A friend and professional mariner passed this on to me. Maybe it's old news
here, I haven't been following the issue. But, just in case anyone hasn't
heard:

MapTech's agreement with NOAA for raster charts has expired and NOAA has now
made its raster charts available for free online.

This means that you can get entire raster chart collections for free from
NOAA. There 1,016 BSB format charts online at NOAA's website, but the
maximum that can be downloaded at one time is 100. So if you're intent on
suddenly accumulating a complete chart library of the U.S., it may take you
some time and effort. But if you're only looking for a few specific areas,
or for updating your existing library, this is the easy way to do it. The
gov't continues to update these charts electronically as necessary.

Several private firms -- MapTech, Nobeltec, Richardson's, etc. -- are
repackaging these raster charts for sale on CDs and DVDs. Sometimes you can
get such a disk free as a sales premium, if you buy another navigational
product from the same vendor.

For more information and downloads:
http://nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/mcd/Raster/Index.htm

The gov't is also making vector charts available for free on-line down-load,
but the available number is less, and the vector charts are for some reason
more difficult to download. The vector charts are also more difficult to
use, but that's a personal opinion. To me, vector charts just don't look
real; on my computer console a vector chart reminds me of a video game.

--
Roger Long

NOAA made them available about a year to 18 months ago, if memory serves.
I agree with you on raster looking more real and, on Fugawi at least,
zooming in and out seems more tedious.
But Fugawi ENC ships with a CD that has 3-D topography of some (don't the
extent) coastal regions that work with the vector charts that could be
useful in identifying entrances, etc. Don't know if these are available from
NOAA nor what one would need to view them.
BF

"Roger Long" wrote in message
...
A friend and professional mariner passed this on to me. Maybe it's old
news
here, I haven't been following the issue. But, just in case anyone hasn't
heard:

MapTech's agreement with NOAA for raster charts has expired and NOAA has
now
made its raster charts available for free online.

This means that you can get entire raster chart collections for free from
NOAA. There 1,016 BSB format charts online at NOAA's website, but the
maximum that can be downloaded at one time is 100. So if you're intent on
suddenly accumulating a complete chart library of the U.S., it may take
you
some time and effort. But if you're only looking for a few specific areas,
or for updating your existing library, this is the easy way to do it. The
gov't continues to update these charts electronically as necessary.

Several private firms -- MapTech, Nobeltec, Richardson's, etc. -- are
repackaging these raster charts for sale on CDs and DVDs. Sometimes you
can
get such a disk free as a sales premium, if you buy another navigational
product from the same vendor.

For more information and downloads:
http://nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/mcd/Raster/Index.htm

The gov't is also making vector charts available for free on-line
down-load,
but the available number is less, and the vector charts are for some
reason
more difficult to download. The vector charts are also more difficult to
use, but that's a personal opinion. To me, vector charts just don't look
real; on my computer console a vector chart reminds me of a video game.

--
Roger Long

ENC chart URL: http://nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/mcd/enc/index.htm

The 'neat' thing about ENC charts (expecially if you have a 'mac'
running MacENC) is you can overlay GRIB weather info. A good forum
for Mac integration with AIS, GRIB, Course (tack angle) optimization,
etc. is http://nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/mcd/enc/index.htm ... and the
best part is that the most 'elegant' macintosh platform for both ENC
and Raster is $99.00



In article , BF
wrote:

NOAA made them available about a year to 18 months ago, if memory serves.
I agree with you on raster looking more real and, on Fugawi at least,
zooming in and out seems more tedious.
But Fugawi ENC ships with a CD that has 3-D topography of some (don't the
extent) coastal regions that work with the vector charts that could be
useful in identifying entrances, etc. Don't know if these are available from
NOAA nor what one would need to view them.
BF

"Roger Long" wrote in message
...
A friend and professional mariner passed this on to me. Maybe it's old
news
here, I haven't been following the issue. But, just in case anyone hasn't
heard:

MapTech's agreement with NOAA for raster charts has expired and NOAA has
now
made its raster charts available for free online.

This means that you can get entire raster chart collections for free from
NOAA. There 1,016 BSB format charts online at NOAA's website, but the
maximum that can be downloaded at one time is 100. So if you're intent on
suddenly accumulating a complete chart library of the U.S., it may take
you
some time and effort. But if you're only looking for a few specific areas,
or for updating your existing library, this is the easy way to do it. The
gov't continues to update these charts electronically as necessary.

Several private firms -- MapTech, Nobeltec, Richardson's, etc. -- are
repackaging these raster charts for sale on CDs and DVDs. Sometimes you
can
get such a disk free as a sales premium, if you buy another navigational
product from the same vendor.

For more information and downloads:
http://nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/mcd/Raster/Index.htm

The gov't is also making vector charts available for free on-line
down-load,
but the available number is less, and the vector charts are for some
reason
more difficult to download. The vector charts are also more difficult to
use, but that's a personal opinion. To me, vector charts just don't look
real; on my computer console a vector chart reminds me of a video game.

--
Roger Long

Roger Long wrote:
A friend and professional mariner passed this on to me. Maybe it's old
news here, I haven't been following the issue. But, just in case anyone
hasn't heard:

MapTech's agreement with NOAA for raster charts has expired and NOAA has
now made its raster charts available for free online.

This means that you can get entire raster chart collections for free
from NOAA. There 1,016 BSB format charts online at NOAA's website, but
the maximum that can be downloaded at one time is 100. So if you're
intent on suddenly accumulating a complete chart library of the U.S., it
may take you some time and effort. But if you're only looking for a few
specific areas, or for updating your existing library, this is the easy
way to do it. The gov't continues to update these charts electronically
as necessary.

Several private firms -- MapTech, Nobeltec, Richardson's, etc. -- are
repackaging these raster charts for sale on CDs and DVDs. Sometimes you
can get such a disk free as a sales premium, if you buy another
navigational product from the same vendor.

For more information and downloads:
http://nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/mcd/Raster/Index.htm

The gov't is also making vector charts available for free on-line
down-load, but the available number is less, and the vector charts are
for some reason more difficult to download. The vector charts are also
more difficult to use, but that's a personal opinion. To me, vector
charts just don't look real; on my computer console a vector chart
reminds me of a video game.

These have been available for over a year. Only problem is they are only
the US, Puerto Rico, and USVI.

On Thu, 14 Dec 2006 13:22:14 GMT, "Roger Long"
wrote:

The vector charts are also more difficult to
use, but that's a personal opinion. To me, vector charts just don't look
real; on my computer console a vector chart reminds me of a video game.

I agree with you on the appearance of vector charts but they have a
couple of advantages also that are not immediately obvious. For one,
they can be zoomed in or out to what ever degree of detail is
appropriate without becoming pixelated or having the type fonts
become too small. Another advantage is that they can be
electronically rotated and still have the fonts appear right side up.

Wayne.B wrote:

I agree with you on the appearance

Actually, you're agreeing with my friend. I'm still using paper myself
although with the GPS as an adjunct.

--
Roger Long

There is an inherent DANGER in using ENC/vector charts.
You have to carefully note the 'magnification' of the original chart
and not exceed this limit as OVERMAGNIFICATION will result in some
pretty strange errors of 'resolution'.

One must remember that the 'basis' of many of the charts were leadline,
pelorous, etc. and to simply OVERMAGNIFY them can get you into serious
trouble real fast as the overmagnification is easy .... and very
foolish. Resolution errors are very easy to do on most of the NOAA
charts .... an example would be trying to read a 'yardstick' down to
0.001 inches. or reading a simple mercury theermometer to 0.01 degress.
You can do so with graphical magnification .... but the answer is
nearly ALWAYS wrong.



In article , Wayne.B
wrote:

On Thu, 14 Dec 2006 13:22:14 GMT, "Roger Long"
wrote:

The vector charts are also more difficult to
use, but that's a personal opinion. To me, vector charts just don't look
real; on my computer console a vector chart reminds me of a video game.

I agree with you on the appearance of vector charts but they have a
couple of advantages also that are not immediately obvious. For one,
they can be zoomed in or out to what ever degree of detail is
appropriate without becoming pixelated or having the type fonts
become too small. Another advantage is that they can be
electronically rotated and still have the fonts appear right side up.

Rich Hampel wrote:
... OVERMAGNIFICATION will result in some
pretty strange errors of 'resolution'.
....

I've not used the ENC charts but am very familiar with C-Map and
Transis vector charts. Over magnification with these systems produces
an image rendered with noticeable polygons. All of the chart rendering
programs I've used display warnings when over zoomed and some also
refuse to render over magnified charts. Anyway, I don't recall any
'strange errors of resolution.

One must remember that the 'basis' of many of the charts were leadline,
pelorous, etc. and to simply OVERMAGNIFY them can get you into serious
trouble real fast as the overmagnification is easy .... and very
foolish. ...

It would be nice if all the notes and diagrams that appear on paper
charts were always reproduced on the digital versions. If you are
looking at a chart that is based on a 19th century survey and has a
diagram of soundings that is mostly white then you are well advised to
keep a particularly good watch. I'm not sure that these kinds of
problems are more acute with digital media than with paper. However,
the digital chart error that I see getting most people into trouble is
using a non wgs correctable digital chart with a gps and has nothing to
do with magnification. Could you be more specific about the trouble
you have seen that has been caused by over magnification of vector
charts?

-- Tom.

On Thu, 14 Dec 2006 18:58:45 GMT, "Roger Long"
wrote:

Actually, you're agreeing with my friend. I'm still using paper myself
although with the GPS as an adjunct.

Olde school, very olde.

If you sail in one general area that you come to know, love and have
all of the paper charts for, it's not so bad. I sailed like that on
Long Island Sound and points east for many years.

These days however when we are cruising thousands of miles per year,
to many different areas, the idea of navigating only it with paper
charts would be daunting indeed. I carry chart books for backup but
most of them never get opened.

On Thu, 14 Dec 2006 20:53:15 GMT, Rich Hampel
wrote:

ou can do so with graphical magnification .... but the answer is
nearly ALWAYS wrong.

Wrong is relative, and it depends on the chart. Most of my vector
charts for US waters with stable shorelines are accurate to within 50
or 60 feet. If you are 50 feet away from your charted position, is
that wrong? It depends. 99% of the time 50 feet is good enough to
bring you into line with a Mark I eyeball fix, and that's good enough
for me. For those areas with unstable inlets, shorelines and/or 1800s
survey data, the type of chart makes very little difference. They are
no better than a general guideline to get you started.