Expedition Expedition Navigation Software

You are not logged in. Would you like to login or register?



3/04/2019 11:45 pm  #1


Newbie Questions

Newbie user with a few questions. I apologize in advance for the long post. There is a lot here, so thanks in advance for reading and any help is appreciated.
Setup - ASUS 13.3" laptop with touchscreen, i5 processor, 8GB ram, 256GB SSD; Windows 10; Expedition for C-Maps 4D v. 10.9.18; Maps are C-Maps NA-D024. I am planning on doing Transpac, along with some local (SoCal) races before then, so I want to get up to speed as soon as possible.
1. Should I download the latest version that works with the C-Maps 4D which appears to be 10.10.3?
2. I have Will Oxley's "Gentle Introduction" and have gone through the book. I know the basics of how to create marks and courses, get weather GRIBS and create optimal routes. Does his other book have much more than this one to make the purchase worthwhile? Subjective, I realize, but what else would I learn that isn't in the newer one?
I have tried to find answers to the questions below, but haven't seen them in the book or online here. I've watched a few of the North U videos on YouTube, but can't take the whole course for now.
3. Troubleshooting - 
    a. After loading a GRIB, the shading and barbs disappear when I zoom in. Is this normal or a glitch?
    b. After setting a route, the course and marks disappear when I zoom out or move the map around on the screen, depending on the magnification. 
    c, Depending on the magnification, the course disappears, as described above, but the route seems to stay on the screen. The weather shading disappears as well, but the wind barbs are still there. What is going on?
4. Instruments and Windows - On the boat, the computer is hooked into a Garmin NMEA 2000 network. However, I don't see AIS in the Instruments drop-down window on the left as Will shows in his book at Section 4.1.3. AIS seems to be working (I see the icons on the screen), but I don't see the drop-down AIS, SART and DSC window under Window (upper right), even though I checked the box. I presume this doesn't work at home since I'm not hooked into the AIS, but I thought at least a blank window would show up.
5.  Finally (for now), should I consider getting a different computer? As noted above, have a 13.3 " screen, but am thinking of getting a 15.6" screen. It's fast enough but a bigger screen might help. I have room on the boat, so that's not an issue. Here at home, After using it for a bit, 13" seems too small to really see what I am doing. I'm thinking of getting a Samsung that folds into a tablet, if anyone has seen one of those.
Thanks all.

 

Last edited by TomD (3/05/2019 12:51 am)

 

3/05/2019 2:35 am  #2


Re: Newbie Questions

A few answers:
 1 - Versions - I tend to get the most current version, then watch the update announcements here and move when there's a reason, but usually at least every couple of months. Nick's the most responsive and supportive software supplier I've ever worked with (and I kinda do that stuff for a living) so his updates are usually worth having, and bugs get fixed.

2 - Will's books are both good. I'd get the older one too. I learned lots from it, and I've just had a quick look - there is lots of different content. Aside from all else Will is another supportive member of this community and the book isn't much. Who'd have thought we all race against each other?

3 & 4 - Can't help, will leave for others.

5 - Depends on what you want to use the tool for. If you want numbers on deck then NMEA remote or Ventus and an iPad in a life proof case might be all you need. If you want to pour (paw?) over charts then the bigger the display the better. I've a 15" laptop at present, but in my nice big, dry nav station my plan is for a 25" monitor, once I can move (ie replace) the radar display to make room on the bulkhead. But I like screen real estate - I use a 12" iPad pro on deck most of the time - but it's an old Swan, not a Fast 40, and I mainly cruise these days.

 

3/05/2019 2:31 pm  #3


Re: Newbie Questions

Thanks Tom. I have an iPad Pro 10.5 in a case to use on deck. Thanks for the info on the book; sounds like a worthwhile purchase.

     Thread Starter
 

3/05/2019 4:24 pm  #4


Re: Newbie Questions

In US waters you can just use the official and free NOAA ENCs or RNCs for charting.

 

4/28/2019 10:25 am  #5


Re: Newbie Questions

Tom,
I have the same problem with the disappearing AIS/SART window. I suspect it is simply that I have somehow dragged it off the bottom of the screen and that Exp has remembered the new position. The co-ordinates may be stored somewhere in the registry. If Nick could help with the registry entry name we could use regedit to change it back to 0,0 or similar.

Tom S (All Toms in this thread)!

 

4/28/2019 12:43 pm  #6


Re: Newbie Questions

Hello,

The window positions are a bit complicated - they are written by Microsoft.

You can use the Expedition System restore app included with Exp and delete Display states. This just clears window positions etc

 

Board footera

 

Powered by Boardhost. Create a Free Forum


Interested in advertising here? Over a thousand active navigators and Expedition users visit this forum. Click here to contact the administrator.