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Random Quote: The next great author was John Milton. Milton wrote Paradise Lost. Since then no one ever found it.
I have been using the freebie GDM6 program from Lowrance for a few years to manage my offshore stuff. (transferring and editting waypoints between my GPS units on different boats and my PC)
I have read and heard about Andren and Offshore Hunter; and I've checked out both of those programs' respective websites. Are there any more?
What kind of software do any of you guys use and what do you like and not like about it?
What I'm looking for is a PC program that will
-show bottom bathymetry & charts
-overlay my waypoint data spatially
-allow an extended database for info like depths, temps, fish, comments, etc. (I can only manage waypoint names, icons and LL coordinates with GDM6)
-show TDs and LL
-convert TD's to LL with changable offsets for TD1 and TD2 for each conversion depending on that waypoint's particular location
-load and upload data from a memory card/PC hard drive
-import/export different from lists and data formats (import numbers from a word document maybe? and export as files readable by different brands of chartplotters)
-print lists/chart views with my waypoints for particular areas
-allow waypoints to be editted with different icons but still have them recognized as different icons by my lowrance unit when I load those waypoints into it
-convert data files between different manufacture's units, e.g. furuno, lowrance, garmin, northstar
I too would be interested in this. I have been using MapCreate (the pay version of GDM6) to manage my waypoints. I have also used the electronic version of Maps Unique to overlay my date with the Maps Unique waypoint and bottom bathymetry. It is helpful, but I would have to upgrade my Maps Unique version to be able to save and print the maps.
It does not allow for much other than overlay, so I would prefer to import the data into a better program.
__________________ Brandon W. Smith
Captain
TortTeaser Fishing Team www.tortteaser.com
I sell maps for people fish walleye tournaments here in the midwest and I've been setting up my maps to run in Fugawi. This is a very short summary of it. One of the reasons is what your talking about here, waypoint management, but plus some other perks. Some of the interesting things about it is that you can edit the points, move them if you want to tweak their position, move them from the way point library into a track or route libary to visually make them. All you have to do is drag them from one window to the other. Add to that you can put a link with the waypoint to images, sounds or other files on your computer. I like it cause I've been saving screen captures of side scan images with my Humminbird 997 then linking them to way points so when I get near or select that way point I can have the image pop up. Mid way down my web site http://www.accuemap.com/ I've posted screen captures from a local lake and some thoughts on my Tricks and Twists page. Although I haven't tried it I imagine I could link the videos I have on there that I took inside the submerged fish house to run when I clicked on it or got so close. But I think the main use is best the still images for visual reminders of what was there. Just thinking too you could likely set it up for special audio instructions when you came close.
Fugawi map will also let you geo-reference raster images of maps you scan or down load if you have at least three coordinates to points on the map. I tell people calling me on how to use it that I prefer at least 5 just to make sure if one point is off, then you see in the program there is an error some where. Usually its numbers that have been transposed.
Some of the imagery maps I set up for "Doc" Bruce Samson, www.hightechfishing.com , he was using jn Fugawi when Brad Dokkens prefished with and wrote this article that was picked up by USAToday.com
Between it and DrDepth, www.drdepth.se , I think we've found about every thing we would ever need. Oh and there's two versions of Fugawi, the next step up will run ENC charts and I guess display Navionic maps, but as I don't use either haven't opted to try them.
There are other moving map softwares out there like Ozimapper but I've only worked with Fugawi.
accueview, if a program would display navionics charts and their bathymetry, then I would be interested in it. I still want the ability to convert TDs to LL on my PC and not have to do it on a GPS unit in the boat as well.
Has anyone here used the Andren and/or Offshore Hunter software?
I not exactly sure how your using abbreviations here. TDs, up here the guys are talking transducers, LL would be latitude-longitude and Loran C never really got going here. If your meaning time differences in Loran C, I've never really got into it and doubt Fugawi does any thing in it. It'll convert between a whole bunch of Projections and Datums.
WarrenMN
Loran is not going anywhere. It is a backup system to our satellite positioning system, and the govt. has been pouring money into upgrading it.
By TD's I mean time differences. Offshore fishing here until the 90's was done almost totally be TD's, and Loran C was the best system. When I say converting to LL, I mean converting to latitude/longitude.
I am familiar with ESRI GIS programing and software a little, so I understand and appreciate what you mean when you talk about a program converting from datum to datum. That would also be something nice in a waypoint management program. What I have had to do before is set my GPS unit to a certain datum, upload the numbers from a memory card where I'd put them on via PC, and then switch the datum of the GPS unit back to normal.
Converting TDs to LL is not that simple because of the orthagonal realities of the globe. You know how Lat/Long is as if we unwrapped the surface of the world and laid a grid on it.... Loran works a different way- by shooting signals offshore from land-based towers. So the farther offshore or farther you are away from certain towers, the angles are ultimately going to be different, and you therefore cannot just convert to the grid-based lat/long system. This is where the offsets come into play. I want to be able to define my offsets in the conversions as well as as have the automatic offsets that Andren is capable of from what I understand. You find an offset by converting a loran number to GPS, going to that spot, then noticing the difference between where the spot is actually and where the conversion projected it to be. Then, on your next conversion of a waypoint in that proximity, you factor in the offset you learned from the last point nearby- this makes your conversions accurate instead of 1/8mi away.
I read up on it enough one time to help some one out but that was way too long ago. On the myth, actually it was some thing off the USCG's web site where I thought I read it. Here in the mid continent, if I remember right the signal propagation wasn't that great cause of the extremely low frequencies and just before they were to implement interior towers they dropped it in favor of, trying to think what they called the Navy's first birds, Nav Sat? Can remember checking to see when there would be enough sat's in sight to run the triangulations. One good thing for me about Loran C was the DGPS system that was implemented ran about the same frequencies. Other wise I would have had a hard time finding antenna's for it or they would have ended up costing an arm and a leg.
Good luck on finding the software your looking for. I'll ask the programmer that wrote DrDepth, Per Pelin in Sweden, if he has any ideas. He's been doing some great programing. I'll send him this link right now.
WarrenMN
"SUMMARY: The Department of
Transportation in coordination with the
Department of Homeland Security is
considering the need to continue to
operate or invest in the North American
LORAN–C Radionavigation System
beyond fiscal year 2007."
Reading a thread here just now, is there any one making Loran C recievers any more?
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I have offshore hunter. You need the bottom finder program for the bathy detail. And it can do all of those things on your checklist. It won't change the file type but it will read the different file types. If you want to convert one format to another you would want to use GPSbabel. Also Denny O'Hern founder of offshore hunter is the founder of the FRA...the crew fighting for our fishing rights and an A1 fella that will spend as much time as you need discussing his program.
I like Garmin Homeport. I've also used Raymarine Raytech Navigator. Like said above, GPSbabel will convert one brand to another reliably and the price is right.
I have used so many different types that I can't remember them all. Andren is good stuff. Carl is always on the ball, updating his software.
Honestly, I haven’t really found ONE program that does everything you are asking, and does it well. We have to use a combination of different applications to do what we do, and it can be rather frustrating.
Good Luck, you will likely end up using two or more to accomplish the task.
Let us know what you end up with.
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I use ArcGIS for just about everything you mention. I manage all my points, bottom bathymetry and near real time satellite true color imagery. Here is one of the shots I exported today. I'm also a reseller so if thats the way you want to go I can offer you a discount. I use a small program to convert Loran to Lat Long. I'll show you what my database looks like. Dont be stealing any of my super secret spots now boys
I use this, http://www.loran.org/ILAArchive/Othe...oordinates.htm depending on your location you will need to make some changes in the software, I took a known point and made changes until I got the numbers output I was looking for. Its not highly accurate but its damn close.
Waypoint Management Software Options??? 
Are there any more?
