Help / FAQ

[biggy]

Happy Seagull,Nohal
Tried installing charts on my desktop computer from documents and it went well. Strange thing happening with my laptop. I have lots of charts
copied to documents but when I try to open c:/ in the opencpn program
the charts do not show up just a couple of files for charts in formats that
open cpn can not read. Maybe something to do with having the hard drive
reformatted. Will need to get some help. I think if cpn can see charts in documents that all will be well.Many thanks for all your help.
Cheers John

[HappySeagull]

biggy, here's an idea. Copy all or just some of your bsb/kap charts to a new folder you create on C:\... well, why not call it CHARTS or something. Then show O that folder.
because I take from your post that you are maybe trying to browseto the Windows default place called "My Documents" starting from "C:\" and that's extremely difficult compared to "C:\Charts"....

[P_Dub]

You must create directory for each type of charts in C:\
Otherwise you will run into trouble after a while.
Regards

[BluegillBoy]

Got a new AIS receiver and it turns out OCPN doesn't play so well with serial to USB converters.

I got the ACR receiver which is a USB connection. The drivers create a virtual com port COM3. Two separate (?) issues arise:

1) Instructions say to set the COM3 port to 38400 speed, which works sometimes but sometimes then creates an error on opening OCPN which says "unable to open COM3" and then quits. changing the port speed back to 9600 fixes it.

2) if OCPN is started without the AIS/USB plugged in, I get the same error, but OCPN doesn't quit. It shows it's running in the task bar, but doesn't open the main window. Have to do a task manager "end program" to quit it. And since I didn't have the unit with me, I couldn't use OCPN at all, till I uninstalled OCPN and reinstalled, using Tools to set the AIS connection to COM1 or COM2. then whether or not the AIS is connected, OCPN will start and run.

Basic request is that OCPN treat COM3 just like COM1 or COM2 and start up whether or not an AIS is actually connected.

Or, am I doing some setting wrong?

thanks

[nohal]

AIS at 9600 bauds? Interesting - it has to talk at 38400 according to the standard - That's why there's actually no speed setting on the AIS tab in the toolbox, which is the place where you should be setting the port.
Then, on the GPS tab just select "AIS port (Shared)" as the port in case you get the position data through the same port. If not, just set the port through which you are getting the NMEA data and it speed accordingly.
The port number should make absolutely no difference, are you actually sure that the driver creates COM3? it's pretty low for a USB device.

Pavel

[bcn]

Originally Posted by nohal

The port number should make absolutely no difference, are you actually sure that the driver creates COM3? it's pretty low for a USB device.

Pavel

Pavel,

if the PC is quite "clean" then the driver will catch the first "free" com port and we observed with other devices anything from 3 upwards. The more USB gadgets you install the more probable it gets to create higher port numbers.

So I don't think this is the problem. An "AIS at 9600" is one for sure.

Hubert

[BluegillBoy]

Absolutely right, Hubert. My touchscreen is on Com1 and my old AIS used Com2 (both actual serial ports, not USB devices). No other devices. So the Serial to USB driver is finding Com3 as the first available.

I set the port speed in Device Manager (XP Pro). AIS has always worked for me at a port speed of 9600. i figure I may not be getting full data as quickly as possible, some yellow ships take 20 minutes to turn green. But it works.

Not sure why setting an actual serial port to 38400 sometimes hiccups. I'm testing through that to try to find repeatable circumstances.

But it is repeatable that if I set OCPN AIS to Com3, and then start it without the AIS plugged in, it hangs up and has to be stopped by Task Manager, then uninstalled and reinstalled.

I suppose I could quit through Task Manager, then just delete the config file and restart. (Where does config live?)

But might it be best to feature request that OCPN reports the error and then starts anyway?

Or anybody got another fix that I'm missing?

thanks guys.

[nohal]

BluegillBoy...
What's puzzling about your problem, is that for all the others in this situation OpenCPN starts with a dialog telling you that the port can't be opened and after you click on the OK button it starts normally. No need to kill the process, play with the config or reinstall anything. That's what we are trying to solve.
Could I see your log and config file from right after you are forced to kill the process?
Where to find it is described at the end of Installing OpenCPN | Official OpenCPN Homepage page
The baudrates are not that important over USB actually, but anyway 38400 has to be what AIS talks at it's end.

Thanks

Pavel

[itdave5]

I have a full set of charts for the whole world on cm93?
If anyone wants them tell me how to publish them on c.f. and I will glady post them on the forum for free. I believe that safety at sea is important and we shouldn't have to pay for charts as we've technicaly paid for them already by paying taxes!

[BluegillBoy]

Thanks Pavel. It will be Saturday before I'm back on board, but I'll repeat the incident and grab those two files for you.

When you're using AIS, do you find that full identification (green marker as opposed to yellow) often takes quite a while (and sometimes never comes up)?

[bcn]

Originally Posted by BluegillBoy

When you're using AIS, do you find that full identification (green marker as opposed to yellow) often takes quite a while (and sometimes never comes up)?

Yes, this quite normal . Think that static messages a updated at a much slower rate than the dynamic/travel related ones.
Static messages are transmitted every 6 minutes - if you miss one or the receiver is a from the 1 channel type you can easily go to wait 15 minutes.

Hubert

[affinite]

Hi
I have OpenCPN 2.5.0 installed on 3 separate machines.
This morning I powered up my main navigation laptop (Win XP) and found that OpenCPN would not load. It shows in the task bar but nothing is displayed.

My Win Vista machine behaves exactly the same but my Win7 based machine starts fine.

Anyone know why the Vista and XP based machines wont load (both have worked fine previously) ?

Is there a "safe" mode for OpenCPN whiach can be used for debugging ?

Must admit this has spoked me a little as Ive yet to start using the software for navigation.

Thanks

[nohal]

Known issues with current stable release. | Official OpenCPN Homepage

[affinite]

Originally Posted by affinite

Hi
I have OpenCPN 2.5.0 installed on 3 separate machines.
This morning I powered up my main navigation laptop (Win XP) and found that OpenCPN would not load. It shows in the task bar but nothing is displayed.

My Win Vista machine behaves exactly the same but my Win7 based machine starts fine.

Anyone know why the Vista and XP based machines wont load (both have worked fine previously) ?

Is there a "safe" mode for OpenCPN whiach can be used for debugging ?

Must admit this has spoked me a little as Ive yet to start using the software for navigation.

Thanks

Woops sorry all.
Cancel the call for help ...
Just realized that in both cases I can get the app up by right clicking on the OpenCPN item in task bar and then "maximizing" the window. Strange thats its necessary but not a problem once you know.

[BluegillBoy]

Originally Posted by nohal

BluegillBoy...
What's puzzling about your problem, is that for all the others in this situation OpenCPN starts with a dialog telling you that the port can't be opened and after you click on the OK button it starts normally. No need to kill the process, play with the config or reinstall anything. That's what we are trying to solve.
Could I see your log and config file from right after you are forced to kill the process?

Pavel

I'm attaching the log and ini files (renamed as doc).

I do get the window that says it can't open the port Com3. it only lasts 2 seconds, then another window says OCPN has been forced to quit, and the options to send report or don't send report.

if I'm really fast and hit OK on the first window, then OCPN starts up fine. if not in the first 1-2 seconds, then it quits on me.

may not be OCPN? although I don't know why it does a forced quit without waiting for an OK.

I'm on an ATOM D510 processor, intel miniITX mobo, XP SP3 fully updated, garmin gps, and either a NASA or ACR AIS - playiing with both right now for comparison.

thanks
Copy of opencpn.doc

log opencpn.doc