AvNav - navigation in the browser

[wellenvogel02]

I just wanted to open up a thread here to provide some support in english for people that are using AvNav.
The software is already there for a couple of years - but currently mainly supported in german.
It runs on a raspberry (or any other linux box), on windows and can use any device having a recent browser as it's front end.
It can handle various raster chart formats (native: gemf, tms), others with conversions. And recently we also integrated support for charts from o-charts.
There are ready-to-go images that also include an integration with SignalK. OpenPlotter integration is already on the way, first working version is available.
There is also a stand alone Android Version.
I would be happy to get feedback - or questions...

[wellenvogel02]

There are some corrections in the ocharts support for AvNav - just refer to the release page at https://www.wellenvogel.net/software...ng=en#Releases

[Kukel]

Hi,

Not sure if Wellenvogel still follows this thread, but worth a try.
I have been trying out AvNav for the last week. I currently use OpenCPN on a headless Raspberry Pi, controlled on an Android tablet via VNC. This works fine, but the (non-touch) VNC interface is far from intuitive.

AvNav has a solution to this problem, so seems worth looking into. So far, I have run into two problems:

-On a smartphone screen, when viewing a map, most of the buttons on the right side of the screen ave no symbol on them, they're empty. This does not happen in e.g. the server setting page, only in map view.

-I used to let OpenCPN semd RMB and RMC to my Nasa GPS Repeater in the cockpit (Via SignalK). This works fine. When I want to do the same with AvNav, this works OK for RMB but RMC seems to create a feedback loop somewhere, and I cant find out where. In SignalK I see one delta/s when I let AvNav send RMB only, but when I add RMC, this goes to 200+ instead of 2. Any tips as to how the feedback loop might be avoided?

Apart from this I must say that the interface looks amazing, and it's very intuitive. One of my main reasons for looking into other navigation software is that I want something that I can explain to a guest or passenger in a few minutes, and in this regard AvNav scores a lot better than the OpenCPN/VNC combi. Many thanks for investing what must be an enormous amount of time in developing this!

[wellenvogel02]

For the buttons:
Typically a network issue. If there is a problem on the net maybe the symbols do not get loaded correctly.
What is your overall setup?
For the loop issue it would be helpfull to have a complete picture of your data flow.
For sure we can solve this. You can have filters and blacklists....
We have 2 recommended set ups:
(1)All nmea just goes to AvNav and Sk gets the NMEA from there.
(2)Nmea first to SK and from there to AvNav
For (1) you should configure the output in AvNav, for (2) in SK...

[Moo]

Hi, I'm Chris. I saw the post on OP support forum but thought I had better come over here too I asked a couple of questions about maps and getting started over there a week or two back.

I can confirm the no icons issue. I just got a new phone Samsung A52 and that is the only device that it happens to me with. Worked fine on my Oppo A71 and on a Galaxy Samsung Tablet. I suspect that it is a CSS issue.

And changing the subject:

I took my Rpi 4, loaded with Openplotter, to the boat on the weekend and hooked it up to an Actisense NGT-1. Not all the widgets receive information when it comes in as signal K it seems. I can set up custom/default widgets but the formatting is not always available, working, or useful.

Where are the sentences that the various widgets use defined? For example what sentence does COG, SOG, DPT use when the source is signal K?

Chris

[wellenvogel02]

Ok
Couple of issues...
1. Which version of AvNav are you using?
2. For the icons: Does this happen on the map page only?
Hard to tell from remote. But if you are interested we could maybe try to have alook together. On all y devices I have available for testing this does not happen...
3. For the Widgets:
All the base widgets take their values from decoded NMEA sentences. So for them to work just ensure that SK is sendug all the relevant NMEA data (enable this in the sk to nmea0183 plugin).
For the sentences see https://www.wellenvogel.net/software...en#h2:NMEAData
Additionally SK data for self is available to be shown in Widgets. In the default layout there is no such widget available.
Just open the layout editor and add widgets using the SK data. If you miss some formatter - just write some own formatter into your user.js - or just let me know...

[wellenvogel02]

Small addition:
Could you maybe try it using BonjourrBrowser with internal browser enabled on your device - or the AvNav android app?
Just would like to check how much it depends on the used browser.

[Moo]

Originally Posted by wellenvogel02

Ok
Couple of issues...
1. Which version of AvNav are you using?
2. For the icons: Does this happen on the map page only?

Version: 20210424 and the previous version that I had (sorry don't know what it was)

The missing icons are missing on the start page making it difficult to assess other pages. I haven't tried. Will get a pi setup at home and do some more experimenting. and grab some screenshots. I looks like a layering problem to me as the buttons appear but are blank.

Chris

[wellenvogel02]

You could also just try to acces the online demo at https://www.wellenvogel.net/software/avnav/viewern/avnav_viewer.html?navurl=../viewer/avnav_navi.php&readOnlyServer=true
With your mobile....

[BlackSea]

Originally Posted by Moo

. Will get a pi setup at home and do some more experimenting. and grab some screenshots.

Chris

you can use our prebuilt pi image for AvNav
https://www.free-x.de/raspbian/buster/

[Moo]

Originally Posted by wellenvogel02

You could also just try to acces the online demo at https://www.wellenvogel.net/software...nlyServer=true
With your mobile....

Here is the result from the online demo. No icons in Chrome, they are there in the phones built-in browser.

Chrome version is 90.0.4430.91 running on Android 11

[Moo]

Originally Posted by BlackSea

you can use our prebuilt pi image for AvNav
https://www.free-x.de/raspbian/buster/

Actually using your pre-built image I get the blank icons using your browser too. The bonjour browser is just Chrome right?

[wellenvogel02]

Ok, thanks for investigating.
Will try to figure out what has been changed in Chrome...
For BonjourBrowser:
You can enable the internal browser in the settings - then it will use the system webview.
The internal browser gives you some addtional features like keep screen on and dim backlight...
Otherwise it simply starts up the browser of your choice.

[Kukel]

Originally Posted by wellenvogel02

For the buttons:
Typically a network issue. If there is a problem on the net maybe the symbols do not get loaded correctly.

I don't believe there's a network issue, the connection is stable. Also, it happens every time, also after restarting the RPi, and always with the same buttons. I have attached three photos to show what it looks like. Phone is a Galaxy S20, browser used is Chrome.

What is your overall setup?

I use a Raspberry Pi with OpenPlotter, so SignalK is the central hub for all data. I use a GPS mouse for input and a RS232 converter to send data to the VHF and the GPS repeater in the cockpit.

For the loop issue it would be helpfull to have a complete picture of your data flow.
For sure we can solve this. You can have filters and blacklists....

I'm sure it's possible! The question is: can I have AvNav generating RMC and somehow avoid this RMC to end up in the SignalK data stream. SignalK already gets RMC from the GPS mouse.

The reason I don't send RMC from the GPS mouse to the repeater is that the repeater doesn't "like" the mouse's RMC and fails to show SOG/COG. If I let OpenCPN send RMC, the repeater shows all the right data.
Also, when I have OpenCPN generate RMC, there is no data loop, so I wonder why it's there if I do the same in AvNav (send RMB and RMC on UDP connection)

[toolbar]

Hi,

I can confirm this issue. Accessing the version running on my Raspberry t looks the same on my Android 10 phone in the Chrome browser. When I use another browser (ie. Opera) everything seems perfect.

When I run the downloadable avNav app, the buttons are displayed as well.

I don't have access my RPI installation right now to check the versions, I will be able to help debug it after this weekend.

Paul