ANDROID TABLET NAV PROGRAM

[seandepagnier]

Originally Posted by sequi

HI guys,

as far as I have seen, all Android APP as Navionics, NV, etc, are *paid*. Do you know of any free APP?

I think your best bet is to do as wrong suggested and run opencpn. Either install linux, or run from a linux chroot in android.

A few months ago I did the groundwork to get opencpn to actually natively run on android. There are a bunch of benefits over running inside linux, the most important is the ability to fully support the graphics hardware with opengles, rather than using software rendering (which is slow, but apparently perfectly usable on faster tablets) Other benefits are to use android UI better, and to use a small fraction of the disk space needed compared to running opencpn inside linux. I intended it to be very fast on _any_ android device.

So far there is a working app for android that supports raster charts, but no vector charts, and no hardware rendering yet. The development is stalled because there are only two people (myself and dave) who have worked on it, and I personally don't even own an android tablet or smartphone, so I am using the emulator inside linux. If some how I could get an android tablet or smartphone I would be very much more motivated to finishing the support but I am low on cash (about $200) and trying to sail another year and 12,000 miles, that it's barely enough for food.

[Alan Mighty]

Originally Posted by maine50

I'm looking for a Android based charting & navigational program to use on a Samsung tablet 10.1. for trip planning and backup to chartplotter. Free charts would be a plus. The tablet has a built in GPS. Anybody have recommendations using Android based system. Thanks--Tim

Here's a suggestion different from those above. It's a two-step or three-step piece of work:

1. Download SASPlanet and install on a PC. Use SASPlanet to save (a) the Navionics charts (Navionics supposedly paid a team of Indians to do a higher resolution job of digitising paper charts than some other digitisers) plus (b) perhaps the Google Earth satellite images of your selected cruising area to a disc cache. Having SASPlanet set to give you the combination of GE sat images (for the land) and Navionics charts (for the wet stuff) is a ball of fun and utility.

2. Copy the SASPlanet cache to a USB stick or an SD card that you can use on your Android device.

3. Download and buy a copy of SAS4Android (Russian rubles 450, less than US$10 last week) and set it to read the cache in #2.

4. Pack a brown paper bag with the quantity of you currency you judge sufficient to thank me and mail to s/v Led Myne at my marina.

Al

[roland stockham]

Plan2nav is excellent and free. Carts are not but they are much cheaper than for laptop or plotter. Lacks some sophistication on routs and does not integrate instrument data but I have found it excellent as a back up or to take on deck when entering harbour

[sequi]

Boat_Alexandra, Alan_Mighty and Roland_Stockhalm.... thanks for your fast and reliable replies!

Let's see if we can make it simpler:

I've found the Navionics for Europe, a file called 20NMEU.apk which I've installed in my Android and worked more than perfect to sail for 2 months in Italy.

Does any body has the similar file for the Caribbean? (If you have Navionics x Caribbean in your Android then the file is there.) If so, please send me private message and we share it.

Cheers and thanks anyway! Sequi.

(My family maxim: Pirate...doesn't pay!)

[sandy stone]

MX Mariner works great, only costs $7, and all US charts are free. It's a little simplistic, no VMG or cross-track error function for instance, but for the bucks you can't beat it.

[michaelmrc]

i downloaded mx mariner but i cant seem to find a way to import charts. only charts available are from their site. i have all the raster charts for around vancouver island i would like to import. is this something mx mariner can do.

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by michaelmrc

i downloaded mx mariner but i cant seem to find a way to import charts. only charts available are from their site. i have all the raster charts for around vancouver island i would like to import. is this something mx mariner can do.

I see only NOAA-USA, New Zealand, Brazil, and the UK in MX Mariner's Install Chart Regions/Chart Source list...

But the developer, Will Kamp, has been very responsive to questions and it might be as simple as asking him about charts for your region. Already having UK and NZ charts suggests there might be a way...

In the meantime, the Custom Charts options might be useful, though. The instructions include a link to a mapping org in the UK and a third party chart creation tool (wording suggest it can maybe convert from what you have to what MX Mariner likes).

Anyway, as I said, Will has been very quick to answer questions, at least for me...

-Chris

[michaelmrc]

thanks ranger do you have contact info for the developer . if so can you pm it to me please.

[Cormorant]

Will is user name manimaul here on CF.

Read this thread to trace its development:
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...way-67703.html

also see the MX Mariner site:
MX Mariner
(the Release Schedule tell what features are coming out next)

And MX Cart allows you to convert certain file formats to work with MX Mariner (I confess I've never used it and don't really know details):
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...way-67703.html