Free PC-based software and nav charts

[gwwannabe]

Some of you may already know about this but I just stumbled onto it this morning. I'd gone to this site to get a tide prediction for my area - http://www.saltwatertides.com/dynamic.d ... sites.html . I selected the Piankatank River and it showed 3 locations - Cherry Point, Jackson Creek and Dixie. I didn't know where either of the last 2 were so I went looking, without much luck. Finally I searched on "nav charts" and got some promising leads. After checking out several, I found some info on free, downloadable charts from the NOAA site and free PC-base software to display the chart info and do route planning, etc.

I downloaded the Seaclear II software package from this site - www.sping.com/seaclear and on that page found this link to the free NOAA charts -
http://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/mcd/Raster/index.htm . I just downloaded 3 of them but there are hundreds available. On the NOAA pages you'll see links to other software packages, too (the list includes Seaclear).

I've had a ball looking at all the detail available and being able to zoom in. I think I finally understand how to navigate out the Hole in the Wall from Milford Haven. By the way, Dixie is on the southeast side of the rt 3 bridge over the Piankatank.

Gary 89 Overnighter

 

[wahoo33417]

Wannabe: Interesting post. Looks neat, but I did not get it to work. I downloaded SeaClear okay. And I believe I downloaded a chart from NOAA okay. I just can't open the chart with SeaClear. Any hints that you can provide?

Tx, Rob

 

[gwwannabe]

Wahoo - I had trouble with that, too. I downloaded compressed charts and unzipped them into a folder. I then copied the the .KAP file into the charts folder under the Seaclear folder. Then (whew!) start the MapcalII program from the Seaclear program files. Click on tools, autoload list, scan for new charts. This will "find" the new charts and make them visible in Seaclear. This is in the doc but it's not very clear and took me a while to get it to work. Let me know if you have any more trouble.

Gary

 

[jimintheair3]

Great post!! I've been there, did that, but couldn't make it work either!! Now it looks great. Thank you! Jim

 

[wahoo33417]

Thanks, Wannabe. You obviously put some thought into this. I'll give it a try.

Rob

 

[lgusto]

If anyone has purchased a Maptech chart book in the last couple of years they include a CD with their Offshore Navigator software and electronic charts that match the book.

You can then go to http://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/mcd/Raster/index.htm
and download every chart NOAA produces.

I find the Offshore Navigator software very user friendly and a complete resource when combined with all the NOAA charts.

Larry

 

[wahoo33417]

Wannabe: I did as you said and it worked. Thanks!

Now, a follow-up question: Has anyone been able to create a route and upload to a GPS, like, say a Garmin 4208?

Tx, Rob

 

[gwwannabe]

Wahoo, I haven't tried to do that so I'm no help.

Gary

 

[astrajls]

Free charts

Save yourself some download misery and go to this website: http://www.managingthewaterway.com/electronic-charts

They charge $39 for all of the US charts, a fortune's worth of US Gov publications and give you a copy of SeaClear 2 as well as demo nav programs. It save a lot of time.

 

[sfc2113]

I got this software working pretty fast, loaded up all the maps for my area, just down loaded the bsb files from noaa used with an old usb Delorme gps antenna from streets 2000 I had hanging around. This sofware works pretty good for free, Had to hagle a bit with a serial port emulator from delorme. Was going to buy software but with what I am doing this is perfect. Already started mappingout some fishing areas.

 

[astrajls]

If you continue to have GPS COM port problems, take a look at this software: http://franson.com/gpsgate/ It can set up virtual com ports and allow several programs to access your GPS at the same time.