Navtex Plugin

[Thonglor]

Yes, I confirm that when WIB3 is plugged into RasPi USB then it is recognized as USB memory device.

Five read-only files are stored on the device:
BARO.BIN
DWD.BIN
NAV490.BIN
NAV518.BIN (excerpt attached as example, with ending ".txt" [cannot upload ".BIN"])
SYSTEM.BIN

These files can be openend with a Text Editor. With trying to install PC-NavTex I was hoping for
-an additional possibility to directly access the files on WIB3, without "detour" via OS/text editor
-an easier method to identify and read the relevant contents

[Thonglor]

Inbetween I wrote to the manufacturer https://moerer.de/ to ask my questions, here's the dialogue in original & translated:

Translation:
I couldn't find answers in the Internet to three questions regarding the device WIB3:
1) in which format(UTF-7, UTF-8, CP1252 o.ä.) are the .BIN-files coded in the flash?
answer: none of the above, it's a proprietary format
2) does any Linux software exist to use WIB3 from Raspberry Pi?
answer: no
3) is there any kind of filter to just chose the messages of a certain area, let's say the IJsselmeer?
answer: for the WIB3S yes. For the WIB3 you can chose not to look at the messages that don't concern you.

Original:
Ich habe drei Fragen zum Gerät, auf die ich im Internet keine Antworten finden konnte:
1) In welchem Format (UTF-7, UTF-8, CP1252 o.ä.) sind die .BIN-Dateien im Flash Speicher kodiert?
2) Gibt es Linux-Software, mit der ich die Informationen der WIB3 mit einem Raspberry Pi nutzen kann?
3) Gibt es eine Möglichkeit irgendwo eine Art Filter einzustellen, sodaß ich zum Beispiel nur die relevanten Daten des IJsselmeers selektieren kann?

zu 1) Keines der genannten Formate, es handelt sich um ein eigenes Format.
zu 2) nein
zu 3) Bei der WIB3S können im Menu eine Auswahl (Stationsauswahl) Treffen das nur die Meldungen der ausgewählten Navtexstationen empfangen werden. Bei der WIB3 haben Sie die Möglichkeit die Meldungen der Stationen die Sie nicht interessieren einfach zu ignorieren, zu diesem Zweck müssen Sie sich dann mit den Leitkodierungen der Navtexstationen vertraut machen.

[Thonglor]

Now being impressed with the customer service of https://moerer.de/ I tried to get the Windows software running on my Raspberry Pi 3 B+ with Box86 and Wine. And lo and behold! I managed to run it:

[rgleason]

Regarding Navtex in OpenCPN Plugin: For awhile I thought it would be a good addition to weatherfax but I realized that these are basically text files, and locating them on the respective chart areas does not improve comprehension that much, considering the programming required to achieve the integration. Perhaps it is easier and better to just call up a separate app?

[mgrouch]

Originally Posted by Thonglor

Now being impressed with the customer service of https://moerer.de/ I tried to get the Windows software running on my Raspberry Pi 3 B+ with Box86 and Wine. And lo and behold! I managed to run it:

This is cool. Running native x86 Windows app on arm raspberry!

[Thonglor]

I have further played around with this set-up, now on a Raspberry 4. Even though the WIB3 is plugged into RasPi USB and recognized as an USB memory device the installed software does not recognize the receiver and cannot be used to read out the data. So, conclusion, it doesn't work under Linux.

[moseriw]

One should not be a believer. I had 2 different Navtex "Infoboxes" One with display and one without. I say scrap as the boxes - of course - cannot receive proper data due to the lack of a good antenna.

Last week I got my PC Navtex USB and I am in contact - I hope - with Jürgen who wrote the PC-NAVTEX app for linux.

In fact it took me three days to install it. It was caused by dependencies. Now I got it up an running by configuring the PL-2303 USB-TO-SERIAL interface but got into the next trouble as the app receives the messsage but can not insert it to the database and though can not display it.

For me it is long long enough the trouble. What I really do want is sailing and NOT spending my time compiling, installing and configuring. Before I retired I was an IT-Pro and nowadays, finally I am on the way to skip all electronics on board. We are sailors and do not maintain starship enterprise.

[Thonglor]

I totally agree. These "Infoboxes" are a closed system, difficult to connect and very very limited in their inter-connectivity. Instead of providing a simple ASCII stream via a standard serial interface they use everything proprietary. Even under the designated ecosystem - Windows - the handling is everything else than user-friendly. How can a company nowadays still produce something so backwards-minded?

[moseriw]

Originally Posted by Thonglor

I totally agree. These "Infoboxes" are a closed system, difficult to connect and very very limited in their inter-connectivity. Instead of providing a simple ASCII stream via a standard serial interface they use everything proprietary. Even under the designated ecosystem - Windows - the handling is everything else than user-friendly. How can a company nowadays still produce something so backwards-minded?

Imagine you go to the petrol station and the say no sorry we don't have diesel only the new fiesel and it is only compatible with rolls royce and tata.

What would one say?

NASA sold the PC-Navtex-USB to me but refuses to support linux and even refuses to open the sources to comile it on a system you want.

where the f... is the difference between fiesel?

As I said 2000: upto 2000 the computers had errors but after 2000 madness became state of the art.

[Thonglor]

Yes, I also wrote to them, see post 32

The reply screams "customer service".

I especially like the answer "Bei der WIB3 haben Sie die Möglichkeit die Meldungen der Stationen die Sie nicht interessieren einfach zu ignorieren, [...]" Oh! Thanks for offering this opportunity! If this was a Monty Python show I would hearty laugh - but it's not!

[moseriw]

Originally Posted by moseriw

Imagine you go to the petrol station and the say no sorry we don't have diesel only the new fiesel and it is only compatible with rolls royce and tata.

What would one say?

NASA sold the PC-Navtex-USB to me but refuses to support linux and even refuses to open the sources to comile it on a system you want.

where the f... is the difference between fiesel?

As I said 2000: upto 2000 the computers had errors but after 2000 madness became state of the art.

Just to correct the opinion that the PC-NAVTEX-USB github code is functional. IT IS NOT as the app recieves data but is not able to store it in their unknown database and therefore is not able to display it.

[Thonglor]

I lost interest in getting Navtex to work on Raspberry Pi and sell it all here now:

https://www.ebay.de/itm/126292729840