Read without ads and support Scribd by becoming a Scribd Premium Reader.

Language:

Download

Go BackAdd Note

Link

Embed

Save for later

OpenCPN User Manual

Table Of Contents

OpenCPN User ManualGetting StartedInstalling OpenCPNInstalling ChartsChart FormatsChart SourcesSetting Up GPSGPS Status NMEA SentencesBasic FeaturesToolbar ButtonsRight-click MenuZoom In & OutScaling ChartsChart QuiltingStatus Bar Auto Follow and Display OrientationTides and CurrentsShip Track Man Over BoardToolbox SettingsChange Color SchemeAdvanced FeaturesHot KeysAnchor WatchAISRoutes and MarksThe Route Manager and Data Import/ExportPlanning DataVector Chart DisplayCM93 OffsetsChart Conversion ManualConversion Using LinuxlibBSBFAQLicense and Authors

Getting Started

Welcome!Getting started using OpenCPN consists of 3 basic steps:Installing OpenCPN1.Installing Chartsto be read by OpenCPN2.*(Optional)Setting Up GPSto "talk" to your computer and OpenCPN3. Completing these 3 steps will get you started and allow you to check out the program. Later, after exploring the program, you maywant to read through theBasic FeaturesandAdvanced Featuressections to really get a good grasp of what the program offers. If you still have questions or would just like to get in touch with other OpenCPN users, there is also a fairly large community behindOpenCPN. You can find us in this Cruiser'sforum.

Installing OpenCPN

Windows (98/ME)

/2000/XP/Vista/7

Download the installation package for Windows fromopencpn.org/download.Use the stable release for navigation en route, or if you just started using OpenCPN.Run the downloaded installer.If upgrading from a previous version of OpenCPN, there is no need to uninstall the previous version. Simply install the new

OpenCPN User Manualhttp://www.opencpn.org/book/export/html/311 van 761-5-2011 0:03

version and it will upgrade OpenCPN, saving all your existing configuration and preferences.If this is a new installation, click on the Toolbox icon and configure your GPS source, chart directories, and other settings.If your installation goes well, but OpenCPN don't start as expected, try to download and installthese runtime components.

up to version 2.1.0 (from beta version2.2.1026, Windows 98 and Windows ME are no longer supported)

Linux

32/64 bit Ubuntu/Debian Distributions32 bit Fedora / Cent OS

If you are installing OpenCPN for the first time on a computer with Ubuntu, or any other Linux flavour, you have to go through afew steps to make sure that all dependencies are met. Ubuntu uses "deb" packages and Fedora uses the "rpm" packages.On Ubuntu, start "System->Administration->Synaptic". In Synaptic go to "Settings->Repositories" and tick the box"Community-maintained Open Source software (universe)". Close Synaptic.Download the correct .deb or .rpm fromopencpn.org/download.Use the stable release for navigation en route, or if you just started using OpenCPN.Click on the downloaded package. An installation manager will guide you on most Linux distributions. All dependencies shouldautomatically be installed. If you have problems with dependencies, run the recommended command line in the next paragraph.sudo gdebi <downloaded_opencpn_file.deb>. The command "gdebi" will automatically install the dependecies for you.It is also possible to install the package via dpkg or rpm, on the condition that all dependencies are met.To make sure that this isthe case on Ubuntu, open a terminal window to get a command line, (Applications->Accessories->Terminal) and copy and pastethe following line:

sudo apt-get install libwxgtk2.8-0 libwxbase2.8-0 wx-common libglu1-mesa libgl1-mesa-glx zlib1g bzip2 gpsd gpsd-clients

. Then proceed with the commands below

For Ubuntu: $ sudo dpkg -i <downloaded_file.deb>For Fedora: # sudo yum install --nogpgcheck <downloaded_file.rpm>

The binary will be installed to

/usr/local/bin/opencpn

.If this is a new installation, click on the Toolbox icon and configure your GPS source, chart directories, and other settings.

Other 32 and 64bit Linux Distributions and the BSD operating systems.

Currently other distributions requires compiling the source. This will involve resolving various dependencies and is for folkscomfortable with developing on Linux.Download the source from fromopencpn.org/downloador directly from the Git server. The SourceForge link for this projectissourceforge.net/projects/opencpn/.Interested in maintaining a package for your favorite Linux distribution? Follow the SourceForge link above.This also includes the different BSD distributions. Report your experiences back to the forum.

Mac OSX

A beta version of the 2.3.1 release for Mac OS X can be download fromhere. Unzip the download and drag it to your Appications folder.

Different versions of OpenCPN

Use a "stable", official release for actual navigation. The latest stable release is always available at the top of the download pageor from Source Forge.Beta releases are snapshots of the development process, and may contain errors or temporarily be unstable. Show stoppers arenormally fixed very quickly however. This is where the latest features first are seen. Most of the time the beta releases are quitestable and the OpenCPN team appreciate it if more experienced users test the releases and report back. The place to report bugsand suggest features isthe Tracker . To reachthe Tracker from the OpenCPN Web pages click on the "Tracker" tab at the upper right (above the blue bar).To see what version you are using either look in ?->about or at the top of your display. A lot of information is also available inthe log file. See below.

OpenCPN User Manualhttp://www.opencpn.org/book/export/html/312 van 761-5-2011 0:03

Location of Important Files. Log and config files.

It is important to know the location of the

log file

and the configuration file,

opencpn.conf

opencpn.ini

, on your computer. If you ask questions on the forum, there is a fair chance that you will be asked about the content in these files. Once you getfamiliar with OpenCPN, have a look at the files!The configuration file is where all data, that needs to be persistent between sessions, is stored. In the same directory as these filesis the SENC directory, where all the processed S57 ENC vectorfiles are stored in a local format.To find the location of the log file go to the ToolBar click on "About OpenCPN", the button furthest to the right. Look at the bottom of the "About" Tab, highlighted below. The illustration is from a WinXP. A quick way to view the logfile is to copy thefull file path and then paste this into the address field in a web browser.On

Linux

the "opencpn.log" is in your home directory.The "opencpn.conf" is in a hidden directory, called "opencpn", also in your home directory.For a quick way to view the files you can try these commands.$gedit ècho $HOME/opencpn.log`$gedit ècho $HOME/.opencpn/opencpn.confÒf course you can swap "gedit" for your favorite editor.On

Windows 2000, XP and Vista and Windows 7

the two files, opencpn.log and opencpn.ini are in the same folder. So to findthe location of opencpn.ini just go to the folder where the log is. Note that some folders in the path to the log and ini files may behidden. Change settings to be able to view hidden and system files. .

Installing Charts

To install charts OpenCPN must be pointed to a directory containing recognizedChart Formats. Don't point OpenCPN to individualcharts. You must specify the directory that contains the charts. Download some charts (seeChart Sources) and organize them in afashion that suits you. You may want to consider storing them in a directory where they will not be tampered with or movedaccidentally.Open the Toolbox by clicking . You are sent to the first tab "Settings". Tick the box "Show Chart Outlines". That will help youvisualize the loaded charts.