OpenCPN Version 2.2 Beta Test

[zerubbabel]

Originally Posted by cagney

I can recreate the problem on my 32 bit box but not on the 64 bit box by deleting the directory /usr/local/share/opencpn, and then try to install the package.
The data structure in this directory is not created with the 32 bit package, even though it is included in the .deb.
A workaround is to create the missing directories manually, as mentioned above.
The only difference I can think of between my 32 and 64 bit installation, both Ubuntu 10.10 is that the 64 bit has a locally compiled
version of the latest Cmake (2.8.3).
Has anyone tried to install the 1111 64 bit package?

Thomas

I just tried installing the 1111 64-bit version under Ubuntu 10.10, but it dies immediately after startup with the message: "segmentation fault"

[cagney]

Originally Posted by zerubbabel

I just tried installing the 1111 64-bit version under Ubuntu 10.10, but it dies immediately after startup with the message: "segmentation fault"

So it installs alright but then you have problems starting?
This is something totally different than the installation problem.
Can we please have a look at your logfile?

Thomas

[zerubbabel]

Where do I find the logfile?

[zerubbabel]

Yes, intalls fine, then displays the "Welcome to OpenCPN message" and then creates an application window momentarily, then exits.

Where do I find the logfile?

[zerubbabel]

Found it. Here it is:

04:50:30 PM: 2010-11-17
04:50:30 PM: -------Starting opencpn-------
04:50:30 PM: Version 2.2.1111 Build 2010-11-11
04:50:30 PM: SData_Locn is /usr/local/share/opencpn/
04:50:30 PM: Using existing Config_File: /home/zerubbabel/.opencpn/opencpn.conf
04:50:30 PM: Setting Viewpoint Lat/Lon 29.6754, -91.2279
04:50:30 PM: Setting Ownship Lat/Lon 32.0814, -81.0889
04:50:30 PM: System default Language: en_US
04:50:30 PM: Opencpn language set to: en_US
04:50:30 PM: looking for catalog 'opencpn' in path '/usr/local/share/locale/en_US.UTF-8/LC_MESSAGES:/usr/share/locale/en_US.UTF-8/LC_MESSAGES:/usr/share/locale/:/usr/share/locale/en_US.UTF-8:/usr/local/share/locale/en_US/LC_MESSAGES:/usr/share/locale/en_US/LC_MESSAGES:/usr/share/locale/:/usr/share/locale/en_US:/usr/local/share/locale/en/LC_MESSAGES:/usr/share/locale/en/LC_MESSAGES:/usr/share/locale/:/usr/share/locale/en'.
04:50:30 PM: catalog file for domain 'opencpn' not found.
04:50:34 PM: Using s57data in /usr/local/share/opencpn/s57data
04:50:34 PM: Using Tide/Current data from: /usr/local/share/opencpn/tcdata/
04:50:34 PM: Setting Viewpoint Lat/Lon 29.6754, -91.2279
04:50:34 PM: Setting Ownship Lat/Lon 32.0814, -81.0889
04:50:34 PM: NMEA Data Source is....Serial:AIS Port (Shared)
04:50:34 PM: AIS Data Source is....None
04:50:34 PM: Using WVSChart datafile: /usr/local/share/opencpn/wvsdata/wvs43.dat
04:50:34 PM: NMEA AutoPilot Port is....None
04:50:34 PM: PlugInManager searching for PlugIns in location /usr/local/share/opencpn/plugins
04:50:34 PM: PlugInManager: Loading PlugIn: /usr/local/share/opencpn/plugins/libdashboard_pi.so
04:50:34 PM: PlugInManager: Loading PlugIn: /usr/local/share/opencpn/plugins/libgrib_pi.so
04:50:34 PM: Loading chart db version: V016
04:50:34 PM: Chartdb: Chart directory list follows
04:50:34 PM: Chart directory #0: /home/zerubbabel/Charts

[cagney]

Glad you found it!
So it crashes when trying to load your (old) chart directory.
What charts are kept there?

Try this:

$rm /home/zerubbabel/.opencpn/opencpn.conf

and then restart.

If you still have problems, report the output when starting from the command line, like this:

$opencpn

Thomas

[zerubbabel]

Same behavior. The only message on the console is "Segmentation fault". However, when I removed the .opencpn directory altogether, it started up just fine. Just had to tell it where to find the charts.

My charts folder contains all the US charts from NOAA.

[Ptizef]

Hi Dave and all the developers team
Beta 1111 loaded , compiled , ran on Windows platform
Works fine
Many thanks for all these improvements
Congratulation for the very big performance progress in routes/tracks/wpts management !
regards
Jean Pierre

[BluegillBoy]

i found an oddity today - when centering beyond the chart file's edge (i.e. navigating off the map) and there was no further chart to load, the top tool bar blinks out and reappears about once/second. Going back into charted area stops the blinking.

don' know that this is really a problem, if you're off the chart you're SOL anyway, but...

2.2.1111; XP Pro; not hooked up to GPS just mousing around at home.

[PjotrC]

A quick 3000 miles trip (Baltic to Canaries)... with OpenCPN/Windows as the only tool used... For backup A3 printouts from OpenCPN. A very good experience overall, thanks again to the developers!

A couple of points noted:

1. I really could use lat/lon grid for those printouts :-) Having the A3 printer available for just a couple of hours before departure, I tinkered hastily the grids with many, many simple routes...

2. For night display I used a "SOB Night Mode" Windows Theme left over from SOBvMAX demo (SOB - SoftwareOnBoard from Digiboat) plus setting all fonts color to grey and removing both status- and Windows tool-bar. I use this setup for day and night as it is too much work to switch all fonts. Still, black marks are not visible on night screens.

3. The main practical problem was interfacing to Garmin 72H GPS over USB (Garmin USB drivers ver. 2.3). Serial data/power cables are hard to find now, so direct USB connection seems to be the way, without RS232/USB converter. When GPS loses power and comes back later (cigarette lighter plugs are not really up to rough weather, especially on a catamaran...), OCPN not always resynchronizes, even if the log message says it does. The only safe procedure I found was: power down both PC and GPS, start PC and OCPN first, then power up GPS. Probably the worst is that in case of lost sync OCPN generates tens of megabytes of messages complaining about NULL Garmin USB handle, overfilling the log file and usually crashing on program exit anyhow. I experienced this often underway in released ver. 2.1, but reproduce it now on every Windows version from 1.3.6 to 2.2-1111.

4. The tracks display dialog uses a long format for time zone name in timestamps, taking up too much space (instead of CEST or GMT2 it says "Środkowoeuropejski Czas Letni"). Probably a minor wx problem.

5. I think the waypoint import does not work as expected for plain GPX files from other sources or previous OCPN versions, i.e. without proper <extensions>. There are many very useful tools around that assume reasonable defaults about waypoint visibility. I think the default for importing waypoints should be that they are certainly visible, perhaps complete with names. Also, playing with a simple GPX can cause a crash (Vista,CM93):

- import the attached GPX sample into OCPN, GPSUtility, EasyGPS, GPSBabel, POIEdit
- the single wpt is visible, as expected, in all programs, except OCPN, late version
- go to Route Manager, Waypoints, Properties, select this only waypoint, set "show name", "zoom to", move RM window aside
- it is still not visible on the chart... should be somewhere in Central Baltic...
- keeping Route Manager open, Zoom in twice or more with the chart tool...
- while waiting for zoom to take effect, just select RM window again e.g. to move or close it
- watch OCPN crash

The crash will occur only on a fresh installation; once the zoom on this complex charts area is successful the program will no longer crash.

6. It is great that the MOB Waypoint is protected from accidental moving! I think it should be also protected from deleting too easily, or/and perhaps dropping a MOB marker might be recorded in the log file as timestamp/position.

7. A cosmetic issue: in OCPN there are two waypoint symbols: "light type A" and "light type B". In the minimal Garmin set the symbol graphically equivalent to "light type A" is called "light". Unfortunately, OCPN interprets "light" as "light type B", calling light type A as "light1". Would be nice to have the simple default equal everywhere, perhaps just interchange icons for light and light1?

8. I miss very much the multiple formats for entering waypoint coordinates (cf. Forums - Post 416763">this-IRJDSUNE9932123321222xxeww-post )! True, my implementation was perhaps a little verbose, but I often do a copy/paste from published Notices to Mariners in .pdf or directly from Web sources to markup a chart... the OCPN technology moves so fast that I fear I will have to quit sailing in order to contribute useful code again .. ;-)

I look forward very much to the next release!

Cheers,

Piotr

[cagney]

Originally Posted by BluegillBoy

i found an oddity today - when centering beyond the chart file's edge (i.e. navigating off the map) and there was no further chart to load, the top tool bar blinks out and reappears about once/second. Going back into charted area stops the blinking.

don' know that this is really a problem, if you're off the chart you're SOL anyway, but...

2.2.1111; XP Pro; not hooked up to GPS just mousing around at home.

I can't repeat that on Linux , but my whole ToolBar disappears in the same situation, except for a sliver of the zoom button.

Thomas

[bdbcat]

PjotrC....

Thanks for the detailed trip report. I hope the weather was good, too.

Taking just a couple of your points:

2. Do you have a source for the SOB Night Theme that we could look at for some ideas?

3. Garmin USB on Windows problems: Hmm.. First I have heard of this. I will take a look. Do I understand that the GPS receiver takes its power from other than the USB? And a loss of power/recycle of the GPS causes loss of sync?

5. Default waypoint visibility is a simple fix Thanks for pointing this out. However, I cannot reproduce the crash you document. My instinct is that the crash is unrelated to the waypoint itself, which seems normal in all respects.
Does this crash occur on 2.2.1111? Does it occur at any other time not involving GPS import or RouteManagerDialog?

Anybody else crashing here?

More on other issues later....

Thanks again for the at-sea test. This is the type of testing that really stresses the application, and I am glad to see it.

Dave

[PjotrC]

Originally Posted by bdbcat

2. Do you have a source for the SOB Night Theme that we could look at for some ideas?

SOBvMAX is freely available for download as full-function demo from digiboat.au. Night Mode Theme is a side-effect of installation, if I remember correctly. Basically it greys out background for white window panes and blackens out background for pop-ups.

3. Garmin USB on Windows problems: Hmm.. First I have heard of this. I will take a look. Do I understand that the GPS receiver takes its power from other than the USB? And a loss of power/recycle of the GPS causes loss of sync?

Correct, GPS takes power from 12V (4-pin round plug) and sends data over USB (mini-plug). Power recycle often causes loss of sync, sometimes recoverable. Physical USB disconnection/reconnection always causes unrecoverable loss of sync.

5. Default waypoint visibility is a simple fix Thanks for pointing this out. However, I cannot reproduce the crash you document. My instinct is that the crash is unrelated to the waypoint itself, which seems normal in all respects.
Does this crash occur on 2.2.1111? Does it occur at any other time not involving GPS import or RouteManagerDialog?

Yes, 2.2.1111. True, probably the crash is more related to fiddling with Route Manager just while zooming in over this area... once I wait and allow the zoom in to complete, the crash will not occur in this scenario. I will probe for more.

P.

[sailorF54]

I do not seem to be able to import/export GPX tracks from / to any folder other than (Vista's) C/ProgramData/opencpn/GPX folder, in the 1111 beta version (as opposed to former betas...)
There has been reports of unavaibility of GPX tracks imports on one French forum.
Is that a new feature or a bug ?

[nohal]

Originally Posted by sailorF54

I do not seem to be able to import/export GPX tracks from / to any folder other than (Vista's) C/ProgramData/opencpn/GPX folder, in the 1111 beta version (as opposed to former betas...)
There has been reports of unavaibility of GPX tracks imports on one French forum.
Is that a new feature or a bug ?

Non-ASCII chars in the path? There's a bug in the code introduced in 1111 preventing the GPX reading and saving when there are multibyte characters in the path. I've already corrected this bug so hope it should be ok in the next beta.

Pavel