Orca core and maps, what do you think?

[CaptainRivet]

Hi all,
what do you think about the orca core and specifically their maps.
https://getorca.com/orca-core

Orca will soon release a new orca core that has an additional ethernet connector to connect a radar, first will be supported raymarine Quantum and newer radars, then Navico and


Like the approach to have one core and then use my tablets as full chart plotter, till now thats not possible as no other provider can integrate the radar. Using my Ipad 12.9pro anyhow as main chart plotter but if radar is needed I am forced to use my raymarine e7 MFD.
As I want to upgrade thr radar anyhow to the new quantum2, that ORCA core whould work perfect.


Downside in my eyes are the charts they produce themsleves based on Hydrographic offices. the locations i randomly checked in the med and canaries have much less detal then navionics and even missing objects...
the try to reinvent the wheel here instead of eg integrating Navionics and have immediatly coverage where you need to.
you can check the maps by just installing the app, works also without the core.

[CaptainRivet]

No one anything to say here?
Well that’s also a statement.
I see it that way:
Orca core 498Euro including a very good heading sensor and their new version should support Quantum 2 radar.
Means if you have an old radar+chartplotter for 2500Euro you have a fully integrated setup with a Doppler radar and can use all your Tablets as full chartplotter.
You get that nowhere cheaper…

[gabilo]

Originally Posted by CaptainRivet

Hi all,
what do you think about the orca core and specifically their maps.
https://getorca.com/orca-core

Orca will soon release a new orca core that has an additional ethernet connector to connect a radar, first will be supported raymarine Quantum and newer radars, then Navico and


Like the approach to have one core and then use my tablets as full chart plotter, till now thats not possible as no other provider can integrate the radar. Using my Ipad 12.9pro anyhow as main chart plotter but if radar is needed I am forced to use my raymarine e7 MFD.
As I want to upgrade thr radar anyhow to the new quantum2, that ORCA core whould work perfect.


Downside in my eyes are the charts they produce themsleves based on Hydrographic offices. the locations i randomly checked in the med and canaries have much less detal then navionics and even missing objects...
the try to reinvent the wheel here instead of eg integrating Navionics and have immediatly coverage where you need to.
you can check the maps by just installing the app, works also without the core.

Interesting product but as only their own charts are integrated useless for us

[goboatingnow]

Interesting product.

[CaptainRivet]

Originally Posted by gabilo

Interesting product but as only their own charts are integrated useless for us

it's actually what I wanted, just with proper charts...
kinda reinventing the wheel with the charts...should concentrate on that hub and use navionics charts...if then develop your own charts in parallel when they are ready replace navionics or give the user the possibility to choose.
told them I would be happy to pay extra subscription for navionics maps integrated.
without its really suboptimal.
you can just run navionics in parallel what i always do anyhow in parallel to the raymarine mfd. and on long passage Isailor too.

[Russian007]

Originally Posted by CaptainRivet

it's actually what I wanted, just with proper charts...
kinda reinventing the wheel with the charts...should concentrate on that hub and use navionics charts...if then develop your own charts in parallel when they are ready replace navionics or give the user the possibility to choose.
told them I would be happy to pay extra subscription for navionics maps integrated.
without its really suboptimal.
you can just run navionics in parallel what i always do anyhow in parallel to the raymarine mfd. and on long passage Isailor too.

Is the hub an antenna for GPS and AIS?

[bergius]

I bought an Orca Core last week, and today tested the app for a short sail.

Some notes:

• The new instruments they just released a really nice! I can place pretty much any N2K data on the screen
• Autorouting is not bad. Depends on chart data of course
• AIS CPA display is really cool!
• ETA estimates were pretty spot-on, at least on this downwind leg
• The trips feature seems a bit of a hit-and-miss. We started sailing at 8:10 today and arrived at 10:00. The trip in Orca is still ongoing…
• Didn’t get to play much with the sailing features yet, though I see there is some polar data already collected
• It is a bit unclear what parts are done by the app and what by the Core (so, what’s being done when you’re not running the app)
• The app is a bit of a power hog. Navionics doesn’t use device GPS when boat GPS is available, saving power. Orca CoPilot doesn’t do this yet.

Couple of screenshots. Note that the inland Germany charts don’t have depths (same with OpenCPA for example). At sea there are depths available.




I didn’t get to try controlling our autopilot from the app yet, but that’s next on the list.

[CaptainRivet]

you should have waited 2-3 weeks, orca is bringing out a new core where you can plug in and use a radar.
will order the new core.
regarding the GPS used, check the app settings, orca GPS is much more precise, cannot be they use device GPS when connected to core. would sent back and get the new one
what they provide till today I get with ISailor and a yacht devices NMEA to wifi dongle on an Ipad pro 12.9. the big and hard to emmplement stuff is the radar.
what really slows them down that it only runs with their own maps. i would have started with buy chart data from Navionic and in the background add my ownand switch area by area or offer both.

[bergius]

Originally Posted by CaptainRivet

you should have waited 2-3 weeks, orca is bringing out a new core where you can plug in and use a radar.

Yeah, I saw that was in development (though haven’t seen that 2-3 weeks claim). We don’t have a radar, and at the moment no plans to buy one, so that was a moot point for us. Could’ve been a nice capability for future-proofing perhaps.

We’ve been navigating with Navionics as our primary “chartplotter app” for the past several years (inland Germany, Baltic Sea). Navionics has been ok for that, but doesn’t seem to be evolving much. And still doesn’t do much for sailing-specific stuff.

I looked at iSailor. It seems to be a dead product now? The Android version has disappeared from the Play Store, and the iOS version was last updated four years ago.

Orca is at least in very active development, so it is interesting to see what comes up. I saw it a few years back and dismissed it back then for being “just for motorboaters” but since then they added a lot of stuff for sailing. I’ll keep testing it this winter and on our summer cruise.

[s/v Jedi]

I think it’s better to buy a generic nmea to wifi bridge and use an app like iSailor which also supports autopilot control, instrument pages etc. while using the proven worldwide charts from Transas.

[CaptainRivet]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

I think it’s better to buy a generic nmea to wifi bridge and use an app like iSailor which also supports autopilot control, instrument pages etc. while using the proven worldwide charts from Transas.

Isailor is my backup "chartplotter" that also supports the autopilot, I use a Nmea to Wifi dongle from Yacht devices. Problem is that doesn't give you radar connection and my stoneage Ryamarine C70 Plotter and RD218 Radar at the navstation needs replacement and I need radar at the helm station too.

There is already an older Ipad 3 installed permanently at the nav station running Isailor and Navionics plus rycontrol for the e7d chartplotter at the helm. I sailor is not developed any further but it works well as it is, so why change something and create problems.

My old Ipad at Navstation is also not and cannot be updated past IOS 9.5 so that works.
The transeat charts are updated and work well, thats important.

So I will go with the new core from Orca that can connect to a new raymarine doppler Radar and have that on all smart devices. And running Navionics and Isailor in parallel additionally as i always do anyhow on my IPad which will give me 3 different map providers.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by CaptainRivet

Isailor is my backup "chartplotter" that also supports the autopilot, I use a Nmea to Wifi dongle from Yacht devices. Problem is that doesn't give you radar connection and my stoneage Ryamarine C70 Plotter and RD218 Radar at the navstation needs replacement and I need radar at the helm station too.

There is already an older Ipad 3 installed permanently at the nav station running Isailor and Navionics plus rycontrol for the e7d chartplotter at the helm. I sailor is not developed any further but it works well as it is, so why change something and create problems.

My old Ipad at Navstation is also not and cannot be updated past IOS 9.5 so that works.
The transeat charts are updated and work well, thats important.

So I will go with the new core from Orca that can connect to a new raymarine doppler Radar and have that on all smart devices. And running Navionics and Isailor in parallel additionally as i always do anyhow on my IPad which will give me 3 different map providers.

If you really don’t want a plotter that can do radar, then a better choice imho is to connect a B&G radar scanner to the free OpenCPN with radar plug-in.

[CaptainRivet]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

If you really don’t want a plotter that can do radar, then a better choice imho is to connect a B&G radar scanner to the free OpenCPN with radar plug-in.

No thank you, no Bruch&Gammel (German expression=B&G), stay with Raymarine as their user interface is much better, had B&G on my old ketch and didn‘t like it at all. Can always add a Raymarine chartplotter then if I really miss it. The openCPN plug-in should also work with the new Raymarine Doppler radars.
I have OpenCPN on my NUC mini PC connected to the TV as last resort backup, don‘t like it’s usability. But how do I get this OPenCPN to the Nav station and to the outside helm station and down into my owners cabin?
Because openCPN doesn‘t run on my iPads that are installed already at nav station, my owners cabin and on my IpadPro (that runs Navionics, ISailor and RayControl=mirror the e7d chartplotter) which is may main used device for navigation even there is a Raymarine chartplotter E7D installed at the helm (which I keep)

The orca core will offer the interface for the radar to all devices directly while if I get a chartplotter, I have to installed the new at the helm (doesn‘t fit plug&play, so cut and pull cables…) and move the old to nav station to have radar on both. With the orca core I install it right behind nav station where all black boxes and NMEa network sits, plug&play in 30min in and have radar all over the boat plus a 3rd chart provider/alternative navigation for free with it.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by CaptainRivet

No thank you, no Bruch&Gammel (German expression=B&G), stay with Raymarine as their user interface is much better, had B&G on my old ketch and didn‘t like it at all. Can always add a Raymarine chartplotter then if I really miss it. The openCPN plug-in should also work with the new Raymarine Doppler radars.
I have OpenCPN on my NUC mini PC connected to the TV as last resort backup, don‘t like it’s usability. But how do I get this OPenCPN to the Nav station and to the outside helm station and down into my owners cabin?
Because openCPN doesn‘t run on my iPads that are installed already at nav station, my owners cabin and on my IpadPro (that runs Navionics, ISailor and RayControl=mirror the e7d chartplotter) which is may main used device for navigation even there is a Raymarine chartplotter E7D installed at the helm (which I keep)

The orca core will offer the interface for the radar to all devices directly while if I get a chartplotter, I have to installed the new at the helm (doesn‘t fit plug&play, so cut and pull cables…) and move the old to nav station to have radar on both. With the orca core I install it right behind nav station where all black boxes and NMEa network sits, plug&play in 30min in and have radar all over the boat plus a 3rd chart provider/alternative navigation for free with it.

Again I can’t follow you. A radar scanner doesn’t have a user interface. Also, the B&G scanners are the same as the Simrad scanners and very reputable. Raymarine isn’t the Raytheon from 30 years ago. I would much prefer Furuno over the current Raymarine.

But all that is irrelevant when connecting radar scanners to OpenCPN and for that the best support is for B&G/Simrad because it also supports the radar configuration.

[CaptainRivet]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

Again I can’t follow you. A radar scanner doesn’t have a user interface. Also, the B&G scanners are the same as the Simrad scanners and very reputable. Raymarine isn’t the Raytheon from 30 years ago. I would much prefer Furuno over the current Raymarine.

But all that is irrelevant when connecting radar scanners to OpenCPN and for that the best support is for B&G/Simrad because it also supports the radar configuration.

But that a Radar from B&G would force me to get a B&G plotter if I want one which are crap and UI very complicated. My buddy boat has the newest Raymarine Radar and they are great.
I still have a Raymarine e7 chartplotter so the new Raymarine Radar can connect to it too.
Plus Rest is Raymarine too so no B&G….
There should be a opencpn radar plug-in for Raymarine too.