Setup BT GPS in Manjaro Linux

[Mariner81]

Has anyone setup a BT GPS on OpenCPN in Manjaro Linux?

The documentation references Ubuntu and creating a binding in the rfcomm.conf file. This file does not seem to exist in Manjaro although the rfcomm server does. I'm trying to install a Dual XGPS150A onto Manjaro KDE Plasma. I have already:

1. Connected the GPS to the Bluetooth and it is visible.
2. Obtained the address of the device.
3. Made my username a member of the uucp group.
4. downloaded Coolterm so I can test the connection.

I'm getting some help in the Manjaro forum they are great people there but do not have the hardware or OpenCPN to play with and are going purely off the documentation. Maybe someone here has done this before.

[Mariner81]

OK Peeps here is what I was able to do.

1. Under Arch Linux (which Manjaro is based off of) I had to install git and yay so I could access the Arch User Repository. This then allowed me to access and install the package bluez-utils-compat Which is a legacy version of bluez-utils 8 of the tools in the package had been deprecated (made obsolete and discontinued) with no viable replacements for hcitool and rfcomm
   
2. I was able to build and save a rfcomm.conf file.
   
3. I downloaded a program called CoolTerm to test my serial port connection.
   
4. I installed a utility called Blueman Bluetooth Manager. This tool allows you to initiate a Bluetooth connection in serial port mode.
   
5. I tested the connection in CoolTerm and it works.
   
6. Now I cannot get OpenCPN to see the serial connection. Most likely this is because of something to do with being a member of a serial port group. "Dialout" is the group mentioned in the documentation. Arch systems use a group called "uucp". I now have to find out if there is something I need to tweek with regards to uucp and get OpenCPN to recognize it.
   
7. That is where I am. I am getting close. Enough for one day.

[Mariner81]

Update

After lots of trails and tribulations I have been able to get data into OpenCPN....However the the sentences do not appear to be nmea format. Something is getting scrambled.

What I did. There is also a check box when you right click in the Bluetooth connection in the Bluetooth Manager. I checked that. I also now have a connect to serial /dev/rfcomm0 that seems to persist now.

Does anyone have any idea on how to coax my system into formatting the sentences into a readable format?

[Mariner81]

Another update.

I took the GPS and Laptop outside to see if it would fix better...No go. Then I unplugged the power cable from the GPS and the fix light went solid and the data sentences started making sense.

Who knew that the GPS would not settle while the USB power cord was plugged in.

[CarCode]

Since many years I use the XGPS160 without any problems. It always works well with and without power connection.

[Mariner81]

Originally Posted by CarCode

Since many years I use the XGPS160 without any problems. It always works well with and without power connection.

I thought it was rather strange behavior. The device is new to me. Now that I know about this quirk it is not really big deal. Make sure it is unplugged, let it settle and then plug it back in so it stays charged. That being said configuring in Manjaro was a bear. The manual could use some updating to reflect deprecated tools, obsolete methods, and possibly to include some notes on Arch based distro's.