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ZL3AI > APRDIG 24.02.07 23:10l 235 Lines 10197 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 9778-ZL3AI
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Subj: [APRSSIG] Vol 32 #24, 2/3
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Sent: 070224/2206Z @:ZL2BAU.#79.NZL.OC #:34571 [Waimate] $:9778-ZL3AI
From: ZL3AI@ZL2BAU.#79.NZL.OC
To : APRDIG@WW
Message: 11
Date: Wed, 21 Feb 2007 21:15:23 -0800
From: "Stephen H. Smith" <wa8lmf2_at_aol.com>
Subject: Re: [aprssig] GPS/PC/D7A
jdv_at_iglou.com wrote:
>I can only get this setup to work using UI-View with the D7a in
>non-KISS Packet mode.(GPS connected D7 gps port, D7 pc port connected
>to laptop.)
>
>Street Atlas v.6 doesn't see the GPS at all in this configuration.
>
>Anyone know if you need to send a command to the D7a in packet mode
>in order to enable GPS pass-through?
The GPS data IS being passed through, but not in standard NMEA format.
The D700/TH-D7 attach a proprietary header to the NMEA data as it passes it
through. An APRS program, such as APRSpoint, UIview, APRSplus, etc running
on the PC knows how to strip the proprietary header off the passed-through
GPS data strings. Street Atlas (or any other "civilian" program expecting
standard NMEA) won't recognize the data.
However, there is a workaround. Run UIview on the PC which will accept
the data sent from the D700. In turn, UIview has a feature to re-transmit
the received GPS data, reformatted back to standard NMEA format, out a
virtual COM port for use by a second program. In turn, you can use a
software bridge driver to connect this virtual port to any NMEA-using
application such as Street Atlas, MapPoint, Precision Mapping etc.
[ If you REALLY want to get hard-core about this, UIview can also transmit
the reconstituted NMEA data via TCP/IP. You can then use a WiFi ad-hoc LAN
to share the GPS data with other laptops in/near your car ]
The net result is that you will have TWO mapping applications running at
once -- the map display inside UIview showing APRS activity, and an
external program doing the usual moving-map you-are-here display. The
most efficient use of your hard disk space in this scenario is to use
Undertow Software's Precision Mapping with UIview. UIview actually only
uses the Precision Mappng database, not the program, to produce a
continuously scrollable zoomable street-level display of all of the US and
Canada inside UIview.
You can run the normal Precision Mapping program at the same time
independently of UIview, and have it tap the same road database
simultaneously. This gives you tremendous flexibility to view APRS
activity zoomed to a regional view inside of UIview, and plan routes/watch
your own course at street level in the external Precision Mapping program
at the same time with identical-looking maps in both.
--
Stephen H. Smith wa8lmf (at) aol.com
EchoLink Node: 14400 [Think bottom of the 2M band]
Home Page: http://wa8lmf.com --OR-- http://wa8lmf.net
NEW! TNC Test CD
http://wa8lmf.net/TNCtest
JavAPRS Filter Port 14580 Guide
http://wa8lmf.net/aprs/JAVaprsFilters.htm
"APRS 101" Explanation of APRS Path Selection & Digipeating
http://wa8lmf.net/DigiPaths
Updated "Rev G" APRS http://wa8lmf.net/aprs
Symbols Set for UI-View,
UIpoint and APRSplus:
------------------------------
Message: 12
Date: Thu, 22 Feb 2007 00:41:05 -0500
From: "Jason D. Triolo" <jasonacg_at_citicom.com>
Subject: Re: [aprssig] GPS/PC/D7A
Stephen H. Smith wrote:
>However, there is a workaround. Run UIview on the PC which will accept
>the data sent from the D700. In turn, UIview has a feature to
>re-transmit the received GPS data, reformatted back to standard NMEA
>format, out a virtual COM port for use by a second program. In turn,
>you can use a software bridge driver to connect this virtual port to any
>NMEA-using application such as Street Atlas, MapPoint, Precision Mapping
>etc.
Okay, this may be the solution I was looking for. But the use of a software
bridge driver is "uncharted territory" for me. Would a typical Windows
installation have such a driver present, and if not, where do I find
instructions for download/install/config/use?
In your workaround, is the D7[00] set to APRS mode or TNC mode?
Thanks.
Jason
------------------------------
Message: 13
Date: Thu, 22 Feb 2007 01:16:31 -0800
From: "Stephen H. Smith" <wa8lmf2_at_aol.com>
Subject: [aprssig] Re: GPS/PC/D7A
jasonacg _at_ citicom.com wrote:
>Stephen H. Smith wrote:
>
>>However, there is a workaround. Run UIview on the PC which will
>>accept the data sent from the D700. In turn, UIview has a feature
>>to re-transmit the received GPS data, reformatted back to standard
>>NMEA format, out a virtual COM port for use by a second program.
>>In turn, you can use a software bridge driver to connect this virtual
>>port to any NMEA-using application such as Street Atlas, MapPoint,
>>Precision Mapping etc.
>
>Okay, this may be the solution I was looking for. But the use of a
>software bridge driver is "uncharted territory" for me. Would a
>typical Windows installation have such a driver present, and if not,
>where do I find instructions for download/install/config/use?
>
>In your workaround, is the D7[00] set to APRS mode or TNC mode?
You always set the TH-D7/D700 TNC mode to "PACKET" when external devices
are being used. In self-contained APRS mode, nothing gets echoed out
the main serial port, although the serial port IS available for non-TNC
related operations such as programming memory channels.
The serial port bridge is not part of Windows. It is a third-party supplied
piece of software.
What version of Windows are you running? For Windows 2K/XP, the serial
port bridge for MixW works and is a free download. This installable device
driver is a free download, and simulates a pair of serial ports
cross-connected; i.e. a virtual null-modem. You set UIview's GPS output to
use one of the virtual ports, and your mapping application's GPS input to
use the other.
You configure the driver in the Windows device manager to create up to 10
pairs of cross-connected pairs of simulated COM ports using any COM
numbers NOT used by physical devices such as actual serial ports. modems,
IR links or USB-to-serial dongles. Go to the page:
Scroll about 1/3rd of the way down the page and look for "TNC Emulation".
The original intent of this driver is to allow the MixW multimode soundcard
program to act like a virtual multimode data controller (i.e. PK232 or KAM)
for use with external programs like Airmail, packet clusters, BBS systems,
or even APRS apps that expect TNCs on serial com ports. However the
driver works independently of MixW. It can connect ANY two programs
together that would normally use serial ports to communicate when run on
the same PC.
Once installed, you can test the bridge by starting TWO copies of Windows
Hyperterminal on the same PC. Set one copy to use the COM number on one
side of the bridge, and the other copy to use the port on the other side of
the bridge. You should then be able to type messages to yourself from one
window to the other.
Some possible applications:
I have connected together a GPS simulator program (that would normally
OUTPUT to a serial port) to various mapping programs (that would normally
INPUT GPS data on a serial port).
I have connected the output of MixW running in Packet mode to the serial
(TNC) input of UIview. On HF 300 baud packet, the MixW soundcard soft TNC
used with a good sound card seems to outperform any hardware TNC device I
have ever used.
I have bridged the regenerated GPS output of UIview to TopoUSA, MapPoint,
Street Atlas, Streets & Trips and Precision Mapping.
The MixW bridge only works on Win2K and XP. If you have to do something
similar with Win98, the GPSgate utiltiy from Franson software can do the
same thing on any flavor of Windows. Originally, this program was intended
to take data from a physical serial port and deliver it to any number of
virtual COM ports in order to share a single GPS with several programs at
the same time. The current version can also bridge a virtual COM port
instead of a real one, to any number of additional virtual COM ports on the
other side. [This was originally so that the virtual COM port produced by
USB-interfaced GPS receivers could be shared to multiple apps.] I have
used it quite successfully to share the regenerated GPS output from UIview
with TopoUSA, Streets & Trips, and Precision Mapping all at the same time.
More details on this $15.00 piece of shareware at:
One other consideration in using the regenerated GPS output from UIview:
Normally the TNC init file for the D700 / TH-D7 sets these devices to echo
GPS data to the PC once every 10 seconds. The default behavior of NMEA GPS
devices, which most programs expect, is to output new data once a second.
UIview "fakes" this by sending the SAME data repeatedly once a second
until new data arrives from the Kenwood, in order to keep external
applications from thinking the GPS has failed when they don't get an update
every second. The default settings will result in rather slow and jerky
updates on any mapping program using the UIview output.
You can edit the D700 TNC init file in UIview to command the Kenwood to
send GPS data much more frequently. In UIview pull down "Settings, Comms
Settings". With the D700 tnc type, selected, click the "Edit" button to
alter the init file. Look for the string "LTMON 10". This string
determines the number of seconds between GPS updates. If you have a
typical modern fast PC (i.e. over 800 MHz or so), you can set this down to
"LTMON 2" or "LTMON 3" and vastly increase the position update rate your
external apps see.
Since you are using a radio-to-PC serial port baud rate of 9600 while data
is coming in over the air at only 1200 baud, even a far higher GPS
reporting rate won't conflict with your ability to receive off-air data
reliably.
--
Stephen H. Smith wa8lmf (at) aol.com
EchoLink Node: 14400 [Think bottom of the 2M band]
Home Page: http://wa8lmf.com --OR-- http://wa8lmf.net
NEW! TNC Test CD
http://wa8lmf.net/TNCtest
JavAPRS Filter Port 14580 Guide
http://wa8lmf.net/aprs/JAVaprsFilters.htm
"APRS 101" Explanation of APRS Path Selection & Digipeating
http://wa8lmf.net/DigiPaths
Updated "Rev G" APRS http://wa8lmf.net/aprs
Symbols Set for UI-View,
UIpoint and APRSplus:
------------------------------
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