OpenCPN SIMRAD/LOWRANCE Radar Overlay PlugIn

[merrimac]

Originally Posted by RobbieW

What I'd like to do is get heading data into the Navico system. I probably misunderstood a little what Hakan had done in identifying that the heading data goes out to the radar scanner on one of the ethernet pairs (unused for megabit). I was hoping that it was possible without establishing N2K or Simnet. I think I now realise that is not possible.

Correct.

I believe that the Navico devices require that the AT10, NSS MFD and RI10 are interconnected by N2K/Simnet - irritatingly the NSS has only N2K connectors and the RI10 + AT10 only Simnet.

Those cables are not cheap! The NSS has to register the AT10 before it will pass heading data to the scanner, its not enough to simply connect the AT10 to the RI10.

Not true.

The only thing that the radome needs is high speed heading, 10 Hz or better. The RI-11 takes NMEA 0183 directly, the RI-10 uses N2K.

In your case, a AT10 is not good enough. You need a AT10HD (or Actisense NGW-1) and a 10 Hz NMEA 0183 source. As pointed out by H. an old Raymarine computer will put out 5 Hz, unfortunately not good enough.

Why don't you get a new compass + GPS combo, $200.

Quite so, it seems its actually the MFD that generates the gofree data. As I said earlier, I've put an ethernet hub between the scanner and the RI10. A cable goes from the hub to my router and gofree data is available on port 10110 of the MFDs IP address. I understand from other comments that this hub may prevent heading data getting to the scanner due to Navico's implementation, may have to experiment with Gigabit and Megabit hubs or break into the ethernet between RI10 and MFD.

Not true, many folks including most Navico tinkerers here have their radome + MFD hooked up to generic Ethernet switches and routers. Hubs went out with 10 Mbit Ethernet, so it's unlikely you have one.

The only thing that won't work is radar data over slow 2.4 GHz WiFi because it will overflow the 1 MBps multicast transfer rate. 5 GHz and wired will work fine.

[merrimac]

Originally Posted by blubaju

Hi Boris,

Having the algorithm for AIS already, it should not be to difficult to reprogram it for MARPA, pick up a reflection, mark it and follow it, rest is same as AIS. I think this should be done within openCPN only.

Sure, the plugin could do this. But pattern recognition is a completely different ballgame to what the code is capable of now. So actually implementing this is not something I relish. Feel free do prove me wrong

[merrimac]

Just pointing out that I have started a new thread, v2.515 (May 15 beta) is out.

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ed-166280.html

[Hakan]

Navico radar users and all.
A new plugins version is on going, see also previous post.

Crowdin is today updated with new strings for translation. See also: http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ml#post2166547
Håkan

[Vesta]

I tried the latest Navico plug-in (2.6xx) with OpenCPN 4.2 and it seemed to work OK, after that I switched to OpenCPN 4.4 and it didn't work at all ? Will try to get the latest downloads when the server is up-and-running again. The test setup is very basic: 4G direct to the pc's ethernet port and os W7pro. No heading/GPS but that can be added.

[Hakan]

There have been some new translation strings added to Crowdin. See http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ml#post2176356
Thanks to Kees and Douwe it's now close to a new plugin version.
Håkan

[xolott]

Hi, Hankan suggested to me to post on this thread.

I don't know anything about navigation, but I have to develop some kind of alarm system using the 3G radar.

Making some test with OpenCPN and the Navico BR24 plugin, every time that a alarm occur in the Guard Zone 1, I get a message box with some information:

Zone 1: 1348 <- changing every second
Zone 2: 0

Reading the source code, they call this number variable as bogey_count
Using this number, can I infer if something is inside of the Guard Zone or not?

What type of information this number provide?

The idea is that there will be always a object inside the guard zone, and the system must detect when the object leave the guard zone or another object get into the zone.

Cheers,
Xolott

[Hakan]

xolott..
Sailing season, not much of activity here is it?

re: "The idea is that there will be always a object inside the guard zone, and the system must detect when the object leave the guard zone or another object get into the zone."
The BR24 plugin is not supposed to alert when a target is leaving a zone. And - if there's already a target within a zone the guard will not alert for another entrance.
Some other radar system may alert for a change in the guard zone e.g. also for a leaving target but not this plugin. And if a target is already detected within a zone another target entrance will not make a new alert.
The first may be a feature for the future if user required. The latter will be of very limited use for navigation.

You may of course take advantage of the open source code and if possible adapt it to your own special purposes. (I get a feeling of some security guard system?)
Håkan

[xolott]

Originally Posted by Hakan

xolott..
Sailing season, not much of activity here is it?

re: "The idea is that there will be always a object inside the guard zone, and the system must detect when the object leave the guard zone or another object get into the zone."
The BR24 plugin is not supposed to alert when a target is leaving a zone. And - if there's already a target within a zone the guard will not alert for another entrance.
Some other radar system may alert for a change in the guard zone e.g. also for a leaving target but not this plugin. And if a target is already detected within a zone another target entrance will not make a new alert.
The first may be a feature for the future if user required. The latter will be of very limited use for navigation.

You may of course take advantage of the open source code and if possible adapt it to your own special purposes. (I get a feeling of some security guard system?)
Håkan

Yes, I'll adapt the code to my purpose. Actually, the plugin send via TCP/IP Sockets the guard zone data (number that appear in the message box).

Thanks to your comment, I can assume that my first hint was correct.

Cheers

[merrimac]

v2.0 has been released. See new thread at Navico radar plugin v2.0 released - Cruisers & Sailing Forums

[Hakan]

This plugin is close to new version 2.1 release.
If you're a translator a new source (POT) file is now loaded to Crowdin.
Thanks
Håkan

[yachtmanforfun]

Iwould appreciate any help on this,

i am trying to help a friend set up the Lowrance Radar plugin.

Where can I find the step by step instructions?

What is the Ip address for the windows computer Ethernet adapter.?

What is the IP address for the radar gateway?

Thanks in advance.

[merrimac]

Originally Posted by yachtmanforfun

I would appreciate any help on this,

i am trying to help a friend set up the Lowrance Radar plugin.

Where can I find the step by step instructions?

The old ones were removed after the opencpn.org website was spammed last week. I am creating new instructions here:

https://github.com/canboat/BR24radar_pi/wiki


They are not completely finished yet, but the hardware and software instructions are now complete enough to get you started.

What is the Ip address for the windows computer Ethernet adapter.?

Not important, the plugin scans all adapters.

What is the IP address for the radar gateway?

Not important. The radar and plugin use multicast, which makes the IP address irrelevant.

[Hakan]

Just to complement to what merrimac wrote.
I've the radar IP cable directly connected to my Win-PC, it works great. Be sure your firewall admits local and extern traffic for the radar. If in doubts temporary disable the whole firewall. No risk if you're not connected to Internet.
Håkan

[rgleason]

http://opencpn.org/ocpn/Plugins_exte...vico-broadband