[Public-list] free chart-plotter software

[Robert Kirk]

At 07:51 PM 1/23/2007, George Dinwiddie wrote:
>I haven't tried this, but I heard about it on another list, and thought
>it might be of interest to some.  Especially at the price. ;-)
>[...]
>If you try it, let us know what you think.

George... I've tried it extensively and it works like a champ. It runs on 
just about any Windows laptop as well as desktops. Sit at home on a cold 
wintry (as opposed to cold summery?) day at your desktop and plot all the 
Fall Cruise routes in advance. Download the charts, waypoints, & routes to 
the laptop and you're all set to sail. Your little boat icon moves along 
(with gps input) the moving chart getting you from hither to yon. See the 
quote below from an email I posted last Fall on the public list responding 
to a question from J Berquist.

Notes:

1. The program is free and you also can use the best, latest updated NOAA 
charts for free. (See link below.) No more entering corrections from the 
Notice to Mariners to  a paper chart.

2. You need a reasonably good sized hard disk - the charts are about 4MB 
each - or only store a few charts for the Chesapeake.

3. Another free program lets you upload old tracks and edit tracks, but 
it's not necessary.

4. It doesn't support USB yet, so you need a laptop with a serial port or 
get a serial-USB dongle if you only have newer USB ports. That works for me.

5. It does support just about any old GPS unit that outputs serial NMEA; 
any version. That's practically all of them.

6. It's sometimes hard to read the computer screen in bright sunlight. But 
that's probably true of all chartplotters; best used below decks anyway to 
avoid spray.

7. Zooming is very good and the screen display is excellent.

8. The controls are simple but not very intuitive. Read the manual first.

9. Use any smallish inverter to power the laptop.

Summary: I like it, though I still use bearing compass & paper charts to 
pass the time when I singlehand.

Bob Kirk
Isobar #181

>J... Going in that direction, a marvelous, FREE, chartplotting program is
>called SEACLEAR ( http://www.sping.com/seaclear/ ). Now that the NOAA BSB's
>are freely downloadable ( http://chartmaker.noaa.gov/mcd/enc/download.htm
>)you can use your laptop as an expensive chartplotter with the same
>features. You can also use your Garmin GPS II+ to drive it with a serial
>cable. Get the Garmin power-data cable available much cheaper from third
>parties than the Garmin version.


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