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+--- Thread: The missing Logbook (/thread-98.html)
The missing Logbook - jochen - January 22, 2006
Hello,
I think that most of the users would like to have an integrated logbook, which automatically saves all waypoints plus infos about changing weather conditions or wind conditions with a filter function and that can contain more individual Infos such as Fuel consumption, Water etc.
I hope that GPSNavX will have that one day.
In the meantime, I would like to know, how other GPSNavX-users use a logbook today. Is there any software for Mac osX available?
If not, do you transfer the Data to another Program like Word or Excel?
Is there a way to transfer the Data automaticaly?
- GPSNavX - January 22, 2006
Every Mac ships with a great log book app - it's called iCal. You can create different Calendars and ToDo lists. No need to reinvent the wheel here.
Not sure where GPSNavX would automatically get changing wx conditions or fuell consumption. This requires the first mate to enter this data. And iCal is a great spot for it.
Log Book - Wendell - January 25, 2006
I also use iCal for my log book. Make sure you haven't selected "Delete To Do items..." in iCal's preferences, or you will lose your entries over time.
-Wendell
- cyberhusky - July 16, 2006
As Jochen posted I too think that an automatic logbook would be great.
I know fuel/water consumption or weather changes have be typed in, as only very few boats do have electronic instruments the get these data.
But I really don't see the use of ical as a logbook.
When typing in data in ical, I'm faster at writing these data with a pen in the old paperlogbook.
If GPSNavX would have an autorecord/export logbook like PassagePlus, it would be very easy to have at the end of a day or trip a ready made logbook whih just needs to be printed.
I used to have this function on my old trusty Psion 5mx PDA, which I used to save and print logbooks on my portable inkjet printer.
See this page http://p.pellot.free.fr/seapad/seapadgb.htm
for screenshots.
In most countries of the EU you must have a logbook with position, speed, wind, weather data. If you don't fill it out, it could very well be possible that assurances won't pay in case of incidents because you didn't do your job right.
Like PassagePlus I would like to have this automatic function in GPSNavX which would save every 15 or 30 (user preferences) minutes the position, COG, SPEED, Winddirection, Windspeed, important AIS data (BTW AIS will soon include Navtex data!), if possible Barometer data (a German dealer does sell a USB Barometer for PC, but I think reading out the data via OS X shouldn't be that big problem). This data could be saved as text, RTF or CSV data, which could be imported into a ready made formular in Excel, Word or whatever text application, where one could include crew names, data, weater, fuel, water data and other remarks.
Even tides Infos from Mr. Tides could be imported.
Here's an export of the PassagPlus Demo Logbook.
Quote:LOG EXPORTED FROM PASSAGEPLUS 16 July 2006 at 22:44
LOG NAME: Log beginning 17 Jun 06
Date,Time,Time Zone,Latitude,Longitude,Lat (Decimal),Lon (Decimal),Heading,Course Over Ground,Speed Through Water,Speed Over Ground,Tide Direction,Tide Rate,Leeway,Magnetic Variation,Comments
2006/06/17,01:02:43,+0200,0° 00.00' N,0° 00.00' E,0.0,0.0,999,0.0,0.0,0.0,0.0,0.0,0.0,-6.5357995533525512,Emergency (position unkwown)
2006/07/08,23:30:45,+0200,50° 19.43' N,1° 44.02' W,181165.671875,-6241.04736328125,999,0.0,0.0,0.0,0.0,0.0,0.0,-6.5294788664064853,Manual entry. Position uncertain. That shown is last recorded position (2006-07-08 23:23:41 +0200); might not be actual position.
I hope we will see this function GPSNavX/MacENC or that someone will write an 3rd party application which will just get data from GPSNavX via Applescript.
Thx
Manou
- GPSNavX - July 16, 2006
Quote:Like PassagePlus I would like to have this automatic function in GPSNavX which would save every 15 or 30 (user preferences) minutes the position, COG, SPEED, Winddirection, Windspeed
That is actually what the track capture does in GPSNavX/MacENC. You can even add notes to any track record. It can also be exported to a CSV file.
- cyberhusky - July 17, 2006
Quote:That is actually what the track capture does in GPSNavX/MacENC. You can even add notes to any track record. It can also be exported to a CSV file.
I know that and do use this function, but these tracks ends up as very large files with several hundred waypoints. If I would have the possibility to setup a time limit like every 15 or 30 minutes ,my track logs would be much smaller and useable as a logbook.
GPSNavX allows for a timeinterval for tracks to be set from 1 to 90 seconds and 5 or 60 minutes, but for many EU sailing regions (coasts of Belgium, Netherlands, Germany. Channel Islands, Mediteranian coasts etc.) that's either a too big interval or too short.
I tried 1 sec in Netherlands seas, and noticed that too much data, because the boat wasn't that fast though we did have have top speeds of 8,5 knots/hour. 30 to 60 seconds was good for most tracks. OTOH in the smaller seas where one has to cross very often 5 secs is a minimum in order to get every position correctly.
The export function of GPSNavX is great for very detailed informations of every trip, but if we could have a seperate export function with the above mentioned data for every 15 or 30 minutes plus the possibility to directly include other necessary data (Weather infos etc.) GPSNavX would be perfect.
OTOH this would just be a very comfortable feature of GPSNavX. I can live without it and still use my paperlogbook (as my portable printer didn't print the last time :-(), but I thought if PassagePlus does have it GPSNavX could have it too. ;-)
Regards,
Manou