OpenCPN not recognising Virtual COM port

[LifePart2]

I have a shipmodul 2USB/BT multiplexer which outputs NMEA sentences onto both a USB cable (which enters my computer as COM3) and bluetooth (which is converted on my computer into a virtual COM5).

Both COM3 and COM5 work fine on my laptop (Windows 8) and can be read by various programs EXCEPT OpenCPN.

If I go to the connections tab in OpenCPN and add a new connection, I can add the COM3 with no problems, and it works fine. However, COM5 does not appear in the drop down list, and if I try to add it manually, it receives no NMEA data.

Ultimately, the only way I could get the data into OpenCPN was to download PolarCom and use this to forward COM5 to a TCP port, and then connect OpenCPN to that TCP port.

At least I can now use OpenCPN with the bluetooth connection, but it isn't ideal.

Is this a bug? Something related to Windows 8 64bit?

Both I and a very knowledgeable fried tried every which way we could to try to get COM5 recognised by OpenCPN but it didn't happen.

Suggestions? Ideas?

Thanks,

Noel

[wdkester]

"Both COM3 and COM5 work fine on my laptop (Windows 8) and can be read by various programs EXCEPT OpenCPN."

Did you close the other programs before starting OpenCPN?

With the real com port, I've noticed that the GPS must be running before starting OpenCPN, to be reliably seen. Also if the real com port GPS drops out and comes back Opencpn may not see it. I don't have any trouble with USB connected GPS or those that come thru Xport. My system is XP.

[bdbcat]

LifePart2....

Does COM5 appear in the Windows DeviceManager list of ports?

Could we see the relevant part of your OpenCPN log file?

Thanks
Dave

[LifePart2]

Yes, the COM5 shows in the Device manager as working properly, and, as I said, is accessible to other programs such as Termite and PolarCom.

Don't really know what to show you from the log file. What I have pasted below is the log when I opened OpenCPN with COM5 active, but COM3 ( the usb cable) not plugged in, and PolarCom (and hence port forwarding to TCP) not running.

In the Connections tab, the only port that is listed in the drop down is Garmin-USB. So on this occassion no NMEA input was found.

I then manually typed in COM5, but it still did not find any NMEA stream.

I don't think the log file really says much.

-----------


19:43:26: 2013-04-24
19:43:26: ------- Starting OpenCPN -------
19:43:26: Version 3.2.0 Build 2013-02-26
19:43:26: wxWidgets version: wxWidgets 2.8.12
19:43:26: MemoryStatus: mem_total: 8079 mb, mem_initial: 8 mb
19:43:26: SData_Locn is C:\Program Files (x86)\OpenCPN\
19:43:26: Using existing Config_File: C:\ProgramData\opencpn\opencpn.ini
19:43:26: Styles loading from C:\Program Files (x86)\OpenCPN\uidata\styles.xml
19:43:26: No styles found at: C:\ProgramData\opencpn\
19:43:26: No styles found at: C:\ProgramData\opencpn\.opencpn\
19:43:26: Setting Viewpoint Lat/Lon 36.7715, 14.6604
19:43:26: Setting Ownship Lat/Lon 36.7812, 14.5463
19:43:26: System default Language: en_CA
7:43:26 PM: Opencpn language set to: en_US
7:43:26 PM: ChartSymbols loaded from C:\Program Files (x86)\OpenCPN\s57data\chartsymbols.xml
7:43:27 PM: Using s57data in C:\Program Files (x86)\OpenCPN\s57data
7:43:27 PM: Setting Viewpoint Lat/Lon 36.7715, 14.6604
7:43:27 PM: Setting Ownship Lat/Lon 36.7812, 14.5463
7:43:27 PM: Opening NMEA Datastream Serial:COM3
7:43:27 PM: Opening NMEA Datastream TCP:127.0.0.1:11083
7:43:27 PM: PlugInManager searching for PlugIns in location C:\Program Files (x86)\OpenCPN\plugins
7:43:27 PM: PlugInManager: Loading PlugIn: C:\Program Files (x86)\OpenCPN\plugins/dashboard_pi.dll
7:43:27 PM: C:\Program Files (x86)\OpenCPN\plugins/dashboard_pi.dll Version detected: 106
7:43:28 PM: PlugInManager: Loading PlugIn: C:\Program Files (x86)\OpenCPN\plugins/grib_pi.dll
7:43:28 PM: C:\Program Files (x86)\OpenCPN\plugins/grib_pi.dll Version detected: 107
7:43:28 PM: PlugInManager: Loading PlugIn: C:\Program Files (x86)\OpenCPN\plugins/libaisradar_win32_pi17_v096_pi.dll
7:43:28 PM: C:\Program Files (x86)\OpenCPN\plugins/libaisradar_win32_pi17_v096_pi.dll Version detected: 107
7:43:28 PM: PlugInManager: Loading PlugIn: C:\Program Files (x86)\OpenCPN\plugins/vdr_win32_pi16_v03_pi.dll
7:43:28 PM: C:\Program Files (x86)\OpenCPN\plugins/vdr_win32_pi16_v03_pi.dll Version detected: 106
7:43:28 PM: PlugInManager: Loading PlugIn: C:\Program Files (x86)\OpenCPN\plugins/weatherfax_pi18_v06_win32_pi.dll
7:43:28 PM: C:\Program Files (x86)\OpenCPN\plugins/weatherfax_pi18_v06_win32_pi.dll Version detected: 108
7:43:28 PM: OpenGL-> Renderer String: GeForce GT 630M/PCIe/SSE2
7:43:28 PM: OpenGL-> Framebuffer Objects unavailable
7:43:28 PM: OpenGL-> Using Stencil buffer clipping
7:43:28 PM: OpenGL-> Estimated Max Resident Textures: 98
7:43:28 PM: ChartDB Cache policy: Application target is 1024 MBytes
7:43:28 PM: Loading chart db version: V017
7:43:28 PM: Chartdb: Chart directory list follows
7:43:28 PM: Chart directory #0: C:\Users\Public\Documents\Charts\CM93_Jan_2011
7:43:28 PM: Chart directory #1: C:\Users\Public\Documents\Charts\CM93_May_2010
7:43:28 PM: Chart directory #2: C:\Users\Public\Documents\Charts\CM93ed2_2009
7:43:28 PM: Chart directory #3: C:\Users\Public\Documents\Charts\ENC_ROOT
7:43:28 PM: Chart directory #4: C:\Users\Public\Documents\Charts\Italy.ENC
7:43:28 PM: Chart directory #5: C:\Users\Public\Documents\Charts\Spain.ENC
7:43:28 PM: Chart directory #6: C:\Users\Public\Documents\Charts\Charts.CLB
7:43:28 PM: GPS Watchdog Timeout is: 6 sec.
7:43:28 PM: Initializing Chart C:\Users\Public\Documents\Charts\CM93_Jan_2011\
7:43:28 PM: CM93Composite Chart Root is C:\Users\Public\Documents\Charts\CM93_Jan_2011\\
7:43:28 PM: Loaded CM93 Dictionary from C:\Users\Public\Documents\Charts\CM93_Jan_2011\\
7:43:28 PM: Loading CM93 cell C:\Users\Public\Documents\Charts\CM93_Jan_2011\\03 300000/D/03780042.D
7:43:28 PM: Initializing Chart C:\Users\Public\Documents\Charts\CM93_May_2010\
7:43:28 PM: CM93Composite Chart Root is C:\Users\Public\Documents\Charts\CM93_May_2010\\
7:43:28 PM: Loaded CM93 Dictionary from C:\Users\Public\Documents\Charts\CM93_May_2010\\
7:43:28 PM: Initializing Chart C:\Users\Public\Documents\Charts\CM93ed2_2009\
7:43:28 PM: CM93Composite Chart Root is C:\Users\Public\Documents\Charts\CM93ed2_2009\\
7:43:28 PM: Loaded CM93 Dictionary from C:\Users\Public\Documents\Charts\CM93ed2_2009\\
7:43:33 PM: EnumerateSerialPorts() Found Garmin USB Driver.
7:43:55 PM: Closing NMEA Datastream Serial:COM3
7:43:55 PM: Closing NMEA Datastream TCP:127.0.0.1:11083
7:43:55 PM: Opening NMEA Datastream Serial:COM3
7:43:55 PM: Opening NMEA Datastream TCP:127.0.0.1:11083
7:44:27 PM: LOGBOOK: 2013-04-24 17:44:27 UTC DR Lat 36.78120 Lon 14.54630
7:46:19 PM: EnumerateSerialPorts() Found Garmin USB Driver.
7:47:52 PM: EnumerateSerialPorts() Found Garmin USB Driver.
7:48:15 PM: Closing NMEA Datastream Serial:COM3
7:48:15 PM: Closing NMEA Datastream TCP:127.0.0.1:11083
7:48:15 PM: Opening NMEA Datastream Serial:COM3
7:48:16 PM: Opening NMEA Datastream TCP:127.0.0.1:11083
7:48:16 PM: Opening NMEA Datastream Serial:COM5
7:48:29 PM: Closing NMEA Datastream Serial:COM3
7:48:29 PM: Closing NMEA Datastream TCP:127.0.0.1:11083
7:48:29 PM: Closing NMEA Datastream Serial:COM5
7:48:29 PM: Opening NMEA Datastream Serial:COM3
7:48:29 PM: Opening NMEA Datastream TCP:127.0.0.1:11083
7:48:29 PM: Opening NMEA Datastream Serial:COM5

[LifePart2]

Yes, we closed everything before trying to open in OpenCPN. And rebooted. And tried every other configuration we could think of.

Couldn't run Xport as that is 32 bit only. Which is why we then went to PolarCom.

[bdbcat]

LifePart2

I see OCPN opening COM5, I suppose in response to your manually entering the field in Connections. It opens without error.

But it receives no data. Hmmm...
I have no BlueTooth hardware here, so I will need to do some research on this. It seems that the paired BT connection does not exactly emulate a standard serial connection, in some subtle way.

I'll see what I can find.

Any other users have this setup?
Thanks
Dave

[LifePart2]

Correct, it receives no data, but gives no error message. Just the same, in fact, as the opening of COM3 and TCP which genuinely had no data running through them.

[LifePart2]

It seems that Windows 8 labels Bluetooth devices as 'Offline' if they are not currently passing data. Not passing data seems to mean not actually interacting with a program on the computer.

What I am guessing is happening is that OpenCPN looks for online COM ports. Since COM5 is labeled as offline, even though it is presenting data, OpenCPN does not find it. This would be consistent with the fact that COM3 does not show up in the drop down list when the cable is not attached (because, presumably, it is Offline at that time). Once the cable is plugged in, then OpenCPN can find it.

Clearly OpenCPN is checking for available COM ports in a different manner than is PolarCom which does find it, even when it is 'offline' according to Windows 8.

Does that help you developers in any way?

[Save Our Souls]

Originally Posted by LifePart2

It seems that Windows 8 labels Bluetooth devices as 'Offline' if they are not currently passing data. Not passing data seems to mean not actually interacting with a program on the computer.

What I am guessing is happening is that OpenCPN looks for online COM ports. Since COM5 is labeled as offline, even though it is presenting data, OpenCPN does not find it. This would be consistent with the fact that COM3 does not show up in the drop down list when the cable is not attached (because, presumably, it is Offline at that time). Once the cable is plugged in, then OpenCPN can find it.

Clearly OpenCPN is checking for available COM ports in a different manner than is PolarCom which does find it, even when it is 'offline' according to Windows 8.

Does that help you developers in any way?

same problem using last version (3. 2. 1) and windows 7 sp1. Com 5 is in use, transfer data from my BT using hyperterminal but it is not seen in opencpn.
Best regards
Fernando

[ktcanuck]

Similar situation here. Also using Shipmodul bluetooth. Work fine on Polar Navy/Com. Also works fine on other GPS monitoring software. OpenCPN just won't recognise the stream. Win7 32bit.

[ktcanuck]

Could someone assist me to obtain data that will help resolve this issue?

[LifePart2]

Ktcanuck, what data do you need? Not that I know any more than you do, but maybe the programmers can help.

[ktcanuck]

Actually I am hoping those that will know how to fault find this issue will tell me what they need so I can go get it.

My chartplotter PC is 32 bit Win7 so I guess for now I will try using Xport.

[bdbcat]

ktcanuck....

OK, I just received in the mail today a BlueTooth GPS receiver, so this bug has popped onto my todo list.

I would appreciate it if you could enter this bug, with supporting detail, on the Flyspray bug tracker. It will get addressed if it is on that list, and might get lost otherwise.

Thanks
Dave

[barnakiel]

@bdbcat:

If I forward some NMEA data to a COM that has BT module on it, will this module transmit (as a rule) the data to my other BT capable devices?

I have sent NMEA over TCP / wifi but I would possibly use BT now because of wifi energy consumption issues.

Thank you.

b.