BoatBanter.com - View Single Post - pc-based navigation ideas

Larry

wrote in news:d8bb1621-c5c1-4757-8101-ccae1e9fb3b8
@l1g2000hsa.googlegroups.com:

I am hoping to get suggestions on the following:

o an autopilot - interfaced to the pc for waypoint creation and
control
o a radar - interfaced to the pc for MARPA target overlay on top of
charts
o ways to integrate GPS and other NMEA data onto a 2nd pc mounted
elsewhere in the boat
o a ruggedized, daylight display either
a) mirroring the pc display which in turn is controlled by a
wireless trackball, or
b) an ultra mobile or pocket pc which can by itself diplay NMEA
data and drive the autopilot

The system I have installed on Lionheart, an Amel Sharki 41 ketch is a
combination of existing and newer equipment we installed a few years
back.

Raystar 120 WAAS GPS----(seatalk)--------|------------------|
Raymarine 2KW radom-----(control cable)--| Raymarine RL70CRC|
Raymarine Smart Heading Sensor w/compass-| Radar/Plotter |
|NMEA A OUT--------|
|
A
Garmin GPS 185 GPS/Sonar/Chartplotter-----B|_| (NORMAL/EMERG)
(network standby GPS source) out
|
|A---------------|
| Noland NMEA |
B&G Yeoman paper chartplotter--------------B Multiplexer |
| |
B&G Network Pilot/Wind/Data/Speed/Sail-----C |
| |
wireless routerWebfoot EthernetRS232--RS-232 port |
| |
D--MUX OUTPUT----|
Multiplexer out goes to all NMEA IN ports systemwide. It also
has a switch to select NORMAL/GARMIN DIRECT in case whole system
crashes.

Computer is Dell Latitude laptop running The Cap'n nav software from a
virtual serial port background program over wireless to the router, an
Ethernet connection. VSP connects wirelessly to Webfoot's IP on network
to send/receive Cap'n serial data in/out without wires from anywhere on
the boat....even on the beach if you like.

Currently, we're also using a SR161 AIS receiver wired via serial-USB
cable to feed AIS data at SR161 speed to Cap'n's AIS upgrade. Another
Webfoot Ethernet to RS-232C converter will soon wireless this serial
connection over another IP and VSP in the Dell. If you go portable,
now, you lose AIS data in.

The Yeoman plots our course on a Maptech chart book with preprogrammed
Yeoman chart points. This paper trail is emergency nav/course logging
if everything explodes and we have to drag out the sextant
offshore....to everyone's dismay if it ever happens...(c;

Any chart plotter can waypoint a route, but "normal" is to use The Cap'n
on the Dell to plot/run all courses/routes. The other chart plotters
act as slaves. The Garmin and Yeoman came off an old boat the owner
had. I got the Yeoman out of the trash, pulled it apart and integrated
it under the chart table top as its foam portable came apart in the hot
sun. The Garmin and RL70CRC color radar are mounted in a custom-made
console the owner made in his extensive wood shop side-by-side. Amel's
big compass was moved to a custom-made binnacle behind them to make
reading the B&G Network modules much easier.

B&G Network Pilot uses an electro-hydraulic ram to directly steer the
rudder under the aft cabin. It also has the handheld controller for
manual steering and docking. Getting rate of turn and drift information
from Raymarine's smart heading sensor, it steers like a ghost is at the
helm...simply amazing.

We'd put in more stuff, but the wireways are stuffed....(c;

You can lay out on a beanbag in the bow and drive wirelessly with the
laptop....or from the comfort of your favorite berth...shouting orders
to the sail slaves in the cockpit...(c;