Re: Chartplotter?
Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2009 5:26 pm
Thanks for the links and posting your mods. They will come in real handy. I downloaded the SeaClear and I'm trying to figure out how I get the NOOA RNC chart I downloaded into it. I'll keep working on that.Laika 26X wrote:........Sumner,
Garmin 540s
Check out my mods on how I integrated to my DSC Radio and Alarm Feature. Easy stuff.
Read on about the use of NOAA RNC's and GARMIN units: (Warning, most may realize now I get wordy)
I don’t like creating waypoints and routes on the Chartplotter itself. I prefer sitting comfortable at a PC with a real keyboard and mouse to manipulate my Navigation Data. The GARMIN database, UserData.ADM, is a proprietary database file. This is the file that can be saved to an SD Card for backup. The issue is, other than Garmin’s proprietary Software (like Trip and Waypoint Manager), you can ONLY create/edit Waypoints/Routes on the Chartplotter itself.
However with a program called GPS Utility http://www.gpsu.co.uk/index.html
to convert the file, you can convert it to other formats that can be read by other apps, like Google Earth or even a text file that can be read into EXCEL and manipulated as well. There is a free version and a full blown version for $60 US.
Now obtain the free charting software such as SeaClear http://www.sping.com/seaclear/ This is the program that will view the free RNC Charts that can be downloaded from NOAA http://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/staf ... spubs.html It’s not the most user friendly software, nor does it have a great manual. But once you installed the charts, it does the job and you get used to it fairly quickly..............l.
Someone yesterday on another board posted a link to OpenCPN....
http://www.bigdumboat.com/cpnindex.html
It also works with the NOAA charts and I had no problem getting the program up and running with a NOAA Florida chart. It seems to do all of the things you mentioned. It will also with a GPS track your position on the chart realtime if I understand that correctly. I'm going to order a $37 BU-353 GPS ...................
http://www.usglobalsat.com/p-62-bu-353-w.aspx
... to try that out.
On the 540 do you know if it covers the Sea of Cortez or the North Channel (Great Lakes) at all and if so how much of these areas? Garmin show the g2 map covering these areas, but when I called them they said some of that chart detail has been deleted from what is loaded on the 540, but couldn't tell me exactly what. She said it looked like it went about 1/3 of the way down Baja, but couldn't tell me much else. If you could look sometime that would be great.
Thanks again for all of the info,
Sum
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