CMAPECS Does Not Show Vessel Position

[Dane]

I use a Garmin chartplotter for our Northatlantic tour, but did not purchase the chart for the Cap Verde Islands. Now we will go there afterall, and I am scrambling my backup chartplotter, which is my laptop with the old CMAPECS.

I tested it before going but now I have a strange problem. I get no vessel position indicator and track indicator. My GPS antenna works because I get my position read out by the program in the right side on the screen. When I zoom into the right position, I see absolutely nothing..

Despite the position reading out I also get a "NO POSITION" read out just under DLON 0.00.

Can anyone help? It would be most appreciated!

Cheers,
Dane

[donradcliffe]

Open the nmea configuration file and see if it looks like

;GP0=NA,P|2,GLL,VTG
[AUTOPILOT]
Present=0
COMNum=0
NormalTime=2
COMName=COM1
LeftBoard=2
StarBoard=2
BitRate=9600
ShipConstant=30
;ShipConstant=30
[CHANNELS]
IN0=COM6: baud=4800 parity=N data=8 stop=1
[TALKERS]
GP0=NA,P|1,RMC


The CHANNELS line contains the com port and baud rate that CMAPECS is looking for, and the TALKERS line must be set to RMC.

If you have the wrong com port, you will get a message like 'cannot opened com6' when you start the CMAPECS.

On my list of things to do is a similar problem with using CMAPECS with one of the cheap hockey-puck USB GPS's. It works with other programs, but not CMAP.

You might also try reloading CMAPECS into the computer.

[Dane]

I think I have got the COMport right. My NMEA.INI looks pretty much like what you got. I don't get the error with missing COMport and the program finds the antenna an reads out a correct position.

Reloading the software is the next step, if there is no fix..

The chart displays with no errors, so it's only my vessel position indicator that is missing. Obviously the "TARGET" button that centers the chart around the vessel position does not work. Also clicking "VESSEL" (where you switch track line on and of) has no effect.

[donradcliffe]

As another solution, the freeware OpenCPN program will work with your CM93 charts.

[xnavas]

I've the same problem with cmaps. Anybody with solution? Please!

[Zoef]

Solution that worked for me (just 5 minutes ago):
delete everything in the Routes file in cmapecs. The default.gds will make itself again after a restart but is no problem.

Klaas

[xnavas]

Tried everything! Nothing works! Input section in the c-maps shows "time out". Anyone...???

[Zoef]

Tried cmapecs again, didn't work like it did yesterday.

Then I moved the GPS-puck about 3 meters. After 20 seconds I had COG and SOG and own vessel position indicator. Waited some minutes, switched cmapecs off and restarted. No own ship indicator. Moved the GPS-puck and got COG, SOG and position indicator.
Restarted the computer, started cmapecs on and got all the bad indications. Moved the GPS-puck and after 20 seconds I got COG, SOG and position indicator. Moved the GPS-puck back to the original position, everything still ok.

If you leave the GPS-puck in the same position for some minutes the COG indicator starts flashing on and of, and so does the position indicator. Also the sign "no position" starts flashing.

Seems cmapecs needs at least 2 gps positions to start working properly. I wonder if it makes use of the speed and course data provided by the GPS-puck or if it calculates these based on the gps positions.

Klaas

[xnavas]

Now everething works. First: on the Garmin website there are two conflicting sets of instructions about wiring 9 pin serial adapter - and as far as I've figured out both of them are wrong. Correct and understandeble numeration of the 9 pins is here: Leads Direct - Serial Wiring Page . Second: you have to make sure you XP or Vista recognises you GPS as such and not as ball pointing devise or something else as happened in my case. To force XP to install the new device properly I've pluged USB with GPS Connected and swiched on ... and "voila" everithing works! Or and one more thing look in my computer device management tub to see what com port you are showing.

[scotte]

If you were following the diagram from Garmin's site here FAQ: How do I connect my GPS to a PC using a serial interface cable? and it didn't work, I suspect you had the wrong pin as #1. It's easy to get it backwards as PC side and cable side will be opposite when looking at the end of the connectors. Garmin's diagrams show the cable side (not the PC side), where the link you posted was the reverse.