“Navigatrix was created to provide a functional, portable, and nearly indestructible set of electronic tools for the cruiser who is offshore.

However, right now, Navigatrix.net has nothing on it. Therefore I wrestled Navigatrix out of the hands of the developer, La Ventosa, and present the pre-release release of Navigatrix-0.21_wadda.iso .  It is available for the bold and the daring.

It contains:

• Opencpn for electronic chart navigation and planning;
• Gnuais, pre-compiled, configured, and transparent for easy reception and display of AIS information with an easily modified VHF radio.
• WxTide32 for display of tides and currents at hundreds of locations around the world.
• Airmail for a packet modem to send and receive email via HF radio
• Hamfax for sound card and packet modem reception of weather faxes via HF radio.
• Stellarium, a planetarium software that shows exactly what you see when you look up at the stars where are.
• Battery monitor so you know the state of your battery
• Operating and file system for near bullet proof operation.
• Fluxbox, a fast small light weight window manager.
• Personal area for private data, emails, waypoints, etc..

With the exception of Stellarium this pre-release release contains the bare bones electronic tools most cruisers use when they are off shore. More can, and might be added later. Everything fits on a bootable 4 gig USB stick or flash card.

• It works by booting your computer from the USB stick, or flash card.
• It works if your current system is corrupt and inoperable.
• It works if your hard drive doesn’t. (It turns off the hard drive while the computer is running to save wear, tear and electricity.)
• Everything should be pre-configured so you just plug in your GPS or radio(s).

Reboot without the stick/card and the your old computer doesn’t even know what happened.

Windows users can create their own Navigatrix system with the pre-release release of Navigatrix USB Installer.   This installer is download with the pre-release release Navigatrix-0.21_wadda.iso and placed in the same directory.

Since the Installer is the pre-release version not everything is working.  You will have to rename the system file navigatrix.iso for it to work.

Double click the installer and you will find Steps 1 and 2 are already done.  For Step 3 select the USB stick; Select  “Create”; wipe off the sweat on your brow and crack open a cold one.

Those who use a Linux distribution should be able download Navigatrix-0.21_wadda.iso and use any of the “Live” or “startup” USB creators that come with your distribution.  They should…  The Navigatrix Installer doesn’t work with Wine because it is a pre-release release.

After the stick is created, load your charts under the pre-created ‘maps’ directory (or point Opencpn to where you’ve put them); boot to the device, and give it a try.

In the meantime test it out and send your comments to navigatrix@wadda.org , or post them on your favorite forum.  Make a clone of Navigatrix for a friend using the handy-dandy “Make a copy for a friend” function at the bottom of the menu…pssst, it’s behind the little GO button in the corner.

In the future, when things get running on Navigatrix.net, it will have current releases and a way to exchange information to improve the distribution that should be useful to cruisers. But remember…there are no guarantees.”

From: http://www.wadda.org/ via  Cruisers Network Online Yahoo Group