Showing posts with label Boat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Boat. Show all posts

March 05, 2024

OpenPlotter v4 Beta, install guide

OpenPlotter(OP), a Boat Navigation application, is really a nice and simple installation of

and other supporting applications for Your boat.

An overall information about the OP package is found here.

March 01, 2024

OpenPlotter V3, install guide

Updated 2024-03-01 !

OpenPlotter(OP), a Boat Navigation application, is really a nice and simple installation of
and other supporting applications for Your boat.

An overall information about the OP package is found here.

February 27, 2024

AIS receiver and dispatcher ! The best ?!

Updated 2024-02-18

I found this amazing application,
 AIS-catcher, just scrolling around on Youtube and it includes "all" you need for an AIS receiver staying ashore or installed on a boat.

It is compatible with a wide range of Software Defined Radios (SDRs). These include RTL-SDR dongles (such as the ShipXplorer AIS dongle and RTL SDR Blog v4), AirSpy (Mini/R2/HF+), HackRF, SDRPlay, SoapySDR, and file/network input (ZMQ/RTL-TCP/SpyServer). 

February 12, 2024

Waveshare CAN hat with Signal K & OpenPlotter

Updated 2024-02-12

To get information from the NMEA 2000(N2K) network, to the RPi, I have been using Actisense NGT-1, for a long time, and later also the Yacht Devices YDWG 02 but now it was time for a Raspberry Pi(RPi) CAN hat(CH) from Waveshare(WS). WS have 3 different models but I picked the 2 channel isolated one.

It's recommended to use an isolated one which also is demanded for those interfaces which can be approved by the N2K group.

February 10, 2024

DMI forecast API for atmosphere, ocean and sea ice, free !

Updated 2024-02-10

DMI is the Danish Meteorological Institute and the
 Open Data API provides free and open access to DMI’s data.They are covering a pretty big area not just Denmark.

I'm maintaining the weather station for Domstens yacht club and have become really interested in weather "issues".

The actual use case for me is that I have to change the mooring, of our boat, if the water level exceeds 60 cm from normal. For several years I have been searching for a free forecast API so I can get an early warning when the water level rises.

Node-Red is used.

February 08, 2024

GRIB files and extracting data, Linux, Raspberry

Updated 2024-02-08

GRIB is a data format, used for meteorology, to store historical and forecast weather data. 

The use case for me was analyzing forecast data, from GRIB files, so an early warning could be rised before a high water level or coming storm appears. This could then be used at our weather site.

There are several applications, also ones that visualizes the data, but this post will handle how to extract data from files using command line.

January 20, 2024

AIS reciever for Raspberry Pi, 2 channel

Updated 2024-01-20 !! OK with Bookworm !!

This post covers the setup for a AIS, dual channel, receiver for Raspberry Pi(RPi) with systemd autostart.


I'm using the RTL-SDR dongle V3 with almost zero temperature drift or the even better NooElec NESDR Nano 3

AIS posts with charts/maps
Improve receiving range? Calibrate ! Instructions in this post

The best AIS application ? is found here !

January 03, 2024

SeaTalk1 to NMEA 0183 converter, DIY

Updated 2024-01-03 !  Not for RPi 5 !!

Thanks to Thomas, (the guy with the nice marine interface board)it's now possible to decode, one way, the SeaTalk1(ST1) sentences in a pretty simple way. You just use OpenPlotter(OP) and/or SignalK(SK) and an Optocoupler.

The thing that made it, is that Thomas has released a "how to" and Python source code, that will read the data from a GPIO pin on the Raspberry Pi, (RPi), and format it so the standard parser in SignalK can translate it to SignalK delta format. It is then available as NMEA 0183. It's even possible to send the data in to a NMEA 2000 network, with a proper hardware interface.

December 05, 2023

SDR calibrate with kalibrate-rtl

Updated 2023-12-05 !! OK, with Bookworm (32/64 bit) !!

To optimize the reception with SDR:s, Software Defined Radios, it is important to receive on the proper frequency. Due to variations in production there could be deviations.


The calibration could be done against standard GSM transmitters which are providing a stable reference frequency.

Another way is found in the AIS-catcher application and use the information supplied in the graphs "Frequency Shift". 

December 01, 2023

Signal K quick install

Updated 2023-12-01 !

I have got some questions installing, just, Signal K(SK) so will do a summary, on a Raspberry Pi, with links.

Signal K is the hub to receive data, from different devices in different data formats, and send it on to different equipment, or databases, in different formats. Most common for standard marine equipment are the old NMEA 0183 and the newer NMEA 2000 protocol which is also handled. 

Besides the SK "hub" function developers have created plugins for different purposes. This is due to that SK is open-source ! Sharing is caring !

In this post you can check the devices I'm using connected to the SK server and also my setup.

November 09, 2023

AIS receiver & dispatcher with OpenSeaMap

Updated 2023-11-09 !

The AIS posts on this blog have been very popular so this post will be a follow up which will enable You to show AIS targets, including AtoN:s, on OpenSeaMap, (OSM), together with buoys and beacons.


The application showing the map is SignalK, (SK) a OpenSource project for marine use. 

With the "ais-forwarder" plugin you could send/dispatch the NMEA AIS data to Marinetraffic or Vesselfinder. Another AIS-dispatcher.

The best AIS application ? is found here !

November 08, 2023

Raspberry Pi watchdog made simple

Updated 2023-11-08 for Bookworm !

The purpose of a watchdog timer(WD) is very well described here but a more practical answer is;

If your Raspberry Pi(RPi) "freezes", or hangs, it will automagically reboot within a very short time.

This is made with a combination of hardware and software which is all ready available, on the RPi, and just have to be enabled.

After some hours Googling and testing these are my findings !

November 06, 2023

NMEA WiFi gateway

WillhelmSK

Updated 2023-11-06 !

I have searched for a solution transmitting the NMEA data, from the navigation network, via WiFi, to for example iSailor or other Tablet/Phone applications.

Most of these applications just accepts NMEA0183(N1) but many boats are also using SeaTalk 1(ST1) and NMEA2000(N2K).

This post will cover, kept compact, my best findings covering both a DIY and a commercial approach to handle the different protocols.

November 05, 2023

SignalK, measuring temperature

Updated 2023-11-05 !

An introduction to the SignalK, Marine application, is given here.

A very easy way to measure temperature with Raspberry Pi, RPi, is to connect one wire (1W) DS18B20 (DS)temperature sensors direkt to the RPi GPIO.

Here You find a post where the temperatures are transfered via WiFi

November 04, 2023

AIS for Raspberry with Map, Dispatcher

Updated 2023-11-04, OK with Bookworm 32 bit !
Not Bookworm 64 Bit !

This is a setup, on a Raspberry Pi(RPi), with a software package, AIS Dispatcher, from http://www.aishub.net which includes
  • receiving and processing of all standard AIS messages
  • streaming raw AIS feeds to multiple destinations
  • advanced monitoring of device status, coverage and message statistics
  • embedded electronic map with all received vessels
The best AIS application ? is found here !

October 16, 2023

Understand/Install Openplotter/OpenCPN/SignalK, II

Updated 2023-10-16 !

This post is the second post explaining the purpose with, and quick/simple install instructions for, OpenPlotter(OP) and some other applications that can be installed with OP. 

The first post is found here and in this post we will proceed with the install of OpenCPN(OC).

OpenCPN
Install
In OP:s "Application Meny => Other => Settings" app,  mark "OpenCPN Installer" and click on "Install", at the upper right. 

October 15, 2023

Understand/Install Openplotter/OpenCPN/SignalK, I

Updated 2023-10-15 !

This post, additional posts will follow, will explain the purpose with, and quick/simple install instructions for, OpenPlotter(OP) and some other applications that can be installed with OP. 
  • OpenCPN(OC), is the plotter software where You navigate and handle charts 
  • SignalK(SK), is the software where all the sensor inputs are handled. Could be NMEA data or SK formated inputs
  • OpenPlotter(OP), is the administration shell where all is administrated and also handles these functions.

As You investigate the different software packages You will see that there are some overlap in the functions.


With OC 5.2 + there was several updates....

October 02, 2023

Bluetooth Beacon and Raspberry

Updated 2023-10-02 !

The latest models of Rasberry Pi, (RPi), comes with built in Bluetooth, (BT), so how to receive data from Your Bluetooth devices ?


A Bluetooth Beacon, could be a RuuvuTag, is a device that You don't have to pair with, You just scan and receive the data that they are transmitting.

Start with checking that Your BT interface is working, in a terminal windowtyping

hciconfig 

July 05, 2023

Teltonika router as security, burglar, alarm !

The use case was that we on our yacht have a security alarm which is using 2 G, service terminating during 2024 ?, so it was time to check for some other solution. 

Since several years we have used the very nice Teltonika RUT 240(TR) onboard which have served us very well. Knowing that this device have both a digital in and out I started to check if it could do the job ?? 

Googling didn't give any direct clues but the "Input/Output" handling together with "Profiles" changed with a SMS, "Mobile Utilities", is doing the job.

Please note that this setup could be done with any of the routers from Teltonika with I/O !!

June 30, 2023

Teltonika router as security, burglar, alarm

This post is made for test purposes and issues with Google indexing

The "real" post is found here !!

The use case was that we on our yacht have a security alarm which is using 2 G, service terminating during 2024 ?, so it was time to check for some other solution...........