Receiving NMEA stream but not finding "My Ship"

[ChannelIslander]

Hello, I am getting a healthy NMEA stream in the window to check that, but in the main OpenCPN window the Autofollow function doesn't work and shows my ship in the default location over the Piedmont seamount (!).

I am using OpenCPN 2.5 on Mac OS X 10.5.6 -- there are various other issues that make OpenCPN almost unusable, e.g. toolbar disappears if you go to another open application and then back to OpenCPN, and so on. But first I'd like to figure out why the incoming NMEA data stream can't turn into an autofollow??

thanks

nick

[bdbcat]

ChannelIslander...

Welcome aboard. Glad to have some Mac users to help drive out the bugs.

Could we see an example of your NMEA data stream? Maybe a screenshot of the GPS/NMEA Data Stream Window?

Thanks
Dave

[ChannelIslander]

Hi Dave,

Here ya go!

[bdbcat]

Channel....

Hmmmm, looks OK, generally. We use GPRMC from this stream.

What is the location Lat/Lon of the spot where your ship is placed in auto-follow mode?

Dave

[ChannelIslander]

It's 43 16.1849N by 144 47.5020 W

And the icon is a yellow circle target until the last three overzooms, when it is a grey boat.

Thanks,

Nick

[bdbcat]

Channel...

You may want to add the following to your config file:

[Settings]
DebugNMEA=1000

Restart OpenCPN, close it, and then look at and post part of the log file. You will see NMEA information there.

Thanks
Dave

[ChannelIslander]

Here you go, Dave. Lots of "Unrecognized NMEA Sentence" . . .


0:36:00 PST: OpenPD: 8, new_count = 1 for /dev/cu.HTCVision-BlueNMEA-1
20:36:01 PST: ***GPS Watchdog timeout...
20:36:01 PST: ***HDx Watchdog timeout...
20:36:01 PST: ***SAT Watchdog timeout...
20:36:02 PST: NMEA Sentence received...$GPGSA,A,1,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,*32

20:36:02 PST: MEH.NMEA Sentence received...$GPGSA,A,1,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,*32

20:36:02 PST: Unrecognized NMEA Sentence...$GPGSA,A,1,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,*32

20:36:03 PST: NMEA Sentence received...$GPGSV,1,1,1,32,62.0,140.0,0.0*56

20:36:03 PST: MEH.NMEA Sentence received...$GPGSV,1,1,1,32,62.0,140.0,0.0*56

20:36:03 PST: Unrecognized NMEA Sentence...$GPGSV,1,1,1,32,62.0,140.0,0.0*56

20:36:03 PST: NMEA Sentence received...$GPGSA,A,3,1,7,13,16,20,,31,,,,,,,,,*33

20:36:03 PST: MEH.NMEA Sentence received...$GPGSA,A,3,1,7,13,16,20,,31,,,,,,,,,*33

20:36:03 PST: Unrecognized NMEA Sentence...$GPGSA,A,3,1,7,13,16,20,,31,,,,,,,,,*33

20:36:04 PST: NMEA Sentence received...$GPGSV,2,1,8,1,19.0,212.0,23.4,7,8.0,23 0.0,22.1,13,24.0,291.0,19.7,16,40.0,129.0,27.1*7c

20:36:04 PST: MEH.NMEA Sentence received...$GPGSV,2,1,8,1,19.0,212.0,23.4,7,8.0,23 0.0,22.1,13,24.0,291.0,19.7,16,40.0,129.0,27.1*7c

20:36:04 PST: Unrecognized NMEA Sentence...$GPGSV,2,1,8,1,19.0,212.0,23.4,7,8.0,23 0.0,22.1,13,24.0,291.0,19.7,16,40.0,129.0,27.1*7c

20:36:04 PST: NMEA Sentence received...$GPGSV,2,2,8,20,79.0,234.0,20.2,23,48.0 ,313.0,0.0,31,23.0,43.0,27.3,32,62.0,140.0,0.0*76

20:36:04 PST: MEH.NMEA Sentence received...$GPGSV,2,2,8,20,79.0,234.0,20.2,23,48.0 ,313.0,0.0,31,23.0,43.0,27.3,32,62.0,140.0,0.0*76

20:36:04 PST: Unrecognized NMEA Sentence...$GPGSV,2,2,8,20,79.0,234.0,20.2,23,48.0 ,313.0,0.0,31,23.0,43.0,27.3,32,62.0,140.0,0.0*76

20:36:04 PST: NMEA Sentence received...$GPGSA,A,3,1,7,13,16,20,,31,,,,,,,,,*33

20:36:04 PST: MEH.NMEA Sentence received...$GPGSA,A,3,1,7,13,16,20,,31,,,,,,,,,*33

20:36:04 PST: Unrecognized NMEA Sentence...$GPGSA,A,3,1,7,13,16,20,,31,,,,,,,,,*33

20:36:04 PST: NMEA Sentence received...$GPGSV,2,1,8,1,19.0,212.0,23.4,7,8.0,23 0.0,22.1,13,24.0,291.0,19.7,16,40.0,129.0,27.1*7c

20:36:04 PST: MEH.NMEA Sentence received...$GPGSV,2,1,8,1,19.0,212.0,23.4,7,8.0,23 0.0,22.1,13,24.0,291.0,19.7,16,40.0,129.0,27.1*7c

20:36:04 PST: Unrecognized NMEA Sentence...$GPGSV,2,1,8,1,19.0,212.0,23.4,7,8.0,23 0.0,22.1,13,24.0,291.0,19.7,16,40.0,129.0,27.1*7c

20:36:04 PST: NMEA Sentence received...$GPGSV,2,2,8,20,79.0,234.0,20.2,23,48.0 ,313.0,0.0,31,23.0,43.0,27.3,32,62.0,140.0,0.0*76

20:36:04 PST: MEH.NMEA Sentence received...$GPGSV,2,2,8,20,79.0,234.0,20.2,23,48.0 ,313.0,0.0,31,23.0,43.0,27.3,32,62.0,140.0,0.0*76

20:36:04 PST: Unrecognized NMEA Sentence...$GPGSV,2,2,8,20,79.0,234.0,20.2,23,48.0 ,313.0,0.0,31,23.0,43.0,27.3,32,62.0,140.0,0.0*76

20:36:04 PST: NMEA Sentence received...$GPGSA,A,3,1,4,7,13,16,20,23,31,32,,,,, ,,*07

20:36:04 PST: MEH.NMEA Sentence received...$GPGSA,A,3,1,4,7,13,16,20,23,31,32,,,,, ,,*07

20:36:04 PST: Unrecognized NMEA Sentence...$GPGSA,A,3,1,4,7,13,16,20,23,31,32,,,,, ,,*07

20:36:04 PST: NMEA Sentence received...$GPGSV,3,1,9,1,19.0,212.0,24.0,4,6.0,31 4.0,20.6,7,8.0,230.0,21.0,13,24.0,291.0,20.7*7a

20:36:04 PST: MEH.NMEA Sentence received...$GPGSV,3,1,9,1,19.0,212.0,24.0,4,6.0,31 4.0,20.6,7,8.0,230.0,21.0,13,24.0,291.0,20.7*7a

[bdbcat]

Nick...

Thanks for the log...

I don't see any GPRMC in the debug output snippet. Nor any GPGLL...

Are there any further down the list?

Dave

[bdbcat]

Nick....

FYI, I patched one of your RMC sentences directly into a running OpenCPN system, and found you alive and well in SoCal. So the RMC sentences are formatted OK.

Dave

[ChannelIslander]

Sorry Dave, here it is:


20:36:24 PST: NMEA Sentence received...$GPGGA,043622,3424.3026,N,11941.4868,W, 1,0,4.0,-46.20000076293945,M,,,,*12

20:36:24 PST: MEH.NMEA Sentence received...$GPGGA,043622,3424.3026,N,11941.4868,W, 1,0,4.0,-46.20000076293945,M,,,,*12

20:36:24 PST: Unrecognized NMEA Sentence...$GPGGA,043622,3424.3026,N,11941.4868,W, 1,0,4.0,-46.20000076293945,M,,,,*12

20:36:24 PST: NMEA Sentence received...$GPGLL,3424.3026,N,11941.4868,W,043622, A*31

20:36:24 PST: MEH.NMEA Sentence received...$GPGLL,3424.3026,N,11941.4868,W,043622, A*31

20:36:24 PST: Unrecognized NMEA Sentence...$GPGLL,3424.3026,N,11941.4868,W,043622, A*31

20:36:24 PST: NMEA Sentence received...$GPRMC,043622,A,3424.3026,N,11941.4868, W,0.0,,221211,,*2b

20:36:24 PST: MEH.NMEA Sentence received...$GPRMC,043622,A,3424.3026,N,11941.4868, W,0.0,,221211,,*2b

20:36:24 PST: Unrecognized NMEA Sentence...$GPRMC,043622,A,3424.3026,N,11941.4868, W,0.0,,221211,,*2b

[bdbcat]

Nick....

Do you have any setup control on the NMEA data? Where do they come from? Directly from a GPS?

I suspect the NMEA sentences do not have CR/LF line endings. They may have only CR, or only LF.

For instance, GPRMC will be "Unrecognized" if the line endings are not correct, although it looks right to the eye.

Dave

[ChannelIslander]

Dave- I get the NMEA stream from the BlueNMEA app on my Android phone. I tried several GPS to Bluetooth apps but this is the only one that worked. Unfortunately there is very little documentation.

Here is the README : http://git.snow-crash.org/?p=blue-nm...plain;f=README

and he does offer the source code: git clone git://git.snow-crash.org/blue-nmea.git

Hope this helps.

I have been able to successfully use the data stream in Google Earth and GPSNavX, FWIW.

thanks
Nick

[bdbcat]

Nick....

OK, I understand. Looks like we may need to soften the requirements for NMEA sentence structure line endings.

I'll take a closer look at the Android app to try to confirm the issue.

We will be having a new Beta version within a week or so, and we can try a fix then.

It would also be useful to go over some of the other Mac specific issues you have found so far, if you have any ideas.

Sorry for the difficulties now...

Dave

p.s. Manimaul, if you are monitoring, do you know this App?

[ChannelIslander]

Thanks Dave, sure appreciate you going to all this trouble!

Other issues I have noticed:

1) The menu bar is hidden behind the Mac menu bar.
2) The tool bar is missing when focus is given to another app then returned to OCPN
3) The text in the status bar is microscopic, can't be read.
4) The one menu item that is shown "OpenCPN" has its contents in French.

Let me know if you need more details. I'm a big supporter of open source software; I was a contributor to Apache back in the 90s. Love my Cyanogen 7 rooted Android phone. Any way I can help, I will be glad to.

Thanks

Nick