[jagasail]

Hi,
I've been cruising for the past 6 weeks in BC: the Queen Charlottes and am now on the west coast of Vancouver Island, and found a hot spot...

Been giving MacENC a good run and am very pleased. Two problems, though, as I'm using the Canadian offical raster charts:

1 - How do I find the 'unit's' for a specific chart, especially whether depths are meters or fathoms? Canadian charts vary (not all yet converted to metric) and it's not necessarily obvious. I know how to find this in GPSNavX, but haven't found it in MacENC.

2 - Frequently when zooming, and sometimes while doing other operations, the 'view Raster Chart' option will become deselected, though I waasn't near the menu or the [cmd-R] keys.

3 - several times, particularly if my laptop (a MacBook) has sat for a while untouched, MacENC will freeze. One one occasion I had to reboot the computer to get it free.

Any thoughts or suggestions?
Thanks,
Scot

Blowing 35+ outside the harbor so I'm spending another sunny day in Walter's Cove. It's dead calm inside, and the kids are diving off the dock.

[GPSNavX]

Answers

1 - How do I find the 'unit's' for a specific chart, especially whether depths are meters or fathoms? Canadian charts vary (not all yet converted to metric) and it's not necessarily obvious. I know how to find this in GPSNavX, but haven't found it in MacENC.

The depth units are displayed in the Chart Title bar. As my dad used to say, if it were a snake it would bite you! Other units metric/standard are selected in the MacENC preferences.


2 - Frequently when zooming, and sometimes while doing other operations, the 'view Raster Chart' option will become deselected, though I waasn't near the menu or the [cmd-R] keys.

If there is no raster chart that intersects where you are viewing, then "Raster Chart" on the view menu will be deselected.


3 - several times, particularly if my laptop (a MacBook) has sat for a while untouched, MacENC will freeze. One one occasion I had to reboot the computer to get it free.

I have seen this prior to MacENC 5.20 (which now handles OS X sleeping by closing all open ports) when using a Bluetooth GPS. What happens is the BT port goes away and this not only freezes MacENC but causes OS X to be unstable. Apple claims this is resolved in OS X 10.5

[jagasail]

Thought I responded last night but must have got lost in the lousy (though free) hotspot...

1 - OK, I'll cede that one. I seldom look at the window frames and never noticed it there - guess I'll have to pay more attention there. I was looking all over IN the window, right clicking etc...

2 - Except I have 100% coverage, though not at all resolutions. It may have happened when I was scrolling at a very high resolution and moved off that chart.

3 - Well, I was connected to my miniplex via bluetooth, so maybe that was the issue and I'll just have to wait for 10.5

Thanks for getting back. BTW - I've shown the software to quite a few people and they've all been extremely impressed, even a few die-hard WinSailors... My only gripe (and it's not with the software) is the power consumption running my MacBook with a small invertor. Almost as much as my refer...

Yesterday couldn't get out of the harbor due to 35kt winds and very steep 10' waves near shore. Today I'm fogged in... Wouldn't be so bad but this is a dry village (Walter's Cove B.C.) and I'm almost out of beer.

Scot

[Eric Frank]

My only gripe (and it's not with the software) is the power consumption running my MacBook with a small invertor. Almost as much as my refer...

I have the same problem. With the new versions of these programs, you can sleep the Mac by closing the lid, then open it up every 10 minutes or so to get a new fix. Power consumption is very low for most of the time (sleeping). Problem is that you have to remember to wake it up every few minutes to keep a good track file. I've been implementing using pmset command on the Mac to make it wake up for a minute (with MacENC running), then sleeping for another 5-10 minutes. Works in principle but still needs perfecting.

This could be built into MacENC directly as an option: the user could set the sleep time, and a new position fix would be taken automatically, even when the lid is closed. This could be disabled when the lid is open (i.e. the user is actually using the program for more than tracking). Another great use of this option would be to check positions at anchor with the anchor alarm set. Check position every 10 minutes or so - if nothing has changed, go back to sleep. But if the position has changed (dragging anchor) then the Mac would stay awake and alert the user.

Would other users find this useful?

[lldoza]

Yes!!! VERY VERY VERY Interested....

especially if Apple doesn't come out with a 12 converter soon.

[lldoza]

How do you do PMset command with MacEnc running??

[jagasail]

Answers

3 - several times, particularly if my laptop (a MacBook) has sat for a while untouched, MacENC will freeze. One one occasion I had to reboot the computer to get it free.

I have seen this prior to MacENC 5.20 (which now handles OS X sleeping by closing all open ports) when using a Bluetooth GPS. What happens is the BT port goes away and this not only freezes MacENC but causes OS X to be unstable. Apple claims this is resolved in OS X 10.5

OK, I continue to have freezing problems. I'm currently in 'planning' mode, working at lower resolutions (i.e. frequently 1:20,000,000) with no GPS connected. Example, reading a book where the sailor (Miles Hordern - 'Sailing the Pacific') departs Chile for the Easter Island. I try to follow his voyage on MacENC, using primarily the low resolution ENC world chart and a few raster charts I have for that area. I go to Pan from Chile out into the Pacific, or change from a higher to lower resolution, and MacENC freezes. I can select the different tools but the cursor does not change, staying the standard 'Mac' pointer. I have to reboot MacENC, and then it will frequently happen again. This has happened to me frequently when using both raster and vector charts. Turning off the view Raster charts doesn't help.

While following a book is not what MacENC was intended for, the steps are similar to planning an offshore voyage, so is pertinent.

Ideas?

PS - why can't I seem to find a raster world chart in MacENC like you view in GPSNavX? Many times when I open MacENC I haven't a clue where the view is and have to use one of the tools to identify the coordinates (screen is essentially blank or showing an unfamiliar coastline, and the world raster view would help get oriented.

Scot

[Eric Frank]

Yes!!! VERY VERY VERY Interested....

especially if Apple doesn't come out with a 12 converter soon.

The converter is pretty easy. About 10 months ago (when I got my Intel Powerbook), I looked in Google for such a supply and ran across this website:

http://www.mikegyver.com/

At that time, all they sold was a DC/DC converter (to step up the 12V to 15V, which is what the Intel Macs want) and instructions for putting a plug on the MagSafe cable. I did that, and it has worked fine since then. So I would have recommended that, except when I checked the website today, I see they now sell a Kensington unit that does the trick. One of the testimonials was even from a sailor! So if you like to solder, you could buy the kit (probably cheaper) or if not, just go with the ready-made unit. BTW, I have no financial interest in this company!

[Eric Frank]

How do you do PMset command with MacEnc running??

The program I have written is in Applescript. When it runs, it executes a line of Unix code that sets the computer to wake up in some number of minutes (which you set) using the pmset command. It then delays for a while, while MacENC (or GPSNavX) records a new point or 2 in the track file, and then tells the Mac to go to sleep. When the Mac wakes up, the program runs again and does the same thing. If the user wakes the computer early, the Applescript program quits, so MacENC just keeps on running.

This works most of the time, but I am still working on it, and am an amateur programmer. You are certainly welcome to use the program, but you will probably be frustrated unless you like to program yourself. Of course I would be delighted if you wanted to help improve it.

If you are interested, let me know by private email and I will send you the program with instructions, such as they are. Of course my real hope is that sufficient numbers of MacENC users will be interested in this power-saving feature that it would be incorporated directly into MacENC itself.