Problem with GPSout

[ursus]

Hello,

I am running FS2004 with GPSout.

GPSout is configured to send GGA and RMC messages in a 1000ms interval.

First problem was that the interval *sometimes* was much shorter than 1s. So I received 2-3 message pairs per second (that was with v2.55)

Now I upgraded to version 2.57 and the GPSout just stops after 1-2min of flying...

Any Ideas?

Could someone send me the old 2.55 .dll as I accidentaly discarded it when installing 2.57?

Also I get Error 34 when trying to upgrade FS9.0 to 9.1 and yes I do have original disks.

Thanks

Urs

[Pete Dowson]

GPSout is configured to send GGA and RMC messages in a 1000ms interval. First problem was that the interval *sometimes* was much shorter than 1s. So I received 2-3 message pairs per second (that was with v2.55)

GPSout relies only on being woken up by Windows at the intervals you set. It's always worked fine for many years with no changes to this. that sounds more like something queuing or blocking on your serial port. Are you using a true serial port or a USB with serial adapter?

Now I upgraded to version 2.57 and the GPSout just stops after 1-2min of flying...

The only changes which have been made to GPSout over the years have been to add additional sentence options (such as the AV400 format) and to correct the course from the bearing when it was found that the GPS course from FS was suspect. Nothing has been changed in either the way the timing is set nor in the actual serial port handling for about six years -- ever since it was written, in fact.

It really does sound like there's either something wonky with the serial port you are using or with the receiving end. Try checking the GPSout activity on the port with PortMon (a free utility from http://www.systeminternals.com) and also try port another if you have one. If the output from GPSout looks okay with PortMon (and it is easy to see it all with that utility), then you will need to investigate your receiver.

Also I get Error 34 when trying to upgrade FS9.0 to 9.1 and yes I do have original disks.

What's "Error 34"? What reports that? Doesn't it say anything else?

Having the original disks isn't as important as having an original installation. The update doesn't look at your disks.

Regards,

Pete

[ursus]

GPSout relies only on being woken up by Windows at the intervals you set. It's always worked fine for many years with no changes to this. that sounds more like something queuing or blocking on your serial port. Are you using a true serial port or a USB with serial adapter?

It is a Notebook without serial port. I get the serial port with the port replicator or a USB-serial converter.

Quite strange as we have seen the same happen on other computer, even desktops...

Urs

[Pete Dowson]

It is a Notebook without serial port. I get the serial port with the port replicator or a USB-serial converter.

Have you checked with PortMon as I suggested? Is perhaps Windows doing some unwanted power management on the USB subsystem -- I have heard that can cause problems.

Also, the first time I tried a USB serial adapter on a PC with Windows XP, the exchange of data dried up and stopped after a number of minutes. This wasn't with GPSout, but my PFC equipment driven by my FS PFC driver. It worked fine under Win98.

It turned out, eventually, to be the drivers supplied with the serial port USB adapter. Although they purported to be suitable for WinXP it seems they were designed and tested in WinNT4 days and obviously didn't work properly in XP. I found later drivers which then worked fine and have done ever since. In fact, once you get a good adapter with properly working drivers they are better than a "real" serial port!

Quite strange as we have seen the same happen on other computer, even desktops...

Even stranger that in over six years of GPSout's availability no one has had this problem before, or at least no one has mentioned it.

No, please check things out with PortMon and investigate your drivers. All the code used in GPSout for driving serial ports is rock solid basic Windows API stuff which has seen good use in at least a dozen of my programs over more years than I like to count, including Fax software which is very testing of serial port usage.

Regards,

Pete

[ursus]

Thanks for all your help. I will debug and test and let you know what I find.

We use FS and GPSout to test/demo a low cost collision warnig device for small aircraft and gliders:

http://www.flarm.com

Thanks for all your great work!

Urs

[Urban]

Hi Pete!

Since had the same problem, I tried the monitor program you suggested. It seems like some 30 seconds after FS9 has loaded, things get screwed up badly (see dump below). Oddly, GPSOut seems to not only use COM2 as specified in the ini file, but also does something to/with COM1. If I select COM1 instead (in the ini), the problem disappears. Could be the reason why the problem wasn't detected earlier.

Regards,

- Urban

0.06510520	fs9.exe	IRP_MJ_WRITE	Serial1	SUCCESS	Length 139: $GPRMC,054831.00,A,4659.3768,N,00826.9827,E,222.7,68.6,140704,0.	
0.06511749	fs9.exe	IRP_MJ_WRITE	Serial1	SUCCESS	Length 139: $GPRMC,054833.00,A,4659.4036,N,00827.0827,E,223.5,68.4,140704,0.	
0.14388225	fs9.exe	IRP_MJ_WRITE	Serial0	SUCCESS	Length 72: $GPRMC,054833.00,A,4659.4225,N,00827.1528,E,224.1,68.4,140704,0.	
0.00000447	fs9.exe	IRP_MJ_WRITE	Serial1	CANCELLED	Length 139: $GPRMC,054834.00,A,4659.4287,N,00827.1759,E,224.3,68.3,140704,0.	
0.00000251	fs9.exe	IOCTL_SERIAL_PURGE	Serial1	CANCELLED	Purge: TXABORT RXABORT TXCLEAR RXCLEAR	
0.00000559	fs9.exe	IRP_MJ_WRITE	Serial1	CANCELLED	Length 139: $GPRMC,054835.00,A,4659.4546,N,00827.2715,E,225.1,68.2,140704,0.	
0.00000251	fs9.exe	IOCTL_SERIAL_PURGE	Serial1	CANCELLED	Purge: TXABORT RXABORT TXCLEAR RXCLEAR	
0.14384901	fs9.exe	IRP_MJ_WRITE	Serial0	SUCCESS	Length 72: $GPRMC,054836.00,A,4659.4733,N,00827.3398,E,225.6,68.3,140704,0.	
0.00000503	fs9.exe	IRP_MJ_WRITE	Serial1	CANCELLED	Length 139: $GPRMC,054836.00,A,4659.4810,N,00827.3681,E,225.8,68.1,140704,0.	
0.00000251	fs9.exe	IOCTL_SERIAL_PURGE	Serial1	CANCELLED	Purge: TXABORT RXABORT TXCLEAR RXCLEAR	
0.00000475	fs9.exe	IRP_MJ_WRITE	Serial1	CANCELLED	Length 139: $GPRMC,054837.00,A,4659.5084,N,00827.4676,E,226.5,67.9,140704,0.	

[/code]

[Pete Dowson]

Since had the same problem, I tried the monitor program you suggested. It seems like some 30 seconds after FS9 has loaded, things get screwed up badly (see dump below).

Something is interfering there. GPSout doesn't cancel or purge anything. It's very simple, it just chucks stuff out.

Oddly, GPSOut seems to not only use COM2 as specified in the ini file, but also does something to/with COM1.

That definitely is something else then. It opens a single "file" for writing, and that's it. It really is dead simply standard Windows code.

Regards,

Pete