GPS Data Logger Software - BT747

1. GE can do real time 'tracking' from about any GPS.  There are two Tabs when I pull up the 'GPS' popup.  My interface is in French, but the second tab would translate to 'Real time'.   There you can state that the protocol is NMEA.  When I do that and I click 'Start', the current position is shown on the map.
2. GE can pull down tracks, waypoints, and routes from certain devices.  Your device is not listed.
3. I did not hear about Qubuntu yet - I know that it works on Kubuntu.  The best thing is to pull down the 32 bit version of java (see webinstall).
4. I've organised around the different screens (/book/desktop-application).  I know that the documentation is unfinished business, but you should get good information from it.  Most of the TLA's are 'standard' but I can understand the issue for the novice user.  If you do not know what a TLA is, you should know that you mentionned it yourself: Three Letter Acronym ;-).
5. The use of Google Maps inside BT747 requires me to integrate a browser.  For the moment the map you see is fully implemented in Java and locally cacheable when you set the Map Directory to an existing Folder.  That is not allowed on GMaps.  However, BT747 exports to several formats and some can be understood by Google.  That is the case for KML, KMZ, GPX and NMEA.  The KMZ format is the best choice for GE.  If you just want to see your traces on a Google Map, you can export to HTML.  That will create one or more HTML files that you can open in your browser where you will get the map and the traces on it.

I hope this helps.

Hi

'Export to' or 'Convert to' is the same thing for me in this context.

In the BT747 interface there are some buttons doing the same thing as 'Convert to' the format selected on the right of it.  The buttons are for 'quick access' to common output formats.

I am not French but I live near Paris for over 10 years already - if you have an issue regarding French/English translation, just put the french word in parentheses).  I've translated the interface to French so if you have suggestions for improving some translations, let me know: I am not a native speaker.

What charting SW will you use for the marine navigation?

Hi

We're both foreigners in the same country then ;-).

I am from the country just to the north from the part where the native language isn't french.

To convert something usefull in BT747, you need to get a log from your logger first.  That is where 'Download' comes in the picture.  It will get the data from the logger and put it in a file identified by "Raw Log File".  That file is not readable by the tools you mention so that is why you need to 'convert it' to another format.  Usually you click on one of the buttons and that will create the files in the "Output Folder".

If you click on 'GUI', you'll just get the log on the integrated openstreetmap (it will show where you have been, not only where you are now).  What you see there is what you should see in the other applications too.  GE has what I call a quirck (they probably call it a feature) with the timeline that is zero size automatically.  See the BT747 FAQ for that.  However, do try to create a HTML file, go to the output folder and click on it (to open it in the browser).

If you create a GPX, KML or KMZ you can drag and drop it to GE (which is to me the easiest way to open these files in GE) and see the track there.

I am not sure what your issue in GE is regarding the live position.  If BT747 can open the port at a given speed, and see the position, other applications should be able to do the same - under condition of course that BT747 no longer has the port open.

Hi

I call it a 'raw' log file because it is the way the data is stored in the logger and it has not been transformed.  Like in: 'Can you provide me the raw data please?' when looking at statistics or so.

The iBlue 747 A+ will store positions to its internal memory, not to a file.  When downloading, this data is fetched from that memory and stored to a file on your computer.  That is then what I call the 'raw log file'.  It has information about when the configuration changed, when the devices was switched on and off, positions, etc.  That is too much information for most programs and they would not understand it.  So this is what is indeed converted to all these other formats.

I am not using any translation tool for English ;-).  The movies on television were in the original language (so often in English) and I've been reading technical documentation in English since 25 years, so there is some practice.  I still remember reading my first English book which was about assembly language programming on the Sinclair QL without (or barely) any formal training in English and the dictionary next to me while reading.  When programming in Assembly there is no forgiveness or safety net for mistakes at all.  Some of these mistakes were related to some sentences giving three constraints rather than just one which required understanding some finesses of the English language.  So I learned both the MC68000 Assembly Language and the English Language at the same time ;-).

I've been here in France for 11.5 years.

Still, I am open to any suggestions of improving on the English wording in the application. 

BT747 works according to file extensions for part of it and your file should have a '.bin' extension.  Your feedback is interesting because this should be made clearer and I probably need to add the '.bin' extension when somebody clicks download for instance to avoid the issue alltogether.

When you do 'Convert to', the same filename will be used as the entry to the conversion (you can have more than one file if you add them on the 'Files to tag' tab or drag and drop them to BT747 - but for now, you just have one file ;-) ).  I snipped out the 'binary text' which you should be able to add as an attachment if you wish.

HTML is for humans ;-).  You just need an appropriate browser to use it and it is much faster than GE.  You can embed the HTML file in another HTML page through a 'frame', so that makes it easy to integrate in a web page (you need a GMAP key though).  You can also send it by mail: it is self-contained.

The CSV is for excel if you want to do further analysis and it can hold more extractable information than the other formats.

It sure recalls some good memories.  The QL was extremely underrated.  Prior to that, I had my first close encounter with computers throught he ZX81.  Then we moved ZX Spectrum, followed by the QL.  I've modded and remodded several QLs - we ended up having several at home.  I've even emulated a PC on it ("DOS") and did my programming tasks in Turbo Pascal on it.  I still have a QL sitting in a nice wooden casing here - floppies and all with it.  That casing actually makes it a portable computer (my father and I took it to the computer club like that).  And basic on the QL was 'SuperBASIC' - one could do procedural programming avoiding all the "go to" stuff.  So a great learning experience.   The QL resisted a long time - I still used it in 92 I think - and after that we moved to a second hand 286 machine with the QL not being to far away for games and other stuff.

Pretty strange, but if it works...

11500 is not a good baud rate of course, 115200 is.

Hi

I've been on vacation, so I been quiet on the forums this past week ;-).

I think the core issue is the file name.  Do not call it 'polar.txt', but call it 'polar.bin'.  The extension is important.

Regarding the baud rate - in reality you can enter any baud rate by hand, but only two are proposed in the pull down list.

A good connection means that the 'Connect' button will change to 'Disconnect'. Further the 'GPS Info' sub panel should show some actual information (like flash id, current position, ...).

Hopefully the '.bin' extension helps you further.

Mario