Seaclear Charts

[opie]

We just finished a one week stay at marina and we introduced Seaclear to a marina employee there who is an experienced Caribbean sailor. His jaws dropped open when Seaclear performed on his Dell Laptop. He was amazed. We definitely had to use Mapcal to "search for new charts" in the seaclear/charts directory and then "update" from the Mapcal tool drop-down box, before any charts appeared on Seaclear on his Dell. The hockey puck type USB GPS device ended up on COM5 port just like on my Compaq laptop. We had such good service there that I gave him my puck when we left.

As for the "grouping" ability in the Seaclear charts dropdown box, I have not used it and everything is seamless, chart to chart. I am not sure what chart "groups" does for you.

[Hamin' X]

I have made several groups, from coastal areas to inland waterways. The only thing that I can see that it affects is the way that you see the charts listed. In other words, when you are searching for a particular chart to display. It seems not to have an effect on the rolling of the display. Even when you have multiple groups, with some charts appearing in more than one group, all of the charts still are contained in the .\CHARTS directory. Grouping just seems to be a way of indexing the charts.

~Rich

[HERNDON]

Well Gents...

I down loaded and installed the program , downloaded and unzippped San Francisco and California Coastal maps.
Now I will start looking for the "USB Puck GPS Receiver". The program works great and only took minimal time
to install including the NOAA maps with the info furnished on this forum.

Any advice on which USB GPS puck to purchase?

Rob

[Hamin' X]

I have not researched them, because I just use my phone with the USB cable. Works great and keeps the phone charged. For quick and dirty, the phone uses Active Captain Mobile on the water and Garmin XT on the road. Now if Active Captain Mobile would just give spoken, turn-by-turn like Garmin XT.

As far as a puck, I would make sure that it is WAS enabled and charges from the USB. Other than that, go with as many channels as you can get within your price range. I understand that they run from $25-$100.

As an aside, I am thinking about starting a SeaClear II forum. In researching SeaClear, I discovered that the info is scattered all over the place. Just thought it would be nice to gather it all in one place. Anybody interested?

~Rich

[c130king]

As an aside, I am thinking about starting a SeaClear II forum. In researching SeaClear, I discovered that the info is scattered all over the place. Just thought it would be nice to gather it all in one place. Anybody interested?

In having you gather and post...YES!

Thanks for all you do for this board.

Cheers,
Jim

[opie]

Just Google BU-353 for an excellent USB GPS puck.
I got mine at Amazon, but there are many sources. $35 plus shipping. About $40. And it works inside the boat, you don't have to put it outside, even though it is waterproof with a 5 foot cord.

[Night Sailor]

As an aside, I am thinking about starting a SeaClear II forum. In researching SeaClear, I discovered that the info is scattered all over the place. Just thought it would be nice to gather it all in one place. Anybody interested?

~Rich

Yep, I'm interested. Though economic downfalls have postponed my long cruise plans for another year, I'm preparing for it as I can, and Seaclear looks handy.

[Hamin' X]

As an aside, I am thinking about starting a SeaClear II forum. In researching SeaClear, I discovered that the info is scattered all over the place. Just thought it would be nice to gather it all in one place. Anybody interested?

~Rich

Yep, I'm interested. Though economic downfalls have postponed my long cruise plans for another year, I'm preparing for it as I can, and Seaclear looks handy.

Anybody else?

~Rich

[HERNDON]

Thanks Opie for Puck GPS info...price from Amazon was cheap... I am looking forward to
receiving it. Has anyone installed Seaclear to a USB Ram drive? I bought a 4 Gb for $ 10
and thought I would give it a shot. Just wonder if SeaClear needs the correct path/drive if you
move from one computer to the other and the USB ports are assigned different letters. Will
advise upon install and test.

Rob
WB6COT

[Retcoastie]

Me

[c130king]

Another question about SeaClear charts.

I am planning a trip to the Mississippi Gulf Coast this coming Christmas (* as an aside...I did not get selected for an assignment this coming Summer so I am stuck in the UK, over 3000 miles from boat, for another year... *). I went to the NOAA download sight and using the graphical selection tool downloaded the charts for the waters off the coast of LA, MS, and AL...probably about 15 charts...and transferred all the .kap files to the appropriate place in the "charts" folder.

However, when I have a chart open and want to plan a route (that goes across two or more charts) and then get to the edge of the chart the system will open a different chart then the one I want. I think it has to do with the fact that there are 3 or 4 charts with overlapping coverage.

Has anyone experienced this issue yet...any solutions?

For now I have figured out the 2 primary charts that I will most likely need and taken all the rest and hidden them in a seperate folder...but this seems to be an awkward way of doing things.

Cheers,
Jim

[opie]

Yes, Seaclear seems to automatically take the chart with the greatest detail. I also had to remove a chart if it was not the one I preferred for the area I wanted to see. Someone else may know the answer to your question.

Yes, I would be interested in HaminX's idea.

And one more thing that gives some satisfaction to learning about having an alternative chart system on board. I was reading one of the sailing forums when I came across a recent story where a boater was entering a busy harbor and his Garmin charts reverted to a dull world view. As it turns out, he had a subscription with Garmin and had not updated it and the time-sensitive charts in his plotter passed the deadline and zonked right out of view. Ugh. What a mess. He had no cell phone coverage, but when he did he was able to pay Garmin and get his charts back. Ugh.. Ugly circumstance and a good reason to have backup.

[Hamin' X]

Just to expand upon my idea a bit; my intention is to set up a SeaClear Users Group forum, then post the URL info here and on any other forums that I find SeaClear info inviting all to come and join. There are a number of boating and sailing forums that have threads on the subject and I'm sure that there will be interest there, as there is here. In this manner, the new forum will have archives of the info, as members ask and answer questions. My feeling is that we can gather folks from a much broader spectrum than just on this board and as with Macs, I'm sure that there will be people that have "Been-There, Done-That". Unlike the MacGregor Sailor's Lifeboat, which I piggy back on another website that I own, I am thinking of buying a separate domain name and hosting on a separate server. This will run less than $75/yr, so a few Google ads will most likely cover the costs. If not, I guess I could always ask for donations, although it is not my style to have my hand out.

Even though the author of SeaClear II does not publicly support the software and distribute it as freeware, I suppose that I should ask for permission to use the name and have links to it. Any lawyers out there have an opinion on this?

~Rich

[tangentair]

2 lawyers, 3 opinions

Why would you need/want permission to start a users group? Perhaps you should determine if there are any copyrights that you need to credit or acknowledge. And I would advise the webmaster of the original site that I would be linking to it. Just do not make any money or act like you are trying to or have any assets that can be frozen if you pi$$ off FOX news freaks.

[Hamin' X]

My opinion is based upon the software license and it seems to me that as long as I acknowledge the author and do not charge for the software, things should be peachy: ~Rich

SeaClear License
By using or redistributing the SeaClear Software, you agree to all parts of the SeaClear License.
You are granted a non-exclusive license to use the SeaClear Software subject to the following terms
and conditions:
SeaClear is fully proprietary copyrighted software. Sping AB asserts the right to be recognized as
the owner, author and copyright owner under International Treaty and Copyright Law.
SeaClear is provided 'as-is', without any warranty, expressed or implied. In no event will the author
be held liable for any damages arising from the use of this software.
Local law and regulation may restrict the use of electronic navigation software. Always follow local
regulations and have original charts and appropriate navigation equipment available when using
SeaClear.
SeaClear must never unattended send information to any device controlling the boat.
You may redistribute SeaClear Software to any person or organization provided that:
You do not charge for the SeaClear Software as a stand-alone product, or charge for products
where the SeaClear Software is included, without explicit prior written permission from Sping AB.
You do not claim to represent ownership or title on, or affiliation with, the SeaClear Software.
You supply the SeaClear Software package complete and unmodified, including this document.
SeaClear is only a navigational aid. It collects, calculates and displays data for you, but there
is no guarantee it is correct, there are many sources for errors. SeaClear is not a replacement
for navigational knowledge, nor can it navigate by it self. Use it with care. Always have the
original charts available when SeaClear is in use.