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Frequently Asked Questions
How can I get a pre-release of Coastal Explorer on CD? 1
When will the real version of Coastal Explorer be available, and where can I get it? 1
What are the system requirements for Coastal Explorer? 1
When I try to start Coastal Explorer, I’m told Uxtheme.dll is missing. What’s the problem? 2
Why can’t I run Coastal Explorer on Windows 95, 98, or ME? 2
Will Coastal Explorer run on a Macintosh with Virtual PC? 2
How can I get Coastal Explorer to display my raster charts? 3
Getting Coastal Explorer
How can I get a pre-release of Coastal Explorer on CD?
Sorry, the Coastal Explorer Pre-Release is no longer available. However, the real product will be available soon!
Coastal Explorer is available now for $300! We are working with major boat stores and electronic chart retailers to ensure that Coastal Explorer will be available just about everywhere you might think to look. For now, however, you can only get it from us. Click here to order your copy!
Getting Started
What are the system requirements for Coastal Explorer?
We like to say “If it runs Windows 2000 or Windows XP, it’ll run Coastal Explorer.”
You will need between 50 and 250 MB available on your hard drive to install Coastal Explorer, depending on the options you choose in the Setup Wizard. The charts you install will take up more hard drive space as well. Chart space requirements vary from 100 KB to 2 MB or more per chart based on the type of chart, area covered, amount of detail in the chart, etc. If you start with 400 MB of hard drive space available, you should have plenty of room for a complete installation of Coastal Explorer and a pretty large collection of charts.
As with most programs, the more memory you have, the faster Coastal Explorer will be. Displaying raster and/or photo charts uses significantly more memory than displaying vector charts. We have tested Coastal Explorer on systems with as little as 128 MB of memory without any problems, but 512 MB or more will really speed things up.
Coastal Explorer was designed to work best with a display resolution of 1024x768, but may be used at 800x600 or any higher resolution. Coastal Explorer should be used with the color resolution set to Medium (16-bit) or higher; the display will not work correctly in a 256-color display mode.
This unfortunate message usually means that you are trying to install Coastal Explorer on a Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows ME computer. Coastal Explorer cannot be used with these operating systems as it requires Windows 2000 or Windows XP.
The pre-release version of Coastal Explorer that is available on CD-ROM requires Windows XP and this message indicates (albeit indirectly) that you are trying to use it in Windows 2000. A Windows 2000 version of Coastal Explorer is now available; please go to http://coastalexplorer.net/FAQ/Windows2000.htm for this update.
Why can’t I run Coastal Explorer on Windows 95, 98, or ME?
Because we want Coastal Explorer to be the most reliable navigation system available, we require a reliable platform such as Windows 2000 or Windows XP. We do not feel that previous versions of the Windows operating system are reliable enough to use for something as critical as navigation.
Will Coastal Explorer run on a Macintosh with Virtual PC?
We’ve heard that it does… Your mileage may vary. We cannot offer you any Macintosh-specific support at this time, since we don’t have a Macintosh.
How do I show a chart? All I see is the statement "No charts are available for this area or scale."
In Coastal Explorer, and just about any other charting software that will "quilt" charts together on one screen, charts are included in the display based on area and scale you have set on the screen and the area and scale of the charts. Obviously charts must be placed in the right location or they won't line up with each other. Less obvious is the fact that the charts must only appear on the screen when the viewing scale is not too different from the scale the charts were originally designed for. If it were not for this "rule" then zooming in or out would cause the charts to get scrunched or stretched to the point of not being useful.
The message you are seeing refers to the fact that the area and scale you are viewing is not covered by any charts on your system. The area and scale would be most of North America when the program first starts up. In order to see your charts, you must zoom in closer to an area that has coverage.
To do this, first make sure the Chart Outlines option on the View menu is checked. This will show a blue outline for each chart you have.
Next, make sure you are using the Select Tool (the button on the toolbar that has a dotted box at the end of a cursor arrow; this will already be selected unless you have selected another tool).
Next you can draw a box around the area you want to see, for example the Pacific Northwest. Draw the box by pressing the left mouse button at one corner, move the mouse to the opposite corner, and let go of the mouse button.
Now click the mouse inside the box you've drawn, this will cause Coastal Explorer to zoom to the area you draw the box around. You can keep doing this until you are looking at the area you are interested in.
You can also zoom in and out using the + and - keys on your keyboard, the sliding control on the toolbar, or the wheel on your mouse if it has one. You can move the chart around by pressing the Arrow Keys on your keyboard, or by moving the mouse near the edge of the chart (where the cursor will turn into a fat arrow), and pressing the left mouse button.
How can I get Coastal Explorer to display my raster charts?
First you need to make sure Coastal Explorer “knows” about them. To do this, start Coastal Explorer and click Tools > Options > Charts > Chart Folders… and make sure the folders containing your raster charts are listed (using the Add… button if necessary). If you are not sure where your raster charts are located, press the Full Scan button to have Coastal Explorer search your entire computer.
If your raster charts were copied to your computer by another navigation program, such as one from Nobeltec, then your charts might not have been completely installed. Some other programs will only copy part of each raster chart, leaving some information on the CD. These other programs do not provide the features made possible by this other information, but Coastal Explorer does and requires the files to be on your computer. You can tell if this is the case by looking in the folder that contains your raster charts. If all you see are KAP files and do not see any BSB files, then this is your problem. In order to use your raster charts in this case, you must re-install them from their original CD-ROM, either by using the setup program that was included with the charts, or by inserting the CD-ROM into your computer while Coastal Explorer is running and letting Coastal Explorer install the charts to your hard drive.
Finally, make sure that All Charts, Raster Charts, or Vector+Raster Charts is selected in the Chart Type selector on the main toolbar and that your viewing scale is appropriate for the chart you want to see.