"Jack Erbes" skrev i en meddelelse
...
Flemming Torp wrote:

snip As I do not
want to make physical changes to this set up, and as I do
have a notebook and a PPC with a GPS (a little RoyalTek RGM
2000-thing), I'm looking for a cheap solution to my
'cockpit-chartplotter-problem' ...

Since you have a PPC and a GPS receiver for it (the RGM-2000)
you might want to look at trying out a trial version of an
application like Ozi-CE (http://www.oziexplorer.com/). Ozi-CE
may be able to use the Maptech BSB charts you have now if they
are on CD-ROMs. The BSB chart files require some conversion
for use by Ozi-CE, that can be done using the trial version of
Ozi Explorer PC (Ozi-PC).

Thank you Jack for a very thorough, relevant, and solid input!

As I understand from the Maptech site, they have an application,
that can run on my PPC. Have not yet tried, as I do not have a
lot of Maptech Maps. But my Maptech maps are on paper and on a CD
(BSB-format) with the Navigator Lite program, so the
ozi-application could also be tested. I have never tried it, just
read about it. Will have to look into this.


You may also be able to use your DLSK charts if you can import
them into Ozi-PC and calibrate them for use. Once those are
converted and calibrated they can be used with either Ozi-PC or
Ozi-CE.

Another possible avenue for using the DLSK charts is that if
you can export or save bit mapped images of the chart files,
those can be imported and calibrated with Ozi-PC (and a number
of other applications that get frequent mention here).

This is exactly, what I want! But - unfortunately - this is a
'world' I've never been into ... I have been told, that the maps
in DLSK are stored in a xxx.it - format, that is not compatible
with anything else in the world ... and I'm not in a position to
challenge this statement ... I will have to study this whole
subject in more details. I will go to the library. Maybe you have
some relevant references? I do not really know what calibration -
in this context means - so I feel I'm pretty far from the target
....


To get the most flexibility with Ozi-CE the Ozi Explorer
developer recommends also buying Ozi-Explorer for the PC. But
you may be able to get along without buying it. I purchased
Ozi-CE to use on an iPAQ 3630 and am managing fine without
having bought Ozi-PC also. I'm using Maptech BSB charts and
USGS topo maps (both come with calibration data files) and
those can be converted for use with Ozi-CE by using the
trial version of Ozi-PC. What cannot be done with the trial
version of Ozi-PC is to import and calibrate map images or edit
a map image.

Compared to my 'long term solution' or alternatives, I do not
find the prices of the two ozi-programmes prohibitive.

A nice piece of freeware that you may want to look at that also
has
good capabilities for importing and calibrating map images is
SeaClear II (http://www.sping.com/seaclear/). The process is a
little convoluted but I have been able to create routes on
SeaClear II (using Maptech BSB charts) and upload those to my
handheld GPS (which was being used with SeaClear for NMEA
input).

Sounds as a very practical solution. I will look into this. Thank
you for the link!

I could then download the routes and waypoints from the GPS
using GPS Utility (www.gpsu.co.uk/) and then import the routes
and waypoints into Ozi-CE. Once you sort through the details of
the various file formats and the like, you'll find there are a
number of GPS utilities that data to be migrated from one
platform to another.

I may understand this, when I start working with it ...


My feeling is that the iPAQ screen size is okay for navigation
in the
sense that you just glance at it occasionally to see if you're
still on
track, in the same place you that your think you are, and are
just looking at the various details of data like course, speed,
etc.

Exactly - just as a kind of 'easy reminder' --- 'are we on the
right track'?

Route planning can be done on the iPAQ but it is much better
done on a laptop or other PC with a larger screen, a mouse,
full sized keyboard, and the other bells and whistles that make
it easier and more pleasant.

Jep, I fully agree - that's why I'm after a PPC-program, that can
'run' my notebook, on which I have entered routes and waypoints
before starting etc.


If your PPC has removable media (my iPAQ uses CF cards) you can
more easily store chart files and move data around between the
PPC and PC. I can store the Ozi-CE program and data files and
hundreds of BSB charts on a 1GB CF card.


That's a nice solution. My PPC supports MMC and SD memory cards.
I have started with 256MB, but can see, that prices on memory
cards are going in the right direction ...

My primary challenge - I understand - is to learn how to
'calibrate and convert' my DLSK-maps into a format, that ozi-CE
can read ... As the boat is still packed in ice, I may have some
time during the coming weeks to study map-calibration, different
map formats, conversion programmes etc. It's a completely new
world for me - but fascinating - and a little frightening ...

That's why I was searching for at solution, where my PPC is just
a 'screen' to my notebook, where I do know the applications will
run ...

AnywayJack: Thank you so much for your comprehensive input. It
has given me a lot of inspiration - not to mention quite a few
challenges ... but "to learn what one doesn't know - is also a
kind of wisdom" ...

--
Flemming Torp
'Even the worst day sailing is better than the best day working'
....