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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

General Sailing Forum

Laptop to Chartplotter

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ppetracca
Navigator

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USA
163 Posts

Initially Posted - 11/01/2003 : 12:04:47

Has anyone out there turned their laptop computer into a charplotter?

I know I can hook my handheld Garmin GPS 12XL to my laptop and make an on-board chartplotter. Problem is my 12XL is not compatible with Garmin's Blue Chart system. There are other software programs that will make it work, just wondering what folks have done. Can't see the expense of a Chartplotter to use it a couple of weeks a year if I can make my laptop & handheld work. I currently have a Co-Pilot GPS for my laptop that we use when we travel in the motorhome and it works great, but they do not have any software to turn it into a marine application. I should find out if the Co-Pilot has NMEA output and then any of the software programs should work.

Not a real big concern if I can't do it. Our trip out west is in contigent upon a chartplotter, just thought if I already have the hardware and can make it work simply, it would be a fun toy. My handheld took us all the way from Marina del Rey to Avalon to Cat Harbor to Santa Barbara Island and back to Marina del Rey on our charer last summer with no problems.

Edited by - on

Oscar
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2030 Posts

Response Posted - 11/01/2003 : 12:16:48

Friend of mine has done exactly what you want to do. I think he used the limited free edition of an expensive piece of software. I have e-mailed him the link to this post.

Oscar
250WB#618 Lady Kay on the Chesapeake

Edited by - Oscar on 11/01/2003 12:23:09

svmoxie
Past Commodore

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USA
331 Posts

Response Posted - 11/01/2003 : 18:51:37

pfranc offers various plugs and cables for the interface.

http://pfranc.com/projects/g45contr/g45_idx.htm

You can also find them pre-made on eBay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem& item=3056117274& category=34289

Several folks are using OziExplorer as the software, you scan your own paper charts into the system.

http://www.oziexplorer.com/

Arlyn has done this although I didn't find the information on his website I know he has it...

Edited by - on

Oscar
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2030 Posts

Response Posted - 11/01/2003 : 23:27:45

Beat me to it Clif...

Indeed my buddie got back to me and is using Ozie....

Oscar...in Phoenix for a nap.....

Edited by - on

Wayne Wallace
1st Mate

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USA
28 Posts

Response Posted - 11/02/2003 : 00:38:12

I have hooked up my Dell laptop using Maptech Offshore Navigator, Garmin GPS 76 and it works like a charm. You need to buy the appropriate chart range for the West Coast. Boats US still had some inventory of the Offshore Navigator 2002 and Chart package that you could buy individually other wise Maptech packaged it all together and raised the price considerably. I just hooked it up to my Tiller Auto Pilot 1000 and it works well but have not used it for long distances yet...plan to sail from Dana Point to Catalina soon and will give it the full test then. Any GPS will do but I had the Garmin 76 already but you can get one for a lot less money...just depends if you want to interface to an Auto pilot or not.

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Arlyn Stewart
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2980 Posts

Response Posted - 11/02/2003 : 07:22:22

I have used OziExplorer now for about 6 years... and it works great. The cost is $75 dollars. It is a very well done program and still in development... once you buy... all future iterations are free and there have been a great many version upgrades in the past five years.

The program can use various chart resources such as electronic charts etc. I mostly use two forms. Those low resolution samples downloaded from commercial sites or most often, my paper charts that I've scanned on my flat bed scanner. The result is very accurate moving map chartplotting with exceptional clarity and detail compared to a gps chartplotter.

Other advantages, are the abiltiy to quickly set waypoints and routes and load them to the gps. Though I do most of my chartwork planning during the winter months prior to a cruise, there are times when weather changes those plans and new waypoints and routes are wanted... its then that the laptop comes out.

I've only had to fall back on using the chartplotter once for navigation... it happened during the middle of a pitch black night. We had arrived at East Grant Island late in the afternoon where evening anchorage was planned. However, the bay was on the west side and a west wind was blowing hard. The bay had rocks winging out to the NW and SW, and surf was shooting 8-12 feet into the air on both sides. It would have been a very uncomfortable anchorage and if the motor had quit unexpected while entering, it would have been very difficult to claw back out under sail and very risky to depend on an anchor setting properly. I chose not to enter and we moved on. It was midnight and pitch black when arriving at Blind River and its harbor which I'd never been. The moving chart plotter on the lap top however allowed finding the channel markers without problem for an easy entry.

I think I have a write up on OxiExplorer on this web site on the cruising page.

http://www.catalina25-250.org/cruising/r0004.htm

Another inexpensive option is Fugawa... it is reported to have interfaced the new NOAA digital charts which are free.

http://chartmaker.ncd.noaa.gov/mcd/enc/versions.htm

These charts are not as detailed as paper charts but are reported to be more detailed than charts furnished with gps units. The price of these charts is right.

They do not detail all the rocks and hazards that paper charts do.

I examined Fugawi once and it compared fairly well to OziExplorer. Its ability to do the ENC charts may now give it the edge. One great advantage of the ENC charts is that no scanning or calibration is needed. These efforts can be time consuming and often require that a chart be divided into smaller pages to fit the scanner size limitations.

For those who want to play with the ENC charts, there are free viewers available although they have little features, ie. no ability to establish waypoints and routes and interface to the gps for moving map display.

I would look very strongly at Fugawi if the Noaa ENC charts seem suitable. I've not seen it mentioned that OziExplorer is going to support these.

There is an OziExplorer forum and user group on Yahoo at

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/OziUsers-L/?yguid=101402234

I've posted the question as to if there is any discussion about the Noaa ENC charts being supported... there was nothing in the search engine.

Here is a screen shot from the dKart Look program showing the ENC chart of Lake Huron and focused on the Mackinaw Straits.

I think this might be San Diego Bay

Edited by - Arlyn Stewart on 11/02/2003 08:45:16

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The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.