What does the LoranGPS program do?
This program helps fishermen organize their Loran and GPS fishing spot data
accumulated over many years and many trips. With it, you can print a new book of waypoints
whenever you need to. It has routines for organizing, displaying, printing,
plotting, and planning that will make your wealth of waypoints work better for you.
Some of the features of the program are:
Conversion - The program can convert waypoints (readings)
from any Loran chain including old A and C chains to Lat/Lon (GPS) and can convert
GPS waypoints to Loran TDs. You can precision calibrate the conversions for the
highest possible accuracy. Calibration uses your local knowledge to adjust the
correction factors for best results.
GPS Interfacing
- Upload and Download the waypoints stored in a variety of GPS units
via memory card transfer or cable connection. Handles Furuno, Garmin,
Lowrance, Magellan, NorthStar, Raymarine, Simrad, and Standard Horizon.
It can handle the C-Map proprietary format used by several GPS models.
Requires a suitable memory card reader for your PC or a cable (not
supplied) connecting your GPS to the PC. This capability allows you to
move waypoints between GPS brands and models. So, when you buy a new
GPS, you can move all your waypoints to the new one and have a hard
copy of the data in the GPS. You can also synchronize waypoints between
multiple GPSs in your fishing fleet.
Organizing - You can rearrange the data by sorting waypoints on
any field. Double clicking on a spreadsheet column header will sort the file by that field.
Display
- by list or chart - Displays file data on the screen in list
(spreadsheet) form with Lat/Lon, Loran TDs, and/or Range/Bearing. Also
displays the file data graphically on the screen as charts with Lat/Lon lines, Loran
lines, waypoints, and a coastline. You can display or
print on NOAA charts encoded in the BSB format. The display is
designed to efficiently use the whole screen to give you the most data
at one time, (but you can shrink it).
Printing - Print a book to take out with you. You can specify
which data fields to print and in what order on a printed list. You can also print
maps and charts along with a list of the waypoints that fall within the borders of
the map. If you have downloaded or uploaded a file from or to your GPS, you can
print a list and charts that match what is in the GPS.
Mapping - You can create a set of maps of specific areas that you want
to print every time you re-work your book. Maps can be made for any size area and
with or without Loran or Lat/Lon lines. Maps are saved as map files for ready
retrieval. Maps can be printed in batches for convenience and can be either landscape
or portrait orientation.
Plan Trips - You can plan trips by selecting waypoints from the
file. The Trip Plan shows the range and bearing from each waypoint to the next and
can be saved as a file and/or printed.
Search - Rapidly find waypoints by key words, phrases, or numbers.
Split/Combine/Merge Files
- Files can be split along Lat/Lon, Loran, or Range/Bearing boundaries.
Large files can be split into smaller files or small files can be
combined or merged into larger files.
Merge Duplicates - Identifies duplicate and near duplicate
waypoints so that they may be combined or eliminated.
Track Plotting - If you connect the computer to the GPS, you
can plot your present position on the big screen and see where you are and your
track. Requires a cable connecting your GPS to the PC.
Storage - Stores waypoints in files of up to 32,000 waypoints.
Each waypoint includes fields for Name, Latitude and Longitude, Loran TDs, Rating,
Description, Depth, Date Code, Comments, Icon, a symbol and a color.