Feature Requests

[Firebar]

Have been doing some MOB practice today and wanted to suggest an additional feature for the AIS MOB System based on that.

I propose that AIS MOB should have a checkbox for Datum next to them on creation. When this is selected only the first report of that MMSI in that particular run of the program should be created as a waypoint.

The use case for this is the MOB button systems from companies like Digital Yacht and Yacht Devices. With these systems you place a search datum and any updated positions should be ignored as it is the boats own GPS position.

Additionally the MOB goto should not cancel automatically, only when stopped by the user.

[Corsair63]

AFAIK GPS & GNSS positioning is based on WGS-84 Datum, so, don't understand the question, I don´t know by now if you can select another datum in OCPN, otherwise it should be plotted directly in your charts.

otherwise, maybe I didn´t understand your query?

[Firebar]

I think you have misunderstood yes, though it is my fault for using a term with two meanings.

I mean datum as in last known position reference point.

The use case is that when a MOB button that creates a fake AIS PLB message internal to the boat is pressed only that first position, the datum of a search, should be saved. However with a real AIS PLB all positions should be used.

Thinking more on this I think each new position report from a PLB should actually create a new waypoint rather than updating the existing one so that you can see drift on the plotter.

Ideally you want a manufacturer of a MOB button to only send the alert once on press, rather than update, but worth attacking from both sides.

This is all based on experience of testing some of these systems doing drills.

[Sjoerd02]

Originally Posted by Firebar

I mean datum as in last known position reference point.

Using google translate datum is a very generic word and is in an other word "information"

It can mean:
- WGS-84 Datum wich is apernetly not the case here.
- Date as a timestamp
- The position
- A combination of the position and timestamp
Maybe better to avoid the word datum in your question.

When I understand well you want to have an option to set:
1) the MOB position as a fixed waypoint in case of pressed a button or automated event based on the ship position.
2) an updating waypoint based on a AIS MOB device sending updates of the MOB actual position.

Is this a correct assumption?

[stevead]

I propose that AIS MOB should have a checkbox for Datum next to them on creation. When this is selected only the first report of that MMSI in that particular run of the program should be created as a waypoint.

The use case for this is the MOB button systems from companies like Digital Yacht and Yacht Devices. With these systems you place a search datum and any updated positions should be ignored as it is the boats own GPS position.

As EPIRB's or PLB's with AIS or DSC support are attached to vessels & liferafts, or crew members respectively, you do want to update the position of these objects on the chart as the poor souls drift around the ocean awaiting rescue. Today OpenCPN does plot EPIRB's & PLB's correctly.

On the other hand, MOB buttons such as those from Yacht Devices, simply generate and transmit a NMEA 2000 AIS message, using the vessel's current position.

It is not clear to me whether the Yacht Devices button sends a single PGN 1229038 message or whether it continually sends these messages until the MOB alert is deactivated. If the latter, it is unclear whether it uses the original position or whether it updates the position with the vessel's current position.

Until you can confirm the behaviour of these MOB buttons I can't see any reason to further complicate OpenCPN.

And I have no idea why the Yacht Devices MOB Button doesn't send PGN 127233 (Man Overboard Notification). I guess the obvious reason is that to date I am not aware of any MFD that supports this PGN. Note that the last release of the TwoCan plugin added support for PGN 127233 to OpenCPN.

[Davidjones666]

Forgive me if it has been mentioned in the thread previous i havnt got the stamina to read through 200+ pages
If theres a way to remedy bright white windows and ais alert windows in night mode that would be grand nothin like a blinder while closing the coast in the wee hours. Maybe they could follow the colour change settings into the dark.
O and THANK YOU for this ballin nav program folks!!!

[Ernie M.]

During my initial use of OpenCPN, I observed that even with the most austere Vector Charting settings, that there is still too much chart clutter involving ATON names.

Coastal Explorer includes an option to further shorten ATON names (essentially to just the ATON number) making vector charts easier to quickly read. The only option in OpenCPN (re reducing vector chart clutter "to this level" seems to be to toggle "important text only" on and off, which effectively turns off the entire ATON description.

My quetion is, "Is there a plug-in or alternatively is there a pathway for creating a "feature request" that would -- abbreviate ATON names to just their associated number (& perhaps light characteristic), leaving off the full ATON name? Attached are two images illustrating this feature interest/request.

[Hakan]

Ernie..
Let's see if I can write it understandable..

Some definitions:
- ATON: Aids to Navigation, is special AIS target received from a AIS receiver/transponder.
- Chart objects: Objects, like marks / lights / soundings and more, drawn on the chart by the chart author, like a HO.

In your example I see no ATONs only chart objects and the text you refer to would be a "buoy/light label"?
If I'm correct the way to show/hide these text is to toggle "buoy/light label" in the down right "hamburger menu".
There's no way to edit these text objects in OCPN. O only shows what's on a chart and don't manipulate it in any way.

[Firebar]

Originally Posted by stevead

As EPIRB's or PLB's with AIS or DSC support are attached to vessels & liferafts, or crew members respectively, you do want to update the position of these objects on the chart as the poor souls drift around the ocean awaiting rescue. Today OpenCPN does plot EPIRB's & PLB's correctly.

On the other hand, MOB buttons such as those from Yacht Devices, simply generate and transmit a NMEA 2000 AIS message, using the vessel's current position.

It is not clear to me whether the Yacht Devices button sends a single PGN 1229038 message or whether it continually sends these messages until the MOB alert is deactivated. If the latter, it is unclear whether it uses the original position or whether it updates the position with the vessel's current position.

Until you can confirm the behaviour of these MOB buttons I can't see any reason to further complicate OpenCPN.

And I have no idea why the Yacht Devices MOB Button doesn't send PGN 127233 (Man Overboard Notification). I guess the obvious reason is that to date I am not aware of any MFD that supports this PGN. Note that the last release of the TwoCan plugin added support for PGN 127233 to OpenCPN.

As I stated in the first post this was suggestions from testing a Man Overboard Device. Specifically the Digital Yacht GPS-160. Their particular implementation updated the GPS position it sends. Incorrectly in my view.

I have not got a Yacht Devices unit but they are pretty responsive to enquiries. I will have to ask them as the DY implementation is worse than useless.

There is no argument that actual PLBs and EPIRBs plot correctly, but the limitations of various suppliers MOB systems means that MOB button pushes do not. However in both cases the GoTo will be cancelled if you get close to the MOB, this is no good if you miss picking them up and should, I think, be changed.

The reason practically no one sends that MOB PGN is as you state it is not processed by most chart plotters, where AIS PLBs are. It is a matter of practicality.

[Ernie M.]

Hi Hakan,
Thank you for clarifying. You are correct. The objects shown are lit or non-lit day markers but the problem is the same. Including the full object name in O creates a cluttered screen. If, as is the case with Coastal Explorer, I could remove or abbreviate the name of such objects (e.g., leaving just the object number; i.e., R4), readability would be improved. In the mean time, I do use the technique that you suggest and simply turn off the names in O until I absolutely need them. Again, if there were a plug-in that would parse the full name and only display selected information (e.g., R4), I believe that that added feature would be useful to the O community. Just my $0.02 worth. Ernie M.

[DebPerfitt]

Today I updated OpenCPN. I downloaded and installed OpenCPN 5.8.0. It opened upon completion of the install and all seems normal. I have done this many times over the past few years.

It's a small thing, but post-install I noticed that the ICON for OpenCPN 5.8.0 (on my Win 10 desktop) is a blank page with the top RH corner turned down. I guess this the Win10 default icon if the icon specified in the shortcut properties is not found. I can change the property to use the icon in the setup file (opencpn_5.8.0-0+395.0b3b417_setup.exe), or any other icon, whereupon the desktop shortcut for OpenCPN shows the selected icon.

When I change the icon property of the shortcut back to the installed file (opencpn.exe), the Icon Selection box shows the OpenCPN icon, but after selecting the only icon available in opencpn.exe and applying the change, the desktop shortcut icon still shows the blank page icon. This leads me to believe there may be an error in the opencpn.exe file as relates to the icon within the file.

As I said, it is a small thing, but I mention it in case it can be fixed for the next release.




Phil Perfitt
SY Coastal Drifter
currently in Tonga
destination Fiji

[nohal]

It has been like this for years, usually Windows picks up the correct icon from opencpn.exe after a restart. I gave up on trying to figure out why, there are more important things to work on all the time...

[P_Dub]

Do it twice and it will be there. Have a good day.

[Colin Stone]

I have 3 feature requests:

Centre variable range rings on own ship. I've googled range rings and only found them tied to waypoints. Selectable in options.

Display target AIS data automatically when mouse pointer hovers on target. Selectable in options.

Display velocity leader as a function of speed and time. For example setting time to 6 mins would display a leader 1/10 of target speed. Selectable in options.

Otherwise, it is great.

[DavidBurch]

Rings on vessel can be applied in the options/ship/own ship... if i understand your request properly. And indeed it is a valuable function for interpreting the radar and other functions.

Originally Posted by Colin Stone

I have 3 feature requests:

Centre variable range rings on own ship. I've googled range rings and only found them tied to waypoints. Selectable in options.