OpenCPN - Icing on the Cake

P

Pat Anderson

New member
Since I had the Coastal Explorer system all humming along fine on the Windows laptop, I thought I would see if I could just use my Mac running OpenCPN as a drop-in replacement if necessary. Turns out I can! Boris, I still reserve judgment on OpenCPN until I have seen how it actually works on the water, but works great in my garage! But I am pretty sure I now have two fully functional computer nav systems working!

I first headed over to ftdichip.com and downloaded the Mac USB to serial driver. I knew what I was looking for because of my experience with the Coastal Explorer Windows computer driver for the Digital Yacht AIS / multiplexer, same download page, different driver for a different computer but for the same purpose. Easy-peasy.

I turned on the C-80, turned on the AIS / multiplexer (I have that on the breaker that was for the head discharge, it was unused since I don't have a marine head or macerator), started OpenCPN, and plugged the USB cable from the Digital Yacht AIS / multiplexer into the Mac. After a quick stop in Setting to select the /dev/usb-adapter device or whatever it was called and set the baud rate, bingo, everything showed up on te Mac OpenCPN screen slick as a whistle. There is my boat on land just off Birch Bay in the same spot Coastal Explorer showed it!

It was a little more difficult to get the USB monitor working. I thought it would be a simple matter of installing the driver, which I download from displaylink.com. No she go. Back to Google, where I discover my error - the Mac setting page with check box to "Mirror display" (the Arrangement tab of the Display settings) only shows up when the external monitor is actually plugged in. I had been trying to do the settings from the comfort of my couch, which of course was impossible. Out to the boat, plug in the monitor, go to the Arrangement tab and check the "MIrror display" box and and we are in business!

The magic key to all of this is that slick little Digital Yacht AIS / multiplexer that is the link between the C-80 and the computer(s). Four wires to the C-80 NMEA cable (two input and two output), two wires to power, and a USB cable to the computer. The key to making this little gem work is NOT to use the Digital Yacht drivers but head directly to ftdichip.com to download drivers, whether Windows or Mac. Still an excellent purchase by me![/color][/size]
 
OK Pat, Goood job. Are you using the C-80 or the lap tops for primary while running. (As in, which is up and in line of sight, as Jim mentioned, the real windows are still pretty effective.) The reason for my question: Were you able to get the AIS displayed on the C-80. The AIS CAN SEE around corners that neither you or your radar can see. Obviously, that won't see everything on the water, so it's good to keep it in the vision pattern (scan) along with peeking outside (more than) occasionally.

Pretty cool system you have going there.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

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Harvey, the laptop(s) will be primary on the Great Loop, and the C-80 will bed primary in the PNW - Canada - Alaska. This is dictated by the lack of cartography for the C-80 for the Great Loop. For the C-80, I have West Coast, Vancouver Island and Northern BC to Baranoff Island, so well covered on the Left Coast. However, BOTH are up and pretty well within line of sight, they are right next to each other, with the external USB monitor slightly to the left of the C-80 display.

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And yes, Jim, I will of course look out the window! Patty always notices when my attention has been on the chartplotter too long! In fact, I re-positioned the USB monitor a bit lower than shown in the photo so I could see over it to look out the center window!

I may go play this afternoon to see if I can find somewhere in the depths of the Raymarine manuals or C-80 menus how to make is show the AIS data.
 
I wondered about that placement, Pat, since the monitor screen is in that center position... looks to be pretty close to eye level. I recall someone here had a RAM mount that put the laptop in the V-berth opening - that would likely work for the monitor, as well. RAM has so many adaptable mounts.

Glad this is all coming together for you. When we spent 6 weeks on the Erie Canal, I mentioned the Navionics "gap in coverage" there to another boater... his response: "It's a canal, not like you're going to get lost here!" :wink: I think you'll find much of the ICW (exclusive of intersections) to be mostly line-of-sight navigating.

Excited for you with this upcoming Loop adventure.

Best wishes,
Jim
 
Hmm...it does not seem that I am going to be able to use the AIS receiver with the Raymarine Classic C-80:

From Raymarine:

Unfortunately, each MFD's NMEA 0183 I/O port can only be configured for a single BAUD rate and the C/E-Series Classic MFDs (C70, C80, C120, E80, E120) feature a single NMEA 0183 I/O port. As such, should the MFD's NMEA 0183 port be configured for 4800 BAUD NMEA 0183 communications (MENU->SYSTEM SETUP->SYSTEM INTEGRATION->NMEA PORT SETTING->NMEA 4800), then the MFDs will transmit 4800 BAUD NMEA 0183 protocol and will receive 4800 BAUD NMEA 0183 protocol. It is not possible for the MFD to simultaneously transmit 4800 BAUD NMEA 0183 protocol and receive 38400 communications protocol and vice versa.

The problem here is that the AIS gets its INPUT from the C-80 at 4800 baud and the AIS sends its OUTPUT to the computer or chartplotter at 38400 baud. The C-80 only has a single I/O port, and cannot send output at 4800 and receive input at 38400 baud simultaneously.

Am I missing or misunderstanding something here?
 
Pat, Sorry, that was all Greek to me, but I know that I have AIS display on my C-120, and on both the ICOM 506 and Standard Horizon 2150. The multiplexor is a "Shipmodul 1121 Miniplex 2USB Programable Multiplexer". Looks like the baud rate is 38400. That is about as much help as I can be.

I had to add the multiplexer because the C-120 didn't have enough ports. Marty Kirk at Rodger's Marine Electronics, Portland Oregon, set up the system.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

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