I have a laptop with a USb-Bluetooth connected to it. I am using a
Bluetooth GPS for navigation (Garmin 10). I also have a software to
read AIS messages from an AIS receiver.

I want to combine both. The software is ready: I could double check
position from the GPS, and from the AIS of the ship (I am a maritime
pilot).

Is there a solution to this? Do I need 2 USB-Bluetooth connectors?
Anything existing to manage the 2 inputs entering at the same time ?

All help welcome.

Thank you

Jacquelin Hardy
Canada

"pilot" wrote in message
oups.com...
I have a laptop with a USb-Bluetooth connected to it. I am using a
Bluetooth GPS for navigation (Garmin 10). I also have a software to
read AIS messages from an AIS receiver.

I want to combine both. The software is ready: I could double check
position from the GPS, and from the AIS of the ship (I am a maritime
pilot).

Is there a solution to this? Do I need 2 USB-Bluetooth connectors?
Anything existing to manage the 2 inputs entering at the same time ?

All help welcome.

Thank you

Jacquelin Hardy
Canada


A single BT connection can handle more than one input. You set up each
device using the BT software. I have done this to get photos from a cell
phone camera to the computer and also transfer data from my PDA. I see no
reason why it would not work for your situation.

--
Peter Aitken

pilot wrote:

I have a laptop with a USb-Bluetooth connected to it. I am using a
Bluetooth GPS for navigation (Garmin 10). I also have a software to
read AIS messages from an AIS receiver.

I'm curious and have some questions. This is more from self
enlightenment than my being able to answer your questions.

What is the application being used for navigation? And are you using
more than one application?

Is the GPS 10 configured to transmit both NMEA standard sentences? Or
Garmin protocol sentences? Or Both?

What is the make or model of the AIS receiver?
And does it have a NMEA output? As Bluetooth? Or Serial?

I want to combine both. The software is ready: I could double check
position from the GPS, and from the AIS of the ship (I am a maritime
pilot).

What software? And will it handle multiple serial inputs?

If you want to combine NMEA sentences from two or more sources and send
it to a serial port (USB or RS-232), you could use a multiplexer to
combine the NMEA data strings. This is a piece of hardware (typical
ones are at http://www.shipmodul.com/en/). Sending the combined data to
one port will allow one application to use it, a single serial port
can't be shared as far as I know.

If the data is being received via one serial port (USB or RS-232) and
needs to be used by two or more applications running simultaneously, you
could use a virtual port software to put the same data on more (virtual)
serial ports and each application could use one of them.

Are you trying to display the AIS data on the same application that is
being used for navigation? If so, what is the output from the AIS
receiver? It is NMEA serial data?

Is there a solution to this? Do I need 2 USB-Bluetooth connectors?
Anything existing to manage the 2 inputs entering at the same time ?

I'm trying to visualize this. You have your navigation track going, is
a track also kept for each AIS vessel? Or are they location markers?

Meindert will be along shortly and I'll bet he has all the answers.

Jack

--
Jack Erbes in Ellsworth, Maine, USA - jackerbes at adelphia dot net
(also receiving email at jacker at midmaine.com)

"Jack Erbes" wrote in message
...
Meindert will be along shortly and I'll bet he has all the answers.

Yo ;-)

To combine two NMEA streams you must indeed use a multiplexer. But I get the
feeling that the OP wants to use two combine two streams, one from the GPS
and one from the AIS receivesr. And at the same time he wants to run two
programs, one common nagivation program and one self written AIS program.
For the last trick, you need indeed software that can accept an NMEA stream
from one port and send it to multiple virtual ports, where each program can
open it's own port. We have VirtualPlex for that.

Meindert
www.shipmodul.com

Meindert Sprang wrote:

snip And at the same time he wants to run...

I'm suspecting that the person that asked the question, Jacquelin by
name, is not a "he".

There goes all your credibility on this question. :)

Maybe she'll fill us in on the details, I'm curious about all the bits
and pieces of hardware and software involved.

Jack

--
Jack Erbes in Ellsworth, Maine, USA - jackerbes at adelphia dot net
(also receiving email at jacker at midmaine.com)

"Jack Erbes" wrote in message
...
Meindert Sprang wrote:

snip And at the same time he wants to run...

I'm suspecting that the person that asked the question, Jacquelin by
name, is not a "he".

Oops, me big fool.... :-)=)

There goes all your credibility on this question. :)

All right, rub in in..... :-)

Meindert

For Jack, and the others,

I am Jacquelin .( I am a "he")

What is the application being used for navigation? And are you using more=
than one application?

The applications are somethings that I wrote in Visual Basic 6. One is
for navigation (piloting) with GPS, the other is to be used with an AIS
receiver. I am using one application at the time right now.

Is the GPS 10 configured to transmit both NMEA standard sentences? Or Gar=
min protocol sentences? Or Both?
The Garmin GPS10 Bluetooth is transmitting NMEA sentences, no Garmin
protocol.

What is the make or model of the AIS receiver?
The AIS receiver is supplied by the commercial ships that I pilot. On
each commercial ship, there is an AIS transponder , fitted with a
standard pilot plug. It outputs all AIS sentences, in RS-422 protocol.
We use a Rs-422 ro RS-232 converter and a cable that runs from the
pilot plug to the serial port of a laptop.

And does it have a NMEA output? As Bluetooth? Or Serial?
The AIS sentences are in a strange format, encapsulated 6 bits. One
example he

'!AIVDO,1,1,,,13:r`R5P1orpG60JeHgRSj4l0000,0*56
' 0 1 2 34 5 6
'1 Total number of sentences needed to transfer the message, 1 to 9
'2 Message sentence number, 1 to 9
'3 Sequential message identifier, 0 to 9
'4 AIS channel number
'5 Encapsulateled 6-bit radio message
'6 Number of fill-bits, 0 to 5

'14eG=3Dch021rp4FTJdTGRRR0605q4

'VDO.Identifier : 1 000001
'Repeat indicator : 0 00
'MMSI : 316001711 010010110101011100110110101111
'VDO1.NavStatus : 0 0000
'VDO1.ROT : 0 00000000
'VDO1.SOG : 12.9 kns 0010000001
'VDO1.PosAcc : 1 1
'VDO1.Latitude : 46=BA 39.3182'N 1101011100000010001011010010
'VDO1.Longitude : 71=BA 38.2703'W
0011010101100100100010111100010100010100
'VDO1.COG : 065=BA 010000000000
'VDO1.Heading : 064=BA 110000000
'VDO1.TimeStamp : 3 sec. 000101
'VDO1.NavStatus : 0 1
'VDO1.CommStatus : 15:17 h 11001000100

I'm trying to visualize this. You have your navigation track going, is a =
track also kept for each AIS vessel? Or are they location markers?

Each ship within Vhf range is showed on the vector as a short triangle
at small scale. By pointing it, you can read her speed, course, gyro
heading, plus static info like her dimensions, etc..

The transmissions are at 38400 bauds, sent thru VHF. Each ship emits
its message, more or less frequently, depending on her speed, and
change of course rate. It is a serial communication. And since the ship
that we pilot emits her position thru the pilot plug, we can use that
signal for navigation. A message tells us whether it is DGPS or GPS
only.
I can put a Bluetooth to serial device on the AIS transmission and I
could go without a long cable.



What software? And will it handle multiple serial inputs?
My GPS software is already used by 25% of my collegues here on the
Saint-Lawrence River. I use S-57 data charts. The software does what a
pilot want: course overe the ground, speed over the ground, HDOP,
number of sat's used, Cross track error, etc.. It would be easy for me
to combine both softwares, and therfore to have 2 different sources for
positioning, one from the ship equipment, her AIS and GPS (DGPS), and
the other one from my G10 bluetooth.


And since Meindert Sprang seems to be well knowledgeable, I guess it
won't work, unless some of you guys come up with an idea.


I hope I answered your questions.

Regards

Jacquelin Hardy

"pilot" wrote in message
oups.com...
The applications are somethings that I wrote in Visual Basic 6. One is
for navigation (piloting) with GPS, the other is to be used with an AIS
receiver. I am using one application at the time right now.
.....
I can put a Bluetooth to serial device on the AIS transmission and I
could go without a long cable.

So what you actually have is: one application that needs the GPS data over
bluetooth and a BT GPS, and one application that needs AIS data over
Bluetooth.

In that case, you indeed need a serial to BT converter on the Pilot Plug and
that's it. The BT interface on your laptop can handle at least 7 serial
devices at once, each one is paired to its own virtual com port number, for
instance the GPS to com10 and the Plilot Plug to com11. So the application
that needs the GPS opens com10 and the other neding AIS opens com11.

Meindert

In article .com,
"pilot" wrote:

It outputs all AIS sentences, in RS-422 protocol.
We use a Rs-422 ro RS-232 converter and a cable that runs from the
pilot plug to the serial port of a laptop.

Just a note, RS-422 is not a Protocol, it is a Layer 1 IEEE Hardware
designation.


Me