Heads up armchair navigators

[gyork]

If you use MITA's online charting, be aware that the LATITUDE coordinate that corresponds to movement of mouse arrow UNDERESTIMATES northerly position. This error is not constant along the coast. Correlate with NOAA charts, as necessary, when "dry" surfing. Longitude coordinates appear spot-on. MITA to be notified.

[jason]

If you use MITA's online charting, be aware that the LATITUDE coordinate that corresponds to movement of mouse arrow UNDERESTIMATES northerly position. This error is not constant along the coast. Correlate with NOAA charts, as necessary, when "dry" surfing. Longitude coordinates appear spot-on. MITA to be notified.

Would love to see a show of hands to see if people use the "new" mita site for navigation and planning. I am still using my mita book and charts. Are other people moving away from that?

[EEL]

Jason:

The on-line MITA guide is very handy and has some nice features, but I would not rely on it. Personally I use Coastal Explorer express and review using paper charts that will actually be used on a trip. After all, I want to know and understand the chart I will have in hand on the water before I use it on the water as that might be under less than ideal conditions.

Ed Lawson

[cfolster]

I love the feel of the waterproof charts and love poring over them more on paper than on a screen - Paper for me!

[gyork]

Would love to see a show of hands to see if people use the "new" mita site for navigation and planning.

I like that the MITA site weaves together charts of the coast, enabling me to '"capture" and print an area that might not be as well represented on a NOAA chart. In the armchair by the woodstove, I can daydream away. In the cockpit, I will always use NOAA chart or chart that has been verified to NOAA chart.

[gyork]

If you use MITA's online charting, be aware that the LATITUDE coordinate that corresponds to movement of mouse arrow UNDERESTIMATES northerly position. This error is not constant along the coast. Correlate with NOAA charts, as necessary, when "dry" surfing. Longitude coordinates appear spot-on. MITA to be notified.

The previous glitch I was experiencing has resolved itself, without explanation!

[EEL]

Gary:

when I got to check the MITA guide it was accurate to four decimal places compared to the readings on Coastal Explorer so I'd say it was fine. The charts shown on the MITA Guide site are NOAA charts and assume you are saying it "stiches" cahrts together and changes scale seamlessly as opposed to saying they are somehow diferent from NOAA charts. Coastal Explorer does the same.

Ed Lawson

[JohnHuth]

I love the feel of the waterproof charts and love poring over them more on paper than on a screen - Paper for me!

Can I hear an AMEN? Yes! Plus, I can draw my own lines of magnetic declination on the charts, a favorite hobby of mine.

[gyork]

Would love to see a show of hands to see if people use the "new" mita site for navigation and planning. I am still using my mita book and charts. Are other people moving away from that?

As I crawled out of my cave this morning and re-read Jason's post, wondered how many of us are using "electronic" nav aids while in the cockpit? Except where I have picked up charts at a flea market, I always print and laminate on-line charts, usually 8X10. Beats folding the big charts and employing a chart case (which always seem to leak) for the old paper charts.

[Auday1]

Thanks for asking the question regarding who is using "electronic" navigation aids. For the past five years I have been printing my own charts on water proof paper (Rippedsheets, #100771, 8.5 X 11) using a demo copy of Rose Point Coastal Explorer. You heard me correctly, the demo copy continues to work five years later. My problem now is that my computer is getting so old I need to replace it; Rose Point no longer gives you access to a demo copy (as far as I can see). The water proof paper by Rippedsheets is one of the best products I have ever used. It has exceeded all of my expectations. It's rip proof, you can print to both sides using a standard ink jet printer, and I have not seen any fading. The paper runs about 50 cents per page.

The question I have now is: What navigation software would you recommend that is either free or very low cost?

[djlewis]

Thanks for asking the question regarding who is using "electronic" navigation aids. For the past five years I have been printing my own charts on water proof paper (Rippedsheets, #100771, 8.5 X 11) using a demo copy of Rose Point Coastal Explorer. You heard me correctly, the demo copy continues to work five years later. My problem now is that my computer is getting so old I need to replace it; Rose Point no longer gives you access to a demo copy (as far as I can see). The water proof paper by Rippedsheets is one of the best products I have ever used. It has exceeded all of my expectations. It's rip proof, you can print to both sides using a standard ink jet printer, and I have not seen any fading. The paper runs about 50 cents per page.

The question I have now is: What navigation software would you recommend that is either free or very low cost?

There are public domain versions of the NOAA charts online but I have never tried printing with them.

I use MapTech, which I bought years ago. But it isn't cheap. What I usually do -- nope, *used* to do -- was use MapTech to print a multiple-sheet image of 4, 6, 9, 12 or even 16 sheets, tape them all together, then go down to Kinkos to laminate part of it at 11x14, with a chart on both sides. I got so good at that I could print a set and tape them all together accurately in about 45 minutes. That has left me with a great collection of charts for most of the places I regularly paddle, from RI to Maine. One drawback, however, is that trips often extend over more than one of those laminated 11x14's, since it's impossible to anticipate all the variations, and sometimes that is very annoying. Also, over the years, some of those laminates have delaminated and leaked.

In the last few years, I have switched mostly to the pre-printed, full-size, double-sided waterproof charts that you can buy online or at many stores. But many of those are more at powerboat cruising scale rather than kayak scale. So they don't cover everyplace you'd like to paddle at a good scale. But at least when they do, they give you a full-size waterproof chart that needs no case.

As for cases, I have found exactly one full-size case that both seals well and holds up over time -- Ortleib. There may be other good ones on the market now, but my Ortleib has worked for years, and I have stuck with it. I have a collection of leaky and/or degraded cases of other brands, if anyone would like one ;-)

I'd be interested in more details about Rippedstop pages. I see them online for $2 per 8x11.5 sheet, which seems not bad. But what about stitching several together -- is that possible, and if so, how would you recommend doing it?

--David

[EEL]

Bryan:

"a demo copy of Rose Point Coastal Explorer. You heard me correctly, the demo copy continues to work five years later. My problem now is that my computer is getting so old I need to replace it; Rose Point no longer gives you access to a demo copy (as far as I can see)."

You can still download a demo or evaluation version, but they call it a trial version now. You need to check the license regarding use after the ten days. I downloaded a copy of the current version a couple of months ago and it works fine after ten days. Some of the features of interest to cruisers stops functioning, but for kayakers all the stuff that really counts still functions. Really good software.

The free trial button in the upper right side should do it.

http://rosepointnav.com/CoastalExplorer2011/default.htm

Ed Lawson

[scamlin]

MapTech used to sell a simple version of Chart Navigator, then then distributed it as a free viewer through at least 2008 as Chart Navigator 5.08. On their website, the file CHTNAV_ENGLISH.EXE is listed as available:

http://www.maptechnavigation.com/support/doc.cfm?docid=123&CFID=3284502&CFTOKEN=10577449

However, unlike the spanish, french, italian and german versions, the file this english version of the program cannot be located.

Fortunately, the english version of the file is still available on their ftp server under CHTNAV_NGLISH.EXE (apparently the filename got corrupted):

ftp://ftp.maptechnavigation.com/

There are a lot of other interesting resources on this list as well.

This is a somewhat dated version of an excellent NOAA chart viewer with many features: they used to promote it as a demo of their full-featured Off Shore Navigator. I've used the commercial version for at least 10 years--but only for planning, not for printing charts (which as David says, is somewhat cumbersome).

Note this program uses NOAA RNC charts, so you'll have to download them from the NOAA website. The good news is that they are free and you can always get the most up to date version. The bad news is you have to learn how to download them and put them in a directory where Chart Navigator can find them.

Scott

[scamlin]

For what it's worth, in NOAA's RNC chart download section, they list a number of free viewers for download:

http://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/mcd/Raster/index.htm

One of my favorites is the EarthNC viewer: it has a Hybrid Chart view that transparently layers a NOAA chart over a satellite photo view--very handy for exploring and planning. This used to be available as a free overlay on GoogleEarth, but they ended that service last year. There is a relatively inexpensive version of EarthNC available on mobile devices (I have the iPhone version).

Scott