Anybody Using OpenCPN Navigation Software?

journey on · Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2014 2:10 pm Post subject:

Pat: since there's no forum complaining about Macs and OpenCpn, I assume that it works reasonably well on those machines. So here's a couple of thoughts, if you care. Certainly Coastal Explorer will serve you well, but OpenCpn give you an option.

First, what version are you using. OpenCpn is up to 3.2 with 3.3 available in Beta. I'm running 3.3.149, whatever that means and it's solid. Apparently 3.3 fixed some Mac problems. And are you using OS X?

From the OpenCpn rrelease notes:

"Notes about OpenGL mode on laptops and other computers with Intel integrated graphics running Windows: The support of OpenGL in the drivers for these graphics cards is known to be problematic. If you experience performance problems with OpenCPN after longer periods of use with vector charts, there are two things you can do, depending on what driver you are running.
If you are running the older Intel GMA driver, usually found on netbooks and other machines with Atom processors, go into the 3D settings under Display Settings / Advanced / Intel Graphics, and try changing the setting called "Device Memory Footprint" to "Low". This improves performance with vector charts but may affect the possibility to display raster charts.

If you are running the more recent Intel HD Graphics driver, usually found on Core iX laptops, your best bet is to make sure you are running the most recent driver version from Intel. Note that this is sometimes different from the driver supplied or recommended by your computer manufacturer, so you might be closing yourself out from their support by installing this. You can get the current version from http://downloadcenter.intel.com, under the "Graphics" product family."

From the OpenCpn installation guide:

"Mac OS X

Installation OpenCPN on Mac OS X is no different from installing other programs. If a previous version is installed, rename the old version (app) file to avoid overwriting.
The Mac package is a ".dmg" file, and to install OpenCPN, the dmg file has to be opened (it will mount as a virtual device) and the app icon in the opened device window must be draged and droped to the application folder.
After that the device window can be closed and the mounted virtual device can be ejected.
You can have a look at this tutorial for general instructions on installing an application on Mac OS X.
If you have a message, that installations are only accepted for programs from qualified developers, go to System Settings / Security, first Tab, and switch to "No Constraints".
After installation switch back, to prevent installation of malware."

Boris

BrentB · Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2014 5:00 pm Post subject:

Do you need to have GPS puck conncected to the computer for OPenCPn to operate? or does it work ok without one

journey on · Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2014 6:51 pm Post subject:

Unless your computer has a built in GPS (and some do) you need a GPS data source. For a standalone system, the easiest is a GPS puck with a USB connection.

GlobalSat BU-353 USB GPS Receiver: ~$40

Garmin GPS 18x USB receiver for PC: ~70

The Garmin may/may not put out NMEA 0183 sentences depending on which version you buy. But fear not! OpenCpn has the option to read the native Garmin data. How's that for custom programming?

I use the cheap GlobalSat, we'll see how that works.

Boris

Pat Anderson · Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2014 11:20 pm Post subject:

For route plannind mode, as opposed to cruising mode, there shoud be no need for an attached GPS. I say "theoretically" because I cannot make this dog hunt...

BrentB · Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2014 10:24 am Post subject:

if you have a GPS puck, try it and see if makes a difference

BrentB · Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2014 12:57 pm Post subject:

Pat and all

HomePort is now available as a free download

https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/prod64242.html

johnboiles · Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2014 4:40 pm Post subject:

Pat,

I feel your pain.

I'm on a late 2013 Retina Macbook Pro 15", Quad-core i7 @ 2GHz, 16gb of ram, 256gb PCIe SSD, Intel IRIS pro graphics. A pretty solid amount of computer, but OpenCPN is painfully slow. It's usable, but not pleasant.

OpenGL on or off doesn't seem to make much difference. Maybe slightly faster with OpenGL. I'd love to hear any solutions if you find them.

johnboiles · Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2014 5:34 pm Post subject:

Pat et al,

I reached out to the OpenCPN team via GitHub and they recommended I give the beta a try. I downloaded OpenCPN 3.3.2302 and it's probably 10x faster on my Mac. Still not buttery smooth scrolling (I still get better framerates playing high end games!) but much better than it was.

Betas are on the same download page, just scroll down a bit.

http://opencpn.org/ocpn/download

neelyang · Guest

Hello guys, im really sorry for bumping old thread, but i have some issues with OpenCPN, can someone help me?

CC Rider · Posted: Fri Dec 10, 2021 7:03 pm Post subject:

What is the problem with OpenCPN that you have?
Chris

journey on · Posted: Sat Dec 11, 2021 3:33 pm Post subject:

Well,I'm running OpenCpn on a Dell laptop and bringing it up on a Raspberry Pi. I have some familiarity with the program. What's your problem?

As you can see from the posts above, I think it is great.

Boris