Anchorage alarm with iNavX

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

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

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

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

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

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 …

iNavX, application steadily increasing

inavxSince the beginning of the year 2011, not less than six iNavX updates were made by Rich Ray, either one monthly !

If we don't find anything revolutionary there, many “invisible” improvements have been made, as optimizing objects display (waypoints, icônes, tracks, routes, etc,), tracks resolution, convenient improvements on measures of distance, waypoints display, chart available information, alarm management (anchor, TCP/IP disconnect), l’affichage des instruments (analogique ou digital au choix). Read more …

Connect Miniplex-2USB with GPSNavX/MacENC

Multiplexer Miniplex-2 USB (¹) by ShipModul company can connect all the instruments on board directly to a USB connector on your Mac. GPSNavX and MacENC software can receive and display NMEA instruments, and if necessary forward to an autopilot, a VHF DSC, chartplotter, a Radar or any other repeater.

A “Miniplex2” utility allows you to configure the input and output channels of the device, choose from several operating modes, and offers advanced options for complex installation.

For a classic configuration the implementation is quite simple, and one Miniplex2 Help in French is integrated into software for detailed explanations of the various options available. Follow your guide… Read more …

iSailor : Transas maps on iPhone and iPad

iSailorIn France, mariners know little, or not at all, about Transas company of Russian origin. The Transas Group is nevertheless one of the world's leading professional of navigation software . Founded in 1990 in St Petersburgh, it opens its first office in England in Southampton (UK). Application developer for maritime and aeronautical training simulators, leading ECDIS certified designer, AIS network installer, the company has provided its electronic charting systems to prestigious customers, as the Russian space station MIR in 1996. There are countless marine simulator and flight simulators equipped with Transas technology in training centers worldwide. Several major commercial harbours are also equipped with VTS (*) and VTM (*) from Transas.
With 200 million turnover, the now international group, majority run by Russians, has its headquarters in Cork, Ireland.

All this to tell you that, when the very serious Transas company decides to launch a marine charting application on the iPhone and iPad, does not hesitate to rely on a communication, let’s say… particularly impactful. See instead… Read more …