Windows with GNSS Sensor outputs Location/Sensor API data, but OpenCPN needs an NMEA data stream over a virtual serial port.

Microsoft has changed the way Windows interacts with GPS sensors (and incidentally other devices) with Windows 8. How the new sensor interface works is dependent on whether Windows was updated from a previous version or is a fresh installation. With updates some Vista and Windows 7 drivers will continue to work; there is of course no guarantee that a subsequent Windows update will not cause a driver to fail.

In Windows 8.x and 10 GNSS (GPS) devices, both internal and external, show up as a “sensor”.

OpenCPN needs an NMEA data stream over a virtual serial port or network device..

In most cases the integrated GPS receivers just support the Windows Sensor API, the programs below uses the API and produces NMEA sentences that OpenCPN can use.

Only if your Win 10/8 tablet or notebook has a GNSS Sensor and turning on the GPS in the OS doesn&#;t seem to work, try this program.

First make sure to

1. If there is a hardware or software switch for GPS be sure it is turned on
2. Turn ON Windows Location Service (Settings > Location Privacy Settings)
3. Turn ON the GPS device (Settings > Turn Wireless Devices On or Off)

Beware: Windows can and will use other location services such as WiFi and Cellular if the GPS is not available. This may lead to navigation errors. There are three options: generate a virtual network device, generate a virtual serial device, or use Bluetooth.

GeolocationTCP is a small GPS Application that uses the Windows 8.x/10 Location/Sensor API on tablets and computers with a GNSS Sensor to receive the NMEA GRMC Sentence on a virtual network port, so that OpenCPN can establish a connection to receive GPS position information. This has been tested and confirmed to work.

The program waits for a connection from OpenCPN and then starts to send messages. Once connected, it should start printing “Sent NMEA sentence $GPRMC XXXXXXX”. If that doesn&#;t happen perhaps OpenCPN did not connect.

Author Petr Simons Home page GeolocationTCP but Download current version (r9) here. Code is available at the bitbucket repo, via the link above. See Cruiser Forum Thread: How to use OpenCPN on a Windows 8 Table and post 7.

Test your installation for GPS accuracy. Note that initial signal acquisition and position location may take quite some time. Ten to fifteen minutes is common and there are reports of an hour. After initial signal acquisition position should be available within seconds of start-up unless there has been a large time or space gap since last use.

Moving slowly, check if the course is stable. Some internal GPS chips have marginal performance for navigation. On some mobile devices with built-in GPS performance may be improved by connecting to a NMEA GPS data stream over WiFi or Bluetooth.

On many mobile devices with gps built-in) the gps must be switched off and connected to a nmea gps data stream over wifi, which is much more stable. Quality tablets and phones do not show this limitation.

Windows 8.x/10 used with earlier USB GPS sensors which are not fully compatible have been reported to work with a Ublox-7 USB sensor and driver. U-Blox GPS Receiver Installation

The steps and programs below appear to work with Windows 8.x/10 computers that have been upgraded from older versions of Windows. When you try to add a connection of this type (serial) under OpenCPN&#;s Settings/Connections menu if there is nothing in the drop down list for available ports then a virtual network connection (see above) or virtual serial connection (see above) is recommended.

How do you tell the program where to look?

How do you determine what Comm Port is used by the GPS Sensor and what port number to use?

Cruiser Forum Post - Incompatibility between Windows 10 and usb gps sensor