL NMEA0183. If it is NMEA2000 (sounds unlikely) then there are a few more issues.

 

Happy to talk to you and create or check a proposed configuration?

 

Cheers

Matt

[erice 732]

hm...

 

small gps antennas usually seem to be patch or quadrifilar - helix?

 

 

 patch like to be flat

 

quadrifilar to point up

 

(some marine gps ant.  started as skinny helix but now all seem to be flat patch)

 

as the freq they are tuned for is about 1.5ghz they don't need to be big

 

accuracy of the gps is more down to the sensitivity of the chipset used and the number of sats. the receiver can use to triangulate its position

 

consumer gps started at about 5 channels in the 90's?

 

then went to 12 channels in the 00's?

 

and are now about 50! channels

 

 Power: 5V DC 45mA 
- Tracking Channels: 50 
- Receiving Frequency: L1 1575.42 MHz 
- Built in G6010 / G7020 low power consumption GPS chipset. 
- Sensitivity: Up To -162 dBm 

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/boats-marine/parts-accessories/navigation-devices/auction-1055368553.htm

 

not much point having 50 channels as there are only about 30? sats and at any 1 time half are below the horizon  (future proof for when the russian and euro systems are up and integrated with the usa?) 

 

a new usb gps mouse almost certainly has a small patch antenna, a sentsitive sirif? chipset and 12 or more channels

 

given boats that boats operate on a flat surface open to the sky

 

(not under dense foliage, surrounded by tall buildings or in canyons)

 

a usb mouse that can pick up a signal in a cabin 

 

should be able to resolve a +/- position that is more accurate than the chart's +/- accuracy

 

 

the hedgehog tracker above seem to be a small patch on the right side to resolve position and the black battery, uhf transmitter and wire ant. on the left side to transmit the data

 

(to a student nearby with a directional yagi array on a handle?)

 

[Island Time 1,220]

Eric's, all correct of couse. However, a marine - especially a sailboat - gps is also often partially shaded - but not by trees, buildings etc, but by heel angles. They sure have improved in the last generation though!

[John B 106]

I know this is all mundane stuff to you clever techno guys ,but I'm pleased this has worked out so well

 

 

They even say the same damn thing! and I have a mixture of rasta and whats your vector Victor charts.

 

The toughbook has a screen not suited to outdoors at all, maybe the later ones would be better , but its function is for the nav station and back checking against the navionics on the plotter at the helm , and or the tablet (or phone). So that doesn't matter to me.

Its a miracle!

 

And that gstar puck gps is instant, seems to go anywhere down below too, doesn't seem to even mind the deck or deck plus dodger.

[erice 732]

better than a cocked hat

 

[John B 106]

Knots, One plotter at the helm, one laptop at the nav station with a different type of chart.Its the general boat computer and will get the gribs etc later.

The other is a go anywhere tablet which I would take when going on another boat. In the meantime its backup, say if the the old helm c80 died.

[Jon 360]

John B looks like you've now got a good system very similar to what I used sailing back from Europe.

I bet you end up using the tablet a lot more than you expect, just for planning and what if's and just how far are we off x or y

When we were going through tricking passes it was always good to have both the CP and tablet in the cockpit, if they both say the same it gives you confidence, sometimes they didn't but overal Navionics on the tablet was more on the money.

The laptop I had down below never ended up being setup for Nav even though I had all the gear, just never needed it, but did set it up and use it for weather, emails and business.

[John B 106]

Thanks Jon. I didn't mention my phone has the same stuff as the tablet as well in case I freaked Knots out about having 4 screens.

The tablet is pretty cool actually and I do use it a lot. We did have the chart plotter freak out on us at barrier this year for a few minutes, never happened before and not since. Don't know what it was , wasn't loss of signal , just a shift in position. I assume some sort of atmospheric issue( but I haven't heard of it happening to anyone else)