2018-03-05, 02:10 AM
(2018-02-14, 03:56 PM)abarrow Wrote: Hi all,
When I turn on OpenCPN after a few hours of inactivity, the GPS icon in the upper right says there isn't GPS NMEA data coming in. A check in of the NMEA debug confirms this.
If I start OpenPlotter and do diagnostics on the GPS USB port, I can see the data streaming from the device. I then close the diagnostic window, and the data starts appearing in OpenCPN.
Any thoughts on how I might get the GPS data to be more consistent?
What kind of GPS is it and what kind of computer is it hooked up to?
I've always had problems with USB GPS's One I had would hang up on me like that whenever by tablet's backlight would dim for power saving. I replaced it with another and that one would hang up every other time I started my outboard. It's not the GPS itself that is the problem by the USB converter chip both of which were PL2303 devices. Since I went to GPS modules connected to an Arduino (And using an active external antenna) and used it's USB output the problem went away completely. Those converters seem to be susceptible to noise induced into the cable so sometimes rerouting the cable away from power lines or other cables can help