Cheap Chart Plotter with AIS on a Contessa 26

[@valdisfilks9427]

Very useful and extremely innovative, a true sailor. well done. thanks

[@contessa26-jim]

Thank you for the comment, I'm delighted you found it useful!

[@ben1895]

A very handy video, thank you for putting this together and sharing the knowledge 👍🏻

[@contessa26-jim]

@@ben1895 my pleasure, I'm pleased you found it useful 🙂

[@claverton]

I have been exploring the rasberry pi for my needs and playing with one I bought to learn the lingo, but this looks like a much more straightforward solution, especially if they don't crap themselves in the middle of the Atlantic!

[@contessa26-jim]

Yeah it does work, but I fear to flimsy and prone to sea water ingress to rely on offshore... IMHO

[@ximono]

@@contessa26-jim My thoughts too. I'm considering buying one for coastal sailing, sounds like it's well worth the price.

[@contessa26-jim]

Yes, for sure I would say.. Plenty of other uses too.., eg weatherfax, not to mention bingeing on KZbin!

[@kennuff2]

It's wonderful what you can do these days, I wish I was still sailing, in my day it was a sextant and a DF set. Well done for showing us this clever tool. I love your Contessa too. Safe sailing .Ken

[@contessa26-jim]

Thank you Ken, it certainly makes it easier for us who dont like hard sums! :)

[@PhilipCharman]

Brilliant video, this is exactly what i want to do on my little boat. Like the open cpn but seems way complicated for a non techie! Cheers and Happy Sailing

[@contessa26-jim]

Its not too bad, worth the effort, Ive had harder setups to sort out!

[@netrhyda8761]

Nicely done!!

[@contessa26-jim]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@sailingcorribeemwera]

That's great. I ahve one from London Chart Plotters. The only problem with touch screens 'outside' is that when the screen gets water on it you can't use it

[@contessa26-jim]

Yeah thats a valid point! Even if its waterproof best to try and keep it dry!

[@alanbutterworth4219]

Brilliant well done.

[@contessa26-jim]

Thank you Alan

[@stevenfogerty2110]

Bought the yakker 4 years ago. Put it on my VHF/ais transmitter so I can send to my tablet. It's a good redundancy for my Raymarine plotter/ais.

[@contessa26-jim]

@@stevenfogerty2110 thanks, it's good to know it's reliable over a longer period..

[@SailWhiskeyDream]

Worth considering. I will investigate

[@contessa26-jim]

@@SailWhiskeyDream thanks, I'm glad you're inspired!

[@markthomasson5077]

Thanks. Once I get my boat sorted I will be installing AIS. Be interested to hear how much the complete system was

[@contessa26-jim]

The AIS transponder is the most expensive part, about £500. you can get a receiver only for way less (~£50), £100ish. The tablet was £200 (cheaper on Ali Express) and the Yakker was about £70 Opencpn and the CM90 charts were free

[@FrankE.Cromer]

Thanks

[@contessa26-jim]

Thats amazing Frank, thank you!

[@washy934]

So many (13 as vimeo reminds me) years ago I built my own version of this device to push the NEMA from a NASA AIS3 over wifi for use with Navionics on an iPad with wifi and GPS, the world doesn't seem to have changed much looking at what's around today!

[@contessa26-jim]

No, unless youre a rich sailor and can throw $$$$ at the job! I love the simplicity of it and the availability of multiple devices

[@Iainb1954]

I got my hands on a Shipmodul multiplex unit for cheap, and feed that to the Yakker. ALL the NMEA data appears on my tablet through WiFi, wind, speed, yada yada. Great little unit! OpenCPN is the bees knees, Navionics, not so much...

[@contessa26-jim]

Completely agree, opencpn is my choice too

[@louissanderson719]

Pretty cool that you used Raspberry pi

[@contessa26-jim]

Yes, it was good until it failed! Perhaps not the best for a primary nav system...

[@Dulce-Phil]

Where do you source your charts for the open CPS please? Great videos bye the way, I absolutely love them!

[@contessa26-jim]

I have a set of CM93 charts which a friend gave me, they arent right up to date but fine if you bear that in mind! Also o-charts are very good and up to date, not free, but not expensive: o-charts.org/?lng=en

[@monaghanpete]

Fantastic, always learn something from your channel, any chance of a windvane episode on the mark 3? I have bought Alans plans and planning a build for my Dockerell 27 over the winter, should be similar to what you have if I get it right

[@contessa26-jim]

If only I'd been making videos when I built the Mk3! However I will do a walk around on it sometime; its quite easy to build a working unit using Alan's plans as a guide, and it certainly works very well.. :)

[@mattg7660]

Great video. Would it be possible to post the link to the tablet please? I'm interested in using one too. Thanks.

[@contessa26-jim]

Yeah lots on Ebay: www.ebay.co.uk/itm/355209404882 Or cheaper still on AliEpress: www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006697299876.html

[@redwood1957]

good job now i have to see how to take my ais off of my radio. thank you

[@contessa26-jim]

It likely has a NMEA wire somewhere at the back which should provide the signal you need..

[@redwood1957]

@rolty1 they have one that talks to to tiller pilot as well

[@contessa26-jim]

@@redwood1957 yes I noticed there are different models with greater capability, this basic one of fine for me..

[@redwood1957]

@@contessa26-jim yes and sheet to tiller only correct?

[@contessa26-jim]

@@redwood1957 No, I'm sorry I'm not that devoted! I made my own trim tan system though, see it here: kzbin.infoTim0o8Is2GA?feature=share

[@mycountryworkshop3201]

Really enjoy your videos and nice job. Can I ask, do you recommend any particular source for your charts for open cpn?

[@contessa26-jim]

I have CM93 charts which were given to me.. I've also use o-charts which are good and some of them are free..

[@peterhagen7258]

Good Job. I've been using OpenCPN on my last 3 laptops, with a USB GPS puck receiver. I download charts with my 'home' computer and store them on a NAS drive (Western Digital with wired network, not usb - it was a couple hundred USD several years ago) and just copy them over to the network when needed on the traveling laptop. US Charts are all free - either raster scan or ENC-style; But the US is deprecating all the paper-based (raster scan) in the next few years. IDK about any other country's charts.

[@contessa26-jim]

@@peterhagen7258 the free us charts are brilliant, a lot of the others are paid for, but not expensive compared to the commercial offerings. O-charts are very good I've found...

[@markthomasson5077]

As a more general comment. Did you consider just a receiver? The full system is both expensive and power hungry. Do you run it 24/7? In good weather, daytime, it is not necessary. Can you switch it to receive only.

[@contessa26-jim]

I had a receive only unit on my previous boat, of course one is safer if the big ships have an opportunity to notice you, so I feel much more secure with this. It doesnt seem to use much current, I leave it on all the time 24/7 and my system runs happily on 1 x 90w solar panel and I dont need to top up with the engine

[@michaelbower4245]

Knowing next to nothing about connecting up 12 v stuff. Can I ask are you taking a power supply from the ais transponder or bringing in the +ve and -ve piwer from elsewhere. If so where abouts please. Been considering one of these for a while.

[@contessa26-jim]

I took the power from the same circuit that feeds the AIS and instruments, so it all comes on together

[@eleanordeboat4191]

What charts are you using with Open CPN?

[@contessa26-jim]

CM93, and I have used o-charts too which are very good

[@eleanordeboat4191]

@rolty1 Thanks for responding. I asked because I have Pi 4 setup with Openplotter/OpenCPN and o-charts but not tried any other charts. I have managed to integrate it with the old stowe/robertson databox/dataline instruments that were on the boat when I got it, plus AIS via a daisyhat. It seems to work quite well, but I've not had much chance to use it in anger yet. I also have a small portable 4g router that I use for WiFi connectivity between the Pi, a tablet, a phone, and for updates when in port. This also enables vnc to be used from a tablet on deck to see and control the Pi/OpenCPN. This is fine for viewing but I find the vnc interface a bit clunky when trying to make changes, as controlling the mouse is not very intuitive.

[@contessa26-jim]

@@eleanordeboat4191 My Pi4 was fine until it wasnt! I too had the vpn etc and it was clunky and my phone didnt like to connect.. I think for offshore its a little dodgy as primary nav, evidently its not wise to rely on the sd card to boot the OS - or something like that! At the price of a rugged tablet it was an obvious upgrade for me..

[@directorstu]

Can you explain how you got the nmea out from the ais unit?

[@contessa26-jim]

There is a bundle of wires on the ais unit, 2 pairs of those give 2 different NMEA outputs..

[@robhermse2106]

I loved that little matchbox! No need for it anymore as I have an AIS with WiFi now but it worked flawless!

[@contessa26-jim]

Hi Rob, Yes it's a great little box, way cheaper than most add ons!

[@arkadybron1994]

You mentioned the charts you are using on OpenCPN, but you haven't mentioned the source. Whos charts are you using?

[@contessa26-jim]

I have cm93 chart set which someone gave to me, it's a little out of date but fine if you bear that in mind. I've also used o-charts which are very good and up to date

[@johnstott1431]

How do you charge the DooGee R10 from your house batteries please. Please forgive if already answered.

[@contessa26-jim]

@@johnstott1431 usb c cable, I have quite a few USB devices on board and lots of charging outlets..

[@pironiero]

instead of trying to shove wifi in some place hopefully dry- you could just open it and cover the pcb with nail polish

[@contessa26-jim]

Thats a great idea, I'll bear that in mind, well worth doing for peace of mind..

[@quantenschaum]

Search for "conformal coating"

[@tore_papa]

I am running a tablet bt not waterproof, what is yours chines called?

[@contessa26-jim]

It's a doogee R10, I'm very happy with it, very tough and waterproof too. Available for under £200 on eBay or AliExpress..

[@ben1895]

A video about open CPN vs Navionics...kind sir?!

[@contessa26-jim]

@@ben1895 yes, good idea, I'll put it on the list!

[@ben1895]

@@contessa26-jim 😂

[@tygraig2721]

Hi Jim, are you based out of Cardiff bay yacht club? I've got friends there. Looking for crewing opportunities if you need a hand.

[@contessa26-jim]

@@tygraig2721not quite, it's actually Cardiff yacht club...

[@tygraig2721]

​@@contessa26-jim well, offer remains. At this time I have a twenty foot trailer sailer I can launch pretty much anywhere. Looking to gain experience with a view to getting a bigger boat for further adventures in due course.

[@contessa26-jim]

@tygraig2721 Great, I'll bear you in mind.. I do mostly sail solo however...

[@markthomasson5077]

Put a lanyard on that tablet.

[@contessa26-jim]

yeah good point, it may be waterproof but it don't float!

[@markthomasson5077]

@ haha, yes even a float.

[@LNM0000]

Whoa there lad.... whoa.. those self sealing connectors... I bought some from Lidl and had a warm air gun, lighter, hot air gun, fuckin MAP gas torch on them. Did absolutely nothing (ok, the torch burned everything away, but I'd seen my arse by then). Are you sure they're good ?

[@contessa26-jim]

@@LNM0000 they work for me very well, I find I have to be careful with the heat of course, maybe the Lidl ones are a bit Mickey mouse?

[@LNM0000]

​@@contessa26-jimmickey useless !! Binned them. Normally Lidl stuff is bang on though.

[@Sail-Ride-Walk-Repeat]

Ooh my head hurts. How about a diagram & simple explanation for non tech bods. ? I know I'd buy stuff not knowing if its right & toss it in a draw

[@contessa26-jim]

Yeah there is an inevitable element of tech stuff in any set up like this, but this one is very much at the shallow end of migraine inducing problems!

[@Sail-Ride-Walk-Repeat]

Oh James! I wallow in the shallows. 😊 I spend time avoiding a lot of tech stuff, lived off grid x 20_yes etc. But occasionally a gem of an idea emerges from the swamp. Cheers

[@ravicabral2522]

Well, that was as clear as mud. Lol.

[@contessa26-jim]

sorry it wasnt clear enough, I'll try harder next time!

[@ravicabral2522]

@rolty1 Your relaxed stream of consciousness style is one of the great things about your videos and makes them a pleasure to watch. Technical videos are notoriously difficult. Not least because the base knowledge of the audience will range from novice to expert.

[@contessa26-jim]

@@ravicabral2522 Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it despite the rambling and unplanned presentation!

[@markthomasson5077]

Have you a cable connection for if / when the wifi fails?

[@contessa26-jim]

@@markthomasson5077 Good question! yes, there is a usb and a serial port if needs be..