Getting OpenCPN To 'See' My GPS Dongle

[James Baines]

I have tried everything the help manual tells me to do but Open CPN refuses to show any data flow from my GPS dongle. The USB to Serial Port conversion seemed to work, the device is shown to be working under Windows, I have checked the port settings and Baud rates and they appear to be correct, I have tested the GPS dongle with XPort, it shows a steady data stream, I have pressed the "Follow Boat" button, But the GPS indicator stays Red, and the GPS data stream window shows no activity. I believe I have a strong signal so other than facing the East and slaughtering a white chicken at three in the morning, does anyone have more practical ideas on how to fix this problem?.

Thanks,

James

[James Baines]

To solve this problem, I was advised by a UK based expert as follows:

Set the Comm Port to Comm Port 5 in Device Manager,
Leave the Baud rate as it is, (It does not matter)
Under "Tools" in CPN, set the Comm Port to Port 5 and the Baud rate to whatever it was in Device Manager.

Then, take your laptop to some open space BECAUSE, regardless of the data stream reported by other "Find GPS" programs, OpenCPN will ONLY show your position WHEN, and ONLY WHEN, it can receive data from 4 or more satellites.

After re-setting the thing for what must be a hundred times, I took my laptop out to an area where I know my car Sat Nav gets strong signals and Whoopee!!! OpenCPN lit up and followed my boat. Well, actually, it was my car but who cares, It WORKS!!!

At the Hamilton Road Dock in Lowestoft, England, we get lousy TV and Radio signals and although my Navman and Raytheon plotters get instant position fixes, that's likely because their receivers are 45 feet above the deck of my highly modified Jenneau 40 footer, and since I can get OpenCPN to work with my car, I'm convinced that once I get a mile or so out to sea, I'll get the same result.

I hope this helps all the other folks out there who have been struggling with the same problem.

James

[rebel heart]

I've had great luck with this one. Works terrific out of the box and has really quick acquisition. Plus the cable is long enough that you can run the GPS out a portlight (it's waterproof) and keep the laptop down below.

Amazon.com: GlobalSat BU-353 Waterproof USB GPS Receiver: Electronics