Surely you jest.......

Just because your taxes paid for the damned charts, cartography that
drew them and all the research that went into them....that doesn't
mean you actually can USE or download them without paying some 3rd
party who's bribed your government for exclusive rights to them......

Dammit all....Someone should hang!



Larry W4CSC
POWER is our friend!





Good news, Larry

NOAA has released electronic charts, free.

Here's the secret handshake:

http://chartmaker.ncd.noaa.gov/mcd/enc/index.htm

These are ENC format charts, and they require a "viewer". A viewer can be
downloaded, free, at www.fugawi.com/viewenc/viewenc.html

Thank you for the info.
"Gould 0738" wrote in message
...
Surely you jest.......

Just because your taxes paid for the damned charts, cartography that
drew them and all the research that went into them....that doesn't
mean you actually can USE or download them without paying some 3rd
party who's bribed your government for exclusive rights to them......

Dammit all....Someone should hang!



Larry W4CSC
POWER is our friend!





Good news, Larry

NOAA has released electronic charts, free.

Here's the secret handshake:

http://chartmaker.ncd.noaa.gov/mcd/enc/index.htm

These are ENC format charts, and they require a "viewer". A viewer can be
downloaded, free, at www.fugawi.com/viewenc/viewenc.html

Thank you for the info.
"Gould 0738" wrote in message
...
Surely you jest.......

Just because your taxes paid for the damned charts, cartography that
drew them and all the research that went into them....that doesn't
mean you actually can USE or download them without paying some 3rd
party who's bribed your government for exclusive rights to them......

Dammit all....Someone should hang!



Larry W4CSC
POWER is our friend!





Good news, Larry

NOAA has released electronic charts, free.

Here's the secret handshake:

http://chartmaker.ncd.noaa.gov/mcd/enc/index.htm

These are ENC format charts, and they require a "viewer". A viewer can be
downloaded, free, at www.fugawi.com/viewenc/viewenc.html

Now, how about releasing the high resolution .tif files of the chart
scans...

With the, now, reasonable cost of scanner/reproduciton costs at copy shops,
we could download and print our own charts..

Oh! I think I hear that they are going to do that but we will have to go to
a licensed chart agent to print them out.. Sounds like another under the
table arrangement between NOAA and a group of chart agents.

The always skeptical,

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

Now, how about releasing the high resolution .tif files of the chart
scans...

Would be nice.

The original poster asked for a "website with ICW charts to view". Done. :-)

They are experimenting with that now at selected dealers. There is a
central server that the dealer can download charts from and print them
out on a special wide format printer with waterproof ink. That has a
lot of advantages for the dealer because he does not need to keep
inventory and for us because it makes the charts a lot more current. It
does not however mean we will be paying much less for the charts.

Steve wrote:
Now, how about releasing the high resolution .tif files of the chart
scans...

With the, now, reasonable cost of scanner/reproduciton costs at copy shops,
we could download and print our own charts..

Oh! I think I hear that they are going to do that but we will have to go to
a licensed chart agent to print them out.. Sounds like another under the
table arrangement between NOAA and a group of chart agents.

The always skeptical,

Steve
s/v Good Intentions



--
Glenn Ashmore

I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com

I'm coping and printing DMA charts at a local print/copy shop on a large
format scanner for $4 a chart. Admittedly, it's in B/W and not waterproof
but I'm only going to use these chart copies for one season and that will
only be for back up to the Laptop..

The nice thing with this scanner printer system, is I can request the .tif
files from each chart scan, for use with Fugawi or etc.

My point, again, the chart data base is public domain or should be Anyone
should have access to it.. But I suspect that this is a 'sweet heart' deal
to encourage the chart agents to invest in the equipment.

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

For original quality paper charts I can see $10-12 each because the
dealer still has to amortize a $15K+ printer/computer setup, the high
quality heavy bond and the operator time. The real ripoff is with the
electronic charts. Those guys are just selling us something we have
already paid for.

Steve wrote:

I'm coping and printing DMA charts at a local print/copy shop on a large
format scanner for $4 a chart. Admittedly, it's in B/W and not waterproof
but I'm only going to use these chart copies for one season and that will
only be for back up to the Laptop..

The nice thing with this scanner printer system, is I can request the .tif
files from each chart scan, for use with Fugawi or etc.

My point, again, the chart data base is public domain or should be Anyone
should have access to it.. But I suspect that this is a 'sweet heart' deal
to encourage the chart agents to invest in the equipment.

Steve
s/v Good Intentions




--
Glenn Ashmore

I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com

For original quality paper charts I can see $10-12 each because the
dealer still has to amortize a $15K+ printer/computer setup, the high
quality heavy bond and the operator time. The real ripoff is with the
electronic charts. Those guys are just selling us something we have
already paid for.

Steve wrote:

I'm coping and printing DMA charts at a local print/copy shop on a large
format scanner for $4 a chart. Admittedly, it's in B/W and not waterproof
but I'm only going to use these chart copies for one season and that will
only be for back up to the Laptop..

The nice thing with this scanner printer system, is I can request the .tif
files from each chart scan, for use with Fugawi or etc.

My point, again, the chart data base is public domain or should be Anyone
should have access to it.. But I suspect that this is a 'sweet heart' deal
to encourage the chart agents to invest in the equipment.

Steve
s/v Good Intentions




--
Glenn Ashmore

I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com

I'm coping and printing DMA charts at a local print/copy shop on a large
format scanner for $4 a chart. Admittedly, it's in B/W and not waterproof
but I'm only going to use these chart copies for one season and that will
only be for back up to the Laptop..

The nice thing with this scanner printer system, is I can request the .tif
files from each chart scan, for use with Fugawi or etc.

My point, again, the chart data base is public domain or should be Anyone
should have access to it.. But I suspect that this is a 'sweet heart' deal
to encourage the chart agents to invest in the equipment.

Steve
s/v Good Intentions