halo install on opencpn failing

[tcpbob]

i have read all the material i can find and still am in irons over this. i did my homework and if the solution for my problem was in it, i did not get it or i have a unique problem. my ambition is to get it working in simplest fashion and then tidy up. in regard to that i have not installed a switch, and have no idea where to get something like that in st martin anyway. and supplying a compass heading is also over my head for the moment.

the dome is "functioning normally" according to the light on aft end of the dome. i installed the latest version of opencpn. when i click on the radar icon it opens a small window asking me to select what system i use. i click on halo A and it will not accept it. that is where it all comes to a stop.

so far i have not been able to achieve a display of any kind and that is my hurdle.

my plugin and it is "radar-pi 5.0.4-OV50 win32.exe"...

if there is a step or process i missed it wasn't out of laziness.

what is the small step - item i am missing?

i have an anchorage to make inquiry to as well but i have a high regard for this forum so started here. it is rare for me to be stumped like this. i built my boat including all instrumental wiring and have sailed from south pacific to caribbean without a problem i couldn't solve... until this.

cheers
bob

[merrimac]

v5.0.4 is from 2020, and does not support HALO.

I recommend the latest beta which will be made production next week, and an upgrade to _at least_ OpenCPN 5.6.2. You can wait a few days and then O 5.8.0 will be released.

[merrimac]

In new OpenCPN versions (5.6.0 and higher) there is a plugin management scheme; read the manuals on how to do that.

TLDR: Uninstall all plugins that have an uninstaller (in windows "add programs"). Then in OpenCPN go to Settings > Plugins > Download master catalog.

[tcpbob]

i was incorrect if i gave that number for opencpn version, i am running v 5.6.2. and i got latest version of PI as well. all within the last few days. must have done after that post.

there are a lot of manuals listed but i will not download anything through opencpn or anything else. i am very strict about protecting my nav system. to that end this OS (win 10) is very sparse. clean as possible. if i can find an item i can download it singly. the only function the OS has is providng a platform for the opencpn and it's add-ons.

i will try to find the manual you mentioned... sure wish the system had a search function. i didn't see one.

i have also noticed that trying to get the radar on the screen, my soundings data is corrupted. soundings now appear as a grey block... i don't call that progress...

i look forward to the new cpn version and will get it as it becomes available.

i will work on all suggestions as i appreciate the time taken to help me out. but i have to sleep sometime so, off for now.

cheers and thanks again

bob

[merrimac]

What do you mean with "latest version of PI"?

For better or worse, at the moment we do not publish radar_pi release binaries on github.com anymore. We may start doing so in future again. At the moment we are publishing binaries in cloudsmith.io under https://cloudsmith.io/~opencpn-radar-pi/repos/

The approved mechanism for installation is to have these managed by OpenCPN. That is what the master/beta catalog system does. You can still download a "tarball" (.tar.gz) file yourself.

The catalog system downloads one XML file (https://github.com/OpenCPN/plugins/b...pn-plugins.xml) and then when you instruct it, one file pointed to in that XML file.

How downloading the .tar.gz self manually is more "safe" eludes me.

But until you download something recent there is no HALO support at all. Note that HALO evolved support has been a focus in recent versions, so I recommend 5.5.0-beta4 (for which you will need 5.7.1 or 5.8.0 on Windows.)

[tcpbob]

first of all, thanks for your message

"most recent PI" refers to what i downloaded from "opencpn.org>plugins>navico radar>radar_pi-5.0.4-OV50-win32.exe" just the other day. i assume most recent. is this not the appropriate file?

the cloudsmith link took me to a third party place dealing with cookies and how they are good for my privacy... my privacy settings must have interfered.

in options>connections it appears i need to deal with the radar there. i assume it is a network rather than a serial connection. everything else i am just guessing at. can i get some guidance on that particular page? for example, protocol, address, data point, checksum,input output, filtering etc.

will be having a play while i wait and hope your patience allows a response.

cheers
bob

[Hakan]

Originally Posted by tcpbob

first of all, thanks for your message

"most recent PI" refers to what i downloaded from "opencpn.org>plugins>navico radar>radar_pi-5.0.4-OV50-win32.exe" just the other day. i assume most recent. is this not the appropriate file?

No. As mentioned for OCPN 5.6.2, download it from here, plugins are "maintained" meaning they are installed from within Options=>Plugins: "Update catalog master" and install what's desired.

the cloudsmith link took me to a third party place dealing with cookies and how they are good for my privacy... my privacy settings must have interfered.

Nothing unusual these days. Just choose your level of cookies.
But here's instead a Tarball download link. That one would fit to copy to your Nav PC if you not want to use the Plugin installer there.

"Import" and install on O v5.6.2:
Options=>Plugins: "Import Plugin..." and point to the downloaded file. Then select radar plugin and install version 5.5.4.

in options>connections it appears i need to deal with the radar there. i assume it is a network rather than a serial connection. everything else i am just guessing at. can i get some guidance on that particular page? for example, protocol, address, data point, checksum,input output, filtering etc.

options>connections has nothing to do with a radar connection. Please read carefully the manual

[Hakan]

And for the upcoming OCPN 5.8.0 use instead this Tarball import file

[merrimac]

I've asked Rick to remove the obsolete v5.0.4 download link from "opencpn.org>plugins>navico radar".

I must say that by now, we are down to our last attempt in trying to explain to you what you need to do. See all above posts.

[rgleason]

Emailed to get this updated. Thanks.

Originally Posted by merrimac

I've asked Rick to remove the obsolete v5.0.4 download link from "opencpn.org>plugins>navico radar".

I must say that by now, we are down to our last attempt in trying to explain to you what you need to do. See all above posts.

[tcpbob]

on my very first post i stipulated exactly what i had downloaded and the result. i asked what little thing did i have wrong? it was the plugin that was represented on the website as the proper plugin for... SPECIFICALLY navico radar... i spent the rest of the day along with a friend that is a local electrical expert trying to work out why it wouldn't work.

but i didn't get stroppy about it, these things happen. also i bought my halo based on a reputation that the model line was easily adapted to opencpn. this was not a recent impression but several years in the making. i do not understand why it seems this is a new thing.

to this day mistakes occur. the manuals only enhance the problems as they seem to be written with the belief the information is static.

Hakan was kind enough to send me a tar.gz link for radar v5.5.4 but when i clicked on it it gave me v5.5.0, but that was a couple hours ago, i checked again and now it gives me the v5.5.4. things are changing very fast right now but i have not said a word of criticism. i do appreicate the efforts of all that contribute to the success of opnecpn. it has guided me over SE asia, Australia, pacific, indian and atlantic oceans and caribbean. Terry in the Philippines will testify that i know my way around a computer... if he is still there. the point is that if i am struggling there is a reason.

and Hakan; the reason we went to options>connections was that every other avenue went nowhere because of conflicting information. desperation. trying not to be a burden on you guys.

and again thanks to Hakan for the link to V5.8.0 cpn. opening the tar files no problem as i use linux system for web browsing. and yes, i forbid my windows nav computers to ever touch the web. just like i told my kids not to let a stranger in the house when i was gone.... thanks for respecting my stance on that.

cheers
bob

[rgleason]

Originally Posted by tcpbob

....i forbid my windows nav computers to ever touch the web. just like i told my kids not to let a stranger in the house when i was gone....

...a bit of superstition? or perhaps a bad experience.


Nice to hear you appreciate all of their work.

[tcpbob]

definitely NOT superstition. i am a retired publisher and editor of a paper specializing in aggravating corrupt government and industry. i had a room full of machines to keep running and prevent extraction of data. i had to finally isolate my windows machines as ridiculously vulnerable. i am thinking i should migrate my navigation to linux now as i did with connecting machines back in the day but i hate to take on multiple changes at same time.

btw, the latest opencpn i downloaded this morning will not run on my machine. i use an older lenovo thinkpad running win 10. it seemed to load ok, as normal for a new opencpn, then immediately crashed and took all saved data from the previous version with it. perhaps the older architecture of my machine? anyway, today and yesterday has been a disaster.

i am confounded that i have heard so much about halo radars being comfortable with opencpn when my expereince here suggests this is all new and untested!? i may have to go back to 4.8 and forget about the radar.
cheers
bob

[Hakan]

bob..
We have been using radar plugin and Navico's and Garmin's different types for many years. Works as a charm.

I respect your non Internet philosophy for the Win although I find it a slightly overblown. I use Win10 and the inbound Defender. In the boat sometimes connected by a hotspot. I set it as a "paid" connection and only Defender updates occur. No problem. (Linux makes more updates these days.) But I'm not arguing about this. Just my view like you have yours. I use Internet to update o-charts files and sometimes a plugin. Nothing else.


So, what's your result of all this? Did you install O 5.8 and a radar plugin for that on your Win and get it to work as most others?

[wholybee]

Originally Posted by tcpbob

definitely NOT superstition. i am a retired publisher and editor of a paper specializing in aggravating corrupt government and industry. i had a room full of machines to keep running and prevent extraction of data. i had to finally isolate my windows machines as ridiculously vulnerable. i am thinking i should migrate my navigation to linux now as i did with connecting machines back in the day but i hate to take on multiple changes at same time.

btw, the latest opencpn i downloaded this morning will not run on my machine. i use an older lenovo thinkpad running win 10. it seemed to load ok, as normal for a new opencpn, then immediately crashed and took all saved data from the previous version with it. perhaps the older architecture of my machine? anyway, today and yesterday has been a disaster.

i am confounded that i have heard so much about halo radars being comfortable with opencpn when my expereince here suggests this is all new and untested!? i may have to go back to 4.8 and forget about the radar.
cheers
bob

I don't have a radar, but maybe can provide some insight. To start, I would not try to get it working with 5.8.0, which is only a few days old. Similar to your experience, I never install x.x.0 versions of anything, and that also comes from lots of experience. So, I would use 5.6.2 for the radar setup. 5.6.2 has been out for a long time and is stable and it all works.

How do you have the radar connected to your PC? A direct Ethernet Cable, through a switch, or via wifi? You have link lights? Can you ping the radar? I don't know what the IP address would be, or if it is DHCP etc. but this information is important to continue troubleshooting.