I've run across a few threads where I think people might like to print out their sectional charts. There are likely many ways to do this.
I'm a civil engineer that works daily with CAD and GIS, so we are pretty good at finding the simplest and freest ways of doing things.
However, I am definitely curious at how others do this.
So if you wanted to make an image (jpg, png whatever) of an arbitrary area of the sectional charts (wide and terminal area), here is my process:
1) download the free MOBAC tool from Mobile Atlas Creator (MOBAC)
I'm a windows user, but it runs on linux and OSX also. Go down to the Download title, and pick the Latest Stable Version link. Unzip that.
2) Run MOBAC, its the Mobile Atlas Creator.exe. You don't "install" the program, it just runs. You may have to get an update on the java runtime engine though, do that.
3) Set image source to Chartbundle US Sectional Charts on pane in upper left.
4) Zoom with mouse to area desired (pan wigh right click drag) and drag a window over the area you want. ANY area. Whole state of Texas if you want.
5) Pick zoom level for the image, look at the tiles count listed. You want about 1k to 2k tiles for most purposes. I start with highest zoom level and go down. Only have one level checked at a time or you are doing two levels at once.
6) Change the Atlas Content window by picking new, and then OziExplorer format (png and map).
7) Pick Add Selection to add your area to the todo list
8) pick Create Atlas. It will make the png in your documents folder, and you can convert to jpg or anything as desired using GIMP, photoshop, paint....
Once you do that once, you can do different areas by:
1) delete the item under your atlas. Keep the atlas there, its the blue sphere item.
2) select a different area and zoom level as desired.
3) Pick Add selection
4) pick create atlas.
Now, for fun, notice you can change the map source to Terminal Area Charts, ESRI sattelite, and others. They are all online image sources anyone can use.
I can post the code to add google earth there too. It does not come with the download, as google made them take it out.
Its perfectly legal though, just like using google earth is, if you stay within their 2gb or so daily limit per person.
I bet QGIS could hook to those sources too. I do that for google earth all the time.
Thx
I'm a civil engineer that works daily with CAD and GIS, so we are pretty good at finding the simplest and freest ways of doing things.
However, I am definitely curious at how others do this.
So if you wanted to make an image (jpg, png whatever) of an arbitrary area of the sectional charts (wide and terminal area), here is my process:
1) download the free MOBAC tool from Mobile Atlas Creator (MOBAC)
I'm a windows user, but it runs on linux and OSX also. Go down to the Download title, and pick the Latest Stable Version link. Unzip that.
2) Run MOBAC, its the Mobile Atlas Creator.exe. You don't "install" the program, it just runs. You may have to get an update on the java runtime engine though, do that.
3) Set image source to Chartbundle US Sectional Charts on pane in upper left.
4) Zoom with mouse to area desired (pan wigh right click drag) and drag a window over the area you want. ANY area. Whole state of Texas if you want.
5) Pick zoom level for the image, look at the tiles count listed. You want about 1k to 2k tiles for most purposes. I start with highest zoom level and go down. Only have one level checked at a time or you are doing two levels at once.
6) Change the Atlas Content window by picking new, and then OziExplorer format (png and map).
7) Pick Add Selection to add your area to the todo list
8) pick Create Atlas. It will make the png in your documents folder, and you can convert to jpg or anything as desired using GIMP, photoshop, paint....
Once you do that once, you can do different areas by:
1) delete the item under your atlas. Keep the atlas there, its the blue sphere item.
2) select a different area and zoom level as desired.
3) Pick Add selection
4) pick create atlas.
Now, for fun, notice you can change the map source to Terminal Area Charts, ESRI sattelite, and others. They are all online image sources anyone can use.
I can post the code to add google earth there too. It does not come with the download, as google made them take it out.
Its perfectly legal though, just like using google earth is, if you stay within their 2gb or so daily limit per person.
I bet QGIS could hook to those sources too. I do that for google earth all the time.
Thx
