WideFS and GPSout problems

[saabpilot]

Hi Pete,

Two problems.

1.

I have installed latest and regged versions in FS9 of FSUIPC, WideServer, and GPSout 2.60 on the FS9 computer and WideClient on an laptop running a GPS enabled flight map program.

This can attach to virtually any brand of commercial flight GPS and is capable of scanning all com ports for a GPS signal.

(Network is 108 bps Netgear Wi-Fi with only the FS computer and the laptop)

Also installed the Virtual Serial Port driver and assigned COM2 and COM3 to those.

The GPSout.ini has the lines :

Sentences=RMA,RMC,GLL,GGA (for test)

Port=WideFS

Interval=1000

Speed=9600

PosTo6Decimal=Yes

In WideClient.ini I have added last:

[GPSout]

Port=COM2

Speed=9600

WideFS connects OK with the client, but no data gets to the virtual COM2 port.

The virtual port driver is installed per install instructions and shows in Control Panel/System as working OK

The map program when running says it cannot open COM2 when I run a built in test that scans all COM ports for GPS.

What can be wrong??

2.

Also I cannot get Squawkbox 3 to initiate FSUIPC - a warning about this comes up after FS9 start.

I have tried to delete FSUIPC.dll and let SB3 install a "known OK" version (3.50) but get the same error.

Best,

Bjorn

[Pete Dowson]

Also installed the Virtual Serial Port driver and assigned COM2 and COM3 to those.

I am very surprised you can use such port numbers as virtual ports on any PC, let alone a laptop. Most I know of have pre-assigned ports right up to 6 or 7 or more, for built-in modems, IR devices and the like.

In WideClient.ini I have added last:

[GPSout]

Port=COM2

Speed=9600

WideFS connects OK with the client, but no data gets to the virtual COM2 port.

How do you know? Have you used a port monitor to check? (You can get one from http://www.sysinternals.com). Also, check the WideClient log file -- maybe it can't open COM2 because it is reserved anyway. Also check the WideServer.log file in the FS Modules folder, see if it is registering the client as a GPS capable one.

The map program when running says it cannot open COM2 when I run a built in test that scans all COM ports for GPS.

Of course it cannot open COM2 if you've told WideClient to use that port!! If the virtual port program is truly linking COM2 to COM3 the map program should find COM3!

Also I cannot get Squawkbox 3 to initiate FSUIPC - a warning about this comes up after FS9 start.

I have tried to delete FSUIPC.dll and let SB3 install a "known OK" version (3.50) but get the same error.

Sounds like FSUIPC is not running then. After such a test (but with 3.75 or later, not 3.50) close FS down then show me the complete FSUIPC.LOG, from the FS Modules folder.

Pete

[saabpilot]

Hi Pete,

Thanks for the promt answer.

" am very surprised you can use such port numbers as virtual ports on any PC"

As I am not a programmer nor a comm expert it might well be that the pair (COM2 and COM3) I assigned is the culprit.

What "pairing" of the com ports do you suggest?

As for the SB3 problem I will run it again with 3.75 and attach the log here in a couple of hours.

Bjorn

[Pete Dowson]

As I am not a programmer nor a comm expert it might well be that the pair (COM2 and COM3) I assigned is the culprit.

What "pairing" of the com ports do you suggest?

Well, you don't need to be either a programmer or a comms "expert", just think about where to look in Windows.

I only find out what is free by going to the Windows Settings-Control Panel-System-Hardware-Device Manager display, opening up the Ports(COM & LPT) item and seeing what the next unused port number is. Generally COM1 and COM2 are taken by motherboards, reserved for real "heritage" hardware ports, even if they are not listed there. On my Notebook I see others reserved for one thing or another all the way up to about COM12.

Pete

[saabpilot]

Hi again,

I d/l the PortMon tool and changed the pairs to COM10 and COM11.

My old notebook utilizes COM1-COM3 only as far as I can see.

Portmon clearly shows me that it gets the data on COM11 now, however no success yet with the map.

In Portmon I also can see and verify what "Sentence" is transmitted.

I have tried all combinations of Sentence params but would like to try yours for FliteMap - Is Flite Map a Garmin product and if so do you have the product number e.g. something like GPS 215 NMEA 0183, if so I can set up the map as FliteMap and test.

Right now when I make the map program search for the Gps on COM11 it says it cannot find any. (Can´t open Com11)

The SB3 problem was suddenly solved when I reinstalled your latest FSUIPC :)

I tried that before with no success, but now it suddenly works OK.

Best,

Bjorn

P.S. Strangely enough I can not see any port information on the laptops System-Hardware-Device Manager pages as I do on my "stationary" computer?

[Pete Dowson]

Portmon clearly shows me that it gets the data on COM11 now, however no success yet with the map.

In Portmon I also can see and verify what "Sentence" is transmitted.

Have you information about what the map program needs? The standard NMEA speed is 4800 by the way, not 9600, but most programs allow you to set higher. I use something very high with FliteMap (115200 nowadays I think).

Is Flite Map a Garmin product

No, is is a version of Jeppesen's FliteStar planner. I don't think they sell it as "FliteMap" any more. I started using it when it was a MentorPlus product some 10 or more years ago. I've updated through versions 6, 7, 8, and currently 9.3, but it is very expensive, especially for the world-wide corporate edition I have.

Right now when I make the map program search for the Gps on COM11 it says it cannot find any. (Can´t open Com11)

Of course not!!! You still misunderstand, or you didn't read my last reply properly! You gave COM11 to WideClient, you just stated that. Two programs can't own the same port. You said the virtual serial port program was linking COM11 to COM12, so your map should be reading the results on COM12 !

Why do you think you have two ports? That MixW program emulated two ports with a piece of wire. It saves you having REAL ports and a REAL piece of wire!

Pete

[saabpilot]

Hi again Pete,

Sorry for the misunderstanding :)

I also made a typo - I have actually set COM10 and Com 11 as the pair and set GPSout to transmit to COM10 which I can see it does. But the Jepp FliteDeck says it cannot open the COM11 port ! So something is wrong in FliteDeck or the COM11 port is blocked somehow.

Now using your setup for the "sentences" - but since the port is "sort of" unaccessable it does not help much.

Best,

Bjorn

[Pete Dowson]

I have actually set COM10 and Com 11 as the pair and set GPSout to transmit to COM10 which I can see it does. But the Jepp FliteDeck says it cannot open the COM11 port ! So something is wrong in FliteDeck or the COM11 port is blocked somehow.

Only two possibilities I can think of. Either the virtual port COM11 isn't actually created (go look in the Device manager under Ports), or the map program you are using cannot handle COM port numbers above a certain range. There are a few (older) programs like that.

Pete

[saabpilot]

I will make the pair com4-com5 instead and test - might do the trick - i will post the results a.s.a.p.

[saabpilot]

Changed to COM4 + COM5

Now it is a faint hope - the warning has changed from "cannot open com port" to "no output detected" :)

Tomorrow I will try all supported sentences once again - it is late here now 23:45 LT (Thailand) :D

Thanks so far for your very kind help and I will post the results tomorrow.

Best,

Bjorn

[Pete Dowson]

Changed to COM4 + COM5

Now it is a faint hope - the warning has changed from "cannot open com port" to "no output detected" :)

Tomorrow I will try all supported sentences once again

Check that the speed is acceptable to the program as well. Most need that specifying. If it doesn't, it probably assumes 4800, the NMEA standard for GPSs.

At slower speeds like 4800 don't try sending too many sentences -- there just isn't time to send them every second. If you want to test all sentences set the interval larger, but best really to stick to 2-4 at most.

Pete

[saabpilot]

Have done that, but still no joy. :evil:

Have tested with all combinations of settings sentence/baudrate.

However I can see in the PortMon that:

1. FS sends the data to COM4 and also that it uses the "current" sentence setting

2. Flitedeck program scans COM5 for a GPS

Flitedeck does not find any data but opens and scans the COM5 port when asked to search for the GPS.

Flightdeck is "settable" to any of your sentences and also to any baudrate for "default GPS" or can be configured direct for most if not all flight GPS:es existing.

In PortMon you can only see that data from FS goes to COM4 but not that it is "replicated" in COM5 - could it be that the two ports in the pair are not properly interconnected ?? E.g. the program searches an empty COM5 port.

Bjorn

[saabpilot]

:D :D :D

Success !!

The culprit was as I suspected the mixW portemulator that did not connect the ports correctly.

I d/l another comport emulator "Virtual Serial Port Driver 6.0" and set it to "Enable strict baudrate emulation" + set up the pair on COM1 and COM2. WideFS now sends to COM1 and FlliteDeck receives on COM2 regardless what "sentences" / baudrate I use. (If I like I can set the driver to use any com port number)

The only backlash is the emulator cost = 100 US $ :x vs. yours for free.

Maybe I should remove all emulators again and try to set up mixW on COM1+2 ??

Bjorn

[Pete Dowson]

:D :D :D

Success !!

Great!

The culprit was as I suspected the mixW portemulator that did not connect the ports correctly.

Strange. I've been using it successfully on several different computers, both lap tops and tower PCs. They are all running WinXP though (SP1 and SP2, a mix). Maybe you are using Vista?

I d/l another comport emulator "Virtual Serial Port Driver 6.0" and set it to "Enable strict baudrate emulation" + set up the pair on COM1 and COM2.

Hmm. It must override the default hardware-specified COM1 and 2 then. They have been defined with fixed hardware addresses ever since PCs were invented, and the same assignments are still normally made even if there's no actual hardware port showing. (Most motherboards have them as a set of pins sticking up awaiting a connector).

The only backlash is the emulator cost = 100 US $ :x vs. yours for free.

Well, MixW isn't mine of course. It was just the only freeware one I found. Like you I looked at other, payware ones. In fact I did buy one and try it, and it didn't work as well as MixW -- slower and with corrupted sentences if you ignored its throttling. I complained and submitted bug reports but never got any answers other than stuff like "reinstall Windows, it must be corrupted"! So I couldn't recommend it. It was money wasted for me.

Regards

Pete

[saabpilot]

This one I found works flawlessly - why it can override COM1/COM2 that are sort of standard ports I do not know.

I just test runned it since a couple of hours and it do work as advertised :D I run WIN Xp as OP.

I have used 4800 bps and will increase the baudrate to get a smoother chart operation, but it is fully usable at 4800 as it is set now.

Maybe my wi-fi connection screwed things up with your supplied emulator or something else is wrong or different in our computer setups.

Thanks a lot for the very fast answers and directing me the right way with PortMon.

That enabled me to track down the problem. Without your advice I would have given up.

See you in the Vatsim/IVAO skies :D

Best,

Bjorn

[Pete Dowson]

This one I found works flawlessly - why it can override COM1/COM2 that are sort of standard ports I do not know.

I searched for the program and found this in the description:

"Created virtual serial port can have any name (COM by default) or can have the same name as real serial port. In this case virtual serial port overlapping happens. Applications may reach virtual serial port via real serial one and vice versa."

So it appears it is a (clever) deliberate action.

I just test runned it since a couple of hours and it do work as advertised :D I run WIN Xp as OP.

Okay, thanks. I shall make a note of it and recommend it to others if they have difficulties with MixW.

Regards

Pete

[saabpilot]

I will let you know if I find any problems with this emulator.

Best,

Bjorn

[saabpilot]

F.y.i.

The serial port emulator, GPSout and mappingprogram all works like a charm at any baudrate.

Thanks again for your eminent help.

Best,

Bjorn

[Pete Dowson]

The serial port emulator, GPSout and mappingprogram all works like a charm at any baudrate.

Good! Great news! Thank you.

Pete