2019-03-27, 05:50 PM
(2019-03-27, 04:17 PM)svMira Wrote: Is there a way that I can use OpenPlotter to create my own depth chart?
I have a number of uncharted/poorly charted areas as well as shifting sandbars that I would like to chart the depth of so I can find the best route through. Is there a way I can build a depth map with this software, something like many of the fishfinders have now? (Navionics contours, Garmin QuickDraw, etc...)
The other thing I'd really like to do, is be able to put some kind of portable unit on a dinghy and build a depth chart off that, as I really want to go over the area first with my dinghy to find the deep spots instead of grounding my sailboat over and over again. <grin>
Marvin
Yet to try it, but I've spend a few evenings with a glass of wine thinking about this..
The most realistic solution to find the best water so far, subject to testing in the real world...
A little waterproof(ish) case and battery with Pi inside complete with USB GPS and then some way of sending CTRL-M to openCPN from a button. ISTR playing with this a while ago in Node-red and it didn't quite work but with some fiddling looked like it should. Then a fishing rod and float with a weight enough to sink the float and the float set to , say, 2 metres. So then dinghy around the bit of water in question and every time the float went under press the button. That way t least you know where there's enough water (remembering to do this at low tide).
I think there are also hand held depth gauges which output NMEA so that should work as well, set the logbook to record every couple of seconds and/or use the VDR to record the data then process it by hand later.