Laptops for Navigation?

[Maynard Rupp]

Maptech will do it, but I have never hooked that part up. I don't like letting a GPS or computer steer. I'll set the course and I'll change the course, no one else.

Boy that is for sure, Sky. I would never let a navigation system drive the boat around. I never did that with airplanes either. I will make the heading changes thank you.

 

[Brian Degulis]

Has anyone connected their auto pilot to laptop navigation software and let it steer the boat? I believe the Nobeltec VNS can do it, not sure who else.

I have Nobeltec VNS set up to feed the info to the autopilot if I want it to. It's a neat feature cause if it's set up right it's much more acurate than dialing in the course then having to adjust for wind current etc. I only use it point to point you can do a whole course but it will need to get an OK from you to switch to another way point.

Brian

 

[Karl]

Brian,

Thanks. I love using my autopilot, takes a lot of stress off me when cruising. Of course, can never leave it on it's own and must monitor it. I was on a cruise a week ago on an 80' yacht from Fort Lauderdale to Jax for two days and except for running in and out of inlets, she ran herself on the autopilot with us monitoring the helm. Had to make a couple of course changes at times, but that was easy. The entire system was Furuno Nav/net and worked like a charm, using a mouse to change the course on the big screen. I can't afford that, but it appears that VNS with a laptop would not be a bad affordable option, not for the current boat I own, but a cruiser in the future.

In another thread on this forum there has been some very good comments about using a laptop and has been very informative for me.

Thanks,
Karl

 

[Brian Degulis]

I'm not very well versed in electronics but from what I've seen I think the lap top or PC is the way to go. For me it's so versatile and easy to use the screen can be as big as you like (or can fit) and it's not all that expensive. I don't use the nav computer for anything else in fact when I set it up I stripped everthing else out of it and I've never had a crash or shut down.

Brian

 

[Westfield 11]

I think that is the secret to crash free computing. Just run a clean machine with no internet access and nothing but navigation. Laptops are so cheap these days you can easily afford a dedicated system for this purpose. Even cheaper is a PC with a remote display and trackball if you have the space under your helm console.

 

[34Hatt]

I think that is the secret to crash free computing. Just run a clean machine with no internet access and nothing but navigation. Laptops are so cheap these days you can easily afford a dedicated system for this purpose. Even cheaper is a PC with a remote display and trackball if you have the space under your helm console.

Yes good point that is what I do with my machine never went on the Internent just like the KISS saying "keep It simple Stupid"

 

[Pete]

For the past 8 years we have run our boat using a laptop, VNS, Robertson AP20 autopilot, Northstar 941X DGPS, with a remote keyboard, mouse, and two OceanPC remote displays, a 15 inch in the pilothouse and a 12 inch on the flybridge. I use the free NOAA Raster Charts. I use the computer and autopilot to steer the boat in all but the closest quarters. In open waters it can steer far better than I can using the wheel or autopilot. From this experience, I have several items that I believe should be considered during the purchase process.

Displays need to produce 400 plus nits for indoor use and 1500 plus nits for direct sun light use. Displays should have 1024 by 768 (xga) resolution. Purchase a older reconditioned laptop with a max processor speed of 1.0 ghz. Why, faster processors will react too quickly to your mouse actions to change stuff on the screen. You will find yourself constantly trying to find the mouse pointer and jumping across chart boundaries. Make sure you actually view the software you select with the charts you plan to use. Different software provide various degrees of clarity. In my opinion, this results from the desire to sell charts other than the free NOAA Raster charts. The technology exist to display NOAA Raster charts crystal clear, if the software vendor decides to do it. Make sure the software you choose is totally compatible with your AP. I am using VNS because it treats the "BOD NEMA 0183 sentence" as my autopilot does. That is, if you check the correct box during software setup. In my opinion, the problem is in the autopilot, but VNS allows you to compensate for it, thus my choice. Get an extra hard drive if you are concerned about internet shared use.Then you can use only one laptop and swap hard drives for internet/email use and navigation use. Recent laptops have eliminated the serial port in favor of USB ports. Make sure the laptop you select has the ports you need for the configuration you plan. Power the laptop/displays using an inverter, either a small dedicated one or off the boat inverter. Keep a charged battery in the laptop to ride through power dips and switching.

Sounds more complicated than it is. Just several steps to go through, versus a single purchase of a plotter. But the results are far superior in my opinion. Your mileage may vary.

Pete

 

[Karl]

Pete,

When I inquired about Nobeltec VNS, I was told that VNS Max Pro is a relatively new product which costs $490. I was led to believe that the charts must be Nobeltec C-Map charts that are supplied on a CD and purchased separately, in my case for Florida and Bahamas, $340. Are you saying that I can use free NOAA charts?

Karl

 

[Pete]

Karl, I am running VNS version 7 from several years back, and the support for raster charts is included. Short of finding an old version as I am using, Nobeltec has made it a little more difficult and costly to get that support. I did a little research on their current product offerings and believe you can get support for NOAA free raster charts if you purchase a $50 raster pack option to their VNS Max Pro. It is curious they never mention NOAA free raster charts, but here is what I found.

First is the NOAA announcement of their free charts:

NOAA's Raster Navigational Charts (NOAA RNCs™) are now available free to the public to download via the Internet. The files offered are geo-referenced, full-color images of NOAA's paper nautical charts, published and updated by NOAA in the .BSB format. NOAA RNCs™ are an official product of NOAA, are intended to be used in their electronic form only for navigational use, and meet the "Raster Navigational Charts", S-61 Standard, of the International Hydrographic Organization. (November 2005)

Notice that in sentence 2 they identify the format of their charts as ".BSB". Next take a look at this "pdf" of the Nobeltec Raster Plus Pack option for VNS Max Pro: http://www.nobeltec.com/products/pdf/raster_mp.pdf. Note that they identify BSB versions 2-5 as supported.

Thus I conclude you can purchase the VNS Max Pro, add for $50 the Raster Plus Pack, and use the NOAA free raster charts. My advice is to call Nobeltec and directly ask, "If I purchase VNS Max Pro, and Raster Plus Pack, will I have support for the NOAA Raster Charts in BSB format?" You might also ask them if the display is sharp and clear. My opinion is they are just doing everything in their power to sell you their C-map charts, which will always be downlevel from the latest free NOAA Raster Charts.

Pete

 

[Karl]

Pete, thanks for the information, I'll check that out. Karl

 

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