On Mon, 12 Jan 2015 06:31:37 +0700, wrote:

On Sun, 11 Jan 2015 15:49:04 -0500, Wayne.B
wrote:

On Sat, 10 Jan 2015 17:01:48 -0500, "Sir Gregory Hall, Esq."
wrote:



I purchased an HP Stream 8 tablet and one of the reasons I
got it was it has a built-in Broadcom GPS. I have Open
CPN installed on my Toshiba laptop and it works great in
conjunction with my GlobalSat BU-353S4.

The laptop is Windows 8.1 and so is the Stream 8 tablet.
OpenCPN installed perfectly on the Stream as it did on
the laptop. It found and configured all the charts when
I pointed it to the chart folder.

However, OpenCPN can't seem to *find* the built-in
Broadcom GPS although it finds and works just great with
the BU-353S4, The Broadcom internal GPS connects via
COM1 serial port while the BU-353S4 creates a virtual
com port it calls COM3. The only difference I can see
is COM3 defaults to 4800 baud while COM 1 defaults to
9600. But, even if I change it from 96000 to 48000 it
still won't connect.

Anybody know why not?

As a workaround I have just ordered a microUSB thumb
drive GPS which has drivers for both Windows and Android
devices so if I can't get the OpenCPN software to
recognize the Stream's internal GPS, I'll be able
to plug in the thumb drive and it will then create
a virtual Com3 port there so the Open CPN will be
able to enjoy the benefits of GPS.

Here is the Micro USB thumb drive GPS-

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Notice the price. Cheap, huh?

Oh, the internal Broadcom GPS on the Stream tablet does work
because I downloaded and installed a car GPS navigator and it
manages to see and connect to the built-in GPS.

===

Have you asked on the OpenCPN forum he

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f134/

There are a bunch of world wide experts on there as well as some of
the software authors.

I'm a bit embarrassed to ask, but did you "read the f--king manual"? I
ask as the manual does have a section concerning setting up a GPS
which includes instructions for CPN to work with "strange" GPS',
including a source for some drives such as a "Port Splitter" to allow
(example) port 10.


Bruce, of course I read the freaking manual. And it was no help.

Here's proof from the forum WayneB kindly provided. It seems
like I'm not the only one having the same problem.

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...-a-139272.html

I've even installed that same stupid TCP locator app but it's wildly
inaccurate and only updates every 30 seconds or so. It is relying
on any Wi-fi signals it manages to pick up. That's going to do
NO GOOD AT ALL out on the ocean where there are no wi-fi signals.

Duh.

What's needed is for Broadcom to get off their stupid asses
and provide device and bus drivers that output NMEA sentences
the lack of which I have concluded is the problem.

Either that or OpenCPN coders need to emulate how android
apps and at least a few windows apps manage to connect to
the Broadcom GPS and derive all the satellite information
therefrom thus managing to use the GPS without the benefit
of these NMEA sentences.

--
Sir Gregory