Set up the Unified download .iso for easy OpenCPN use.
Save to PDF
Right.. I suggest with Windows, you get OpenCPN all set up first
Forget all the other nav programs for the moment, get started with this guide to mounting the virtual drive with a stable drive letter. OpenCPN is good all round, quilts charts nicely, image quality OK if set up correctly. You are using the downloaded Unified Charts (iso image/ virtual DVD ) for this exercise, NOT the USB version.
After the one time activating the virtual drive:
Step 1: Using your file explorer...Make sure the iso image is NOT mounted as a drive. (If there right click the virtual drive and eject). Find the .iso image you downloaded from us, and move it somewhere you can find it easily..like your desktop.
Step 2: Download and install winCDemu : https://wincdemu.sysprogs.org/download/ This will help a lot down the line. Once installed, click on the downloaded .iso image you found and kept handy in Step 1. WinCDemu will offer to mount the drive. Choose drive letter "V" for VMH, and important..choose to mount the virtual drive on each startup (as drive V). Now check your drives, and make sure it's there as Drive V. Open Drive V, look at contents, and find RunMe.exe (not autorun). Right click that and make a shortcut to it on your desktop.
Step 3: Test the RunMe shortcut on your desktop. It should run the full startup seuquence where you have the EULA and click the "I Agree" bit. Next window will open offereing to install qtVlm. Just close that. Now shut down you machine and restart. We are now testing to see if the drive has been automatically mounted as drive V on startup. Test by clicking the RunMe shortcut as above, should have same result.
What we've done here is to make sure the drive is mounted in a fixed location on every startup, and very importantly, you can easily do the unlocking sequence (RunMe) before trying to use OpenCPN or the other programs (other than qtVlm which uses a different system) This will make future use straightforwards.
Step 4: With the charts unlocked, by running the RunMe startup sequence, (and closing the window offereing to install qtVlm), you are ready to set up OpenCPN to look in drive V for it's charts. Step 3 on this page.. scroll to the OpenCPN bit and set chart directories & full database rebuild:
Zoom in and out in OpenCPN, make sure you can see the charts.
Final step: Adjust image quality. making sure OpenGL mode is checked, and experimenting with the raster quilt levels to suit your screen.
Once you are happy with image quality and chart quilting levels, that's about it. No more messing about. Your normal start up sequence will be:
1: start machine.
2: Do the RunMe shortcut and go through the startup sequence.
3: Start OpenCPN and use. Charts will remain useable till you shut down machine.
This all sounds complicated, but once it's intially set up as above and tested, daily use just involves the 3 steps above.