SR161 AIS receiver for OpenCPN under Linux Mint

[arell]

I am trying to connect an SR161 AIS receiver to OpenCPN running under Linux Mint. So far I have been unable to determine what to put in the AIS Data Port field to connect the unit to OpenCPN. Linux Mint is a variant of Ubuntu, which is derived from the Debian system.

[bdbcat]

Arell...

What version of OpenCPN are you using. Should be 3.2.2 for best performance.

Are you using a USB-Serial adapter? If so, in the Connections tab you will probably use /dev/ttyUSB0, or /dev/ttyUSB1, both at 38400 baud.

What are you using for GPS?

Also, be aware that if there are no AIS targets nearby, you will get no indication of whether your AIS receiver is actually working or not.

Dave

[arell]

bdbcat,
I am currently running OpenCPN 3.0.0. I have been trying to use the serial to USB converter that I normally use for the GPS (/dev/ttyUSB0, but the GPS is not hooked up to it) to just see if the SR161 works. Should I perhaps install a second converter rather than trying to check it out with just one?

[nohal]

arell...
Upgrade to 3.2.2. Of course you will need 2 usb-serial converters to connect 2 devices at the same time.
To see where and if the device gets connected, use

dmesg

after you plug it in.

Pavel

[ejs]

You might try changing the speed on the GPS port and using that port for the AIS. My AIS outputs the "ownship" coordinates in a sentence that OpenCPN can use so I didn't need the GPS connection anymore. It also has the advantage that you can tell it is working even when there are no other targets.

Eric

[arell]

ejs
Thanks for your assistance. What is the brand and model of your AIS unit? It sounds like the unit I would like to get next.
Gary

[nohal]

Gary...
Every AIS transciever is obliged to have it's dedicated GPS and all I've seen are able to send ownship info as part of the stream. In contrary, no AIS receiver-only will give you any ownship information.

Pavel

[arell]

Originally Posted by nohal

arell...
Upgrade to 3.2.2. Of course you will need 2 usb-serial converters to connect 2 devices at the same time.
To see where and if the device gets connected, use

dmesg

after you plug it in.

Pavel

Pavel...
Thanks for your assistance with the problem. I now have it all working. Unfortunately when I installed OpenCPN 3.2.2, the integrity of my wifi with external antennae was compromised. I can use bit torrent for file transfers (qBittorrent) but cannot get any web pages in any of my browsers (Google Chrome, Firefox, Opera). I ran dmesg after starting my system (without external antennae connected), and again after I connected the external antennae.
The before looks fine (to me) and is 941 lines. The one after I connected the antennae is 3902 lines, and starting with line 452 is:

[ 132.437262] xhci_hcd 0000:09:00.0: ERROR no room on ep ring
[ 132.437276] xhci_hcd 0000:09:00.0: ERROR no room on ep ring
[ 132.437283] xhci_hcd 0000:09:00.0: ERROR no room on ep ring
.
.
.
.
.
the rest of the way I think (haven't checked every line).

I can still connect to the internet with full functionality when I receive it thru the network connection. I realize I can fix the problem by re-installing Linux Mint from the CD, but I would like to find a simpler solution if it is possible.

If you need the dmesg output I can send it to you if you give me an email address.

[nohal]

Well...
I can't imagine anything this could have to do with OpenCPN. https://www.google.com/search?q=xhci...oom+on+ep+ring

Pavel

[muttnik]

Not opencpn's fault: sounds like a driver issue which I'll guess re-installing the same OS from cd won't help you with. If you've got all your stuff plugged into usb3 ports, move the serial to usb adapters to usb 2 ports. Presumably your software is all up to date? As nohal points out, there's more than a few bug reports on this.

In case you weren't aware (sorry if this is an egg sucking lesson) dmesg prints out the contents of the kernel's message ring buffer. Those aren't errors being generated each time you run it, so if you stop the problem happening (ie pull out the device causing the problem) you'll still "see" the errors unless it's been overwritten by other error messages. Apologies if that was obvious, but stated just in case...

[arell]

Originally Posted by muttnik

Not opencpn's fault: sounds like a driver issue which I'll guess re-installing the same OS from cd won't help you with. If you've got all your stuff plugged into usb3 ports, move the serial to usb adapters to usb 2 ports. Presumably your software is all up to date? As nohal points out, there's more than a few bug reports on this.

In case you weren't aware (sorry if this is an egg sucking lesson) dmesg prints out the contents of the kernel's message ring buffer. Those aren't errors being generated each time you run it, so if you stop the problem happening (ie pull out the device causing the problem) you'll still "see" the errors unless it's been overwritten by other error messages. Apologies if that was obvious, but stated just in case...

muttnik,
Thanks for your input. As for the egg sucking lesson, I am a 'used-to-be' knowledgeable computer programmer, but in today's world (after living on my sailboat in the Caribbean for 24 years), I am a RANK newbie. And, my short term memory is so bad, I had to look up how to add my bin to the PATH statement when I reinstalled the Linux Mint system, only to find that you were right, it didn't fix the problem.

However, it seems to me that if it was a driver issue, I wouldn't have been able to use my external antennae for the last few years. Before I read your input, I had thought it might be a problem with the wireless NIC; now of course, I am back in don't-know-a-thing-land.

Do you have any other thoughts that might help me along here?
Gary

[arell]

Originally Posted by nohal

Well...
I can't imagine anything this could have to do with OpenCPN. https://www.google.com/search?q=xhci...oom+on+ep+ring

Pavel

Pavel,
You are right; it has nothing to do with OpenCPN. I reinstalled my Linux Mint system after backing up my data, and with a clean system, have exactly the same problem. I believe that this is a hardware problem. I will have to consult with someone more knowledgeable on network stuff, but I believe the wireless NIC has gone walkabout, but the LAN NIC still functions so I have internet as long as I get it from another computer.

Thanks for your assistance.
Gary

[muttnik]

Originally Posted by arell

However, it seems to me that if it was a driver issue, I wouldn't have been able to use my external antennae for the last few years.
[...]
Do you have any other thoughts that might help me along here?

If the problem only happens when both the serial-to-usb and wireless thingy are both connected, perhaps (I have no special knowledge of this issue: I have nothing using the xhci usb driver) its buffers are being overloaded by the additional data from the AIS, messing everything up. If you've taken away the usb to serial devices, returned to your original set-up, re-booted (I believe you've even re-installed) and new error messages are still being generated and the old set-up no longer works....Nope: I'm out of ideas. I could think of something obscure like a dodgy udev rule triggered by the serial to usb adaptor doing something bad, but that doesn't gel with having re-installed