How OpenCPN and SignalK Replaced Our Expensive Navigation Software

We have recently ditched our expensive navigation software in favor of Signal K and OpenCPN, free alternatives. When planning passages, we can now plot the best course for the weather and current, transfer that course to multiple devices aboard Sabado, overlay radar, and customize our anchor watch alarm. Using Grafana and influxDB, we have also designed a page displayed on our nav desk monitor screen (and on mobile devices while away) that tracks our energy and water levels, refrigeration temperatures, propane and fuel tank levels, and more! The color-coded data and speech-enabled alarms have taken the mystery out of our boat: we can check everything on one screen, and there are no unidentified beeps!
An added bonus to this new system is that it is all free and open-source software, including the Linux operating system.
-----------------------
Check out our Blog:
www.svsabado.com
Holly’s Recipes:
www.svsabado.com/category/rec...
Follow us on Instagram:
@sv_sabado
Our favorite products:
www.amazon.com/shop/hollyandray
*As Amazon associates, we earn commission from qualifying purchases*
AltE Store (affiliate link):
www.altestore.com/?afmc=3e
Music provided by Epidemic Sound:
www.epidemicsound.com/referra...
#sailing #catamaran #boatlife #liveaboard

[@thats-no-moon]

GREAT setup, I would love to see a couple of in-depth videos on this.

[@SailingNahoa]

Thanks for sharing! Super cool to see alternatives to the proprietary closed ecosystems.

[@HollyandRay]

Thank you, we have been so impressed!

[@moonhand8311]

Very, very impressive indeed but, alas, you have to be a highly expert developer/ techie to do this. So, without any A to Z how-to, it's a pipe dream for 99 per cent of us. If you put this all together I'm sure you could make a living just selling it

[@johnapplegate7284]

One more addition to request a deep dive. I have one B&G at the helmstation and another at the nav station. Be happy to rip out the navstation one and replace with your setup. Thank you for showing us the possibility!!

[@HollyandRay]

Thank you! We will work on putting something together. :)

[@angelomazzone7939]

Wow clearly a great system. Great information and as always learned a few things. The best system of all however is you. You make it all come together and even though there are always challenges they are dealt with quickly and efficiently. Thanks for sharing your adventures.

[@HollyandRay]

Thank you, Angelo! 💛

[@raydannemiller5086]

Great video! I’m a few years out but you really need to do a series on this setup!

[@HollyandRay]

Thank you! We’re working on it! :)

[@ottotimmons]

That was a great overview!

[@HollyandRay]

Thank you!

[@iplparm]

This is great. Thanks for sharing.

[@HollyandRay]

Thanks for watching! :)

[@ekingrealtor]

RAY! you so smart. We just use the red sky at night, sailors delight and just go with that.

[@HollyandRay]

If it works, it works! 😉 Miss you lots.

[@gordonrjones]

Nice to see someone using linux...😀

[@HollyandRay]

😃

[@Lana_Warwick]

I know right, watch out for the ignorant W fans

[@bryanmyers9977]

I would like to see more on this. For instance what can it NOT do? Looks like you have radar displayed. How about anti collision sonar? Exterior camera feeds? More on the hardware too?

[@HollyandRay]

Working on putting together more details for you!

[@phildolling8348]

Really love what you have done. You have gone beyond what I have managed on my Lagoon. I only got the OpenCPN, Signal K, KIP and Grafana items working. I am very interested in how you linked to the B&G (and yes I agree, I also used OpenCPN to avoid spending $5,000 on another B&G display). I currently use RPi - do you think the NUC is more versatile? Thanks

[@HollyandRay]

Hey Phil, thanks! If all you want to do is view the B&G, that can easily be done with network streaming. However, if, like us, you wish also to control it, we’re using a Python script to accomplish that. With everything that we’re doing, for us to maintain a very responsive system, we needed to use the NUC. However, the RPi is great for collecting data!

[@phildolling8348]

@@HollyandRay I will definitely look into that as I would love to control the Zeus from the nav station. I may tap you up for more info if you don't mind, but it gives food for thought and a good winter project :)

[@brendarobinson2538]

Well done :)

[@HollyandRay]

Thank you! :)

[@SailingPindah]

Nice setup, especially the flush mounted monitor! What monitor are you using?

[@HollyandRay]

It’s from Beetronics!

[@ToddBryantsr]

This is awesome. I have a few questions -- which tablet are you using? I saw you swipe through multiple screens and it looks very cool. Also have you looked at the open-source project Chaos Genius? It is an anomoly detection project that can alert you when something goes out of spec. I think it would be cool to integrate in your setup.

[@HollyandRay]

Hey, Todd! Thanks. The monitor is from Beetronics, and we haven’t heard of Chaos Genius- we may need to look into it! :)

[@svmagnolia]

Great video! What dashboard are you using for wind, speed, depth, etc readouts on openCPN? Also, what Caribbean charts are you using with OpenCPN. I have NV charts for the Bahamas, which are very good, but am looking for charts for the area from DR to Grenada.

[@HollyandRay]

We’re using O-Charts for the Caribbean. The dash is set up using KIP.

[@svmagnolia]

@@HollyandRay Thanks!

[@HollyandRay]

@svmagnolia no problem! :)

[@wsturner88]

Thank you for sharing this, I have been playing around with open plotter on a Raspberry pi 4. Would love to know more about the hardware you are running, seems like your system is more responsive. Great Setup!

[@HollyandRay]

Thank you! We’re working on a detailed hardware list that will be posted on our Patreon soon. :)

[@trev0239]

Just boot openplotter from an SSD and it runs amazingly quick

[@gobbledegookydokey]

BBN Marine OS is more ahead and runs on pi4 and pi5

[@gordansket]

Could you please share what display have you used? The one attached to NUC. BTW, I'm building the same for our boat. Also, have you used any DC/DC converters to stabilize the 12V or are you using the "12V" directly from the batteries?

[@HollyandRay]

The monitor is from Beetronics, and yes- Victron! We are posting all details on our Patreon. :)

[@fredflintstone1428]

A great video about a great alternative to the big name systems. Does anybody know of a KZbinr who has installed a system from scratch? I'm currently completing a 40ft cat that has nothing installed yet, no depth sensors, tank sensors etc. Where does one start?

[@ralph9987]

Looks gr8. Do you have a set by step guide for dummies that shows more details and apps uses and how you import nmea2k data and radar info? Thanks

[@HollyandRay]

We’ve posted two wiring diagrams and a deep dive document on our Patreon! Planning to post even more on there in 2024. :)

[@brentjs1979]

Very cool

[@HollyandRay]

Thank you! :)

[@captainkenny6092]

Wonderful system, I’m personally more into commercial vessels. However, I’m curious how are you able to share the data over starlink to view remotely?

[@HollyandRay]

We have a VPN server onboard with Starlink that allows us to connect remotely!

[@jamieburnett2261]

Can you go a little deeper on this subject in the comments or in your blog? Maybe sharing the hardware your using for the touchscreen and if you have a NAS, etc?

[@HollyandRay]

Sure! Might take us a bit to write everything out, but we’ll post about it when we get it up.

[@SailingNoRegrets]

Great video. I was looking at the B&G ZC2 unit control from our nav desk, how are you controlling your plotter from the touchscreen? Is this possible? I thought I was stuck with the clunky rotary wheel on the ZC2.

[@HollyandRay]

Thanks! :) We’re using a python script to control the B&G from the touchscreen, which is connected to the same network as the Zeus.

[@SailingNoRegrets]

@HollyandRay how on earth did you find or develop that? Can you please point me in the right direction. We're getting our new boat sorted and controlling the Zeus by touch not the ZC2 rotary dial would be much better. I've sent you a message through IG if that's better

[@HollyandRay]

Hehehe🤓 We messaged you back on IG!

[@westmc45]

Just found this page and am interested in setting this up on my Lagoon 380 I just bought, is there a way to contact you directly or do you have more videos on this. I subscribed to your channel too.

[@HollyandRay]

Hello! We have two wiring diagrams and some additional info up on our Patreon, and you’re welcome to message us there or on Instagram (@sv_sabado). :)

[@davethemmp]

Pretty sweet system, I am working on this type of a system but my cpu is a Pi 5, I don’t have a generator or much Solar on my monohull so I have to conserve power and run the diesel to supplement my solar, any chance we can see a copy of your nav schematic?

[@HollyandRay]

Thank you! Sounds like a fun project you’ve got going there… we spent a lot of time and effort mapping out two wiring diagrams of our system, they’re both available on our Patreon if you’re interested! :)

[@bill2292]

What is the best tutorial you've found? I download the program and a ton of charts and can't seem to manipulate the charts very easily.

[@HollyandRay]

We found the online manual really helpful, but maybe we’ll work on putting together something more detailed for you guys!

[@Necrotic99]

Can you go more in-depth on the various sensors? like did it come with fuel and water levels or did you install them? if so how are you getting the signal and how do you do the processing?

[@HollyandRay]

We discuss the sensors we used in the Q&A video we posted after this. You can find it in our “Boat Tour + Gear + Tech” playlist!

[@Necrotic99]

@@HollyandRay Excellent thanks!

[@HollyandRay]

Of course! :)

[@markph0204]

What are you running opencpn on? Raspberry?

[@markph0204]

Answered after I left this -- Intel NUC with touch screen on 12V power; 24 TB storage (entertainment)

[@HopeOfJoe]

Thanks guys ‼️ Is it possible to point us to some deeper "how to" get an install information?? Links would be good. Thanks a bunch......again. 😊💕 See you next time.✨ 🌊 💨 ⛵️ 🏝️ 👙 🌞 ✨

[@HollyandRay]

We’ll work on putting something more detailed together. :)

[@alxmnslv]

what touch monitor is that? is it waterproof?

[@HollyandRay]

It’s from beetronics, it’s not waterproof but there are options if you’re looking to install one at the helm.

[@alxmnslv]

@@HollyandRay thanks! They look fantastic, almost designed for a boat.

[@jopojopo4238]

very cool functionality. Usability seems a nightmare though.

[@HollyandRay]

It’s been great for us!

[@Lana_Warwick]

Thank you for this - I love that smarter brains than mine code opensource for us. Do you still need any B&G (or other) with that setup? Could you just have a laptop, maybe some kind of raspberry Pi setup, even controlling a cheap generic motor for auto pilot, etc? I mean, if you were starting out with nothing on the cheap, how would you set it up? What sends fridge, cooling, monitoring signals? Lighting protection? (I'm also🏴‍☠crew, background giggle). So many Q's. Could do a vlog series for dummies on this subject, diagrams, etc, cause u just confused 90+% of ur viewers @11:20 😕🤔🤣

[@HollyandRay]

Thank you! All great Qs… we’re hoping to put something more detailed together that could answer those for ya! :)

[@Lana_Warwick]

@@HollyandRay Great! I know from experience it can be hard to dumb noob ur brain back sometimes, especially for oldies (I do home IT repairs), but the simpler u make it, the less repeated Q's, frustration. Win them on how to save a buck, they'll tell all their oldie friends, subs & possibly patreon will blow-up.

[@user-ht3ff3ub8u]

I really appreciate the game *WHITEDUMPS* you really helpin fr. You a real one, continue spreading the glitch sauce. Good human and mentor