:Author: Hamish Bowman
:Version: osgeo-live6.5
:License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported  (CC BY-SA 3.0)
:Copyright: 2011 by The OSGeo Foundation

.. image:: ../../images/project_logos/logo-opencpn.png
  :scale: 75 %
  :alt: project logo
  :align: right
  :target: http://www.opencpn.org

********************************************************************************
OpenCPN Quickstart 
********************************************************************************

OpenCPN is a concise Chart Plotter and Navigator (CPN). As always, never
use a piece of software or electronic equipment as your only means of
navigation and keep an eye out the window.


Running
================================================================================

Setting up your charts
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Before running OpenCPN on the LiveDVD you should activate the sample data.
This is a condition of redistributing NOAA's free nautical charts.
The first time you run OpenCPN from
the :menuselection:`Geospatial --> Navigation and Maps` menu or Desktop icon
you will be presented with the option to do this automatically.

.. To do this manually, open a Terminal from the main Accessories menu and
 run :command:`opencpn_noaa_agreement.sh` at the command prompt. The user's
 password is given in the file on the main desktop.

You can download additional US nautical charts from NOAA
at http://www.charts.noaa.gov


Setting up your GPS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you have a GPS connected you will want to start the gpsd service.
To do that run:

::

  sudo dpkg-reconfigure gpsd

and

::

  sudo /etc/init.d/gpsd start

BlueTooth GPS users should take special care to read up about the no-probe
option.

.. no longer true? : (for this reason we have not started gpsd automatically)


* '`xgps`' is a good program to check that Gpsd can see your GPS ok.


Documentation
================================================================================

* Documentation is available from
  the `Help menu <../../opencpn/help_en_US.html>`_, or
  online at http://www.opencpn.org/ocpn/opencpn_manual

*  `Getting started tips <../../opencpn/tips.html>`_


See also
================================================================================

Current weather and wave forecast data can be downloaded and draped over your
charts using the GRIB plugin. The :doc:`zyGrib software <../overview/zygrib_overview>`
(also on this disc) is an easy way to download that. See
the :doc:`zyGrib quickstart <../quickstart/zygrib_quickstart>` for details.
Enable the plugin from the right most tab of the OpenCPN configuration menu;
a new windsock icon will appear at the right end of the main toolbar.

If you saved the zyGrib file into your home directory, navigate
to :file:`/home` and select your ``user`` directory as the GRIB data directory.
Then right click on the file listing's background to show hidden files, including
the ``.zygrib`` directory that contains the GRIB download files.

There is no need to uncompress the file.  Click on the ">" to the left of
the filename and select from the list of available forecast times.