EEE netbook

[Arghiro]

I have a contract for my mobile - a throw back to the years I was an overseas consultant & needed to be contactable by clients wherever I was. I pay £20pm (18 month contract) for 300 minutes, 500 texts & 1Gb data. The phone (an HTC Wildfire S) uses the Android o/s & is as good as an iPhone as far as I am concerned, plus all the apps I want are free.

It has Google maps so I can use it as a "chartplotter" on land, a compass, Skymap (real time star maps), sat-nav capability (inc voice directions) e-mails, e-books, mp3 player, radio, camera, calandar with alarms, video phone, WiFi connections - oh & it can make & take phone calls . In addition to giving me direct access to t'interwebby, it can act like a dongle to connect the lappy too.

Not insured so if I drop it in the sea like I did my old Nokia or get it nicked I'll have to pay 100 quid or so to buy a used replacement, but all the data is duplicated on the netbook so I can restore it to the new phone. You pays yer money & takes yer choice.

[aquaplane]

Well this is it, I'm on a boat with the Netbook, the GPS dongle is telling Open CPN exactly where we are, I looked out of the window to check, and I'm using free wifi so I don't need my Vodafone dongle.

[lady_stormrider]

The other advantage is I can PM you via this web site if I need to!

This is just in case you forgot to pack your mobile 'phone charger.

[aquaplane]

Got moby charger. I turned the moby off, the battery lasts ages when I do.

[wully]

I had a PC World own brand net book - pile of junk. It wouldn't connect if the signal strength was less than perfect. Keyboard and display were crap as well.

I might make my boss buy me a new ipad3 and shove Navionics on that - it works a treat on the iphone.

[ash]

Post Deleted.... A/plane said much the same thing so my attempt at humour was thwarted.

Ash

[ash]

I'm on a boat with the Netbook, the GPS dongle is telling Open CPN exactly where we are, I looked out of the window to check

Tis good to hear that Tarbert hasn't moved, despite any nearby landslips. Is it positioned according to this new fangled WGS thingies?

so I don't need my Vodafone dongle.

But is there a signal available on Vodaphone?

Ash

edited cos I couldn't spell and spellcheck missed it cos 'here' might have been korrect.

[aquaplane]

Yep, just checking the Vodafone connection and it seems OK. It says it's GPRS whatever that means. It's notcably slower than the WiFi though so now I know it works I'mgoing to swap back.

[ash]

Yep, just checking the Vodafone connection and it seems OK. It says it's GPRS whatever that means. It's noticeably slower than the WiFi though so now I know it works I'm going to swap back.

I ain't an expert, but my understanding is that in areas with poor coverage, you only get 2G and then different protocols are used, giving different ( fairly slow ) speeds, vis GPRS, then HSCSD, then EDGE.

See this - http://www.mobile-phones-uk.org.uk/gprs.htm

I find that GPRS is a frustration because it's so slow and only really useful for downloading emails.

Ash

[aquaplane]

Looking at Open CPN with CM93 may 2009 charts, the tidal info is just ????s

Is there something I can switch on so the info shows or do I stick to tidal diamonds on the paper charts?

[ash]

Looking at Open CPN with CM93 may 2009 charts, the tidal info is just ????s

Is there something I can switch on so the info shows or do I stick to tidal diamonds on the paper charts?

You do have to switch on the little icons at the top of the page, but I've never been able to make it work either. I think that we must be missing info somewhere.

Here is a link to the manual, happy reading.

I think that I might start a new thread on OpenCPN, and I might try downloading the latest version onto one of my machines.

Ash

[marisca]

My version does show tides but not a lot of them. Millport, Port Ellen and Tobermory is all you get for the Clyde and up to Ardnamurchan. I can't get currents, though. I'm using Version 3.0.0 Build 2012-06-03.

[ash]

Looking at Open CPN with CM93 may 2009 charts, the tidal info is just ????s

Is there something I can switch on so the info shows or do I stick to tidal diamonds on the paper charts?

I've upgraded to the latest OpenCPN software, 3.0.2 and I now get tidal harmonics. I'm still using the same old charts - the same vintage as Aquaplane's - funny that. I'm not sure where the new info comes from.

The wee pop up box is interactive.

I'll go hunting for Tidal Streams.

Be aware that if you follow advice and upgrade rather than a parallel install, then you lose all your waypoints and routes unless you've saved them in a file. You also lose all your custom settings that you've worked out to suit yourself.

See images







This shows the Scottish Tidal Stations



Ash

Edit - I see that Marisca has beaten me to it with his post

Edit 2 Added the image showing the location of Tidal Stations

[aquaplane]

I downloaded the up to date version of Open CPN last night, I'l get it on the Acer tonight.

I may uninstall the current stuff and start from fresh with the latest charts too, that's if what I downloaded is what I think it is.
I can have a go on the desktop PC first to make sure I can make it work.

The tides look usefull.

Thinking about it, I don't know how usefull the currents are, the GPS gives COG/heading to steer without all that plotting tidal vectors for each hour I've been doing on paper charts.

[marisca]

If wiggly tide lines (and tables) is what you want, Belfield gives a wheen more, the arrows (e.g. orange yin at MoK) gives tidal flows for each hour (values by hitting with cursor) and the charts are the full set of familiar Admiralty ones. AIS isn't as user friendly as OpenCPN IMHO.