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Raster Nautical Charts -- Bye Bye Soon
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They're supposed to go away altogether by 2025, but when I was noodling around on my tablet and tried to get raster nautical charts in GPS Waypoints Navigator (a handy Android program that displays a bunch of different types of charts and maps) it warned me that NOAA is discontinuing support for raster charts, and that I should try the ENC (vector) charts. I did, and I wasn't impressed. :o( If you're a big vessel and have to stick to the channel anyway, I suppose they're OK.
I'm worried about something in NOAA's page about the future of their charts, "in a November 2019 notice in the Federal Register, NOAA announced the sunsetting of its traditional paper and raster nautical chart products. Cancellation of individual charts started in 2021 and will be completed by January 2025." I was hoping we could get the latest raster charts for a while yet, but it looks like They've already started to kill raster charts. <sigh> I downloaded the October 7th batch, and will check to see if it has fewer charts than a batch from the past. Anyway, don't get rid of the raster charts you've got now. https://nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/charts/future-noaa-charts.html Here's where to download NOAA charts: https://www.charts.noaa.gov/RNCs/RNCs.shtml https://www.charts.noaa.gov/ENCs/ENCs.shtml -- John <jkohnen@...> Life is infinitely stranger than anything which the mind of man could invent. (Arthur Conan Doyle) -- This email has been checked for viruses by AVG. https://www.avg.com |
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Bob Larkin
I had similar concerns. Last July 8 I downloaded, "All_RNCs.zip" . It is 3.1 MB. I suppose one could track the chart numbers, and follow the latest version of each chart. For now, I just plan to take a snapshot when I think about it. ENC's may improve---we hope! Bob
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Bob Larkin
I meant GB. Perhaps more useful is the exact size 3,053,677,775 bytes. Comparing these should show the amount of change.
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I download the raster charts by CG district, to make the file sizes more manageable. Comparing the file sizes will show the _amount_ of change, but not the _specifics_. I'm gonna make file listings for the unzipped new downloads and older versions, then compare them using my text editor. Then, until 2025, I'll regularly check with NOAA to see which charts are are scheduled to be jettisoned.
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On 10/13/2021 10:22 AM, Bob L wrote:
I meant GB. Perhaps more useful is the exact size 3,053,677,775 bytes. Comparing these should show the amount of change.-- John <jkohnen@...> Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away. (Philip K. Dick) |
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I thought I had a set of NOAA raster charts from last year, but it turned out to be from January of this year. I compared that 13th CGD file list with the file list from the download the I made the other day. No difference. Then I found a set of charts from 2017 and compared that file list with one from this year. The only difference was that "Chart 531 Gulf of Alaska Strait of Juan de Fuca to Kodiak Island" was missing in the newer file lists. A small scale chart like that, that's mostly used to find larger scale charts, will work fine now, even though it's four years out of date.
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So, the sky hasn't fallen yet, but we need to keep track of what NOAA's up to... On 10/13/2021 1:31 PM, I wrote:
...-- John <jkohnen@...> It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it. (Upton Sinclair) |
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OK I went to the website and downloaded the whole big file if ALL
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Chart Downloader for NOAA RNC® The Raster Navigational Charts are available in BSB format. I am unaware of that BSB format is or how to make it readable - Suggestions - for each - one at a time. - Gerard Mittelstaedt McAllen, TX PS some time ago I downloaded all the little small craft charts... qutie a list. I am sure they are WAY out of date. On Wed, Oct 13, 2021 at 4:14 PM John Kohnen <jkohnen@...> wrote:
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Gerard Mittelstaedt -- mittel48@... McAllen, Texas USA |
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Mark Neuhaus
Hi Gerard, On Sat, Oct 16, 2021 at 3:36 PM Gerard Mittelstaedt <MITTEL48@...> wrote: The Raster Navigational Charts are available in BSB format. Maybe you've received an answer by private mail, but if not, I'll try to help here. The BSB/KAP file is briefly described here: http://fileformats.archiveteam.org/wiki/BSB I've never seen it referenced for anything but nautical charts. My first question to you would be - are you hoping to use these files in an electronic navigation program or are you just wanting to look at the image as you would a paper nautical chart? Navigation program? A number of them are available for various platforms. Google will show you them. OpenCPN and Navionics seem to be two popular ones here in Cootland. If you only want to view the image, then you'd be better off downloading the PDF version of the chart and then you can have it on your phone, tablet, netbook, or laptop on your boat. You can even print it out in pieces and tape them together for a homemade version of the NOAA supplied paper chart. I've even gone as far as using cheap packaging tape to cover both sides of the chart, making it virtually waterproof. Here's a link to a PDF chart of my local "cruising" area that I've done that with: https://www.charts.noaa.gov/InteractiveCatalog/nrnc.shtml?rnc=18525 And, the website even has a booklet chart which is a PDF chart cut into pieces to print out at 8.5 by 11 inch, but is a reduced scale chart. I thought I was able to download these PDFs in bulk in the past, but can't seem to find a way to do it now. Have to go one at a time. Hope some of this is what you were looking for. Mark |
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BSB, or KAP, are the closest thing to a standard format for raster nautical charts. Navionics can't use them, since it uses only vector charts, and proprietary ones at that. OpenCPN is a good, free, nav program that can use BSB/KAP charts. It runs on PCs, Linux, and Android mobile devices:
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https://opencpn.org/ Several of Us use it, so you can get support here. I suppose most of the nav programs for raster charts are fading away, or are already gone, now that NOAA is moving to vector charts exclusively. <sigh> My favorite, OziExplorer isn't exclusively for marine navigation -- it appears its most avid users are Aussie 4-wheel-drivers -- so it may be around for a while... http://www.oziexplorer.com/ On 10/17/2021 2:56 PM, Mark N wrote:
...-- John <jkohnen@...> Blessed is the man who, having nothing to say, abstains from giving us wordy evidence of the fact. (George Eliot) |
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