NMEA TCP output on Windows 10

[jeffblackb]

I am running version 4.4 on a Windows 10 Surface Pro. When I set up an output connection using UDP, the data goes and I can see it in an app (SeaIQ) on my iPad via wifi. Whenever I try to set up a TCP output, nothing connects. The NMEA stream shows all the UDP messages as blue, or sent. All the TCP messages show red, or error. I have tried turning all the firewalls off to no effect, both on the computer miter and on the router. I must be missing something, but I don't know what. Please help. I am trying to get the RMC and AIS messages sent to my iPad to use in either iNavX or the NV apps. I have tried several different ports, and I put the iPad's IP address in OCPN and the computer's address in the other app. None will connect. I think it has to do with something on the computer, since I get only red (error) lines in the logger.

[barnakiel]

You are not clear about the net structure. Who is the AP, who is the server and who is the client. And why a router in between.

If you are getting AIS data into the Surface via a wifi link, then why not tap the iThing into the same wifi link?

Alternatively, if you are wired AIS into the Surface, you may try forgetting the router and creating a direct AP (soft AP) on the Surface. Then plug the iThing into this AP and that's that.

What you want is 100% doable but you may be setting your net in a way to complex way. (e.g. why the router)

A tip: an easier way to test is to set up the Open on your surface, set the net nmea out parameters then plug the ethernet wire from the Surface to the iThing. This helps make sure all simple things are set right. At this point you can remove the cable and try setting the same result wirelessly.

BTW running NV on an Android thing AIS presentation and usability is marginal. If AIS is the goal, get something better than NV (which is otherwise a very fine NV charts plotter).

Cheers,
b.

[jeffblackb]

Yes, I was not terribly clear. All data goes in to the Surface via a USB connection from a Vesper XB-6000 AIS, which will forward all the data, but has no WiFi. The Surfsce has no other ports, so WiFi is the only way to connect. The router is only in place because the boat is set up with one for the antenna to use for Internet between our devices. I would prefer to keep it in the setup to avoid having to connect and disconnect every time I wanted to use OCPN. The Surface running OCPN would be the server. The iPad would be the client, receiving the data into the NV or iNavX apps. I have set up a TCP in/out connection in OCPN, using the IP address of the iPad as assigned by the router's DHCP and port 45155, with no filters. I have set up the iPad apps to use th IP address of the Surface as assigned by the router using port 45155. The iPad apps do not connect to the Surface. The surface connection shows that it is trying to output messages, but the NMEA stream shows them as red lines, i.e. errors. I also have a UPD broadcast connection set up in OCPN, on port 10110. A separate app on the same iPad will see and accept that data, and display it correctly. Given that the UDP is getting through, I don't understand why the TCP does not work. Thanks for any help with this.

[bcn]

What does the log file say?

[muttnik]

Originally Posted by jeffblackb

I have set up a TCP in/out connection in OCPN, using the IP address of the iPad as assigned by the router's DHCP

If you want OCPN to act as a server don't do that: set the address to 0.0.0.0
Connections | Official OpenCPN Homepage
If you give OCPN the address of your iPad it will be trying to establish a connection to the iPad as a client which, of course, the iPad won't set up to receive.

[jeffblackb]

Ok, I tried the 0.0.0.0 this morning. It made no difference on the output lines showing error in the debugger window. I used the VDR to record the data stream, but all it looks like is a stream of NMEA messages. What it doesn't show is duplicate messages output. Since I have both a UDP stream and a TCP stream set up, shouldn't there be two of each message sent? The log file shows NMEA connections opened for COM3 (input) and both the UDP and TCP connections. After that there are no errors, and when the program closes all three streams close cleanly.

[jeffblackb]

Oops. I didn't have the iPad app running. Once I started it, the messages are now blue and at least the GPS info is flowing to the app. The 0.0.0.0 was the problem. Thanks for all the help.

[rgleason]

Look down to "Add a Network Connection"
Connections | Official OpenCPN Homepage

[barnakiel]

Maybe. Possibly. A question.

Any chance wpt / route upload via tcp is being considered?

This would be either industry first or er well nearly first.

A bit of a bummer not to be able to upload waypoints from a mobile installation.

Other than lack of leads, is this something difficult to implement?

Cheers,
b.

[bdbcat]

Barnakiel...

Route/WP upload by TCP/IP would not be difficult, if there was a standard and published format for such messages.

What chartplotter are you using? Is the TCP/IP interface well documented?
Tell us more about your (typical?) usecase.

Thanks
Dave

[barnakiel]

Probably not worth the effort as few cruisers go this way.

My scenario here is:

- a gps computer (Garmin handheld),
- an AIS source,
plugged into:
- a wifi router (AP for my PC and tablet)

- a PC,
- a tablet,
both are clients of the router above, for gps and ais nmea.



So, my tablet and my PC are using wifi nmea from the gps and ais over a wifi router.

However, to upload planned wpts from OpenCPN (and MaxSea, in my case) to the gps unit, I must plug a cable from the gps unit into the PC unit. Now this is sort of pointless since the PC and the gps are already linked over the wifi ...

I believe more users might want similar functionality to upload wpts into the AP, when the AP is present on the wifi.

Meanwhile, from the tablet I cannot upload wpts other than with a SD card. ;-( My tablet does not have a USB uplink at all (just power usb link).

The gps is my main road computer. The PC and tablet are just plotters and planners.

I know this is not where most users need functionality but I am still interested to know how such a transfer is done as I used this on Ray over the ethernet cable and my assumption is ethernet cable wpt transfer is identical with wifi transfer (TCP anyways).

Yours truly,
barnakiel

[barnakiel]

@ Dave

I think I found a better core example:

Think two OpenCPN installs on the same boat: say one at the nav station the other at helm. If the two are using a common nmea data source from a wifi network then the logical next step would be to be able to transfer wpts btw the two. And since they are already on the same network for nmea data then why not use this network to send / receive the wpts?

Sort of like a 'wifi data cable'.

I think this is the most basic idea - send wpts from one machine on the wifi network to another, without need for wires, data cards and other such XX century artefacts.

She at the nav station, planning their future, he at helm, waiting for those waypoints, on a dark stormy night. I am not insisting on the she/he part. I am open minded. What I mean is the wifi magic between us humans.

I AM daydreaming I know. Just the way I am wired I can't sleep well when I know something is doable but not done ;-)

Cheers,
b.

[bdbcat]

b...

I have thought about that scenario. On my boat, the main nav computer manages routes, so as to control the autopilot. It also retransmits just about everything NMEA via TCP/IP socket to whatever other test computers I may have running, including Android(s) that come and go. This is how I get AIS onto the mobile devices.

My brain-dead idea was to broadcast the currently active route over TCP/IP socket to anyone who is listening. Then, on the mobile device, I could watch the little boat slide down the route leg. Or not....

This could of course be extended to selectively broadcast any specific routes over the net by user choice.

Not too hard to implement, just a question of priority.

Second notion: Would any commercial chart plotters that use TCP/IP do the right thing if a simple NMEA route definition message appeared on their port? Needs testing. The vendors have not been too open about their network interfaces.

Anyone else interested?

Dave

[hoolie]

I'm currently re-thinking our boat system and to be able to transfer or broadcast waypoint and route info would indeed be very useful.

We currently have a config similar to Barnakiel with a two-way serial connection between the PC at the chart table and the GPS in the cockpit. The GPS is used for steering and can continue as stand-alone if the PC packs up, and vice versa as the PC has its own USB GPS connection.

I'd like to be able to have an additional tablet below for instrument and nav data display and also be able to use portable devices in the cockpit and on deck. So wifi data sharing is very useful, particularly if wp and route data can be included.