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GPS error code 5

JeffTimm

If the GPS is disconnected or the GPS connection is dropped during an ArcPad session I receive the following errors: 1)"An error has occurred connecting to the receiver (error code 5)..." and 2) "Failed to connect to the GPS receiver because the COM port is in use by another application."

Sometimes if I restart the trimble unit it will work again and sometimes it won't. Does anyone have any ideas??

GPS/GIS software and hardware: ArcPad 8.0 sp4 with GPScorrect 3.02 on a Trimble GeoXH 2008 Series.

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YukunXing

Yukun,

I stand corrected. You are correct. In the instance you describe above, the Nomad is emulating the NMEA sentences from COM2 to COM3 in Windows Mobile. I completely forgot about this WM GPS Emulation feature.

It is one of the things that got me confused, setting 2 ports related to GPS. But I guess for now I can feel safe to use the NOMAD, with the settings I previously reported (Trimble GPScorrect, COM2, 9600). When I troubleshooting alone I somehow decided to uncheck "manage GPS automatically". Since the thing is working, I'm going to leave it that way.

Thanks again for your help Alex!

AlexMahrou

I'm just wondering since I don't have much experience with these devices. When I first got the NOMAD and before I installed GPScorrect, the GPS on the unit was not working. I was trying to figure it out and bumped into the GPS settings under windows mobile, where the default settings for hardware port was COM2, and program port was COM3. The "allows Windows to automatically assign port" options was unchecked. I went ahead and checked it, opened up ArcPad and in its GPS Preference menu, set the port to COM3, and voila! GPS worked.

That's why when I was troubleshooting error code 5 and saw everyone use COM3 as their GPS port for ArcPad I thought I used the correct setting.

Thanks for your response Alex.

Yukun,

I stand corrected. You are correct. In the instance you describe above, the Nomad is emulating the NMEA sentences from COM2 to COM3 in Windows Mobile. I completely forgot about this WM GPS Emulation feature.

YukunXing

I cannot confirm that I've ever seen a Nomad connecting to COM3 for GPS data with default settings. However, I can confirm that the COM2 is the way to go.

I'm just wondering since I don't have much experience with these devices. When I first got the NOMAD and before I installed GPScorrect, the GPS on the unit was not working. I was trying to figure it out and bumped into the GPS settings under windows mobile, where the default settings for hardware port was COM2, and program port was COM3. The "allows Windows to automatically assign port" options was unchecked. I went ahead and checked it, opened up ArcPad and in its GPS Preference menu, set the port to COM3, and voila! GPS worked.

That's why when I was troubleshooting error code 5 and saw everyone use COM3 as their GPS port for ArcPad I thought I used the correct setting.

Thanks for your response Alex.

AlexMahrou

I cannot confirm that I've ever seen a Nomad connecting to COM3 for GPS data with default settings. However, I can confirm that the COM2 is the way to go.

YukunXing

Thank you very much for your response Alex. This is certainly encouraging.

I know that the hardware (GPS receiver) is connected to COM2. And interestingly, I remember before installing GPScorrect, my ArcPad was configured to listen to COM3 for GPS signals and it had always worked. Has the installation of GPScorrect changed the game?

The GPS Port on the Nomad is COM2. COM3 will always get you nowhere on a Nomad. The assignment to COM3 in the above posts that you read are specific to a GeoExplorer. Roll with the following settings on the Nomad and you should be fine...;)

Protocol: Trimble GPScorrect
Port: COM2
Baud: 9600

AlexMahrou

I have a NOMAD 900 G series and has been playing with ArcPad 8.0 for a while and haven't had any issue with the GPS receiver.

Today after I installed and activated GPScorrect 3.10 on it, neither ArcPad nor GPScorrect can connect to the GPS receiver.

If I use what seem to be the standard settings in ArcPad's GPS preference:
Protocol: Trimble GPScorrect
Port: COM3 (this doesn't say Trimble TIPS or whatever, just COM3)
Baud: 9600

Then whenever I try activating GPS I got error code 5.

So frustrated I decided to uninstall GPScorrect and see what happens. The uninstallation was smooth, however, once I fired up ArcPad, within a minute everything froze. Even holding down the power button won't do anything. Had to take the battery out and let tbe power drain to get the unit working again.

After that I reinstalled GPScorrect. COM3 was still no go. But if I set the port to COM2 (the hardware port), both ArcPad and GPScorrect seem to be working fine with the GPS receiver. I was able to collect some data, and do post-processing.

However, since wherever I look, everyone is setting the port to COM3, I have to wonder, is it completely wrong to use COM2, though things "seem" to be working?

Thanks for any insight you may provide.

The GPS Port on the Nomad is COM2. COM3 will always get you nowhere on a Nomad. The assignment to COM3 in the above posts that you read are specific to a GeoExplorer. Roll with the following settings on the Nomad and you should be fine...;)

Protocol: Trimble GPScorrect
Port: COM2
Baud: 9600

YukunXing

I have a NOMAD 900 G series and has been playing with ArcPad 8.0 for a while and haven't had any issue with the GPS receiver.

Today after I installed and activated GPScorrect 3.10 on it, neither ArcPad nor GPScorrect can connect to the GPS receiver.

If I use what seem to be the standard settings in ArcPad's GPS preference:
Protocol: Trimble GPScorrect
Port: COM3 (this doesn't say Trimble TIPS or whatever, just COM3)
Baud: 9600

Then whenever I try activating GPS I got error code 5.

So frustrated I decided to uninstall GPScorrect and see what happens. The uninstallation was smooth, however, once I fired up ArcPad, within a minute everything froze. Even holding down the power button won't do anything. Had to take the battery out and let tbe power drain to get the unit working again.

After that I reinstalled GPScorrect. COM3 was still no go. But if I set the port to COM2 (the hardware port), both ArcPad and GPScorrect seem to be working fine with the GPS receiver. I was able to collect some data, and do post-processing.

However, since wherever I look, everyone is setting the port to COM3, I have to wonder, is it completely wrong to use COM2, though things "seem" to be working?

Thanks for any insight you may provide.

JeremyNicoletti

Service pack 4 has moved me from being unable to recognize the GPS to not being able to receive data from the GPS.

I no longer receive error 5, and I can get my GPS to function with my GPS Controller software.

I have experienced no difference using the priority script.

On my desktop I experienced Error code 5 while running Microsoft ActiveSync background processes, and disabling those along with all other sync and GPS related processes allowed me to get data to transfer.

I still have problems, but at least I am no longer receiving error code 5.

NormWray

I do have a question on the priority script though. The script allows you to change the priority for two things; the draw priority and the GPS priority. Could you leave the draw priority at above normal (to keep the drawing speed relatively high) and simply set the to the GPS to the "highest" priority?

If anyone is interested, I tried to leave the draw priority at "above normal" (the default) and set the GPS priority to "highest" to try to keep the drawing spped high; unfortunately, I still got the error code 5 message when trying that. Looks like you have to set the draw priority to "normal" in order to get rid of the error.

Norm.

JeffTimm

Sounds like you've tried some of these, but go through the list and check.

a. Install the Priority Script
i. The Priority script that ships with ArcPad allows us to modify the priority of the thread that�??s doing the redraw. The script is installed in: Computer Drive with ArcPad Installation C:\Program Files\ArcPad 8.0\Developer\Samples\Applets.

ii. If you copy the script to \Program Files\ArcPad\Applets on the geo and restart arcpad, you�??ll see a little extra item in the tool bar �?? looks like the ArcPad logo. Activate this tool bar and click the one icon that appears to run the script.

iii. Then change the drawing priority from �??abovenormal�?? (the default) to �??normal�??, hit OK and quit ArcPad.

iv. Restart Arcpad and the new setting will take affect. The change allows the GPS to keep working during the redraw.

Eric B

Thank you Thank you Thank you...The priority script fixed my issues. I am suprised with all the time that I spent with customer support that this was never mentioned. Thanks.

NormWray

Hi all,

I've been having the "GPS ERROR 5" code almost every time I use my GeoXH handheld. So far, the only thing that has worked for me is resetting the device until the GPS eventually works in ArcPad. The post from Eric B. on 09-16-10, however, has helped me fix the problem.

I downloaded and installed the High Res patch per the instructions, but that did not seem to work. I then copied over the "Priority Script" and changed the drawing priority to "normal" per his recommendation. This has appeared to work for me as I have not yet had an error since changing the priority. A warning on the fix; it definately slows down the re-draw performance of your maps. It is very noticable when you are using a large data set (in my case, a full city parcel map). Still worth it just to have the GPS functional.

I do have a question on the priority script though. The script allows you to change the priority for two things; the draw priority and the GPS priority. Could you leave the draw priority at above normal (to keep the drawing speed relatively high) and simply set the to the GPS to the "highest" priority? I'll be testing that our over the next week to see if there are any issues with it.

Norm W.

ericbock

Sounds like you've tried some of these, but go through the list and check.

ArcPad 8 Best Performance

1) 2008 GeoExplorer Series Windows Mobile Operating System 6.1 Update

2) Install ArcPad 8 Service Pack 2 or higher

3) Error Code 5 Fix - maybe

a. Install the Priority Script
i. The Priority script that ships with ArcPad allows us to modify the priority of the thread that�??s doing the redraw. The script is installed in: Computer Drive with ArcPad Installation C:\Program Files\ArcPad 8.0\Developer\Samples\Applets.

ii. If you copy the script to \Program Files\ArcPad\Applets on the geo and restart arcpad, you�??ll see a little extra item in the tool bar �?? looks like the ArcPad logo. Activate this tool bar and click the one icon that appears to run the script.

iii. Then change the drawing priority from �??abovenormal�?? (the default) to �??normal�??, hit OK and quit ArcPad.

iv. Restart Arcpad and the new setting will take affect. The change allows the GPS to keep working during the redraw.

4) High Res Patch for VGA Screens
a. Slow performance on some high resolution devices when using GPS �?? When collecting data using GPS on some high resolution devices (eg: Nomad, 2008 GeoExplorer), you may observe a slow response from ArcPad. To improve the performance of ArcPad on these devices, you may benefit from running the ArcPadHiRes utility. This can be downloaded at http://arcscripts.esri.com/details.asp?dbid=14683

5) Uncheck extensions not being used in the advanced options

6) May be a feature class issue
a. Try checking out one feature at a time to find out the culprit.
b. If you find the problem feature class, create a new one and import the data

7) If possible, try reducing the amount of data you are checking out

Eric B

D3EGPS

Hi Jeff,

Then, as Zoltan said, it is probably the WM issue....
I contact Trimble support concerning a similar issue (COM3 issue on a Geo - Similar to your port Com is already issued by....) and they answered that it also can happen if you do not disconnect properly the GPS in ArcPad from GPSCorrect....
It was not for a large dataset so the only workaround was to reset the device and try to connect GPS again

Sorry, but if it can helps 😞

JeffTimm

I have already run the hi res patch. Didn't help. I contacted my trimble reseller and they picked up one of my units and said there is nothing wrong with the trimble.

ZoltanKovacs1

Hi,

That is a common issue on every Windows Mobile device with - usually more than one - GPS software installed. Sometimes a process just stuck in the memory and the system think that GPS is still in use. Do a soft/hard reset, it should solve your problem.
Trimble won't advise anything else, this is an official troubleshooting tip you can find in every Trimble MGIS getting started guide.

Hope this helps,

Zoltan

D3EGPS

Hi,

With ArcPad 8 and High Resolution screens it has, till the beginning, been a difficult combination.
It is perhaps a memory issue regarding the size of your datasets.

There was a patch for Highres screen : http://arcscripts.esri.com/details.asp?dbid=14683
Maybe you should try this. Just copy the ArcPad.exe file from the Geo to your laptop. Use the HighRes.exe file to patch it and copy back the ArcPad.exe file to the device.

Try with this...maybe...
I did not test it with ArcPad 8.0.4 cause I am now using ArcPad 10...

Did you test the GPS connection with GPS Controller ? Just connect the COM3 of the Geo to GPSController and check if you have the same error after some time.

Did you contact your Trimble reseller ? What did they say ?

Regards

Julien

JeffTimm

I have 3 different GeoXH units that do this. It seems to happen with larger datasets. I am wondering if it is a memory issue and if there is a fix.
Julien, I have unchecked the Windows GPS setting like you suggested and no change.

I saw in the old forums that a few others were having this problem but no one replied to their post.

D3EGPS

Hi,

I think you should contact directly your Trimble Reseller if it occurs too often.
Indeed this problem is perhaps due to a problem of your GPS main card within the Geo.
If you have the error 5 message you must use either GPSCorrect or GPSController to test the connection. This problem happens also in GPS Controller ?
It happened on my Geo units and this is either or problem of low temperatures or GPS card to my mind.

For the busy COM port, did you check the internal GPS settings of the Geo (start/Settings/System/GPS) and uncheck every settings. Indeed the GPS Protocol and settings are defined by GPSCorrect not Windows.

Contact Trimble and they will tell you exactly what is going on.
Hope that helps

regards

Julien

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