Manual PC-Navigo 2012

the date and time of departure and the daily navigation hours must be given to allow the computer to calculate daily progress and operating of locks and bridges.

As soon as PC-Navigo has enough data available to start calculations, it will do so: it will calculate the type of route you will have selected under the ALGORITHM menu or in the detail screen of the survey map. You may however keep adding data (like "via"-places or places to avoid): the program will simply redo its calculations until you're through.

Within this menu the following submenus are available:

Boat data
Departure
Destination
Add via-places
Add places to avoid
Delete all via places
Delete all places to avoid
Time planning


Boat data

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<BOAT DATA> opens a window with a few dividers, in which all boats you ever described are listed, with all relevant dimensions and data. You may select a boat from this list, or you may define one of the boats as your 'usual' (standard) boat, keeping it in the computer's memory untill you choose another boat. With ADD and REMOVE you can edit the list of boats: removing one or more boats or adding a new boat. If you click the ADD button, a picture window is opened in which every possible type and category of boat is depicted. By clicking on the type that matches your boat best, you select this type of vessel with all it's characteristics and store it in your fleet list, on the first divider, in which you can make as many amendments and alterations as you like. Once all your data are correct, you can close the window. 

On the second divider, NAVIGATION, you can choose the category your boat belongs to (pleasure craft or commercial) and some specifics of your navigation habits: do you or do you not navigate on Sundays, which daily navigation scheme do you usually maintain, how many hours may you sail maximally in accordance with european crew requirements. The standard rules of the crew requirements are implemented in the software, so that a corresponding number of daily hours can be generated with each scheme.  Changes in daily navigation schemes are passed on to your time planning automatically.

You must indicate whether or not the boat is suitable for navigation on open seas. If not the maritime connections will be disregarded in the route planning process. Mind that this can lead to the impossibility to establish a navigable route: if two places are NOT linked by inland waterways, no route will be found!

The choice to allow or prohibit navigation over the open seas can also give a "limited" permission for maritime stretches. This serves to indicate a certain "handicap" for sea navigation: the greater the value in the "handicap" field next to the <Limited>  button, the more reluctant the program will be to allow maritime sections in the route. A "handicap" of 1 or 2 will mean a slight preference for inland routes, while a "handicap" of 8 or 9 will only result in a sea crossing when there is really no other way to reach the destination. The user can set the handicap after his/her own liking.

The third divider, FUEL, lets you insert the fuel consumption statistics and the content of the tanks. During the voyage, an estimate can be made of the fuel consumption and a warning can be issued if the calculated left over fuel gets critical. 

In this FUEL divider the relation between SPEED, ROTATIONS PER MINUTE and CONSUMPTION can be specified in a table. This relation allows a calculation of the amount of fuel needed to travel the total route with a certain speed, and the effects of raising or lowering that speed. In the PC-Navigo-ECO module this relation will be presented and it provides a tool to save fuel when possible.

The tank or tanks (one can add as many tanks as the vessel contains) are shown separately in the TANKMONITOR, and for every tank a warning can be given if that tank's content is getting critical. 

The fourth divider, BOAT SHAPE, is meant to define the representation of the vessel in the screen. An indication of the bow and stern shape (over which distance is the boat getting narrower) is used to redefine the drawing of the vessel. The screen also contains fields for the definition of the GPS antenna position (the distance of which, calculated from the port side and stern of the boat, can be inserted). This is vital for larger vessels, because the vessel's position depends on it.

Finally, the distance rings in the chart can be switched of or on for each individual vessel seperately. One can indicate how many rings one wants to see, and at what distance. These rings make the estimation of distances in electronic chart navigation a lot easier.

The fifth divider lets you choose a symbolic hull shape, meant for those cases where the zoom factor has become too large to be able to distinguish the hull shape on scale. For those cases one can choose an arrow form, including its color and the color of its contour, to make sure the best visibility is guaranteed in combination with the chosen chart screen.

After filling in all the fields you can close this screen. The following data will actually be used in the voyage planning: length, beam, air draught, draught, cruising speed, commercial or leisure craft, sunday navigation, suitability for maritime waters and the amount of daily navigation hours. 

Once you have entered a specific boat's data, this boat is automatically stored in the BOAT'S LIST. A second time you want to select this same boat you can select it directly in the list by clicking the BOAT LIST button on the bottom left side of your screen.



Departure 

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A window is shown in which you can type (part of) the name of a city, village, quay, port, or even bridge or lock , where you want to depart from.  Don't worry about capital letters, accents and so on: PC-Navigo compares them all: (A=Ä=a=á=à=ä=â). If you don't know the correct spelling of a name, just type only part of it: typing Frank will result in Frankfurt am Main and Frankfurt am Oder, and if you type bourg one of the places in the list will be Strassbourg. 

Your place of departure can also be determined at many other places in the program, by clicking the right mouse button and "marking" the particular place as your departure place (e.g. in <OPTIONS>, BROWSE, FIND etc).

In the detail screen at the right of the survey map you also have the opportunity to change your place of departure: by means of the "LOCATION" button under departure.


A new button, the SELECT-PLACE-BUTTON (that has a red pin point on it) lets you point out departure place, destination and possibly via-places in the chart. A click on this button and then on the chart location where you want to choose a departure point first results in a zoom to a closer view; a second click then defines the exact position where you want your departure point to be. You can then repeat this process - one click to zoom, a second one to define a position) to establish a destination (second action) and also one or more via-places (all following actions). The button next to the SELECT-PLACE-BUTTON lets you move or modify all the the places later on. 


The place of your departure is needed for ALL calulcations PC-Navigo makes, both for routes and for areas. Without a departure place PC-Navigo can only be used to browse through the data.


Destination 

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In the same way as you selected and determined a place of departure, you can determine  your destination, both by typing (part of) the name in the dialogue window and by "marking" any selected place in the program as your destination with the right mouse key.


A new button, the SELECT-PLACE-BUTTON (that has a red pin point on it) lets you point out departure place, destination and possibly via-places in the chart. A click on this button and then on the chart location where you want to choose a departure point first results in a zoom to a closer view; a second click then defines the exact position where you want your departure point to be. You can then repeat this process - one click to zoom, a second one to define a position) to establish a destination (second action) and also one or more via-places (all following actions). The button next to the SELECT-PLACE-BUTTON lets you move or modify all the the places later on. 

A destination is only required for the calculation of routes; if you only want to calculate the navigable area of a certain boat, only the place of departure will do.


In the detail screen at the right of the survey map you also have the opportunity to change your destination: by means of the "LOCATION" button under destination.


Add "via"-places 

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Exactly the same way as you selected and determined your place of departure and destination, you can determine places you want to visit on the way, so called "VIA"-PLACES. As applied to the other variables, you may also "mark" a place as a "via"-place anywhere in the program. In the detail screen at the right of the map you may add via-places by clicking on the plus sign and filling out (part of) the name you're looking for in the dialogue screen.

Mind you, more than one "via"-place always has to be given IN THE ORDER OF VISITING THEM! The route that is established will depart from your place of departure, then visit Via-place 1, then Via-place 2, then Via-place 3, and so on until only the destination is left. 

You must pay attention to remove via-places after you have stopped working on a certain route. If you forget to do this, a next route will be calculated along all the via-places that are still in memory, resulting in completely irrelevant routes. Removing via-places can be done either by using the submenu DELETE ALL VIA PLACES or in the detail screen at the right of the map, by putting the cursor on the place to be deleted and click on the minus sign. Once your via-places are removed you can reestablish via-places anew. 


A new button, the SELECT-PLACE-BUTTON (that has a red pin point on it) lets you point out departure place, destination and possibly via-places in the chart. A click on this button and then on the chart location where you want to choose a departure point first results in a zoom to a closer view; a second click then defines the exact position where you want your departure point to be. You can then repeat this process - one click to zoom, a second one to define a position) to establish a destination (second action) and also one or more via-places (all following actions). The button next to the SELECT-PLACE-BUTTON lets you move or modify all the the places later on. 

When no via-places are given, PC-Navigo will calculate the most direct route (either the fastest, the shortest, the optimum or the most tourist route, after your choices) between the place of departure and the destination.


When two or more via-places (or places to avoid) have been given, these places will automatically be displayed in an overview window of the via's and the places to avoid. This allows a quick modification in case of prolongued routes. 


Interruptions or breaks

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Planned interruptions or breaks in a voyage can be predefined. The voyage is then interrupted at the given position, for the duration of a certain number of hours and/or days. Contrarily to the time correction function (where the moment of the continuation is defined) the planned interruption maintains its duration independent of the moment of arrival at the indicated spot.

Interruptions can be given for all pauses, of which the duration depends on activities that have to take place there, like visiting attractions or loading/unloading activities, shopping or bunkering or necessary repairs underway. Upon arrival the interruption clock starts ticking, until the indicated time has elapsed, after which the voyage is continued within the given navigation hours. 

Interruptions can be entered by means of the || button at the right of the Via field: in the dialogue box days and/or hours can be specified.


Add places to "Avoid" 

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If there are any places you want to avoid on the way, you can type them in the dialogue window the same way as the other places, or "mark" them anywhere in the program with the right mouse key. You can also sum up the places you want to avoid in the detail screen at the right of the map, using the plus sign to add a new place.

The order in which you type in "avoid"-places is irrelevant. But just as with Via-places, you must remember to erase places you want to avoid: if you forget this, any future route will be calculated avoiding the indicated places, which is not what you would have wanted.

To erase the places to avoid, either use the submenu DELETE ALL PLACES TO AVOID or use the minus sign in the avoid places field of the detail screen at the right of the map. 

Specifying places to avoid may be handy to express your personal preference for a certain area or waterway. E.g. if you navigate from Amsterdam to the Med, you may want to avoid the Rhine (due to the current or the license requirements). To do so, just define any place between the Dutch border and the first junction of the Rhine in Germany as Avoid-place: the program will now look for alternatives. 


When two or more via-places (or places to avoid) have been given, these places will automatically be displayed in an overview window of the via's and the places to avoid. This allows a quick modification in case of prolongued routes. 


Delete all "via"-places

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After several route planning activities, it may be practical to cancel the whole list of places to visit in ONE click. This can be done with this submenu, DELETE ALL VIA-PLACES. This action removes the complete list of places, both in the list at the right of the map and in the memory of the computer.


Delete all places to avoid

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After several route planning activities, it may be practical to cancel the whole list of places to avoid in ONE click. This can be done with this submenu, DELETE ALL PLACES TO AVOID. This action removes the complete list of places, both in the list at the right of the map and in the memory of the computer.


Time planning 

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To make the computer aware of your time planning, you must insert your departure date and time (OR your required arrival date and time) in a dialogue window. If your trip will presumably take more than one day, you may also insert your daily navigating hours, so that PC-Navigo knows at what time you will continue your journey in the morning and at what time you want to moor up for the night.

PC-Navigo contains the algorithms for the calculation of daily navigation hours corresponding with the restrictions on most of the european waterways. If a navigation scheme is specified in the boat's data screen, the corresponding daily hours will be filled in automatically. 

ATTENTION: The data of a navigation scheme will overrule previously given hours! 

New in PC-Navigo is the possibility to calculate backwards from the destination of the voyage: by defining at what time each point in the voyage will ultimately have to be passed in order to make it to the destination in time, the required time of departure can be generated. 

ATTENTION: Note, that a slight change in the time of departure or in the RTA does not always show a corresponding change in the ETA or in the time of departure. This is due to the fact that operating schemes of locks and bridges often cause delays, which spread the optimum duration of the voyage considerably. For example: a bridge that's not operated on Sundays will result in the same ETA for all those departure times which cause the boat to get "stuck" in front of that bridge.

Apart from daily navigation hours the user must also choose which type of operating services he or she wants to use: only "normal" operation, or also operation that has to be especially requested - usually after an early notification. Of the latter, the choice must also be made whether or not to use special operation for which extra payments are due.

ATTENTION: in some areas - e.g. in most canals in France - ALL passages have to be announced. If one choses only to use normal operation, PC-Navigo will always avoid these waterways - which may not be what the skipper wants. It is therefore recommended to chose ALL forms of operation as a default while planning a new voyage for the first time, to be sure that ALL voyage possibilities are presented.

The distinction between commercial boats and pleasure craft is also taken into consideration: a professional barge will be allowed to pass at all hours for commercial boats, while a yacht will be restricted to the hours pleasure craft is allowed passage.

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ATTENTION: Keep in mind that a slight change of navigation schedule may result in huge changes in your route: the differences that can be caused by sunday closings and by operating hours can make a route from Rotterdam to Marseille vary as much as twenty percent in arrival time! The schedule differences also cause 'hidden blockades": a pleasure craft with a mast, that can only sail through the city of Amsterdam at 02:00 a.m., will never be let through if the skipper indicates to sail between 09:00 and 19:00 hours. Keep these possibilities in mind while planning a route!


View 

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All types of data presentation and viewing are assembled in the menu <VIEW>. Some forms of viewing data require that a route is calculated first (like Pictogrammes and Voyage Plan), others can be used continuously, like BROWSE and SURVEY MAP.  

The core of PC-Navigo is the survey map : all data generated by the route calculations can be shown in the map, either as chart object, or as a symbol in the detail screen at the right. Unlike in the older versions of PC-Navigo, which had a strict separation between chart presentation and data presentation, these two types of presentations are combined in PC-Navigo. It provides a total overview of all relevant data in one screen.

Apart from the survey map, you have the following sub-menus available:

ENC-Viewer
Raster Viewer
Pictogrammes
Voyage Plan
Level Graph
Dimension graph
Browse
Authorised Dimensions
Hour Specification
Operation on demand
Areal Map
Area List
Summary of stoppages
AIS-List
GPS-Monitor
Scale
Layer Legend
Fuel monitor
ECO-Monitor


ENC Viewer

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The ENC-Viewer is the well known Inland-ECDIS Viewer of PC-Navigo, in which ENC (Electronic Navigation Charts) or Inland-ECDIS charts (vector charts) can be shown. If zoomed in to a sufficient scale, the viewer shows the Elektronic Navigation Charts with all the navigation details of the waterway. An extensive description of the ENC principle can be found in PC-Navigo-ENC.

The ENC-Viewer presents the charts in symbols borrowed from the familiar maritime (sea) charts. The charts are structured in an identical way all over the world, and produced by the waterway authority (in principle, but other producers can make ENC too). ENC charts are the equivalent of certified maritime charts on the inland waterways. 

In PC-Navigo 2012 a SECOND viewer has been incorporated that allows the use of RASTER CHARTS. The chart format of many charts of the Hydrographic Offices and other producers requires such a viewer, because the raster charts cannot be read by a vector viewer such as the ENC-Viewer. In the raster viewer that was added to PC-Navigo, the use of ENC-charts is possible, but this will cause the computer to become extremely slow, due to the large amount of data in vector type charts. Therefore it is recommended to use the ENC-Viewer in all situations where ENC charts must be shown, and the RASTER Viewer ONLY when raster type charts must be shown.


Raster Viewer

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The Raster Viewer or Raster chart viewer is the multifunctional viewer of PC-Navigo, in which both ENC and raster charts can be shown*. Wenn zoomed in far enough the viewer shows the raster (image, or bitmap) charts, referenced to the exact right position, in which the navigation details are represented. A comprehensive description of the principle of raster charts can be found in Raster charts.

The Raster Viewer shows the charts in a symbolisation that is defined by the producer of the chart. As the charts are in fact bitmap or image files, the details of the image cannot alway be manipulated in the same way as in ENC: in raster charts, for example, the labels and names and numbers will rotate when the chart is rotated, and objects like buoys and beacons will be enlarged too when one zooms in. A change to dusk or night colors will NOT change the chart colors of a raster chart! 

* The chart format of many charts of the Hydrographic Offices and other producers requires a raster chart viewer, because the raster charts cannot be read by a vector viewer such as the ENC-Viewer. In the raster viewer that was added to PC-Navigo, the use of ENC-charts is possible, but this will cause the computer to become extremely slow, due to the large amount of data in vector type charts. Therefore it is recommended to use the ENC-Viewer in all situations where ENC charts must be shown, and the RASTER Viewer ONLY when raster type charts must be shown.


Layer legend

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In the Raster Viewer of PC-Navigo, the charts are built up in layers, in a certain follwing order.

In the main menu VIEW you can switch the layer legend on or off. If the legend is switched ON, you will see the various layers of the chart, the ENC layer, the PHOTOS layer, the NOTES layer, the ANWB (marina services) layer, the ROUTE layer, the STOPS (stoppages) layer, the GPS layer and the AIS layer. The order of the layers can be dragged to change the drawing order of the chart image.

ATTENTION: changing the drawing order may result in HIDING certain chart elements, as they're covered by other chart elements; this will, for example, be the case if the ENC are drawn the last (i.e. if the layer is at the BOTTOM of the list): it will then hide the photos and notes and the other features in the layers above!



Scale

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The current scale in PC-Navigo can be shown in the small SCALE MONITOR, that will indicate the current scale at all times. The SCALE MONITOR can be dragged to any position on the screen.



Survey Map - controls

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The SURVEY MAP - or OVERVIEW MAP - is the most important screen of PC-Navigo. It shows the total network of inland waterways. Once a route has been generated, it is shown in the map with contrasting colours; as long as no route has yet been laid out, the whole network is blue.

ATTENTION! The survey map in PC-Navigo is NO navigation chart! If you want tu use PC-Navigo to navigate in waters you're NOT acquainted with, you MUST use PC-Navigo with the appropriate electronic nautical charts and you must make sure these are available and visible (by zooming in sufficiently to make the ENC pop up), OR you must make sure you have enough detailed paper chart material available! 

If you're navigating with PC-Navigo you may want to put the chart window FULL SCREEN; this can be done with a push on the F-11 key. Changing back to the original chart window is also done with F-11. Both actions can also be performed with the FULL SCREEN BUTTON . 


An itinerary is automatically established as soon as all necessary data have been filled in: departure place, destination, boat's choice and date and time). The itinerary is shown in contrasting colours in the chart. Further details - the boat, the used 'criteria', the place of departure,  places to avoid and via-places, the destination and the type of itinerary calculated, are shown in the detail screen at the right

Once a route has been established, the survey map offers the fastest and most complete look of the route. Should any part of the route need adaptation or improvement, you can always add "via" places or avoid places to adapt it to your needs and recalculate the route. 


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Above the map area you will find a row of twentyone buttons: 



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The first four buttons from the left are for the opening, saving and storing of routes: 

  The first button opens a New Route. In the detail screen on the right a new divider is added, on which the details of the route can be shown. Other routes remain accessible on their own respective dividers.

  The second button allows you to (re)open a previously stored route.  

  The third button lets you store (save) a route. A dialogue window is opened, in which you can give a name to the file in which the route is saved.

  The fourth button lets you save the map image as a "bitmap" file (.bmp): this is the graphical format that can be edited in most graphical software. The vectorised map, that is shown in PC-Navigo, would not be compatible with such graphical software and it would also require large amounts of space on your disks. The bitmap format is easily accessible and can be processed in most editing programs, like Windows' PAINT.

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The next four buttons are the actual controls of the map: 

The first button allows "zooming in" and/or "zooming out". A click on the button, followed by a rectangle, drawn with the left mouse button (where you push the button in the left top corner and holding it down you "drag" the mouse to the right bottom corner, where you release the mouse button) will enlarge the selected portion of the map till it covers the whole canvas. To zoom OUT, you do the same but you draw the rectangle from bottom-right to top-left (i.e. right in the OTHER direction as for the zoom-IN). You may also zoom in step-by-step by using the "+" button on your numerical keyboard (the numbers keyboard at the right). 

Aside the zoom-out button a small button to set a treset scale allows you to set the PC-Navigo charts to a preset scale between 1 : 5.000 and 1 : 15.000.000.

  A new button with a "globe" in it is meant to zoom in or out in ONE step, right to the scale in which the complete planned voyage fits and is in view. The necessary zoom factor is automatically defined by the spread of the concerned voyage;

  the fourth button with the cross pointing in 4 directions (in earlier versions this button had a "grabbing hand") allows you to pan the map: clicking this button, then pushing the right mouse button somewhere on the map and, with the button kept down, dragging it in a certain direction and releasing it, the map will be panned over the same distance as your mouse drag. 


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The next five buttons rule the 'interaction' between the user and the chart: 

The first button is the information button: a click on it opens a menu to specify the TYPE OF INFORMATION you want to seek: you can chose between MARINA SERVICES, PHOTOS, NOTES, STOPPAGES and ENC-CONTENT. When you have chosen, a click on any of the corresponding icons in the chart allows the mouse cursor to open the information behind it, either a database view of the marinas or a photo or a user note or the content of a stoppage, or the item at which you're pointing in the ENC chart. (ATTENTION: some of this information is optional and not included in the standard version of PC-Navigo; access to this info needs to be ordered and paid for before the info becomes accessible!)

  the second button, the "pointing finger" allows you to search the map interactively: a click on the map will result in a list of all places and objects that were found in a certain distance from the appointed position. In this list, you may want to define a place as your departure place or you destination. The RADIUS with which you want to carry out these searches can be defined under  PREFERENCES. The marking of the found places as departure point, destination, "Via"-place or place to avoid can be done with a click on the RIGHT mouse button and a choice from the menu that appears. If no list appears, no places or objects have been found within the indicated radius: you may either enlarge the radius or shift your search location and click again.

The third button with a red pin point in it is the PLACE-SELECT-BUTTON: a click on this button, followed by a click near where you want to define your departure place (or your destination, or a via-place) results first in a zoom closer to the chart, to allow you to define the EXACT position you want to pin-point with the SECOND click; the place defined in this way will automatically be set as your DEPARTURE. If you repeat the series of clicks a second time, the next place will be your DESTINATION, and if you repleat it again, all following places will be considered as VIA-places. Thus you can plan your voyage with a few clicks of the mouse.

The fourth button, with the red flag, allows you to modify the defined places by clicking on the button, then on one of the flags in the chart - the one you want to move. Dragging the flag to the desired position changes the concerned point to the point where you let go of the mouse button.

  the fifth button, the arrow pointing at your route, defines the cursor position as the pointer to the details of a specific point in the route: if the map screen is in the "navigation" mode (see below),  this button makes all the details of the route appear in the detail screen on the right: waterway name, class, level, authorized dimensions, distance laid back, distance ahead, name of the place or object, time of passing, available dimensions, VHF-channels, phone numbers and operating hours.  

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The next button switches the computer screen to an appropriate brightness: 

this button controls the brightness of your screen. To avoid blinding in a wheel house when navigating at night or in the dusk the screen can be "dimmed" to colours that are less blinding in those circumstances. There are three values: daylight, dusk and darkness. They correspond with the regulations of the Central Rhine Commission. Using this possibility allows a skipper to consult his or her screen even in low visibility circumstances.

ATTENTION: The brightness control functions directly in the Windows operating system. Therefore, not only the screens of PC-Navigo, but also all other active screens will change colours. Clicking on untill you're back at the daylight colours - and also shutting down PC-Navigo  - restores the default colours and birghtnesses. If, however, two applications are active simultaneously which both have this brightness control function, they may interfere with one another. A restart of your systems will restore the default values in this particular case. 

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The next three buttons switch between "manual controls" and "GPS-controls" and between "north up" and "course up" mode: 

  The blue arrow switches the controls to the mouse: in the "navigation mode" (see below) it is the position of the mouse on the map that indicates, of which particular place you will see the details depicted in the screen on the right. 

  The satellite switches the controls to the GPS coordinates: if a NMEA-GPS is connected to the computer, the detail screen on the right will automatically follow the coordinates generated by the GPS, thus keeping the detail screen continuously at the real position of the boat.

  The rotation button automatically adapts the orientation of the chart to the course of the ship, in such a way that the course always points at the top of the screen (the so called "Course Up Orientation"). The heading of the GPS is used to turn and rotate the chart in function of the course.

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The next two buttons switch the detail screen from "plan-mode" to navigation-mode":

  The button wihout the picture of the boat switches the screen to "plan-mode": in the detail screen all particular details, needed for the planning of a route, are visible: place of departure, destination, criteria, via-places, places to avoid, and the type of route. All of these may be modified in order to enter all the particular data that describe the route you plan to navigate.

  The button with the picture of the boat switches the screen to "navigation-mode": instead of the planning data of your route, the detail screen is filled with resulting data:  waterway name, class, level, authorized dimensions, distance laid back, distance ahead, name of the place or object, time of passing, available dimensions, VHF-channels, phone numbers and operating hours.  

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The last two buttons have been added for the convenience of users of a TOUCH SCREEN:

  The botton showing a KEY BOARD opens a virtual key board on your screen. This allows you to perform the same functions you'd otherwise perform on a real keyboard (such as giving search names, typing names of places and waterways, and perform all other functions for which a key board is needed.

  The button with the four red arrows pointing at the edges of the screen "doubles" the F-11 key: it sets the chart canvas to FULL SCREEN, so that the chart is a clear as it can be. A second click on this button (or on the F-11 key) changes the chart back to its canvas, so that the help screens at the side become visible again. 

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Just under the row of buttons, you will see the position (of the cursor on the map and/or of the GPS). If a  GPS device has been connected to the computer and if this is working, the latitude and longuitude of the real position of the boat is shown, as are the GPS time and the GPS speed and the navigation time and distance till the next object or place on the route. 

Users who have a PC-Navigo version and the appropriate ENC cell at their disposal, will notice an abrupt change of the chart image at a certain zoom factor: the survey map turns into an electronic nautical chart (ENC). If one zooms in still further, more and more details become visible, until finally all that is relevant for the navigation is shown, when the zoom factor approaches the setting used in computer- and GPS-aided navigation. See also PC-Navigo-ENC.


Information button

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The INFORMATION BUTTON in the button bar above PC-Navigo's charts plays an important role in the search for certain types of information. There are SO many data in PC-Navigo, that you would get lost without some form of selection. The INFORMATION BUTTON allows you to select the desired type of info up front.



The selection categories are:

Distance to own ship

MARINA SERVICES accesses the symbolic representation of services and facilities that are available in marinas. The database that contains these data is an OPTIONAL extra to PC-Navigo: the dongle must be modified in order to be able to open these data, in which private data of ANWB (a.o.) are incorporated. Except for marina data. some additional data on service providers and ship yards are available as well:  . If you FIRST click on the MARINA SERVICES in the sub menu list and THEN on one of the concerned red symbols, the underlying information becomes available.

Pictures of bridges and locks are shown as a symbolic "camera" if you have zoomed in far enough. If you FIRST click on PICTURES in the sub menu list and THEN on such a camera symbol, you'll open the image. 


Your own CHART NOTES are symbolised with a blue info icon. If you FIRST click on CHART NOTES in the sub menu list and THEN on such a symbol, you'll open the note. 


STOPPAGES are symbolised with a similar - red - icon with an exclamation mark in it. If you FIRST click on STOPPAGES in the sub menu list and THEN on such a symbol, you'll open the details of the stoppage. 


The content of ENC-cells can also be opened with the INFORMATION BUTTON. If you FIRST click on ENC in the sub menu list and THEN on a position in an ENC-chart on which you'd like to investigate the underlying data, you'll open a so called PICK REPORT, a textual description of the items in the chart. The pic report only containes CODED information and is not always very easy to read. See also the chapters on ENC.

The lst option of the INFORMATION BUTTON allows you to calculate the distance between your own ship (GPS or AIS position) - the ship has of course to be equipped with a GPS or AIS - and any point in the chart (be it e.g. another vessel's AIS position or a specific chart feature). If you FIRST click on DISTANCE TO OWN SHIP in the submenu list and THEN on the concerned spot in the chart that you want to know the distance of, the distance will appear directly in a chart label.


Survey map - lay out

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The SURVEY MAP - or OVERVIEW MAP - is the most important screen of PC-Navigo. It shows the total network of european inland waterways. Once a route has been generated, it is shown in the map with contrasting colours; as long as no route has yet been laid out, the whole network is blue.

ATTENTION! The survey map in PC-Navigo is NO navigation chart! If you want tu use PC-Navigo to navigate in waters you're NOT acquainted with, you MUST use PC-Navigo with the appropriate electronic nautical charts (by zooming in sufficiently), OR you must make sure you have enough detailed paper chart material available! 

If you're navigating with PC-Navigo you may want to put the chart window FULL SCREEN; this can be done with a push on the F-11 key. Changing back to the original chart window is also done with F-11. Both actions can also be performed with the FULL SCREEN BUTTON . 



 

The survey map consists of two parts: on the left, the actual map is shown, with the result of a route calculation drawn in contrasting colours. Should any part of the route need adaptation or improvement, you can always add "via" places or avoid places to adapt it to your needs and recalculate the route. To the right of the actual map is a screen that contains details, either details needed to define the specifications of the planned route, or details describing the resulting route itself.

The plan process - that is the actual definition of a route plan - can easily be carried out in the detail screen on the right: in the "planning mode" this screen shows all relevant choices neatly grouped together: the selected boat, dimensions with which to reckon, (planned or calculated) date and time of departure, place of departure, destination, via-places and places to avoid, (calculated or planned) date and time of arrival, and the type of route calculated (fastest, shortest, optimum or tourist). 

Modification you can make in this screen are: 

the planned (or calculated) date and time of departure and the calculated (or planned) time of arrival: if one of the two is filled in, the other is automatically recalculated. 

  Once a route has been planned and calculated, the detail screen on the right can be switched to the "navigation mode" by means of the button on the right of the row of buttons. In the "navigation mode" the detail screen on the right shows the characheristics of the route itself: waterway name, class, level, authorized dimensions, distance laid back, distance ahead, name of the place or object, time of passing, available dimensions, VHF-channels, phone numbers and operating hours. The exact location of which the details are shown can be established manually - by pointing with the mouse - or (if a GPS-device is connected) automatically by the GPS coordinates. You can switch between the manual and automatic positioning by means of the row of buttons above the map. If the GPS controls the position, the details shown in the right screen are always the details of the place where the boat is navigating.

Dialogue screens with phone numbers of the bridges and locks, dialogue screens of the operating hours and a dialogue screen allowing time corrections in the route plan can all be opened directly from the detail screen.  


From "behind" the detail screen, the little button on top slides the Pictogramme screen into the picture (this may also be achieved with <VIEW>, <PICTOGRAMMES>). The pictogramme is a schematic representation of all objects and constructions in the itinerary, like bridges, locks, quays, harbours and other objects. Both with a GPS and with a manual pointer - by clicking at the right position - the specifics of that object can be made visible in the details screen at the right: dimensions of the passage, operating hours, communication channels and so on. The complete integration of the chart, the details screen and the pictogramme screen assures that you will always be able to see all relevant information on any particular point in your itinerary.

When in the Raster Viewer mode, you can make the list of various chart layers visible by means of the VIEW menu, LAYER LEGEND. If the legend is switched ON, you will see the various layers of the chart, the ENC layer, the PHOTOS layer, the NOTES layer, the ANWB (marina services) layer, the ROUTE layer, the STOPS (stoppages) layer, the GPS layer and the AIS layer. The order of the layers can be dragged to change the drawing order of the chart image.

ATTENTION: changing the drawing order in the Raster Viewer may result in HIDING certain chart elements, as they're covered by other chart elements; this will, for example, be the case if the ENC are drawn the last (i.e. if the layer is at the BOTTOM of the list): it will then hide the photos and notes and the other features in the layers above!

Users who have a PC-Navigo version and the appropriate ENC cell at their disposal, will notice an abrupt change of the chart image at a certain zoom factor: the survey map turns into an electronic nautical chart (ENC). If one zooms in still further, more and more details become visible, until finally all that is relevant for the navigation is shown, when the zoom factor approaches the setting used in computer- and GPS-aided navigation. See also PC-Navigo-ENC.



GPS

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PC-Navigo allows you to connect a Global Positioning System (GPS) device to the computer, which can display the boat's position, measured in latitude and longuitude, in the survey map, and which can follow the progress of the boat during the trip.  The GPS-device must be connected to one of the COM-ports of the computer and the various parameters (dataspeed, bitratio etcetera) must be properly adjusted. The divice must also be able to capture satellite signals (which is sometimes NOT the case if it is used indoors!) The format of the produced latitude and longuitude must be NMEA. 

If the GPS system is properly connected and adjusted, the signal can be represented in the survey maps of PC-Navigo. The position of the boat in the European waterways is shown as a contrasting point. The progress of the boat along the route can be "guarded" by means of the extremely accurate atomic time which is sent along with the GPS-signal. 

Operation of the GPS-Module

The GPS-submenu manages the GPS-module in PC-Navigo. The GPS-screen pops up, showing four tab pages: satellite, log, settings, and tracks. In the settings page you must FIRST bring about a first connection by means of the button <AUTO-CONNECT TO GPS>. The computer checks and investigates all the com ports, speed settings and data bits and selects the proper settings. These are saved for later use. If you're technically capable of setting these parameters yourself, you may use the <ADVANCED> button that will take you to the GPS section of the PREFERENCES screen.

There you have to choose the right COM-port and the databit, stopbit and parity settings (see also the manual of your GPS). If all settings are right, you should see "raw GPS data" pass by in the GPS settings tab page. You may then save your chosen settings and you can click the "AUTOSTART" function in order to start the GPS-receiver each time PC-Navigo is started.

Please note that most GPS devices take a couple of minutes to initiate: to use the <AUTO-CONNECT TO GPS> function, you should switch your GPS device on and make sure it's connected to the computer, then wait a couple of minutes for the devide to iniate itself, and THEN click on the <AUTO-CONNECT TO GPS> button. Once a connection has been made, make sure you click on SAVE SETTINGS and on AUTOSTART to store the connection and to make sure the GPS starts itself the next time. If you usually use the program without a GPS, you'd better NOT switch on the <AUTOSTART>  because this will trigger the checks and controls of the GPS at each program start, taking up a lot of time.

The page  <LOG> allows you to record all positions in a log file, which can be saved under a chosen name, to review the specific route at a later stage. The START button begins the actual logging of the positions. 

The page <SATELLITES> is the actual operation of the GPS signal. In the "star map" the sitellites that are received by the GPS are shown: the more satellites, the more accurate the positioning. The signal strength of every satellite is represented too. Pushing the START button sends the GPS signal to PC-Navigo, where it is translated into a dot on the map. The STOP button erases the signal again.

The page <NMEA> offers two alternative reading functions, in case your GPS device does not emit the (default) RMC-sentence but one of the (older) other two senteces: GLL and GGA. You may look up the emitted sentence in your GPS manual or you can simply try out which choice has the best result. 

The page <Tracks>  regulates the "traffic" between the chart and past (or current) routes: it saves the navigation track of such a route for later viewing, e.g. to remind the navigator how a certain stretch was navigated an earlier time. A track is saved with the name of the voyage to which it belonged, or under any other name. The line size and line colour with which the track is depicted can be altered.

Representation

If all settings and functions have been chosen and if the computer detects the GPS signal, the boat's position is made visible in the Survey Map, and the boat's progress is automatically followed in the Pictogramme view: the pictogramme line and the detail screen "follow" the boat along it's route. The GPS-Monitor shows four data of the GPS in a clear, transparant screen that can be put anywhere on the computer screen. The font size and colour are sizeable to allow a clear reading even if the screen is a bit further away from the navigator.


Missing image: verrekijker.bmpIf you want to look ahead at details of a bridge or lock, a bit before you're actually getting there, you may use the BINOCULARS. They allow you to set the representation of lock or bridge details to the lock or bridge at a given distance from your GPS-position. You have the following choices:

to show ONLY locks and bridges that REQUIRE operation (i.e. of which the headroom of the closed bridge is insufficient); the details screens show the first of these locks and bridges that must be opened for you.Missing image: verrekijker-en.bmp

To cancel the effects of the BINOCULARS, you set the choice back to ALL CONSTRUCTIONS and the ANTICIPATION DISTANCE to zero.


The voyage plan process in PC-Navigo 2012 can be matched with the values of the GPS. The GPS position can control AND correct the voyage plan. If this option is used a regular check is carried out at the passing of each point in the route to see if that point is passed at the calculated time, or later, or earlier. 

If the time of passage deviates more than a default time (set at 10 minutes by default, but one can change it under <Preferences>) the computer will propose to amend the voyage plan, taking the current position as a basis. The voyage is then recalculated to see if a change of route has become desirable; a new ETA at the destination is calculated too, of course.

If the repeated proposals of changes are not wanted, one can choose to have PC-Navigo carry out the changes without special confirmation: the software then simply recalculates at each point on the route.


GPS and the realiability of the position

ATTENTION! The latitude and longuitude of the GPS and the maps originate from different sources and may not always be completely identical: the maps of the Netherlands, Belgium and France come from official local sources and will be accurate enough, those of Germany and the UK may still need some adjustment, and those of Poland and the Balcan countries will sometimes deviate substantially from reality. PC-Navigo-ENC does not only use its own overview maps, but also the official electronic nautical charts of the waterway authorities. They are another independant source of data, and therefore again differences are possible. 

The quality of your GPS receiver has also an influence on the position of the boat in the map and charts: a normal GPS device reaches an accuracy varying from some meters to hundreds of meters; a so called differential GPS (DGPS) can reach an accuracy within the meter range. 

Faults in the maps and in the signal can cause the representation of the boat to be ALONGSIDE a waterway instead of IN it. In waterways that are close together it may be impossible to establish in which waterway the boat navigates (e.g. in parallel waterways, on junctions and in double lock chambers). This deviation makes navigating on a GPS signal in poor view situations (at night or in fog) uncertain; and because the GPS signal will only show your own boat and NOT the other vessels, the use of radar is indispensible under those circumstances.

If you have a (reliable) GPS or DGPS and if you find a deviation between your map position and the map, we would appreciate being informed about this in order to improve the local map. If you can log the specific stretch of waterway, we would be happy to receive the log file in order to serve as comparison. You may send this attached to an e-mail message to info@noordersoft.com.


AIS (Automatic Identification System)

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PC-Navigo permits you to connect an Automatic Identification System (AIS), also called TRANSPONDER, thus enabling you to see the positions of other transponder carrying vessels in your chart. The AIS transponder must be connected to one of the com ports, it must broadcast signals and all the parameters must be set correctly. The AIS transponder must provide data about the ship's name, position, course and speed according to the NMEA protocol.

If the link between the transponder and the computer is established, you'll see the other vessels in the survey charts and navigation charts of PC-Navigo. It allows you to follow these ships with their name and call sign, their speed and course in your chart. 

If both an AIS and a GPS receiver are used, one must switch off or disconnect one of the two signals, to avoid doubling the own ship signal, which will cause a "jumpy" chart image.

Settings of the AIS module

The submenu <AIS> starts and maintains the AIS communication in PC-Navigo. The AIS screen contains two options: the settings and the switching on and off of the AIS signals in the chart. The <SETTINGS>  page has two tabs: LOG and SETTINGS. You will have to activate the first connection to your AIS transponder with the button <AUTO-CONNECT TO AIS> which sets the right parameters once. If you're technically capable of setting these parameters manually, you may do so with the <ADVANCED> button. 

The tab <ADVANCED> lets you set the COM-port, BAUD rate, databits, stop bits and parity of your AIS signal. You can also opt to save your settings and to autostart the AIS connection at the next program start. 

If you often use your computer WITHOUT a transponder, do not switch AUTOSTART on, as this will consume much time rechecking the settings at the next program start if it cannot find your transponder.

The tab <LOG> lets you record the AIS signals for later use; the <START LOG> command starts the recording. A reply can be adjusted to a higher speed, allowing you to play back a signal in much less time.

Representation

If the connection to an AIS is set properly, names, call signes, positions, courses and speeds of AIS carrying vessels will be shown in your chart. They are shown as sharply pointed triangles, the sharp point indicating the course. If you put your cursor in the INFORMATION mode (by means of the round "i" symbol above the chart) and click on one of the AIS symbols, the details of the concerned ship will be shown in a label: Name, call sign, navigation status, AIS-type, vessel type, course, speed, rate of turn, ship's length and beam.

It has been found that the use of an AIS transponder in combination with the ENC charts puts rahter heavy requirements on the system: NORMAL use of PC-Navigo without an AIS is possible on as little as 256 Mb RAM, without any requirements for the processor. WITH a transponder, the peaks appear to require as much as 2 Gb RAM and a processor with a speed under 2,6 GHz may not be capable to cope with the large number of signals! A smaller RAM or a slower processor can result in stagnation of the chart panning or even in a system crash! 

In case of problems it is wise to set the chart in NORTH UP position and to switch the depth soundings OFF and the scaling (SCAMIN) ON, and to limit the use of other programs that require processor capacity.

AIS and the accuracy of positions

ATTENTION! The longitude and latitude received from an AIS is a GPS signal; inaccuracies in the transponder's GPS can cause considerable errors in the position, sometimes up to many meters!

It must be discouraged to rely on an AIS signal for the overtaking or crossing of other craft, in particular when visibility is poor. Moreover, one must be aware that ONLY vessels equipped with a transponder are "seen". Navigation in poor visibility conditions will therefore always require radar. 




Pictogrammes 

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Apart from the detail screen on the right of the survey map, the clearest and most detailed way of looking into your route is offered by PICTOGRAMMES. Pictogrammes are schematised graphical views of the waterway objects. In older versions of PC-Navigo the pictogrammes were series of drawings in which 'traffic signs' contained the lock and bridge sizes and other data. In the newer versions the pictogrammes became a schematic drawing of a waterway segment with all the objects in it, situated at the proper side of the waterway, and with the 'traffic signs' and other important data in the margins. In this most recent version the pictogramme scheme is fully integrated into the chart and details screen: in one view you can see the position of objects in the waterway, the relevant dimensions, and so on, and you're only one click away from available data like telephone number, operating hours and VHF-channel. 

The screen shows the schematic line of the itinerary, with (in the detail screen at the right) specifications of all bridges, locks, safety gates, tunnels, cities, villages, harbours, quays, fuel stations, turning basins and of course junctions. If a lock or bridge has a VHF channel this is shown too. Some general data on this stretch of waterway are also shown: the name, the class, and the local water level compared to the Ordnance Datums of WGS84, and the authorized dimensions and the speed limit.

The available dimensions of the channels: length, width, headroom and depth of the primary and secundary channel (if available) are all specified. The panel contains the buttons that give access to the operating hours and telephone numbers of the lock or bridge. If a bridge will have to be operated to allow the boat to pass, the operating hours button will blink. When a route has been calculated, a time correction button is also placed in this panel. If there are Vessel Traffic Services channels for traffic control in the area, these are shown in the international style signs: compulsory reporting and control channels in a red and white panel, info channels in a blue panel.

If a GPS-device is linked to the computer and working, the pictogrammes will be shown in such a way, that it reflects the actual position of the boat, and move when the boat's position changes. This function can be switched off in the FILE and GPS menu's. 

To adapt the types of object you wish to see in the pictogrammes scheme, you can click your right mouse button over the chart, and click on the OBJECT FILTER: in the dialogue screen you can indicate which of all the object you would like to see and which of them do not interest you. It allows you to amend all the information to your purposes.




Voyage Plan 

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Many situations require the availability of on-screen or printed lists of details of the waterways, or of a certain route. PC-Navigo produces such a list under VOYAGE PLAN. It contains the position in a route of every object, the names of the waterways and all the objects in it, the relevant data like dimensions, depth, lock hours and bridge hours, telephone numbers, VHF channels and so on.  Selections of what to include or not, can be made by the user by means of the buttons at the top of the table: clicking each button switches the concerning column "on" or "off".  

Likewise, the objects and places you want to have included in the table can be chosen: for this choice you must use the <Filter>  option under <FILE> and <Preferences>, in the last tab sheet. If you only want to know which towns and villages you'll pass, you activate the checkboxes for towns and villages, and you leave all the others blank. But if you want to know exactly at what time you'll pass which lock, you insert the locks (and maybe mobile bridges) in your list choice.

Remember that some routes contain huge amounts of objects: plan a route from Paris to the Black Sea, and before printing anything you had better make a carefull selection of what to include in your table, if not, you will find yourself with hundreds of pages, which is hardly helpful for a good view of the ins and outs of your route! You may also decide to plan portions of the route as seperate routes, in order to limit the amount of paper.


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The buttons at the top of the table control the following columns:  



  Time of passage.


  Distance from the origin.


  Position in the direction of the route (left or right).


  Mile Marker or (on the continent) Kilometer sign (or if no such signs are available: distance from the origin of the concerned waterway).


  Type of place or structure (e.g. city, village, quay, bridge, lock etc.).


  Name of the place or structure.


  Legend of footnotes and/or particularities.


  Current locally (average at normal flows).


  VHF-channel of bridge or lock or harbour.


  Phone numbers of bridge or lock.


  Available length, beam, height and depth.


  Normal water level locally.


  Operation required (for bridge or lock).  If the closed bridge offers enough headroom or if the lock is a stop lock that is normally open on both sides, no operation is required.


  Legend of footnotes and particularities of the operating schedule.


  Operating hours of the bridge or lock on the day of passage.


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The last three buttons control the printing process and the exportation of Voyage Plan files:



  Printer-settings. Opens a dialogue screen in which the printer settings can be modified: borders, margines, fonts and headers and footers can be altered. 


  Printer.  This button opens a print preview screen, showing the (first of the) pages of the Voyage Plan. If the lay out is all right, a click on the "print" button starts the printer dialogue; if alterations are required, you can return with the "Close" button. 


  Exports the table to a .html or .txt file. The (digital) table can be exported to be read or modified in an internet browser (such as Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator) or in a text processor (such as Word, Office, Star or any other text processor). It allows further modification and/or the use of the table in an internet environment. 


The LEGEND button will show the explanation of the symbols that ate used in the context of lock and bridge operating hours.


The CLOSE button facilitates closing the screen when you're using a TOUCH SCREEN monitor.



Level Graph 

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Once a route has been established, PC-Navigo 'knows' the level variation between departure and destination. To show you on which parts of your route you are going upstream (with all the regulation consequences) and on which parts you're descending, you may consult the <LEVEL GRAPH>, indicating the level of every section compared to sea level (EOD or NAP or NN or NGM or OSDN).  The LEVEL GRAPH shows you where you're locked UP and where you're locked DOWN, whether your mooring is at the upstream or downstream end of a lock, and where the water sheds in your route are situated.

Clicking on a certain point in the graph shows you the exact position on your route by presenting the name of the place or object at the bottom. You may run through the level graph by means of the left and right arrows or with the mouse.


Dimension graph

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In the <Dimension graph>  the relation between the vessel dimensions and the waterway structures is shown. The vessel dimensions (top to bottom: beam, air draught and draught, and length) are represented by a scaled blue line leaving some space between the widths of channels (the black lines) and the authorised beam in the waterway (the red restrictions).

In the middle scheme the same space is shown for air draught and draught (combined): the available headroom and depth at bridges is indicated by the black lines, the authorised height by the red borders. The space between the blue line and the black stripes indicated the amount of space above the wheel house/highest point and the bridges and the space between the lowest point/keel and the bottom.

ATTENTION: the available depth in rivers and some canals is often given as AUTHORISED depth, simply because the REAL depth figures are not known everywhere. These reals depths can be considerably larger than the indicated values!

The bottom scheme shows the relation between the vessel length and the available chamber length and authorised vessel length in a similar way.



Browse 

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The VIEW main menu offers you a possibility to BROWSE through all sorts of data on the waterways and their objects. You may "mark" places as departure, destination, "via"-place or "avoid"-place.  
 

<BROWSE>  allows you to enter directly - so without planning any route at all - into the data of PC-Navigo. A list of waterways is produced, in which you can select one by clicking it. In a so called PICTOGRAMME SLIDE SCREEN (that is a screen in which many details are represented by schematic icons) details of the selected waterway are made visible, while many more are 'hidden' behind special 'buttons' (such as operating hours, VHF-channels etcetera): one click is enough to get these data on screen.

Browsing gives access to the following data:

VHF-information channels.


Maximum dimensions 

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Once a route has been established its authorized dimensions (as allowed by the authorities) are often an important feature. Clicking on <MAXIMUM DIMENSIONS> provides you with a list of those sections of your route where the dimensions were the most critical, indicating length, beam, height and draught per section. Both the AUTHORIZED and the AVAILABLE dimensions are shown. So are the total amount of kilometres covered, and the total amount of navigation hours. But also the hours the engine has been running, the hours the engine has been on idle, the hours spent waiting for lockage, the number of locks in the route, and the number of times that locks and bridges had to be operated.

Please note that the dimensions are all belonging to objects IN the calculated route*. If you want to use this knowledge for analytical reasons, for example to establish if you can reach a certain destination with boats of larger dimensions, you may use the menu <"SHRINK TO FIT> under <ALGORITHM>. That function examines in little steps, which boats can only just pass a certain waterway, and it can establish the largest possible vessel with which you will be able to sail from A to B.

* If "via-places" have been appointed, you may not only survey the COMPLETE voyage, but also the various STRETCHES between the indicated places (departure, via place, via place......... via place, destination) seperately: the overview shows either the complete voyage or one of the stretches. For analyses purposes this may come in handy.
   


Hour Specification 

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Once a route has been established its specifics are often important. Clicking on <HOUR SPECIFICATION> provides you with a list of those sections of your route where the dimensions were the most critical, indicating length, beam, height and draught per section. Both the AUTHORIZED and the AVAILABLE dimensions are shown. So are the total amount of kilometres covered, and the total amount of navigation hours. But also the hours the engine has been running, the hours the engine has been on idle, the hours spent waiting for lockage, the number of locks in the route, and the number of times that locks and bridges had to be operated.

Please note that the dimensions are all belonging to objects IN the calculated route*. If you want to use this knowledge for analytical reasons, for example to establish if you can reach a certain destination with boats of larger dimensions, you may use the menu <"SHRINK TO FIT> under <ALGORITHM>. That function examines in little steps, which boats can only just pass a certain waterway, and it can establish the largest possible vessel with which you will be able to sail from A to B.

* If "via-places" have been appointed, you may not only survey the COMPLETE voyage, but also the various STRETCHES between the indicated places (departure, via place, via place......... via place, destination) seperately: the overview shows either the complete voyage or one of the stretches. For analyses purposes this may come in handy.
   



Operation on demand

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Once a voyage has been calculated and its route has been established, the necessity of a previous demand to operate certain locks and bridges can be established too; operation on demand is quite common on some of the waterways. Certain waterways in France, tunnels, winter opening of some structures and some large commercial vessel locks outside office hours in England require a previous notification anyway.!
If one or more locks and bridges require a notification beforehand, this is shown with the fourth of the five WARNING ICONS that will then blink in red:

The data that PC-Navigo collects contain the phone numbers of these locks and bridges; the menu <operation on demand> shows the complete list.

Attention! Sometimes a demand for operation can result in operation of a whole series of locks and bridges (e.g. in the same canal). Nevertheless ALL different phone numbers of locks and bridges are provided in the list. Check with the first lock or bridge in a row how far the arrangements of a granted service will stretch! 

ATTENTION: in some areas - e.g. in most canals in France - ALL passages have to be announced. If one choses only to use normal operation, PC-Navigo will always avoid these waterways - which may not be what the skipper wants. It is therefore recommended to chose ALL forms of operation as a default while planning a new voyage for the first time, to be sure that ALL voyage possibilities are presented.


Area Map 

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While your boat is moored at a certain place PC-Navigo can calculate which waterways are navigable from that place onwards. You get a map of the navigable AREA that has taken the specifications of that particular boat into account. The navigable streches are indicated in contrasting colours in the survey map. From this map you have direct access to the AREA LIST.


Area List 

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In the AREA LIST the details of your navigable AREA are neatly grouped together. Clicking on the header of each column sorts the list in the order of that colomn (e.g. if you click on distance, the various objects appear in order of their distance to your mooring point; if you click on waterway, the list is sorted in alphabetical order of the waterways). The object type you want to include in your list can be selected in PREFERENCES. Like the Voyage Plan, the AREA LIST may confuse you if the amount of selected details is too large!

Please note that the sorting of long area lists may take some time, in particular on slower computers: an enormous amount of data must be compared and rearranged.



Summary of stoppages

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On many waterways locks and bridges are temporarily closed in order to carry out maintenance works and inspections. The periods, during which these works take place, are usually published long before, and incorporated in the Notices to Skippers. International Notices to Skippers are checked daily by NoorderSoft, and all stoppages in the waterways network are kept in an obstruction file, which is uploaded on NoorderSoft's internet server.

Users of PC-Navigo can download this obstruction file from the server at any time, allowing the computer to check for any interruptions of normal traffic on the route it has calculated. If any stoppages are found - valid for the day and time the lock or bridge will be passed according to the route plan - PC-Navigo suggests to calculate, which alernative will be best: either to take a detour, avoiding the stoppages, or to "sit and wait" until the traffic resumes it's normal course. 

Missing image: stremmingen.bmp

The stoppages can be visually listed by means of the SUMMARY OF OBSTRUCTIONS. This does not affect the planning proces: when a stoppage is found in a calculated voyage, PC-Navigo will automatically offer the choice to either avoid the concerned stoppage or "wait it out" or disregard it (if one is planning for analytical purposes only). When a route is calculated, PC-Navigo checks this summary too, in order to establish if there are any stoppages to be expected at the time of passage. If so, it presents these in a shorter list, allowing the user to RECALCULATE the route. The faster of the two choices will be chosen: either to wait for the end of the stoppage, if that is faster than a detour, OR the detour if this gains time. 

If you do NOT want to take closures and obstructions into account, you may delete the file with DELETE TEMPORARY OBSTRUCTIONS. This function erases the special obstruction file with the exception of those stoppages that last for longer than a full year.

Version 2012 contains both the full stoppages and the interruption of bridge or lock operation; for bridges, the latter means that a ship that can pass the closed bridge will be allowed to plan along that particular obstacle, while a ship that is too high will not.

The STOPPAGE SERVER of PC-Navigo that is used to modify the list of stoppages on a daily basis, can be reached with the address ftp.vuurwerk.nl but it is easier to use the menu OPTIONS, DOWNLOAD STOPPAGES. In version 2012 the address of the stoppages server can be modified with PREFERENCES, COMMUNICATION PARAMETERS.






GPS monitor

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Many people use the GPS values as an "instrument panel" during navigation: the speed, but also the ETA, are frequently looked at. To ensure that these data are always clearly readable a special monitor screen has been made available, the so called <GPS-Monitor>. The fonts, colours and the transparency of this monitor can be set under <Preferences>. This makes an easy reading possible even if the screen is a bit further away from the navigator. The transparency of the monitor prevents the blocking of information on the chart behind it.

Especially during dynamic voyage planning the user will want to cast a glance at the GPS values occasionally in order to be well informed about the progress of the voyage: 

  first a recheck is carried out, to establish if the desired connection can be found with continuous navigation hours (to avoid that the obstruction is not in the dimensions, but in the limited operation of a certain bridge or lock) or with the switching on of "passage on demand" or "passage at extra costs". If this appears to be the case, the bar with WARNING-ICONS is shown in which the SECOND icon will blink in red: if you click on it, a window opens that allows you to modify your navigation hours;

   If a modification of navigation hours doesn't solve the problem, it is checked if a connection can be found if MARITIME NAVIGATION is allowed; in that case, the bar with WARNING-ICONS will show with the THIRD icon blinking red (the one with the wave): a click on this icon will open a window that allows you to modify the navigation options in the vessel data;

  If no connection is found even with those ampler navigation hours or the possibility of sea crossings, then the bar with WARNING ICONS wilol show with the FIRST icon blinking red. Then the computer will propose to establish step by step what the dimensions are of the largest boat(s) that can only just navigate this itinerary. We called this procedure "Shrink-to-fit". The found results can be compared with the given boat's dimensions, and if they are smaller than the user's boat he/she may decide how to proceed: if the problems will be in the boat's length of beam, it may be concluded that the itinerary can really not be navigated; if it concerns the draught or air draught of a boat, though, some ballast or the removing of higher parts may solve the problem.





 
The resulting routes will be presented by their dimensions in the "Shrink-to-fit" screen. Clicking the check box behind one or more of the routes will put the selected route(s) into the active files, so that you can work further with the results. After selecting the desired routes, you must close the "Shrink-to-fit" dialogue screen.  

As the itinerative process of these step by step calculations may require much time, especially on older or slower computers, the user is asked to confirm his wish to continue these calculations. 

If even these calucations do not result in an itinerary, it can be concluded that departure place and destination are situated in seperate areas of the waterway infrastructure. This is the case if an itinerary is sought from Brittany or the western French waterways to the rest of Europe, for example. 

Often, the search for maximized dimensions does result in more than one route: if a certain itinerary can be navigated by boats of 80 meters long and 8 meters wide, for example, it is possible that another itinerary to the same destination would allow boats with a beam of 9 meters, but only if they are 70 meters long. These relations between the various dimensions can cause a whole range of different "largest dimensions". A comparison with the dimensions of one's own vessel will often be necessary.


Options 

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The main menu OPTIONS holds a number of routines defining the views and calculations of PC-Navigo on a very high level, to allow you to adjust the software even more to your preferences. The following items are available: 

Find
Browse
Actual dimensions
Language
Circumstances
Download stoppages
Delete temporary stoppages
Preferences
Legends


Find 

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If you search details in PC-Navigo there are always three entries: either through the WATERWAY list, or though the OBJECTS/PLACES list, or through the interactive map. 

The databases in PC-Navigo are built in a triple "layer" system: the first layer contains the waterways, canals and rivers, with the data describing their lengths, currents, speed limits, authorized dimensions, levels etcetera. The second layer contains the places and objects IN these waterways: locks, bridges, cities etcetera, each with their dimensions, vhf-channels, phone numbers and so on. The third layer contains general data the computer needs to calculate routes: calendars, lists of national celebration days, statistical data on lock delays, etcetera.

The last - general - layer is not of much importance to you, but the difference between the first and the second must be kept in mind: before starting a search, ask yourself if the researched item is a waterway (stretch) or a point IN a waterway (point). You will find the Amstel river in the list of waterways, but the Amstel bridge in the list of objects. 

Lists are provided in dialogue boxes at both options, allowing you to scroll through the list or to type (the first characters of) the wanted waterway or object or place. Detailed surveys can be made by putting the cursor on the desired item and double-clicking the left mouse key. Places can also be "marked" with the right mouse key, to turn them into place of departure, destination, "via"-places or "avoid"-places.
 
Place/Object
Waterway
In the map
GPS-position


Place/Object 

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If you're looking for a place by its name, you can type it into the record; a list is presented with all the possible names of places and objects in it. You don't have to type the full name, a part will do too: if you type "Beaucaire" you'll get a list with all places and objects that contain the concerned characters. Don't bother about accents, capitals or accentuated spelling, PC-Navigo checks them all. If you type "Sete" you'll get both the "Boalseterhimbridge" and the city of Sète. 

Double-clicking on a place with the cursor selects the concerned place and opens details in a pictogramme screen. With the right mouse button a place may be marked as departure, destination, "via" or "avoid" place.

ATTENTION: In PC-Navigo you can set the names of waterways and objects in the LOCAL language (resulting in "Écluse de Suresnes" even if the program works in english) or in your preferred language (in which case "Suresnes Lock" will appear). This fact has consequences for the search commands: you must specify the searched name in either the local language or in your preferred language, depending on which one of these two you have opted for!


Waterway 

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If you're looking for something in a certain waterway, you may choose from a list of waterways (by their official names). Clicking on one opens the pictogramme list of this waterway, thus allowing you to select and maybe "mark" a place as your departure, destination, "via"-place or "avoid"-place.

ATTENTION: In PC-Navigo you can set the names of waterways in the LOCAL language (resulting in "Canal du Rhône au Rhin" even if the program works in english) or in your preferred language (in which case "Rhône-Rhine Canal" will appear). This fact has consequences for the search commands: you must specify the searched name in either the local language or in your preferred language, depending on which one of these two you have opted for!


In the map

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You can use the survey map of PC-Navigo interactively: by first clicking on the "finger"-button and then clicking on the place in the map where you want to select something, you get a list of places and objects in the vicinity. The radius can be set in the menu FILE under PREFERENCES. By selecting one and clicking on it, you can "mark" it as your destination, departure or as "via" or "avoid" places.

ATTENTION! The survey map in PC-Navigo is NO navigation chart! If you want tu use PC-Navigo to navigate in waters you're NOT acquainted with, you MUST use an ENC chart of PC-Navigo by zooming in far enough to make the appropriate electronic nautical charts visible, OR you must make sure you have enough detailed paper chart material available! 

If you're navigating with PC-Navigo you may want to put the chart window FULL SCREEN; this can be done with a push on the F-11 key. Changing back to the original chart window is also done with F-11. Both actions can also be performed with the FULL SCREEN BUTTON


 

The survey map consists of two parts: on the left, the actual map is shown, with the result of a route calculation drawn in contrasting colours. Should any part of the route need adaptation or improvement, you can always add "via" places or avoid places to adapt it to your needs and recalculate the route. To the right of the actual map is a screen that contains details, either details needed to define the specifications of the planned route, or details describing the resulting route itself.

The plan process - that is the actual definition of a route plan - can easily be carried out in the detail screen on the right: in the "planning mode" this screen shows all relevant choices neatly grouped together: the selected boat, dimensions with which to reckon, (planned or calculated) date and time of departure, place of departure, destination, via-places and places to avoid, (calculated or planned) date and time of arrival, and the type of route calculated (fastest, shortest, optimum or tourist). 

Modification you can make in this screen are: 

the planned (or calculated) date and time of departure and the calculated (or planned) time of arrival: if one of the two is filled in, the other is automatically recalculated. 

  Once a route has been planned and calculated, the detail screen on the right can be switched to the "navigation mode" by means of the button on the right of the row of buttons. In the "navigation mode" the detail screen on the right shows the characheristics of the route itself: waterway name, class, level, authorized dimensions, distance laid back, distance ahead, name of the place or object, time of passing, available dimensions, VHF-channels, phone numbers and operating hours. The exact location of which the details are shown can be established manually - by pointing with the mouse - or (if a GPS-device is connected) automatically by the GPS coordinates. You can switch between the manual and automatic positioning by means of the row of buttons above the map. If the GPS controls the position, the details shown in the right screen are always the details of the place where the boat is navigating.

Dialogue screens with phone numbers of the bridges and locks, dialogue screens of the operating hours and a dialogue screen allowing time corrections in the route plan can all be opened directly from the detail screen.  


From "behind" the detail screen, the little button on top slides the Pictogramme screen into the picture (this may also be achieved with <VIEW>, <PICTOGRAMMES>). The pictogramme is a schematic representation of all objects and constructions in the itinerary, like bridges, locks, quays, harbours and other objects. Both with a GPS and with a manual pointer - by clicking at the right position - the specifics of that object can be made visible in the details screen at the right: dimensions of the passage, operating hours, communication channels and so on. The complete integration of the chart, the details screen and the pictogramme screen assures that you will always be able to see all relevant information on any particular point in your itinerary.

When in the Raster Viewer mode, you can make the list of various chart layers visible by means of the VIEW menu, LAYER LEGEND. If the legend is switched ON, you will see the various layers of the chart, the ENC layer, the PHOTOS layer, the NOTES layer, the ANWB (marina services) layer, the ROUTE layer, the STOPS (stoppages) layer, the GPS layer and the AIS layer. The order of the layers can be dragged to change the drawing order of the chart image.

ATTENTION: changing the drawing order in the Raster Viewer may result in HIDING certain chart elements, as they're covered by other chart elements; this will, for example, be the case if the ENC are drawn the last (i.e. if the layer is at the BOTTOM of the list): it will then hide the photos and notes and the other features in the layers above!

Users who have a PC-Navigo version and the appropriate ENC cell at their disposal, will notice an abrupt change of the chart image at a certain zoom factor: the survey map turns into an electronic nautical chart (ENC). If one zooms in still further, more and more details become visible, until finally all that is relevant for the navigation is shown, when the zoom factor approaches the setting used in computer- and GPS-aided navigation. See also PC-Navigo-ENC.




GPS based search

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If a GPS is connected to the computer - and if this GPS provides a valid signal - you can search objects in the immediate vicinity of your position. A click scans the data for objects in a radius (that can be set and changed  under <Preferences>) around your position. Thus it is easy to find certain targets (like mooring quays, bunker stations or towns/villages) near where you are.

If no GPS is connected or if a connected GPS does NOT provide a reliable signal, this function is not available. A dialogue box will then inform the user that the function cannot be accessed. 



Browse 

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With <OPTIONS>, <BROWSE> you can open the BROWSE possibility, as under VIEW and BROWSE with the WATERWAYS submenu.  But here, you can also BROWSE through the MARINA SERVICES: you can check the ANWB database of services and facilities in most marinas. This database, provided and maintained by the ANWB - the Dutch leisure boating service provider - is a list of all leisure boat harbours and services. It provides detailed information on all sorts of services and facilities in the port, varying from the number of guest moorings to the capacity of a boat lift or the availibility of 220 V or water. A click on the SHOW IN THE CHART menu shows where the port is situated.

Browsing through the WATERWAYS, places can also be "marked" with the right mouse key, to turn them into place of departure, destination, "via"-places or "avoid"-places.

<BROWSE>  allows you to enter directly - so without planning any route at all - into the data of PC-Navigo. A list of waterways is produced, in which you can select one by clicking it. In a so called PICTOGRAMME SLIDE SCREEN (that is a screen in which many details are represented by schematic icons) details of the selected waterway are made visible, while many more are 'hidden' behind special 'buttons' (such as operating hours, VHF-channels etcetera): one click is enough to get these data on screen.

Browsing gives access to the following data:

2. and if not, it finds the largest possible dimensions of a boat on this itinerary. In this exercise it will produce one or more itineraries, (each) with its/their respecitive maximum dimensions. 

These checks are presented in the form of the bar with WARNING ICONS: 





Once PC-Navigo has established a route, the exact time of arrival at each bridge and lock is calculated, so that a check can be done whether the arrival coincides with the operating hours or not. If not, the boat is made to wait until the next possibility to pass the bridge or lock. 

Thus a step by step calculation is made until the boat reaches its destination. The time of arrival there can be established very accurately, and of course, so can the distance laid back since the departure. To final result is depicted in the survey chart, the pictogram screen and the voyage plan .

Voyages that will NOT be planned based on the presumable time of departure, but on the basis of a required time of arrival (e.g. voyages for which the unloading process is planned, or voyages that have the risk of getting "stuck" in an interruption of navigation) can be calculated "backwards" from the wanted arrival time: in time planning the arrival time can be inserted, and the necessary departure time will then be calculated. 

A third possibility has been added in the ECO Monitor: a planned route can be recalculated with five to seven different cruising speeds as calculation basis. It shows immediately, what day and time of arrival will correspond with each speed, but also which fuel consumption will be the consequence of that particular speed. It allows the skipper to optimise his day and time of arrival in function of possible fuel savings, to a degree where the possible cost of the earlier arrival are known.





Time correction

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Sometimes a journey is interrupted, e.g. for loading or unloading on the way, or to have a break. The TIME CORRECTION function in PC-Navigo allows for the planning of such breaks.

At the required place or time the moment at which the journey is resumed can be entered. PC-Navigo then recalculates the remainder of the journey.

The TIME CORRECTION  can also be used to correct differences between the calculated journey and reality manually: if it is found that a certain place is reached later or earlier than planned, a correction can be given, so that the remainder of the route is recalculated. If a GPS is used in connection with PC-Navigo, this correction cal also be made automatically by means of <Dynamic voyage planning> (see also <Preferences>): in dynamic voyage planning, an interaction between the voyage plan and the current GPS position is used to guard of passage of a certain point really takes place at the calculated time. If a deviation of more than a set value (default: 10 minutes) then the remainder of the voyage is recalculated in order to establish a new ETA and to find out if an amendment of the route is advisable. 

A change of daily navigation hours is optional, when one changes the time of passage at a certain position. 


Operating hours

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PC-Navigo calculates the route from departure place to destination in such a way, that its time of arrival at each bridge or lock can be compared with the operating hours of that bridge or lock. Upon arrival at each bridge or lock a check is executed to establish if operation is required: if a boat can pass the bridge unopend, or if the lock is only a flood lock which is normally open at both ends, no check on the operating hours is needed. For other cases, it is checked whether or not there is operation at the time of arrival.

For the operating hours a check is executed on the date (because of the operating seasons), on the day of the week (because of the differences in operation between weekdays, saturdays, sundays and holidays) and the time of day. Moreover, a check on the COUNTRY in which the bridge or lock is situated, covers for the differences in national holidays.

Apart from these checks, the category of boat is checked (to account for differences in operating hours between commercial craft and pleasure boats) and the preferences of the user are taken into consideration (does he/she only want to pass during "normal" operating hours, or also if operation is on demand or even at additional costs?)

All operating hours of all bridges and locks in Europe are regularly checked, and Notices to Skippers - in which changes are announced - are checked on a daily basis. Nevertheless differences may occur between the operating schedules in the databases of PC-Navigo and the real hours of operation. If you have a possibility to send us an e-mail whenever you find different operating schedules, we would truely appreciate this. You can mail us at info@noordersoft.com 

Many locks and bridges in the United Kingdom have BW staff on duty during some hours of the day, but they can be passed at OTHER hours if the crew operates the lock or bridge themselves. Of course, these practices have little or no effect on the progress of the boat. In the operating schedules, the periodes WITH staff are seperated from the periods WITHOUT staff, but the boats are let through at all times.

During the past years, many modifications of existing operating schemes have been published for the period between Christmas and New Year. These publications are often released on a very short term, sometimes only days or at best weeks before. It is therefore necessary to inform locally in case of a voyage that includes the dates between december 24th and january 2nd of each year. A dialogue box will appear - after you've downloaded the stoppages - to warn you for the risk. 




No route could be found?

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If a connection between two places cannot be established immediately, the computer takes three steps to analyse the situation:

  first a recheck is carried out, to establish if the desired connection can be found with continuous navigation hours (to avoid that the obstruction is not in the dimensions, but in the limited operation of a certain bridge or lock) or with the switching on of "passage on demand" or "passage at extra costs". If this appears to be the case, the bar with WARNING-ICONS is shown in which the SECOND icon will blink in red: if you click on it, a window opens that allows you to modify your navigation hours;

   If a modification of navigation hours doesn't solve the problem, it is checked if a connection can be found if MARITIME NAVIGATION is allowed; in that case, the bar with WARNING-ICONS will show with the THIRD icon blinking red (the one with the wave): a click on this icon will open a window that allows you to modify the navigation options in the vessel data;

  If no connection is found even with those ampler navigation hours or the possibility of sea crossings, then the bar with WARNING ICONS wilol show with the FIRST icon blinking red. Then the computer will propose to establish step by step what the dimensions are of the largest boat(s) that can only just navigate this itinerary. We called this procedure "Shrink-to-fit". The found results can be compared with the given boat's dimensions, and if they are smaller than the user's boat he/she may decide how to proceed: if the problems will be in the boat's length of beam, it may be concluded that the itinerary can really not be navigated; if it concerns the draught or air draught of a boat, though, some ballast or the removing of higher parts may solve the problem.


Sometimes even these calculations result in the message "No route can be found from your departure place to your destination", which means, that PC-Navigo was NOT able to establish a navigable connection bewteen the two. This can have a few different causes: 

When it's obvious that no navigable connection between departure place and destination can be found, the FIRST warning icon will blink in red. With "Shrink to fit" the program can be told to calculate the dimensions that DO allow to reach the destination;

If the daily navigtation hours are less than full time, it is checked whether a lengthening of the navigation hours will result in a navigable connection; the problem may after all be due to the fact that lock or bridge operating hours may be completely before or after the indicated navigation hours of the ship. If the problem is indeed in the oprating hours, the warning icon with the clock (the SECOND icon) will blink red. A click on that icon opens a window in which the operating hours can be extended;

   If still no route can be found, it may be necessary to allow for open sea navigation. In that case the THIRD warning icon (with the wave) will blink red. A click on it opens a window that allows a modification of the settings of the ship, in particular for open sea navigation;

Even WITH a navigable route a a result of the calculation, some warnings may be necessary: if the FOURTH icon blinks red, it is mandatory to announce certain lock or bridge passages up front. A click on this icon opens the list of bridges and locks where this is the case and provides their phone numbers;

Another warning in a route concerns possible STOPPAGES, either on the route itself OR on a logical alternative; apart from the option to either make a way around the stoppage or to wait for the end of it, a click on the FIFTH icon for the stoppages lists nthe concerned stoppages and their duration. 





As a result of a route calculation, either one or more icons may blink!




Distance

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PC-Navigo calculates three of the four possible types of route by comparing the time it takes to navigate them: both the fastest and the optimum and the tourist route check the time it takes from one point in the waterways network to the other. 

But as soon as the route is established,  PC-Navigo can of course calculate the total distance of the route: the total amount of miles, nautical miles or kilometers is presented in the route screen, and so are the distance laid back and the distance still to cover at each position along the route.

Only the SHORTEST route really counts the miles. That is reason to warn: shortest, for the computer, really means shortest, so that a shortest route that takes the boat to the neighbourhood of Ghent, will send the boat through the long and winding city waters instead of via the circular canal around the city: the circular canal is some 300 meters longer than the city waters - although it takes half a day less to pass it!

Another typical effect of the shortest route is the way it deals with stoppages: even if a stoppage may hold traffic for over a year, shortest is still shortest, and the boat will be made to wait until the end of the stoppage. All of these things make it clear that it's wise to use SHORTEST ROUTE with great care and awareness of the possible consequences. 

Please mind that routes over sea are often faster than routes over the inland waterways. As not all boats will be equipped for regular voyages on open sea, it is wise to exclude maritime navigation if one wants to be certain to arrive at a destination: should bad weather occur, you may want to make sure that there is a safe detour available!




New in PC-Navigo 2012

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the navigator must be very familiar with the meaning of all chart elements and with the way in which chart, GPS and boat course interact.

Accuracy of the chart

ENC's are produced by the institutions that manage the waterways, often on the basis of extremely accurate topographic base charts (many authorities use a 1:1000 topographic chart). An accuracy of errors less than 50 centimeters is the objective. But of course, even cartography is done by people, and people inevitably make mistakes. One must therefore realise that a chart is no REAL TIME IMAGE of reality, but a momentary recording of it. Reconstructions of the channel, new buildings, and mistakes in the cartography process can cause differences between the chart image and the real world. Only if one has been able to verify the accuracy of a chart one can be sure that the chart image is correct. In unfamiliar areas it is not wise to be overconfident with regard to the chart information....

The update frequency of a chart is also important: new bridges, changed channels and siltation can require a modification of the course. Please make sure your chart is the newest version available.

Computer, GPS, Power Supply and OS

Even an accurate chart that is fully up to date will not be of any help, if the computer cannot show it. A computer crash or a power failure are enough to get the depending navigator in trouble. Even a problem with the Operating System can be a danger: if a restart of the computer takes too much time, the boat may already be in danger. Make sure you have adequate backup possibilities (either a second computer or paper charts, if you really depend on the chart information).

The meaning of the chart features

The presentation library of Inland ECDIS is subject to many prescribed protocols and priorities: in general, things that are important for the safety of navigation have priority over other elements. Checks of the integrity of data and image are built in to ensure that nothing is missing or covered behind less relevant information.

The visible chart does not always show ALL elements it contains. The risk of "clutter" (i.e. the filling up of the screen with thousands of details that block the view on other, more relevant information) was succesfully suppressed by a standardised scalability of all chart elements: some buoys and beacons will not at all be relevant when one looks at a large chart area, but VERY relevant when one navigates in narrow channels. The zoom factor (from how "near" or "far away" does the user look at the chart) influences the amount of elements that appear. The user may switch off the function that suppresses the representation of some details by means of the submenu <ENC SETTINGS> under <SWITCH OFF SCAMIN>.

The presentation of all chart elements is similar to the IMO and IHO presentations, that are show on "chart zero"; they can be found in the chart legend of PC-Navigo-ENC. If you see an unfamiliar symbol in the chart, it's wise to look it up in this legend.

Chart and/or radar

Using only the chart-GPS combination as navigation aid in bad visibility is not good seamanship! Although one sees the position of one's own boat with regard to the surroundings (that is: IF the computer, the GPS, the power supply and the operating system keep working!) there are at least TWO things one does NOT see: other vessels and "dynamic" objects (lock doors, bridge decks, traffic lights a.s.o.). This makes OTHER aids to navigation (radar, AIS) indispensible in those circumstances.

The dynamics of navigating with the help of electronic nautical charts sometimes tempt skippers to take more risks than they would normally do. It is good to be aware of the limitations of this technology, and one should in fact interrupt the voyage in circumstances that are not safe.






Full screen chart

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PC-Navigo-ENC combined with a Global Positioning System (GPS) can be a great help to the navigator. In the situation where the chart is used as the information base to establish course, heading and speed, the chart screen is much more important that all other screen elements - one will use buttons, edit fields and menus during the PLANNING stage of a voyage, not during the NAVIGATION. To ensure the best visibility of the chart, a FULL SCREEN option is created: a click on the F-11 key or on the FULL SCREEN BUTTON moves the chart image to a FULL SCREEN setting. 

The setting of DISTANCE RINGS (which can be set and modified in <BOAT DATA> on the divider <BOAT SHAPE> can make the estimation of distances a lot easier.

A repeated click on the F-11 key or on the FULL SCREEN BUTTON moves the chart image back into it's original position and gives access again to the other elements of the PC-Navigo screens.


Intelligent chart

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PC-Navigo-ENC can use the "intelligence" built in an Inland ECDIS chart. Except for its presentation facilities and the possibility to show one's own boat in the chart, the chart itself can be modified to various requirements:

Draught dependant depth areas

PC-Navigo-ENC can modify many Inland ECDIS charts in such a way, that the draught of the boat is the main parameter for the definition of depth areas: four different depth areas can be shown: deep water (water that is SO much deeper than the draught of the boat that it isn't even worth worrying about it), safe depth (water that has at least a certain safe margin - to be set by the user - below the keel of the boat), tight depth (water that is only slighty deeper than the boat's draught requires, in which there's a serious risk of grounding and squat) and shallow water (water that is simply not deep enough for the boat). 

Involving the boat's draught in these definitions allows the computer to redraw these depth areas depending on the boat's draught: for a shallow vessel, most of the waterway will indicate "safe water", while for a deep draught vessel, much of the channel will be dark blue....

Soundings

In ENC so called SOUNDINGS are often shown, values of the local depth. As these values may clutter the chart image, they can be "switched off" with FILE and ENC and SETTINGS.


Scale dependant representation of chart details

The scale dependant representation of some details is ruled by the zoom factor of the screen; this function prevents so called "clutter", the filling up of the image with irrelevant and oversized images of e.g. buoys and marks. It may nevertheless be practical to show ALL available details in the chart, such as in the case where one wonders if a feature is incorporated or not. The scale dependancy in an ENC is gouverned by the SCAMIN parameter (meaning Scale Minimal). One can switch off the scale dependancy by means of the submenu <ENC-SETTINGS> under <SWITCH OFF SCAMIN>;

Day/Dusk/Night screens

Navigating in the dark sometimes causes problems when a computer screen can blind the navigator by its light. PC-Navigo always had a possibility to switch to low intensity screens. The ENC charts are fully compatible with this function: when one changes to DUSK or NIGHT screens, the colors and contrasts of the charts change too.






ENC-Pickreport

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The data stored in an ENC describe EVERY sign and symbol seperately. Most of these data are represented graphically, as a symbol with certain colours and specifications. One can also access these data in a text format, by clicking on the info-button (the one with the i) above the chart and then by clicking on the desired symbol or area in the chart.

This action opens a so called Pick Report (a "click report" actually) in which the data from the database are shown as text. Things like bridge names, dimensions, buoy colours, characters and so on, can be shown this way as textual data.

With the <MORE DETAILS> button the full list of objects and areas in the ENC is shown, so that one can scroll trhough all the data in the chart cell.


Raster charts

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PC-Navigo 2012 contains the new, multifunctional chart-viewer of PC-Navigo. The viewer can show both ENC-charts as charts in a raster or other vector format. Although the ENC vector charts are very superior in comparison with other chart formats, offering much more intelligent features, the lack of available coverage makes the use of simpler chart formats necessary. The new viewer allows the user to change chart format whereever a different chart format is available. 

All charts in other formats can be used simply by saving the chart files in the file RASTER. Part of the optinal raster chart coverage is reserved for private charts of the Dutch Hydrografic Office, amongst which are the charts of the coastal waters and lakes (the so called "1800-series" :Waddenzee, Eems, Dollard, Lauwersmeer, IJsselmeer and the estuaries in Zeeland and Zuidholland) and parts of the North Sea. In the near future, other chart series will be added.

The "switch" between ENC and other formats can be made both in the VIEW menu with ENC VIEWER and RASTER VIEWER, or, once you're in the raster chart mode, in the layer legend on the left side. In that window one may also chose to switch the various "layers" of the PC-Navigo chart off and on:

ENC: the detailed (Inland ECDIS or ENC) charts of the waterway administrations and NoorderSoft;

Photos: available pictures of bridges, locks and other constructions;

Notes: the own notes and remarks of the user;

ANWB (Marina services): services available in marinas, as listed in the ANWB marina database;

Route: departure, Destination and other route points;

Stops (stoppages): the symbols that indicate a stoppage;

GPS: the ship's own position;

AIS: the positions and data of other vessels that carry an AIS transponder.

The viewer can also handle other chart types than ENC. The concerned chart, that must be stored somewhere on the computer (e.g. in the directory RASTER CHARTS) can be added with the FILE menu, then ENC, then ADD RASTER CHART. The chart becomes visible in the LAYER LEGEND and can be switched on and off there. You may want to drag the chart file name to another position in the layer legend, to give it more or less priority over the other chart elements (you may want to make sure that the concerned chart file is ABOVE elements like ROUTE, PHOTOS, NOTES, AIS and GPS, so that these elements will be shown ON the raster chart).

The chart formats supported by PC-Navigo are (ATTENTION: charts in the mentioned formats have to contain georeference data that are WITHIN the range of the concerned PC-Navigo version!):

ArcExplorer Project File (*.aep)|*.AEP|
Arcinfo Ascii Grid (*.asc)|*.ASC|
Arcinfo Binary Grid (*.adf)|*.ADF|
Arcinfo Export Format (*.e00)|*.E00|
Arcinfo Float Grid (*.flt)|*.FLT|
ArcView 3.xx Project File (*.apr)|*.APR|
ArcView Shape Files (*.shp)|*.SHP|
AutoCAD (*.dxf)|*.DXF|
Binary Terrian Grid (*.bt)|*.BT|
CADRG - Compressed ARC Digitized Raster Graphics (TOC) (*.toc)|*.TOC|
Census 2000 TIGER/Line (*.rt1)|*.RT1|
Comma Separated Values point layer (CSV) (*.csv)|*.CSV|
Digital Elevation Model (ASCII GRID or SPOT) (*.dem)|*.DEM|
Digital Line Graphs DLG (*.opt;*.dlg)|*.OPT;*.DLG|
Digital Terrain Elevation Data (*.dt0;*.dt1;*.dt2)|*.DT0;*.DT1;*.DT2|
DWG (*.dwg)|*.DWG|
Enhanced Compressed Wavelet (*.ecw)|*.ECW|
ERDAS IMAGINE Image File Format (*.img)|*.IMG|
FME Feature Store (*.ffs)|*.FFS|
GDAL Wrapper for raster formats (*.*)|*.*|
Geographic Data Files (*.gdf)|*.GDF|
Geographic Markup Language (*.gml;*.xml)|*.GML;*.XML|
GeoJSON (*.json;*.geojson)|*.JSON;*.GEOJSON|
Global Self-consistant Hierarchical High-resolution Shorelines (GSHHS) (*.rim;*.b)|*.RIM;*.B|
Golden Software Surfer Grid (*.grd)|*.GRD|
Google Earth Keyhole Markup Language (*.kml)|*.KML|
GPS Exchange Format (*.gpx)|*.GPX|
Graphic Interchange Format (*.gif)|*.GIF|
IHO S-57 ENC (*.000)|*.000|
JPEG 2000 (via ECW) (*.jp2)|*.JP2|
JPEG 2000 (via MRSID) (*.jp2)|*.JP2|
JPEG File Interchange Format (*.jpg;*.jpeg)|*.JPG;*.JPEG|
LandXML (*.xml)|*.XML|
Lizardtech MrSID (*.sid)|*.SID|
MapInfo Interchange Format (*.mif)|*.MIF|
MapInfo Native Format (*.tab)|*.TAB|
MapInfo WorkFile (*.wor)|*.WOR|
MapInfoX Project File (*.gst)|*.GST|
MicroStation Native Format (*.dgn)|*.DGN|
OGR Wrapper for vector formats (*.*)|*.*|
OpenStreetMap Format (*.osm)|*.OSM|
Pictometry Oblique Images (*.psi)|*.PSI|
Portable Network Graphic (*.png)|*.PNG|
SDTS Raster Profile and Extensions (*.ddf)|*.DDF|
SDTS Topological Vector Profile (*.ddf)|*.DDF|
SPOT Binary In-line Format (*.bil;*.dem)|*.BIL;*.DEM|
SQL Layer Connector (*.ttkls)|*.TTKLS|
Tag Image File Format (*.tif;*.tiff)|*.TIF;*.TIFF|
TatukGIS PixelStore (*.ttkps)|*.TTKPS|
TatukGIS Project File (*.ttkgp)|*.TTKGP|
Vector Product Format VPF (*.lft;*.pft;*.tft)|*.LFT;*.PFT;*.TFT|
Window Bitmap (*.bmp)|*.BMP|







Installation of PC-Navigo

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BEFORE YOU INSTALL PC-NAVIGO 2012:

The box in which you receive PC-Navigo 2012 contains: A CD-ROM, a so called USB-dongle (the copy protection key), this manual and possibly a registration card (if you have purchased via a dealer). 

There is NO printed manual. If you want to read the digital manual before you install the program, you can find it on the CD-ROM using your Windows Explorer, under the directory "Docs". A double click on "help.chm" opens the manual in the usual Windows help format, "PC-Navigo Manual 2012.htm" opens the manual in HTML, and "PC-Navigo Manual 2012.pdf" in PDF (printable!).   

AFTER you've installed the program, the manual is also available in the directory where you've put PC-Navigo AND - as interactive help screens - behind your F-1 key. We recommend you to consult the manual often, in particular if you're a new user: the program is rather  sophisticated and as a beginner you may get lost in all the functionalities. 

NB: The copy protection USB dongle represents the TOTAL value of your software! Please make sure you don't loose it. 

INSTALLATION MANUAL

When you insert the CD-ROM in the drive, it will auto-start and open the installation menu. Attention: the auto-start process may take a few minutes because the CD player usually scans the complete CD-ROM. 

(If auto-start does not function, you can kick-start the installation by going to "My Computer" and double clicking on your CD player, or by using your Windows Explorer and double click on the program "setup.exe".)

1. THE CHOICE OF YOUR PREFERRED LANGUAGE

First you have to choose in which language you want to do the installation. Mind you: this choice ONLY influences the installation procedure; in PC-Navigo you can switch languages at any time. 

2. THE COPY RIGHT SCREEN

As soon as you've chosen your preferred language, you will see a screen with information about your specific version and with copy right information. 

3. THE INFORMATION SCREEN

If you click on the "next" button, you'll get a dialogue screen that warns you only to connect your USB-dongle AFTER you've installed the program. 

4. THE LICENSE AGREEMENT

Another click on the "next" button" shows you the license agreement with the conditions of the usage of the license. If you agree, you can mark the "I agree" check box, which activates the disabled "next" button. 

5. THE INSTALLATION OPTIONS

An option screen allows you to choose the elements of the desired installation: you can choose to install pictures and - if you have an ENC-version - ENC chart cells. If you decide to exclude one of these options, the installation will be carried out WITHOUT either the images or the chart cells. On computers with a limited disk space this may save a considerable amount of space.

Below you can change the folder or directory in which PC-Navigo will be installed. If you click on "browse" your computer will present the directory listing of your computer (ATTENTION: this may take a while!) and it will offer you a choice to install PC-Navigo in ANOTHER directory than C:\Program Files\navigo2012. 

WINDOWS VISTA and WINDOWS-7 USERS, ATTENTION: we recommend installation in ANOTHER directory than C:\Program Files\ because of the modified directory management of Windows Vista and 7: please read the Windows Vista addendum further in these instructions!

Once your preferred directory has been chosen, please click on the "install" button to start the actual installation.

6. THE INSTALLATION

(If the installation program finds OTHER versions of PC-Navigo on your computer, it will suggest that you erase these other versions first, because it is not possible to run two different versions of PC-Navigo on the same computer. If you DON'T want to erase the other version, you can abort the installation)

A scroll bar indicates the progress of the installation process. This may take quite a while, particularly if you install pictures and/or ENC chart cells as well. If the installation is completed successfully, you'll be informed and you're invited to connect the "dongle" (the USB key that has been provided if you've purchased PC-Navigo for the first time, or the key that was provided to you for an earlier version). A few seconds after connecting the dongle, the little "led" light in the tip of the dongle will light continuously and a hint will tell you that "new hardware has been found". A click on "finish" rounds up the installation. PC-Navigo is now ready to be used.

After this installation procedure, you won't need the CD-ROM anymore to use PC-Navigo. You can store it for later reinstallation. The dongle however is needed for every use of PC-Navigo.

7. THE USE OF PC-NAVIGO 
 
After a successful installation of PC-Navigo on the hard disk of your computer you can start it by means of the short-cut on your desk top. The dongle has to be connected during program start, but it may be removed when the program has fully opened and the planning screen (with the overview chart) is shown, e.g. if you need the USB port for another device. If you remove the dongle, PC-Navigo will continue to work until you quit the program. 

PC-Navigo  can also be started by means of the Windows START button (usually bottom left on your screen) and a click on "ALL PROGRAMS". In the program list you'll find PC-Navigo 2012 with nine other menu options, amongst which "PC-Navigo 2012" allows you to start the program. 

The other eight options are: 

"Dongle Info and Update": this little program is used to find information about your USB-dongle and to update or modify it;
"Install or repair dongle drivers" is meant to (re)install or restore the drivers of the USB-dongle, e.g. after installation of a new operating system on your computer. If your dongle light blinks, you can repair the drivers for the dongle by clicking this little software tool;
"PC-Navigo manual 2012" (and its German, French and Dutch equivalents)  opens the comprehensive manual for the use of PC-Navigo;
"Chart notes editor" is a tool that allows you to edit chart notes, modify them and/or manage your chart note collection;
"PC-Navigo Set Communication Parameters" is a tool that allows you to modify the communication parameters of the servers that PC-Navigo can communicate with;
"PC-Navigo online help desk" (and the german, french and dutch equivalent) is a tool that can make your computer accessible for one of our developers, so that he can locate and repair bugs or faulty settings quickly and efficiently; 
"Uninstall PC-Navigo" can be used to uninstall PC-Navigo from your computer and erase all registries, settings and modifications that were set during installation. 

8. THE USE OF ON LINE HELP

In the newest version of PC-Navigo you have the possibility to give one of our developers access to your computer screen. This permits him to diagnose and repair possible problems, bugs and faults in the installation. While you can watch what he does on your own screen, you can witness the modifications and maybe learn to avoid the mistakes in the future. On line uploading of repair files, patches and updates is also possible.

Throughout the repair actions you can always interrupt the developers doings. The access given to our developer depends on a pass word that allows entry only ONCE; a next time, a new pass word will be needed. This assures your privacy and the safety of your data. 

During the repairs a phone connection is NOT necessary: with a chat screen, our developer can ask you for your help during his actions (e.g. to plug in the dongle or to insert the CD-ROM).

At the end of the session the developer - or you yourself - will disconnect the on line connection, and your computer will be fully and only yours again.


ADDENDUM: ONLY FOR WINDOWS 7 and VISTA USERS!

Instead of in the former (standard) installation directory "C:\Program Files" we recommend installation in ANOTHER directory if you use VISTA or 7 as operating system. VISTA modifies certain settings in your program, causing communication problems with com ports, saved settings and other exchanges. If you choose ANOTHER directory (clicking on 'Browse' to change the target directory during installation), for example C:\navigo2012, these typical VISTA problems will not occur. You can also install PC-Navigo on another hard disk than C, in case your computer contains more than one hard disk.


ECO-Monitor - Economy recommendations

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PC-Navigo-ECO uses the relations between the speed, the amount of rotations of the engine needed to develop that speed, and the consumption of fuel that goes with that number of rotations, to calculate an estimation of fuel consumption corresponding with each speed (and, of course, with the time of arrival). A skipper who is aware of this relation will be able to chose his time of arrival in such a way, that he will not unnecessarily waste fuel. 

In the ECONOMY RECOMMENDATIONS screen (in which the time of departure - day and hour - and the predicted arrival time are shown for the normal, average cruising speed of the vessel) one can see FIVE to SEVEN different cruising speeds (all of which will be fast enough to overcome possible counter currents) with the corresponding arrivals and fuel consumption predictions. Those speeds, which result in a fuel consumption that is more than 5 % LOWER than average are shown in green, the ones that result in more than 5 % HIGHER consumption are shown in red. Speeds that do not differ more than 5 % from the average consumption are shown in yellow.  

Clicking on one of the radio buttons copies that speed into the voyage data and recalculates the voyage to the speed that has been chosen.