Complex installation is now a thing of the past on PCs and Macs, but you do need to download charts separately for the areas you want to cruise. It also supports radar images from Garmin and Navico (B&G, Simrad, Lowrance), but not yet Raymarine. Now in version 5.2, every release has tweaks and improvements.Ī very well-specced user interface includes: a full AIS system, with target tracking, selectable MMSI numbers and support for DSC route planning using tidal data, weather and great circle geometry plus GPS, alarms, GRIB overlays and support for 20 languages. Over the years, the features have developed and the team of developers behind OpenCPN are constantly adding new ones.Īmong the latest is the ability to input Signal K (the data format set to usher in the Internet of Things on board) alongside a sophisticated NMEA multiplexer. In fact, you can run it on almost any machine running Windows, MacOS, Linux or Android, but only on Android phones or tablets. The name stands for Chart Plotter Navigation, and as you’d expect, the aim of the software is to replicate the function of a dedicated chartplotter on a laptop or a tablet. You can plan routes with one click and test various scenarios to find the fastest or safest passage plan. With this info pouring into your laptop or tablet, plus weather and tide data from an online service, your screen becomes a veritable navigation hub. If you opt to hard-wire the connection for laptop use, you’ll need a free node on your NMEA 2000 network or an unused NMEA 0183 output close by your laptop. In the former case, you’ll need a wifi bridge that is wired into your boat network to collect instrument data and transmit it wirelessly. Good software allows you to connect to your boat’s NMEA instrument network – either by wifi or through a wired USB connection. They are best viewed on a laptop, but can also be displayed on a phone or a tablet, further saving the cost of buying and installing a specialist chartplotter. You still pay for many digital nautical charts outside the US, where the NOAA has made them freely available, but they often cost less than 10% of the branded charts. Sailing ground off the coast of New York – Open CPN screenshot
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