Larry wrote:
thunder wrote ...
Armond Perretta wrote:

I have Capn 8.3 running with several GPS units that can be switched
to provide nav data ... I just loaded Offshore Navigator Light and
SeaClear II ... and it happens that neither program can "see"
the GPS ... I am using a standard USB-to-serial cable ... Capn 8.3 can
see anything I feed it ...

The USB-to-serial cable *might* have something to do with it. The
USB standard does not include a GPS device, so a proprietary driver
is needed. Capn probably provides them, perhaps, ONL and SeaClear
don't ...

Excellent point. The Cap'n DOES have a USB serial port
emulator/driver that I'm sure is STILL resident on his computer even
if The Cap'n isn't booted. So, The Cap'n's driver is stealing the
data away from the port ...

The only way he'd get to see it is if he completely UNinstalled The
Cap'n before installing one of these other crapware freebies, then
he'd probably have GPS info off the open USB port that's not open now
with the Cap'n's driver holding it close ...

Trying to run several nav programs on that machine is SURE to screw it
up with all the system tinkering they have to go through to get
antiquated NMEA serial data through a computer that doesn't have ports
for it any more ...

I think you both are onto the explanation. I suspected that something was
hijacking the port so I restarted the machine and did not run Capn, but
instead tried ON Lite and SeaClear separately. Unfortunately that didn't do
the trick as the port still appears to be closed to the other software.
What would happen if I used an additional USB-to-serial converter in another
USB socket? Maybe I'll try the next time I'm at the yard.

--
Good luck and good sailing.
s/v Kerry Deare of Barnegat
http://home.comcast.net/~kerrydeare