Category : Tutorials

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Apps de navigation : what's new for the start of the school year

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While I spent my summer diligently testing hardware and software in extremely arduous conditions, hard-working developers tirelessly aligned miles of lines of code to improve our navigation applications. What dedication, what self-sacrifice !

développeurs en action

Challenging working conditions…

Regarding navigation applications, the new features mainly come from Navionics Marine and iSailor Sex. To all lord all honor, let's start with the undisputed leader of our smartphones and tablets, Navionics charts… Read more …

NMEA 2000, a network standard of the future

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nmea2000NMEA 2000® (¹) is a standard for electronic communication network specifically designed for pleasure boats, according to an industry standard published by the National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA). It aims to meet many needs, arising from the considerable increase of electronic devices onboard, the widespread use of computers and MFDs (²) with control and navigation application more sophisticated. It also aims to interconnect equipment provided by various manufacturers and brands, allowing boat builders and users great freedom in the choice of their navigation instruments. Read more …

Search for charts information data with iNavX

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leisureNavionics vector charts contain a number of detailed information for each marina, and sometimes certain anchorages. These places are marked on charts by the symbol shown against.

This data is called "Navaids" when the information relates to navigation, and "POIs" when dealing with practical and interesting information (Point Of Interest, The "s" is the plural). Read more …

Anchorage alarm with iNavX

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inavx anchor alarmiNavX offers for a while an "anchor alarm" feature, currently available at the bottom of the application Home page.

This function was frequently criticized as impractical.. iNavX 3.3.0 rectifies the failure in an improvement that makes it particularly clever now fully operational.

The "Anchor Alarm" function allows you to set the radius of a drift circle, with an adjustment from 0,01 NM (19 meters high) down to 0,30 NM (556 meters high) beyond which an alarm (Buzzer) Fires. Read more …

Use an Iridium phone with Mac OS

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mailasailBritish company Mailasail provides tools to connect directly an Iridium to Mac OS X. A driver specially designed by them now allows data to be transferred from a messaging application under OS, mainly Mail or Thunderbird, and surf the Internet.

We can make requests for weather files by mail from servers Mailasail, Saildocs, ocens.net or even Navimail. The subscription to Teleport-it provides several services : mail compression, access to the weather file server Teleport Weather (¹), Possibility of creating a personalized blog. In addition, there are two very useful applications : Teleport Firewall and Teleport Proxy.

Finally, Mailasail had the good idea to offer a free trial subscription, allowing you to carry out all the configuration that will follow, and to test mail sending/receiving following procedure described on its website. Read more …

iNavX and the “Man Overboard” function

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For a while Rich Ray was asked to add a feature button "Man overboard" in its applications. Recently, following a new topic on the website macsailing.net forum, He gave the following reasons for his refusal :

  1. Such a button would take up limited/valuable screen real-estate on every screen..
  2. Such a button , with expected behavior, would be in violation of the " Developer Program License Agreement " :
  • 3.3.8 For Applications that use location-based APIs, such Applications may not be designed or marketed for automatic or autonmous control of vehicles, aircraft, or other mechanical devices; dispatch or fleet management; or emergency or life saving purposes. Translation : Concernant les applications utilisant les API basées sur la localisation, ces applications ne doivent pas être conçues ou commercialisées pour le contrôle automatique ou autonome des véhicules, avions, ou tout autre appareil mécanique; la gestion d’envoi ou de flotte; ou dans un but d’urgence ou de sauvegarde de la vie humaine.

An emails exchange between us allowed him to find a compromise respecting the rules imposed by Apple. Read more …

Free ENC river charts for use with MacENC

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VNFAs part of its policy aimed at offering users an ever more efficient and safe waterway, public institution Waterways of France (VNF) embarked on the production of electronic navigational charts on various inland waterways. The first two : the “Dunkerque-Escaut” and “La Garonne” connection are published.

The big surprise, unique case in the history of French administration, is that these charts are available free and free download on VNF website. It was worth saluting ! Read more …

AIS, the second maritime revolution after the GPS

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AIS takes a growing place, for two or three years, in the concerns of leisure boaters. Several articles refer to it in this blog, as for equipment as for applications available for our Mac, iPad or iPhone.
Note to neophytes in this subject, or to confirm the knowledge of the most informed of you, it seemed useful to clarify what the AIS means, while just held in Hamburg, the 15 and 16 of June, the international conference AIS Summit. Read more …

iSailor, charts are available for France

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isailorSex updated list of new charts available for iSailor, include coasts of France :

∙ Germany ∙ Australia ∙ Bermuda ∙ Canada ∙ Denmark ∙ Egypt ∙ Spain ∙ Estonia ∙ Finland ∙ France ∙ Greece ∙ Italy ∙ Ireland ∙ Latvia ∙ New Zealand ∙ Norway ∙ Papua New Guinea ∙ The Netherlands ∙ Portugal ∙ United Kingdom ∙ Suede ∙ USA : Atlantic Coast, Gulf Coast, Pacific Coast, Hawaiian Islands, Alaska, Great Lakes (U.S. Waters). Read more …