Navigator GPS signal

[LarryWilliams]

I'm having a little difficulty getting the Navigator software to find the GPS device.  is there any documentation on the expected baud rate, and format of the gps data?

When I start navigator and go to the gps setup area, the com port that the gps is on, usually comes up as "(In use)".  On the odd occasions when its not in use, it does not recognize the data as gps data.

[BertYagrich]

You may find the attached doc helpful.  For the In use problem, particularly this part:

"When configuring ALN to use the GPS signal from a COM port, please ensure that no other applications are currently accessing the GPS signal from this COM port.  If another application (Google Maps, GPS utility software, etc) is using the GPS signal from that COM port, ALN may not be able to obtain the signal since the COM port is already locked by another application.  Shut down all other applications which may make use of the GPS signal and also try rebooting your hardware device to ensure no programs are preventing access."

If you're still having problems, it would be helpful to have as many details about your setup as possible, a few examples are below.

-Win Mobile phone or Laptop?
-Built in GPS chip or external puck?
-any other software running with GPS?

[LarryWilliams]

That's part of the problem.  There shouldn't be anything else accessing the port unless its Navigator itself.  I notice that more buttons are hi-lighted when the gps is connected.

I'm using a Laptop with an external Cypress Solutions CTM-152 modem configured to transmit NMEA format (http://www.cypress.bc.ca/ctm150_modem_features.html).

This may be related to an open case having to do with Navigator not reading routes from ArcLogistics.

[BertYagrich]

I'm trying to download the manual for that modem but it's not working at the moment.  If it came with any 3rd party GPS software, I'd install that on the laptop and confirm you've got NMEA sentences coming in on the expected COM port and Baud rate. 

If it didn't come with any free software, Franson offers GPS Gate for a 14 day trial which is usually pretty helpful as well.  Once we can verify you've got a valid signal making it to the laptop, we can figure out why ALN isn't reading it.

[LarryWilliams]

Finally was able to see that the signal is coming from the GPS device.  Once I did this Navigator started to show my position and the GPS signal strength started showing on the map screen.

The only issue I have now is that the map isn't showing.  I think this is because the map is in meters and not decimal degrees.  This is related to that other problem I mentioned earlier.

So I guess this part is working now.  Thanks for the help.

[LarryWilliams]

Problem is back.  I changed the GPS so it sends out data like the following:

$GPGGA,155307.00,5102.7305,N,11403.3096,W,1,4,06.3,+00970,M,,M,,0000*53
$GPGGA,155307.00,5102.7305,N,11403.3096,W,1,4,06.3,+00970,M,,M,,0000*53

$GPGGA,155309.00,5102.7305,N,11403.3096,W,1,4,06.3,+00970,M,,M,,0000*5D
$GPGGA,155309.00,5102.7305,N,11403.3096,W,1,4,06.3,+00970,M,,M,,0000*5D

The GPS provider mentioned that they have an issue, with some older models, where each message is being terminated by <CR><LF><CR><LF> instead of just one set of <CR><LF>.  Would this cause an issue for Navigator?

[BertYagrich]

Did you change anything between having it work and not work?  Or did it just not work when you started it up today?

It's hard to say whether Navigator is choking on some of errors in the NMEA sentences.  Do you have a log of the GPS you could upload for us to check out?  You could also check the log and see which sentences are there.  Typically ALN uses GSV, GGA, RMC, GSA, VTG, and GLL but not all are always required.  I know GLL can be omitted without errors.

[LarryWilliams]

All I did was change the message format that it provided.    Changed it from Lat/Long to what you see in the previous post.  I also, may have updated the map data that I receive from Navgate.

By Log do you me a copy of the output?  If you took what I have in my previous post and duplicated it a number of times then you'd probably have your log.  My previous post shows them as GGA.

I'm also having an issue getting Navigator to accept the routes from ArcLogistics.  On my other post you mentioned a possible issue with MPH and Meters.  Everything that comes from ArcLogistics is in meters and I would assume the same goes for the GPS.

[BertYagrich]

Navigate knows what they're doing so I'm not sure the mph/kph thing is the issue now.  I've already contacted them and we'll try to figure out what's going on.  As for ALN not accepting the routes, what error are you getting?  Could you upload a sample .grf file you're having trouble with for us to look at?

[LarryWilliams]

Here is a sample of our routes.

The only response I get from Navigator is: Trip plan failed to load.

I do have an open case with ESRI Canada on this: {[CASE#111954]}