NOAA Booklet Charts

[7tiger7]

Not sure if some of you have seen this - but pretty nice free charts from NOAA.

Come in booklet form, you can print them - or, as I did - download them to your iPad or iPhone (and, you can save them onto either using iBooks, so you can view them even while outside of Wifi or cell phone range)

*

http://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/staff/BookletChart.html

*

 

[Delia Rosa]

I noticed them when I was trying to do a little research into the other discussion thread of paper charts... these downloadable charts seem to be a great addition to anyones chart inventory... I have bookmarked the site.

 

[psneeld]

7tiger7 wrote:
Not sure if some of you have seen this - but pretty nice free charts from NOAA.

Come in booklet form, you can print them - or, as I did - download them to your iPad or iPhone (and, you can save them onto either using iBooks, so you can view them even while outside of Wifi or cell phone range)

*

http://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/staff/BookletChart.html

*

*You do know that you can download every NOAA chart for free?

And there are free charting programs out there for computers.

*I navigated back from Florida to NJ with a $400 laptop. free charts, and a plug in GPS antenna from a street atlas program (got one free from a buddy but can be bought for less than $30)

 

[dwhatty]

Thanks for the info. I've bookmarked the link.

Now all I need is to find ink (cartridges) for my HP printer with ink that will not run or smudge when moisture inevitably gets on the printed out POD booklets/charts. Is there such ink? And what about water proof/resistant paper?

I like that, once this is through the experimental phase, the notices to mariners are updated on the booklets weekly.

 

[Delia Rosa]

psneeld wrote:*You do know that you can download every NOAA chart for free?

And there are free charting programs out there for computers.

*I navigated back from Florida to NJ with a $400 laptop. free charts, and a plug in GPS antenna from a street atlas program (got one free from a buddy but can be bought for less than $30)

*Which charting program did you download?

 

[psneeld]

Delia Rosa wrote:psneeld wrote:*You do know that you can download every NOAA chart for free?

And there are free charting programs out there for computers.

*I navigated back from Florida to NJ with a $400 laptop. free charts, and a plug in GPS antenna from a street atlas program (got one free from a buddy but can be bought for less than $30)

*Which charting program did you download?

*OpenCpn...not sure if I can link it but if you search for it I'm sure it will take you to the forum when you can.

 

[Delia Rosa]

Thanks Scott ... a quick google and I found the link to download the program!

 

[weebobby]

Open CPN is a great program, I run it on my laptop as a backup to my Raymarine system with Navionics charts. I use a USB GPS from Microsoft Streets and trips which worked great last year around the Gulf islands and up to Port Macneill area

I downloaded all the free NOAA charts for SE Alaska but had to pay for the Canadian CHS charts for Canada . Still for a few hundred dollars and an existing old laptop it**provides me with*a reasonably priced redundant back up system.

 

[2bucks]

I solved the smudging ink problem by printing off the sections of charts I wanted on 11x17 paper. I then put whatever course lines, and notes I wanted, including some harbor blow ups, on the chartlets. I put two back to back and then laminated them. Semi-permanent chartlets of the areas I want. Some I made of areas I travel all the time. Visitors to the boat then have an overview of where we are and where we're going. Some of my self printed charts are blowups of harbors that I don't frequent often but want as much detail as I can get. These have a few grease pencil marks on them from things I've learned over the years.

Ken