Target audience for this documentation

This documentation is aimed at all users – from beginners wanting to set up their first tablet for onboard navigation to demanding owners who want to configure a complex marine network. It describes the most important settings and procedures. A visual overview of the basic processes can be found in the videos, and there is an opportunity for personal experimentation on the demo platform.

What is AvNav

AvNav - initiated and developed by Andreas Vogel (Wellenvogel) - is a mature navigation software for use on recreational boats. It offers everything skippers need for safe voyage planning, sailing, and orientation on the water: from the display of nautical charts to the integration and visualization of boat instruments, anchor alarm functions, and collision warning using AIS.

From the very beginning, AvNav was specifically designed for the harsh conditions on board. The focus is always on the maxim that navigation in the cockpit – even in wind, wet conditions, and boat movement – must remain reliable and intuitively operable via touch displays. AvNav thus closes the gap between expensive, fixed-mount plotters from major marine equipment manufacturers and often too-simple mobile apps, by making professional and, above all, highly customizable navigation accessible to everyone.

A decisive feature that distinguishes AvNav from commercial products is its nature as an open-source project (free software). This primarily means that the use of the program - apart from some nautical charts - is completely free of charge. There are no hidden subscriptions or locked premium features. But open source means much more: the entire program code is publicly viewable and is transparently managed on the developer platform GitHub. Thanks to this open approach, there is no vendor lock-in. Any programmer worldwide can review the code, report or fix bugs, write powerful extensions (plugins), or contribute new features.

Community

This open concept is supported by a dedicated and helpful community. The hub for exchange, troubleshooting, and further development is the German Segeln-Forum. Here, beginners, experienced users, and the developers themselves meet on equal terms. If specific questions regarding installation arise or help is needed with a complex setup, this forum is the best point of contact. Many of AvNav's current features are based directly on the practical experience, wishes, and feedback of the sailors in this community. AvNav is therefore software from practice for practice, which constantly grows with its users.