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+--- Forum: MacENC & GPSNavX (https://macsailing.net/mybb/forum-5.html)
+--- Thread: MacEnc and BSB file formats (/thread-2861.html)
- toddster - April 13, 2015
I'm having a little trouble understanding how to load raster chart files for MacEnc. It seems like this topic must have been covered long ago, but I can't find it.
The program came with a DVD labeled BSB 3, but it is unreadable.
The NOAA chart downloader results in a folder called BSB_ROOT, which contains many subfolders, each containing one or more files of .kap and .bsb formats.
From the chart manager window, if one selects BSB_ROOT, a box appears saying that it contains no charts. If one selects some (but not all) of the individual subfolders, they appear in the chart manager window with the first few characters of the name of the chart contained in each sub folder. Many of the subfolders appear in the chart manager window, but there is no indication that they contain any chart.
If one selects one of these (at random, since there is no way to determine which chart is which) and clicks the "scroll to" button, one can then toggle between raster and vector charts for that one location. But not any other location.
So: Is this the file structure that the program expects? Should I rearrange these files somehow so the charts are all in one folder? Which files?
Is there any way for MacENC to "know" which raster chart to toggle to, based on the location being viewed in vector mode?
It doesn't seem very useful like this, unless one just always stays on one chart.
- GPSNavX - April 13, 2015
See if this helps with the downloading and use of NOAA BSB charts..
Downloading NOAA BSB Raster Charts
Also the MacENC help has more on using Raster charts..
Opening Raster Charts
Realize you can resize the both the window and columns in the MacENC Chart Manager so you can see the complete path to the Chart folder.
- toddster - April 14, 2015
Thanks, that seems to do the trick. Perhaps that "article" ought to be in the MacENC help files?
It took a couple of tries to download - I suspect that the computer "went to sleep" at some point and the folders were created but not filled with data. As long as I kept it "awake" reading the news, the process finished in the background.
*sigh* the charts for my area are still a weird mix of recent updates and obsolete 1930's data.
- GPSNavX - April 14, 2015
You should find the NOAA ENC vector charts more up to date. I recommend their use over the NOAA BSB raster charts in but cases where NOAA ENC data is incomplete (i.e. no soundings).