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There's an App for that?

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Krusty Krab
Deckhand

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12 Posts

Initially Posted - 03/29/2014 : 08:56:05

[Moved from the C250 Forum by Admin]
I didn't see this topic on the forum, so I thought I'd share the information on the smartphone apps I found & use regularly. Maybe some are using the same, or better ones?

I'm on Android. But some of these apps are also available on iPhone, or tablets, or PC. And Apple lovers could complete the list ;-)

BEST NAVIGATION APP

Navionics
The absolute most serious nav app I could find;
Was referred to me by an experienced charter captain;
Navigation, routes & way-points;
Best ENC charts I found;
Used it from Lake Champlain to the Bahamas, through ICW & coastal Florida;
Information on tides, etc.
Cool export to Google Earth to share with everyone at home.

I also use MX Mariner, when I have guests, for the cool look of the NOAA raster charts :)

BEST WEATHER APP

Windfinder Pro (Pro is more accurate than the free one)
OR
Unofficial NOAA Weather (by Pandamonium Software Ltd.)

-- I check both and make my own mind. Anyway, hard to predict the wind, right? I like the widgets on Windfinder.

BEST MARINE INFO

Active Captain OR NutiCharts Lite
Both using the most exhaustive Active Captain database;
I like the raster charts on NutiCharts better;
I like the smoother interface on the recent Active Captain App;
Tons of info: where to anchor, marina phone & contacts, services, VHF monitored, hazards, bridges call signs, etc.
Wouldn't go to a new destination without it!
Also accessible on PC to draw routes & way-points;
But, not good for actual navigation.

BEST LOG

Boat Logger (by Star Sight)
Not fantastic, but better than paper I think;
Cruise log, maintenance log, vessel info (spares, equipment, etc.);
GPS coordinates;
Can export the data.

BEST INSTRUMENTS

Compass Lite (by Smart Tools co.)
Bearing compass that lets you take snapshots!

Saildroid
Nice speed & course display.

Screen On Widget (by Nodria)
To bypass the screen saver.

Supermarket Lite (by Henry Huang)
Great app to plan the grocery for a group;
I make the list and then send a team to go out & buy!

Anchor alarms? I downloaded a few, but I'm not sure it's really helpful. I'd like to know if someone has a good experience with those.

Any other geeks out there ?

Krusty Krab
C250WK #542

Edited by - on

TakeFive
Master Marine Consultant

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2272 Posts

Response Posted - 03/29/2014 : 21:48:05

This thread might get more responses in the General Sailing section.

Beware of Nuticharts Lite. It completely drained my battery very quickly. I'd go in and kill the app, and it would keep restarting itself and draining my battery. I finally had to uninstall it. I tried re-installing it a couple times over the past 2 years to see if updates had fixed the problem, but the same problem kept happening.

I keep meaning to buy Navionics, but I have enough other GPS options already. I hear that the less expensive version works fine on both phones and most tablets. The costlier HD version apparently needs really high resolution for you to see a difference.

For displaying NOAA raster and vecor charts, I use [url="http://opencpn.org/ocpn/"]OpenCPN[/url] on an 8" windows tablet. It also displays AIS targets from my VHF radio. It uses the 100% free NOAA charts downloadable directly off their website. It is my primary navigation tool in the cockpit. I'm increasingly impressed, and it gets better every year.

On Android, [url="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.kemiro.marinenavigator2"]Marine Navigator[/url] uses the same 100% free charts as OpenCPN (raster only). There is a free version, [url="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.kemiro.marinenavigator"]Marine Navigator Lite[/url], that has fewer features but is very capable at displaying where your boat is on the NOAA charts.

[url="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.windalert.android"]WindAlert[/url] gives great wind predictions, and is very accurate in my area. The same people also have a very nice app for displaying [url="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.weatherflow.radar"]doppler radar[/url].

[url="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.marinetraffic"]MarineTraffic[/url] app shows AIS information shipping traffic, but is not as reliable as actual AIS transmissions that you would pull in from a proper AIS receiver on your boat. It's OK for fun, but don't rely on it for navigation.
[url="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=noaa.csm"]
MyNOAACharts[/url] looks interesting, but it requires late model tablets. Won't work on phones, or earlier Android tablets. For this reason, I have not been able to try it out.

NOAA's [url="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tsinc.smartchart"]Smart Chart AIS[/url] app looks interesting. I have not been able to try it out yet.

Edited by - TakeFive on 03/29/2014 21:50:25

britinusa
Web Editor

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USA
5404 Posts

Response Posted - 03/30/2014 : 04:01:26

FYI, Marine Traffic is the source of the feature in the Photo Gallery that displays the Member's Sailing Location.

[url="https://www.catalina-capri-25s.net/cgi-local/MBR_gallery.cgi?Album+2160+159"]Here's an example album that uses it. Click on the link in the top right 'Show AIS chart for this album'

[/url]

Also: Any member can include their favorite Sailing or Anchoring area in their Boat Details so that it shows up in the Marine Traffic link in the Boat Search results too. Click on [url="https://www.catalina-capri-25s.net/cgi-local/OurBoats.cgi"]Boat Search - Updated[/url] in the top left menu of this page and search for my boat to see an example.

Paul

Edited by - britinusa on 03/30/2014 05:00:42

Krusty Krab
Deckhand

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12 Posts

Response Posted - 03/30/2014 : 11:07:36

Great! I will look at those. Definitely something to keep me busy while waiting for the summer!
I had no problem with Nuticharts. I know that if the signal is weak or low speed in an area, it will be tough on the battery. I bought the offline version... Anyhow, the Active Captain new app is a more robust solution altogether, it's true.

My motivation comes from the fact that I have no chart plotter on board, of course. I have a VHF with GPS & waypoints as a backup too. Over all, I am impressed by all we can do with just a phone!

Edited by - on

shnool
Former Capri-25 Tech Editor

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USA
1032 Posts

Response Posted - 03/30/2014 : 16:30:36

I've been using Navionics for my smart phone (iphone, and android) for years, it DOES keep getting better. I've also used it on my tablet (android) for slightly more money... it's been a great product so far.

Edited by - on

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