Chart Sources

HelmStation displays vector ENCs (electronic navigational charts) in the IHO S-57 format, including S-63 encrypted ENCs. You can get them in three ways:

	HelmStation Store charts	NOAA Chart Service	Third-party ENCs
Coverage	Worldwide, by country, region, sea or ocean	United States coastal, territorial and inland waters, by US Coast Guard District	Whatever you buy from the provider
Format	S-57, S-63 encrypted	S-57	S-57, or S-63 encrypted
How you get them	Buy them in File > HelmStation Store	Subscribe in the HelmStation Store, then choose districts in File > NOAA Charts	Download them from the provider and add them in File > Chart Manager
Updates	Automatic while the subscription is active	Automatic, refreshed every two weeks	Manual: you install each update yourself
What you need	A Full License	A NOAA subscription, an active 14-Day Sea Trial, or a MacENCx64 registration	A Full License, for S-63 charts only
Macs	Up to three authorized Macs	No limit	Set by the provider. Each Mac needs its own user permit

HelmStation does not support raster charts (RNC, BSB/KAP).

HelmStation Store charts

The HelmStation Store sells charts from two producers:

• ChartWorld charts are yearly Auto-Renew subscriptions, organized by country, region, sea and ocean.
• Professional+ Charts (Pro+ in the chart name) are one-year Non-Renew terms.

The renewal type is part of every chart’s name, for example “… 1yr-Auto-Renew” or “… 1yr-Non-Renew”. Both types give you the same charts and the same update service for the length of the term. They differ only in whether the term renews by itself.

While the subscription is active, HelmStation downloads and installs your charts and keeps them up to date. You don’t need to add them in Chart Manager. Your charts belong to your account, so they are also delivered to your other authorized Macs signed in to the same Apple Account.

You need a Full License to buy charts. During the 14-Day Sea Trial you can browse the whole catalog. See Trial and License, HelmStation Store and Chart Account and Delivery.

NOAA Chart Service

The NOAA Chart Service delivers US NOAA ENCs organized by US Coast Guard District. You choose which districts you want in File > NOAA Charts. HelmStation downloads and installs those charts, and refreshes them every two weeks as NOAA publishes updates.

You get the NOAA Chart Service in one of three ways:

• by buying the annual subscription in the HelmStation Store.
• as a preview during your 14-Day Sea Trial.
• from a MacENCx64 registration carried over during migration (see What’s New for MacENCx64 Users).

A Full License on its own does not include the NOAA Chart Service. Like any purchase in the HelmStation Store, buying the NOAA subscription requires a Full License.

When your NOAA subscription ends, the NOAA charts already installed stay on your Mac, but they stop updating and you can’t change districts. When a Sea Trial ends, the NOAA charts it installed are removed from your Mac. See NOAA Chart Service.

Third-party ENCs

You can also use S-57 and S-63 ENCs bought directly from other chart providers. You install them yourself in File > Chart Manager, and install their updates yourself too.

• Keep the charts inside your Documents folder. HelmStation can only open chart catalogs stored there. If Documents is in iCloud Drive with Optimize Mac Storage on, keep the chart folders downloaded on this Mac. See Chart Manager and Third-Party ENCs.
• S-63 encrypted charts need a 3rd Party ENC User Permit for your Mac. You give this to the provider when you buy. Request it in Chart Manager only when you are ready to buy. Requesting a permit and adding ENC permits both need a Full License.

See Chart Manager and Third-Party ENCs.

When a subscription ends

Charts from an expired subscription stay on your Mac and continue to display, but they no longer receive corrections. HelmStation marks them so you know which charts are out of date.

Expired charts become less accurate over time and are not safe to navigate by. See Expired Charts.