GPSReverse Setup

[bmatlin]

Morning: I am trying to setup a Garmin Glo Bluetooh GPS antenna to OpenCPN on a Windows 10 (Surface Pro) using the GPSDirect/Reverse interface. I have connected the GPS Antenna to GPSDirect and have NEMA strings going into OpenCPN through a com port. Unfortunately, OpenCPN does not seem to recognize the format since GPS On icon stays red. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Bill

[Dsanduril]

The good news is you have communications, the bad is that the sentences appear to be bad.

For the RMC sentence, the "V" character near the front indicated a "void" fix, and so it should be ignored.

The sentences do seem to show you are near 40N and 105W (is that correct?) but both sentences should have the UTC time as the second element (after the message ID in the first element). Instead the GGA dives directly into position and the RMC has the void character.

Bottom line, the data coming into OpenCPN is malformed, so need to look upstream at the GPS or GPS Direct/Reverse.

[bmatlin]

Thanks for pointing me in the correct direction. Yes the location is accurate. Fort Collins, CO.

[Dsanduril]

I got this wrong, the time is shown as 18xxxx UTC.

I'd maybe try again in OpenCPN and set it to ignore the RMC sentences (that are marked as void) and see if it will take the GGA.

[Edit] looking at your GGA sentence, it probably won't take that either, the first field after the E/W longitude indicator is the fix quality - "0" means fix not valid. Any number from 1-5 indicates a valid fix of some kind.

So, both sentences are indicating a bad fix. Even though it seems to have a position, try putting the GPS someplace with a nice clear view of the sky and see if that solves the "invalid" fix indications.

[bmatlin]

Working. All I had to do was move the GPS antenna to a window, so I could get a valid fix, e.g. a "1". Making the RMC lines invalid had no effect; it worked either way. For others using the GPSComplete app I do have to open the GPSComplete.exe uninstall and reinstall the drivers for both the driver and com port app before the Garmin Glo connects. This of course has nothing to do with OpenCpn.
Thanks again Dsanduril.

[Moo]

Originally Posted by bmatlin

Morning: I am trying to setup a Garmin Glo Bluetooh GPS antenna to OpenCPN on a Windows 10 (Surface Pro) using the GPSDirect/Reverse interface. I have connected the GPS Antenna to GPSDirect and have NEMA strings going into OpenCPN through a com port. Unfortunately, OpenCPN does not seem to recognize the format since GPS On icon stays red. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Bill

Your sentences have two check sums, which is incorrect. Check the box in OCPN to ignore check sums. That should get you going while you figure out the problem.

[bmatlin]

Moving the GPS antenna so it got a better fix was all it took. It works fine now. Setting OpenCPN to ignore the RMC lines made no difference, worked both ways. Did not have to ignore check sums.

While not an OpenCPN issue, I do have to restart the GPSComplete app to establish a connection to the Bluetooth GPS antenna. I can just connect to the antenna using the Windows Bluetooth Manager

[bmatlin]

Originally Posted by bmatlin

I can just connect to the antenna using the Windows Bluetooth Manager

Above should have been I can NOT.

[magnolaube]

Originally Posted by bmatlin

Morning: I am trying to setup a Garmin Glo Bluetooh GPS antenna to OpenCPN on a Windows 10 (Surface Pro) using the GPSDirect/Reverse interface. I have connected the GPS Antenna to GPSDirect and have NEMA strings going into OpenCPN through a com port. Unfortunately, OpenCPN does not seem to recognize the format since GPS On icon stays red. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Bill

Hello there bmatlin.


I would like to know how did you set up your system using bluetooh. I am currently researching about low cost navigation system to do some environmental jobs here in Brazil and I am very interested in using OpenCPN. The affordable GPS receivers I found here are the bluetooh ones. Like GPS Skypro Xgps160 and 150a, Bad Elf Be-GPS-2200 and GPS Pro.


I would appreciate very much your help on this matter.
Thanks in advance for your time and attention.