Boat/US says Maptech's contract with NOAA has expired and all the raster charts in BSB format are now free to download. I don't know why Maptech is providing the free service. Maybe NOAA is funding it. Here's a link to the Boat/US Magazine article. This sounds too good to be true. http://www.boatus.com/news/charts_1105.htm Jim Fidler "Fiddlesticks"

-----Original Message----- Jim Fidler wrote: Boat/US says Maptech's contract with NOAA has expired and all the raster charts in BSB format are now free to download. I don't know why Maptech is providing the free service. REPLY Maptech is a "value added" retailer. In other words the basic chart is provided free by the US government. If Maptech wants to make money they have to provide value added products. And they do! If you look at the range of products they offer for use in combination with the basic raster charts, you can see that they still have a viable business venture. I just wish the Canadian government would see e light and do the same. NDI had a monopoly for too long and simply used it as an excuse to milk the boating public dry. NDI had a similar kind of agreement with the Canadian government as Maptech did with the US. Regards Arild

>From time to time I need compressed air in places where it isn't convenient to permanently install a compressor. The solution is to use an old propane BBQ tank. I know, . . . the threads on the valve won't fit and rotate the wrong direction. The solution is easy! Many of the older BBQ units have a regulator with a POL fitting that screws in. This POL fitting has the left hand threads and rounded nose fitting that fits the tank valve. I unscrew this POL fitting from the regulator and install an air line quick disconnect fitting on the end of the POL fitting. Newer(less than 30 years old) units have a flow restrictor valve built in and this must be removed. It unscrews from the end and once removed allows free flow of air. I have salvaged several old fittings that did not have this flow restrictor built in. Now I can fill the propane tank with air from a compressor by using a normal airline. I bought a short coiled line and fitted the quick disconnect fittings on each end. Its very handy for blowing out water from plumbing lines during fall decommissioning. Also used for inflating fenders than went soft due to the cooler temperatures in fall. You can get a tire inflator nozzle and a football inflator tip in most auto and sports stores. Caution!!! Before using the old propane tank as an air tank, be sure to completely purge it by filling and discharging the tank several times. While doing this avoid open flames, cigarettes and sparking sources of ignition. Propane/air mixtures can be explosive in the right proportions. Since propane is heavier than air, I prefer to turn the tank upside down while discharging to purge it. This forces the heavier propane remnants out first and purges it sooner. Once you cannot smell any trace of propane you know the tank is purged and safe to use as an air tank. The original tank valve has a high pressure vent release feature that makes it a good choice. This rupture disk means the valve will vent before the tank safe loading is exceeded. To avoid confusion, I also repaint the tank in some distinguishing color. When I get a stencil I will add the legend "compressed Air" to make sure no one gets confused as to tank content. Cheers Arild

A portable air tank can be purchased from Northern Tool (www.northerntool.com) or Harbor Freight (www.harborfreight.com) for about $20.00 complete with gauge, fill fitting, valve, hose and even a tire chuck. You can frequently find the same units at a local auto supply store for about the same price. In the long run, probably cheaper than converting a LP tank, less hassle, and no risk of residual flammable gas. Irwin "Scotty" Scott NT-37 Pittsburg, CA