StarPilot-PC

General program design features... that save time, keystrokes, and minimize errors

  • Easy to use menu-driven interface
  • Stored settings of commonly used values
  • All bodies and star names stored internally, no need for separate lists
  • DR functions integrated with the celestial functions
  • Convenient DR updating by log or time
  • Input courses as true or magnetic
  • Convenient time input, with or without zone description and watch error
  • Plots LOPS, Fixes, DR positions, and Star maps
  • Program can be easily updated to incorporate latest version and features
  • Custom menu bar for quick navigation to often-used functions

Sight Planning
  • Sunrise, Sunset, times and bearings (amplitudes)
  • LAN, time, Equation of time, Hs max at LAN
    • 1
  • Nautical and Civil twilight times, and LHA Aries at midpoint between them
  • Moonrise, Moonset, Moon phase, and Moon age
  • Precompute specific values of Hc and Zn for any body
  • Planet and Star ID by observed height and bearing
  • SIGHT PLANNER function plots full sky showing moon, stars, and planets in radar-like display of heights and bearings. Set Hc min/max and max# of stars before computation. Set cursor and click to read the actual height and bearing of a plotted body.
  • Special fast almanac mode allows full sky plot in less than 5 minutes (instantaneous in the PC version)
  • Display internal list of 173 stars by name, brightness, and location
  • Unique BEST SIGHTS function selects the optimum triads of sights for any sky (89 and PC only)

Sight Reduction
  • Optional modes for sequential sights using repeated settings or unrelated individual sights
  • Perpetual almanac accurate to 2100+
  • Historically accurate almanac data to 16th century
  • Sight reduction of Sun, Moon, Mars, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn... plus Mercury!
  • Sight Reduction of 173 stars plus Polaris
  • "Assumed positions" read directly from DR section without extra input
  • View intercepts (a-values) with or without course and speed corrections
  • Full input data displayed with results to check for errors
  • Special center-body mode for artifical horizon data
  • Dip-short mode for practice at shorelines

Celestial Fixes
  • Unique SIGHT ANALYZER fits a sequence of sights to the right slope for optimum sight selection
  • All fixes corrected automatically for course and speed as needed
  • Fix accuracy independent of DR accuracy in all cases
  • Plots LOPS with live cursor position display
  • Fix computed by USNO algorithm in the Nautical Almanac
  • Zoom in on plot to see where computed fix is located
  • Fix can be obtained by graphic selection from the LOP plot
  • Automatic display of DR-to-Fix range and bearing
  • Optional automatic update of DR after fix
  • Display new course and distance to stored destination

Special Celestial Functions
  • Latitude and Longitude by Meridian passage
  • Latitude by Polaris sighting
  • High precision Azimuth of Polaris for surveying or compass checks
  • Recover lost GMT using unique Lunar distance analyzer
  • Compass calibration via sun shadow method — or ship's pelorus
  • Sight reduction by external almanac data — bypasses internal almanac for literal checking of text book problems.

Route planning utilities
  • Rhumbline course and distance with automatic comparision to GC
  • Great circle course and distance
  • Great circle waypoints
  • Composite sailing track — latitude limited great circle route
  • Traverse Table computations
  • DR computations by speed and time or by log readings
  • Long-distance ETA computes local time and date of arrival, accounting for zone time changes and intermediate bunkering times
  • Distance outputs to 2 decimal places for DGPS comparisons

Piloting utilities
  • Distance off by vertical sextant angle — horizon to top
  • Distance off by vertical sextant angle — base to top
  • Distance off by vertical sextant angle — base to horizon
  • Distance off by two bow angles and distance run
  • Geographic Range computer
  • Numerical solutions to running fixes (PC only)
  • Numerical solutions to 3-point sextant fixes for high precision piloting (PC only)

Current Sailings
  • Find COG and SOG — from course and speed plus set and drift
  • Find course to steer — to make given COG, given set, drift, and speed
  • Find set and drift — from COG and SOG and course and speed
  • Find course to steer and speed — for given ETA across current

Miscellaneous Utilities
  • Convenient Speed-time-distance computer
  • Find true wind from apparent wind
  • Interpolate Tide height between highs and lows
  • Interpolate Current speed between peak and slack
  • Compute magnetic variation for any date and location

[CLOSE WINDOW]