PassagePlus Version History
PassagePlus v1.7.0: 30 September 2009 [NEW] PassagePlus is now compatible with the ARCS Navigator chart service. So users of ARCS charts can now choose either the Skipper or the Navigator service (or both). [IMPROVED] Improved the responsiveness of Chart Manager operations. [IMPROVED] Reduced the memory footprint when there is a large number of charts. [IMPROVED] Improved the user experience when entering a serial number. [IMPROVED] If a GPS or AIS connection disappears unexpectedly (eg, unplugging without switching off, or a faulty cable), PassagePlus now waits 20 seconds to see if it reappears before cleaning up. PassagePlus v1.6.9: 8 July 2009 Reduced the time needed to load new chart permits. The benefit is increasingly noticeable as the number of permits increases beyond a few dozen. Improvements to AIS: - Fixed a bug introduced in Version 1.6.7 which caused the information displayed when rolling over an AIS target to be identical, regardless of which target was rolled over. - When the table of AIS targets updates, the table now scrolls, if necessary, to keep the selected target visible in the list. - Added a few more countries to the list of recognised ship registration countries. PassagePlus v1.6.8: 29 June 2009 Rollover labels for routepoints and trackpoints now include the name of the route or track in question, making it easier to distinguish one route or track from another. [Remember that routes and tracks can be renamed to something more meaningful than their default names.] When a waypoint or routepoint is dragged, the rollover label now moves with it, updating continuously. Also the crosshair cursor is maintained throughout the drag. Thus, precise positioning is easier. Showing and hiding archived tracks has been made more intuitive. Fixed a bug (introduced in v1.6.7) that could cause PassagePlus to crash when a waypoint or routepoint was dragged in a particular way. Other minor improvements. PassagePlus v1.6.7: 19 June 2009 Improved flexibility of manual fixes and the editing of tracks and logs: - Fixes can now be made retrospectively and will be inserted into the current track in the correct chronological sequence. - Trackpoints can now be deleted by hovering over the relevant point on the graphic of a track (current or archived) and pressing Delete. Press Shift beforehand to activate the hover feature. - Trackpoints and segments can now be deleted from the current track or an archived track in the Library or Archive repectively. - Log entries can now be deleted from the current log or an archived log in the Library or Archive repectively. - Log entries can now be added retrospectively in either the current log or an archived log. The boat's position, course and speed at the time are initially estimated by interpolation of the track being recorded at that time (if any), and these estimates can be edited. Addressed the situation where, for a user of the Seafarer RNC Update service, it might not be possible to load a new version of a chart if that version first appears on a Chart CD rather than on an Update CD. PassagePlus v1.6.4: 18 May 2009 Various improvements to AIS: - To reduce clutter, the user can now clear the graphics of moving ships that have not been seen for some time. - Tracks now disappear when the AIS is switched off. - Track tails now continue to be trimmed even if there is no data being received on the AIS (eg, if it loses power). - A ship's destination is now included in the displayed data, if known. - Improved the descriptions of ship types and removed an overlap of descriptions for ships and aids-to-navigation. - Improved the country identification for MMSI codes that are not ships (eg, groups of ships, coast stations). - Added a few more countries to the list of recognised ship registration countries. PassagePlus v1.6.2: 27 January 2009 Added preferences for the size of AIS icons and our boat's icon. Improvements to serial ports preferences panel. An AIS projected track is now shown if a ship is moving at more than 0.25kts even if it is claiming to be moored, anchored or aground. Exported log files now show decimal positions in degrees rather than seconds. PassagePlus v1.6.1: 11 December 2008 Opening a chart by keying in its number now works again (broke it in v1.6). A warning is now given on launch if the serial number will expire in less than 31 days. Other minor changes to the handling of serial numbers. Minor changes to the handling of certain kinds of AIS message. PassagePlus v1.6.0: 1 August 2008 PassagePlus is now compatible with Seafarer RNC charts, the official raster charts of Australian waters. Both the 'Chart' and 'Update' services are supported. Four Seafarer charts have also been added to the demo charts collection. NZMariner charts and updates are now available to download free of charge at LINZ's website (http://www.hydro.linz.govt.nz/charts/raster-navcharts/index.asp). PassagePlus supports loading the charts/updates from the downloaded folder (unzip the .zip file first). ARCS and Seafarer charts are still delivered on CD. However, PassagePlus now supports loading charts and updates from hard disc if you first copy the CD to your hard disc. Some people may find this more convenient than inserting CD's during the install/update process. The actual process runs far more quickly, and copying the CD to hard disc provides a form of quick-access backup. Chart permits can now be removed completely. The deleted permits are archived, and you can selectively restore permits from the archive. This is sometimes helpful if you are having problems with the chart portfolio and need to reinstall permits in a logical order. The Chart Manager now has a search field allowing the chart list to be filtered down to just those containing the search string. An entire chart service (eg, ARCS Skipper, NZMariner, etc) can also be hidden. Opening a chart now splashes a message if it appears that charts need updating. When scrolling the chart with the boat, the boat no longer has to be centred in the window. The user can drag the chart to put the boat wherever he likes. User-defined datum shifts can now be input for charts that don't have built-in shift information. There are still a few such charts in the ARCS and Seafarer RNC collections (none in NZMariner). This feature makes it possible to use GPS position plotting on such panels, although the plotted position will of course only be as accurate as the user's estimated shift. The Chart Browser now shows both large scale and small scale charts when a 1-degree square is clicked. It still shows only small scale charts when a 10-degree square is clicked. Added code to reject as spurious points output by a GPS if both lat and lon are within one metre of zero degrees (it appears some GPS's may occasionally output a spurious zero north zero east position). Improved CD handling in various 'cancel' or 'wrong CD inserted' situations. Fixed a problem where dashed gaps between track segments could be drawn in the wrong position on panels whose datum is not WGS84. Fixed a bug inadvertently introduced in v1.5 that caused a dragged bearing to leave drawing vestiges. Fixed a bug that caused the Notices to Mariners window to malfunction. PassagePlus now cleans up gracefully if the user inadvertently unplugs a GPS or AIS unit from the computer while the service is running. The field in the Open Chart window now accepts lower case letters for chart numbers. The chart installation/update window now hides when PassagePlus is not at the front. Improved the wording of many of the error messages. Various other minor improvements. PassagePlus v1.5.0: 17 January 2008 Added AIS support, an important safety feature enabling the tracking of ships, aids to navigation and other broadcasters of AIS data. This is particularly valuable for those who sail in busy waters. Improvements to: - archived tracks feature, - artificial time feature, - handling of serial ports, - variety of supported GPS devices. Various bug fixes. PassagePlus v1.4.3: 3 August 2007 Improvements to the Related Charts panel. The panel now shrinks to fit the window width where there is a large number of related charts (common for NZMariner users). Also added an option to filter Related Charts to those above a certain scale. Thus, very small scale charts (such as the World chart) that are unlikely to be needed often can be excluded to reduce clutter. The threshold scale can be set in Preferences. A button allows the full list to be shown whenever needed. Chart Browser now works with NZMariner charts. When measuring a bearing & distance, distance is now shown to 2 decimal places if less than 10M, 1dp if more. For first time demo user, one of the demo charts is now automatically opened at first launch rather than leaving the user to work out how to do it. PassagePlus v1.4.2: 11 January 2007 Fixed certain problems relating to demo charts. NOTE: Also fixed a data error in the Demo Charts set of 8 September 2006 which caused demo charts not to display in the Related Charts panel. Demo users should download the new set dated 11 January 2007 from http://www.windvector.com/Downloads.html. PassagePlus v1.4.1: 10 January 2007 Added filter search for tables of waypoints, routes, tracks and logs. Improved robustness when reading GPS data. Other minor fixes and improvements. PassagePlus v1.4.0: 29 October 2006 PassagePlus is now compatible with NZMariner charts. IMPORTANT: because NZMariner chart permits are stored on the CD, PassagePlus cannot open NZMariner charts unless either the Update CD or the Charts CD was issued after October 2006. PassagePlus v1.3.4: 17 October 2006 Improvements to archived tracks, recent charts menus and undo. Various fixes and other minor improvements. PassagePlus v1.3.3: 11 October 2006 Maintenance release fixing certain minor issues. PassagePlus v1.3.1: 9 September 2006 Maintenance release fixing several issues relating to Estimated Position fixes and making various other minor improvements. NOTE: Users using the demo charts should download the revised set (uploaded to the site on 8 September 2006). This is not essential but does mean that the Related Charts feature will work correctly and the yellow warning triangle in the Related Charts panel will disappear. PassagePlus v1.3: 2 September 2006 First public release since v1.2.1. Changes since 1.2.1: Tide vectors are now shown visually at diamonds. Updated every one minute. When using course-to-steer or dead reckoning, the nearest diamond is highlighted. Dead Reckoning can now use tidal diamond data, if available. At each updating of the position, the nearest tidal diamond is determined. Estimated Position fix can also now use tidal diamond data, if available. Course-to-Steer function now determines the closest tidal diamond at each point along the leg. Previously a single diamond was used for the entire leg. Course-to-steer will now warn when a proposed course is impossible at the chosen boat speed because the tide is too strong. Can now set an artificial time for the purposes of tidal planning. Works for course-to-steer, estimated position fixes and dead reckoning. The supposed time is permanently displayed in a warning label when this option is on, and is updated every one minute. Can now take a manual fix even when GPS or Dead Reckoning are active. Under GPS, the fix is for information only and will not be added to the track. Under Dead Reckoning, if the fix is confirmed it will be added to the track and Dead Reckoning will continue from that position. [Note that an Estimated Position fix is not possible when GPS or dead reckoning are active; it must be either by clicking on the chart or by taking bearings.] Can now specify whether E/W and N/S are positive when entering positions. Contextual menu now allows related charts to be shown for whatever point the mouse is at, rather than only for the latest position. This display is 'held' for 10 seconds, after which a track update (from GPS or DR) will cause it to revert to displaying related charts at the latest position. Various problems have been fixed, particularly a number of redrawing issues, and other improvements made. PassagePlus v1.2.1: 15 August 2006 A maintenance release dealing with certain minor issues: Related charts matrix now deals properly with situations where there are no related charts. Related chart thumbnails now have their black edges trimmed off as far as possible. 'Start Dead Reckoning from here' now triggered by a button on the fix label rather than a sheet. Other minor improvements. PassagePlus v1.2: 11 August 2006 Added a window displaying thumbnails of all charts intersecting the current position. The list is constantly updated as the boat moves and is sorted by chart scale. The window can be minimised. It automatically opens when a new chart comes into the list or when you sail off the current chart. Clicking a thumbnail opens that chart. This function thus allows one-click access to all charts relevant to your current position. [Note: To ensure this works properly with multi-panel charts you need to use the Chart Manager to remove all charts and reinstall them (so that the program can store certain chart metadata that were previously not used). We apologise for this one-off inconvenience. If you are unable to reinstall your charts at the moment, the function still works in restricted mode, and a yellow warning triangle is displayed in the window to remind you to reinstall them when you can.] Various other minor improvements. PassagePlus v1.1.5: 28 July 2006 Magnetic headings are now corrected for compass deviation. An estimate is now provided (where appropriate) of the time required to reach a given waypoint/routepoint. User can now create details of any number of vessels and choose one as the current vessel. To assist with the above two features, vessel details include a compass deviation table and the vessel's tacking angle. Various other minor improvements. PassagePlus v1.1.4: 19 July 2006 Added the option of automatic checking for PassagePlus updates. A fix can now be confirmed by clicking a button on the fix label (or by clicking the 'Confirm' button on the panel as before). The 'Latest Recorded Position' label now moves with the vessel. The red 'Close Window' button on the main window has been disabled to prevent accidentally quitting the application. Fixed a drawing error that could occur when scrolling the chart in such a way as to move a position label off the screen. Fixed a bug that prevented displaying the cursor position on the Source Data Diagram. Fixed a bug that generated error messages when the user attempted to drag a bearing into the Source Data Diagram. PassagePlus v1.1.3: 17 July 2006 Added the option of displaying the vessel's projected position in n minutes' time. The number n can be set in Preferences. PassagePlus v1.1.2: 11 July 2006 Added a Preferences setting for flow control on the GPS serial connection, which may help with certain GPS units that were unable to connect. By default it is set to 'None'. If the GPS will not connect, try changing it to 'Hardware'. PassagePlus v1.1.1: 11 July 2006 Added a GPS Monitor allowing the user to view the NMEA output from the GPS, which may help troubleshoot GPS connections. Added a Preferences setting for the number of stop bits on the GPS serial connection, which may help with certain GPS units that were unable to connect. By default it is set to 1. If the GPS will not connect, try changing it to 2. Corrected a problem introduced in v1.1 where a newly-created track might not be visible until another chart was opened or the application relaunched. PassagePlus v1.1: 7 July 2006 Archived tracks can now be displayed on the chart. Each track can be given its own colour. Logs (including archived logs) can now be exported as comma-separated values (CSV) files. These can be imported into spreadsheet or database applications (or Google Spreadsheets) where they can be edited, formatted and printed. Reinstated centring of the latest track position on the chart when 'Scroll' is selected. When 'Scroll' is not selected, centring occurs only when the position would otherwise not be visible. Archived tracks and logs can now be deleted. Undo/Redo menu items now say what they're going to undo/redo. Menus revamped. 'Tools' menu split into 'Navigate', 'Data' and 'Info' menus. 'Appearance' menu renamed 'View'. Fixed a permissions problem that prevented PassagePlus from launching for any user other than the one who installed it. Fixed a bug where, in certain circumstances, creating a new log would not archive the old one. Fixed a bug where GPX import or export would work for waypoints and routes but not for tracks. Also fixed a couple of formatting errors in GPX exports and a time zone issue in GPX imports. PassagePlus v1.0.4: 28 June 2006 Emergency button now creates a waypoint at the emergency position (if known). 'Find' commands now make the routes and waypoints visible if they were hidden. Waypoints panel is now sorted alphabetically. Manual log entries now pre-enter the last recorded position. The 'Show Updated Tiles' option (Chart Info panel) now remains in effect when a new chart is opened. PassagePlus v1.0.3: 26 June 2006 When shifting from WGS84 to local datum or vice versa, the longitude shift was erroneously being applied to both latitude and longitude. This is now fixed. Addressed a problem where if, for a given chart, tidal diamonds were entered for the first time and the Tides window closed and then reopened, the tidal diamond data would be erased. Addressed a problem where if no chart-specific information had ever previously been saved, tidal diamond data would be erased when switching charts or quitting and relaunching. Addressed a problem where the time zone of reference ports was not being correctly picked up from the reference port table and was defaulting to the user's time zone. Addressed a problem where the HW-6 tidal stream was not being used when required and was instead being set as HW-5. In the reference port sheet, springs and neaps tidal ranges are no longer misleadingly always shown as being in metres (when they might in fact be in feet or fathoms). Fixed problem where a dragged bearing/distance line would not display if routes and waypoints were hidden. Dragging a bearing/distance line now autoscrolls the chart when necessary, as expected. Fixed a problem where creating a waypoint in a position where another waypoint is already highlighted would result in the new waypoint being created at 0°N 0°E. Waypoints/routepoints are no longer highlighted when PassagePlus is in the background (ie, not the active application). PassagePlus v1.0.2: 17 May 2006 Help made prettier. PassagePlus v1.0.1: 14 May 2006 Basic form of Help added to Help menu—an HTML version of the User Guide. A prettier looking version will be added later. PassagePlus v1.0.0: 13 May 2006 First full release.http://www.hydro.linz.govt.nz/charts/raster-navcharts/index.asphttp://www.windvector.com/Downloads.htmlshapeimage_3_link_0shapeimage_3_link_1