Anyone out there know how to make a program like Excel (or whatever)
capture NEMA data from the GPS and put it into a spreadsheet or
database. What I'm trying to do is set up some kind of an auto ship's
log so that when I'm sailing the GPS will create a log for me every 15
min or 30 min or whatever. My old Nobletec nav program had that
capability but I've recently switched to Fugawi and I don't get a log
book from it. My GPS currently imputs info to my laptop and Fugawi, I
just haven't figured out if that info can be captured along the way and
utilized by another program to accomplish what I'm trying to do.
Ed

Ed Henderson wrote in news:12a5n1g4svc5o38
@corp.supernews.com:

Anyone out there know how to make a program like Excel (or whatever)
capture NEMA data from the GPS and put it into a spreadsheet or
database. What I'm trying to do is set up some kind of an auto ship's
log so that when I'm sailing the GPS will create a log for me every 15
min or 30 min or whatever. My old Nobletec nav program had that
capability but I've recently switched to Fugawi and I don't get a log
book from it. My GPS currently imputs info to my laptop and Fugawi, I
just haven't figured out if that info can be captured along the way and
utilized by another program to accomplish what I'm trying to do.
Ed


Turn off your nav software in the computer and boot up Window's dumb
terminal program, Hyperterminal. You access it from START - Programs -
Accessories - Communications and you'll find it in that group.

Once it boots, a popup window opens. Type in NMEA DATA WINDOW so it will
create a new connection for you. Another popup "Connect To" opens up.
Click the pick arrow under "Connect using" and pick your COM port. I
only show COM3 on my computer. When you pick it everything else will
grey out. Click OK and yet another window opens so you can configure the
Port Settings for the com port. You need to know what your NMEA network
is running at, probably 4800 baud, 8 bits, NONE parity, 1 stop bit and
Hardware flow control (which doesn't matter for this). If it prints
jibberish, try a different port speed until it starts printing NMEA
statements one on a line later on.

Click OK to save the settings.

To start reading the NMEA data, just click the little telephone to
"connect" to the port. NMEA data will pour in, probably faster than
you'll ever read. If you click TRANSFER then CAPTURE TEXT you can store
data to a disk file for playing with it later....putting it into your log
as you like.

It's crude but it works. It also lets you see the stupid errors some of
the equipment makes trying to have more than one talker online trashing
the data.....test equipment!

On Wed, 28 Jun 2006 12:44:45 -0700, Ed Henderson
wrote:

Anyone out there know how to make a program like Excel (or whatever)
capture NEMA data from the GPS and put it into a spreadsheet or
database. What I'm trying to do is set up some kind of an auto ship's
log so that when I'm sailing the GPS will create a log for me every 15
min or 30 min or whatever. My old Nobletec nav program had that
capability but I've recently switched to Fugawi and I don't get a log
book from it. My GPS currently imputs info to my laptop and Fugawi, I
just haven't figured out if that info can be captured along the way and
utilized by another program to accomplish what I'm trying to do.
Ed
You may be able to do what you want by downloading the tracklog onto
your pc after the fact. You didn't say whether you absolutely needed
the log created in real time. Anyway, capturing nmea data and getting
it into excel isn't too tuff, but you first need to share the data
between 2 programs, which is a bit more involved. I use a program
called GPSGate to do that. I have an old writeup on my website with a
link to the GPSGate vendor's site he

http://www.worldwidewiley.com/4NMEApartners.shtml

You can download a trial there. The license was cheap last time I
looked. Full disclosu I have a minor business relationship with
the authors that occasionally results in a pittance of a referral fee
from them. Trust me, it's not enough to affect my judgement. It also
logs data, but probably not the way you want. GPS Express may be a
bit closer.

In any event, anything that can capture the NMEA data (and there are
several free programs out there that do it) will give you a file that
you can import into excel easily. I am sure I've seen excel add-ins
that can process the resulting data in various ways, but the names
escape me.

If I were you, I'd look for an app that captures the data and creates
a formatted "captain's log" in real time. I know this is easily
doable because I have done so, but it is only free to try. Check out
my sig below if you want to see it. It's overkill for your purposes,
but it may give you a better idea of what you can do. I have a feeling
that you can find the logging function for free if you look hard
enough. Google is your friend.


__________________________________________________ __________
Glen "Wiley" Wilson usenet1 SPAMNIX at world wide wiley dot com
To reply, lose the capitals and do the obvious.

Take a look at cpRepeater, my NMEA data integrator, repeater, and
logger at http://www.worldwidewiley.com/

Ed Henderson wrote:
Anyone out there know how to make a program like Excel (or whatever)
capture NEMA data from the GPS and put it into a spreadsheet or
database.

Ed,

Check GOOGLE searching on excel gps. I found several references to such
programs ready made.

HTH

Vic

"Larry" wrote in message
...
Ed Henderson wrote in news:12a5n1g4svc5o38

Turn off your nav software in the computer and boot up Window's dumb
terminal program, Hyperterminal. You access it from START - Programs -
Accessories - Communications and you'll find it in that group.

I wouldn't recommend using hyperterminal. It has some weird bug in it,
resulting in an error message "cannot open port" or something similar when
the port you are trying to open is already receiving data.
Try and find TeraTerm (free) on the net or use my multiplexer configuration
program, which has a feature to save incoming NMEA data to a file. And all
the com port settings are already done, just select port and speed.
This program can be downloaded he
http://www.shipmodul.com/downloads/mpxconfig2.20.zip

Meindert

"Victor Fraenckel" wrote in message
news
Ed Henderson wrote:
Anyone out there know how to make a program like Excel (or whatever)
capture NEMA data from the GPS and put it into a spreadsheet or
database.

Ed,

Check GOOGLE searching on excel gps. I found several references to such
programs ready made.

You actually don't need a conversion program for Excel. If you have a
textfile with NMEA sentences, just import it in excel as text and select
comma delimited when prompted. You end up with a sheet where every column
contains one field from each NMEA sentence.

Meindert

On Wed, 28 Jun 2006 12:44:45 -0700, Ed Henderson
wrote:

Anyone out there know how to make a program like Excel (or whatever)
capture NEMA data from the GPS and put it into a spreadsheet or
database. What I'm trying to do is set up some kind of an auto ship's
log so that when I'm sailing the GPS will create a log for me every 15
min or 30 min or whatever. My old Nobletec nav program had that
capability but I've recently switched to Fugawi and I don't get a log
book from it. My GPS currently imputs info to my laptop and Fugawi, I
just haven't figured out if that info can be captured along the way and
utilized by another program to accomplish what I'm trying to do.
Ed

It is fairly easy to write a VB program to capture and isolate bits of
NMEA. It can be also be done within Excel using VBA, or better still
use a free add-on - see

http://realterm.sourceforge.net/real...rom_excel.html

Regards
Ian

"Ian McCrum, MI5AFL" wrote in message
news
It is fairly easy to write a VB program to capture and isolate bits of
NMEA. It can be also be done within Excel using VBA, or better still
use a free add-on - see

For someone with programming experience, yes. Otherwise no. And again, why
on earth would one want to write a program to parse NMEA to Excel when excel
can directly input comma delimited data (which NMEA actually is) from a
file??

Meindert

On Thu, 29 Jun 2006 11:41:44 +0200, "Meindert Sprang"
wrote:

"Ian McCrum, MI5AFL" wrote in message
news
It is fairly easy to write a VB program to capture and isolate bits of
NMEA. It can be also be done within Excel using VBA, or better still
use a free add-on - see

For someone with programming experience, yes. Otherwise no. And again, why
on earth would one want to write a program to parse NMEA to Excel when excel
can directly input comma delimited data (which NMEA actually is) from a
file??

Meindert


The VB program isolated bits of the NMEA to do some other stuff.
but fair comment...
Ian

"Meindert Sprang" wrote in
:

I wouldn't recommend using hyperterminal. It has some weird bug in it,
resulting in an error message "cannot open port" or something similar
when the port you are trying to open is already receiving data.
Try and find TeraTerm (free) on the net or use my multiplexer
configuration program, which has a feature to save incoming NMEA data
to a file. And all the com port settings are already done, just select
port and speed. This program can be downloaded he
http://www.shipmodul.com/downloads/mpxconfig2.20.zip


That's fine. Glad you showed up to help him buy a new multiplexer...(c;

Hyperterm won't connect if another program is using the port because it's
an active transmitter, not just a port monitor. Again, simple serial, one
talker.

Let's dump this nonsense from 1970 and make all instruments DCHP plug n'
play on TCP/IP on Ethernet, like it should have been 10 years ago...(c;