OziExplorer help required
Submitted: Saturday, Jan 20, 2007 at 14:30
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Member - Ross (NSW)
I was given feedback several months ago on PDA’s and OziExplorer and have since purchased a CoPilot Live Bluetooth GPS with an IPAQ HX4700.
I’ve pawed my way through help info on the Ozi site and this
forum but thought I would ask those of you who are in the know whether I am following the right path…
1. I have been using Natmap raster exporter to export 250k sheets around my area, for instance
Grafton, Hastings and Armidale sheets.
2. I have then saved these into my map folder under OziExplorer as ecw files.
3. I have then gone File > import map > single DRG map and save as a map file.
4. Then when I check the calibration of these maps I find that points 1 and 2 have the necessary calibration points already setup. I think I read somewhere that only 2 points are required because of the geo referencing used in Natmap. Is this correct?
5. I have then converted the files using Img2Ozf and then copied them to
\sd card\oziexplorer\maps. Files copied include map and ozfx3.
6. When I load a map after connecting IPAQ to GPS I press the gps button on the toolbar in CE and get the display word “on” plus have the “*” flashing which indicates a valid NMEA sentence.
Now for the difficult part…once I go to view > toolbars > system toolbar and click on the “track gps position button. My screen immediately turns white with a crosshair surrounded by a circle.
Are the steps above correct or is there a better way to do this and what could be causing my blank screen problem. All help greatly appreciated.
Regards
Ross
!MPG:13!
Reply By: The Explorer - Saturday, Jan 20, 2007 at 15:22
Saturday, Jan 20, 2007 at 15:22
Hello..
All of what youre doing sounds fair enough to me. You will have to provide a bit more info though ....do you actually get a fix with the GPS at any stage of the game (ie before or after the "white screen"). Can you load the maps and display them in OziCE before initiating the GPS? Is the white screen the entire screen or just where the map should be, inside OziCE. What map does the unit say is loaded when you get the white screen? Do the maps work ok on The PC edition of Oziexplorer? Are you actually in a location within the area of the maps you have loaded? The white may just be the border of a map you have loaded - do you think this is a possibility? Also there is no need to use the track gps position button unless a notice on the screen comes up saying "GPS Tracking Suspended". Why are you using this button - what happens if you dont use it?
What version of OziCE are you using? Is it a registered version?
Cheers
Greg
| I sent one final shout after him to stick to the track, to which he replied “All right,” That was the last ever seen of Gibson - E Giles 23 April 1874 Lifetime Member
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Follow Up By: The Explorer - Saturday, Jan 20, 2007 at 15:27
Saturday, Jan 20, 2007 at 15:27
Also - the current version of OziCE allows the use of ecw files so you could if you want skip a few steps in your process. However, depending on the size of your ecws you may or may not notice some performance issues though - from my experience OZF3s work much better. You can also use the import ecw function instead of the import drg one....for same result, so doesn't make any difference AFAIK.
Cheers
Greg
| I sent one final shout after him to stick to the track, to which he replied “All right,” That was the last ever seen of Gibson - E Giles 23 April 1874 Lifetime Member
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Reply By: John R (SA) - Saturday, Jan 20, 2007 at 15:38
Saturday, Jan 20, 2007 at 15:38
Can you open and view the map in ozeCE, prior to connecting to the gps?
If so, try doing all of the above and stop after point 6.
I am guessing that when you go through the menus and click on the 'track gps position' button, the button becomes a red cross rather than a red arrow? That effectively cancels out point 6.
If you are located at a position covered by the map, you should track along quite happily.
The cross hairs & circle suggest that ozi has settled on a position off the map.
AnswerID:
216652
Reply By: Member - Andrew (QLD) - Saturday, Jan 20, 2007 at 15:43
Saturday, Jan 20, 2007 at 15:43
I take it you have set the Image File Path(s) & Map File Path(s) & (possibly required for other functioning) Data File Path to the appropriate folder?
Andrew
AnswerID:
216655
Reply By: On Patrol - Saturday, Jan 20, 2007 at 15:44
Saturday, Jan 20, 2007 at 15:44
Ross
I just had a similar problem with
mine:
I had to set the "import map / ECW map" to pickup raster maps from a folder that should be in your "NATMAP" folder under natmap raster 250k maps.
It should then say 8 maps loaded. Then turn on your moving map and the appropriate map shold then appear on the window, with the arrow positioned at your current location, WITH LUCK.
Best I can offer as i only set
mine up today.
AnswerID:
216657
Reply By: Member - Ross (NSW) - Saturday, Jan 20, 2007 at 15:46
Saturday, Jan 20, 2007 at 15:46
Thankyou to those who have replied. I'm just going through each of your questions/suggestions.
Regards
Ross
AnswerID:
216658
Reply By: Member - Ross (NSW) - Saturday, Jan 20, 2007 at 16:11
Saturday, Jan 20, 2007 at 16:11
Guys,
I have registered version....I downloaded from the Ozi site however it says Beta Version 1.12.3e3.
Before I go much further do you think this may be the problem.
Regards
Ross
AnswerID:
216662
Follow Up By: The Explorer - Saturday, Jan 20, 2007 at 16:17
Saturday, Jan 20, 2007 at 16:17
No - that is what I use - and it works fine.
Cheers
Greg
| I sent one final shout after him to stick to the track, to which he replied “All right,” That was the last ever seen of Gibson - E Giles 23 April 1874 Lifetime Member
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Reply By: Member - Ross (NSW) - Saturday, Jan 20, 2007 at 17:18
Saturday, Jan 20, 2007 at 17:18
Greg and John R,
Have answered your questions..
Greg,
....do you actually get a fix with the GPS at any stage of the game (ie before or after the "white screen"). ------ How do I know if I’m getting a fix? I'm flying blind here!!!
Can you load the maps and display them in OziCE before initiating the GPS? ----- Yes I can
Is the white screen the entire screen or just where the map should be, inside OziCE. ---- It is the entire screen
What map does the unit say is loaded when you get the white screen?--- Displays the name I gave the map
Do the maps work ok on The PC edition of Oziexplorer?---- Do not know how to use that function
Are you actually in a location within the area of the maps you have loaded? ----Yes and I have loaded maps that surround the area I’m in.
The white may just be the border of a map you have loaded - do you think this is a possibility? ---- No I don’t.
Also there is no need to use the track gps position button unless a notice on the screen comes up saying "GPS Tracking Suspended". Why are you using this button - what happens if you dont use it? ----- GPS Tracking Suspended is always displayed when I load a map.
John R,
Can you open and view the map in ozeCE, prior to connecting to the gps? ------Yes
If so, try doing all of the above and stop after point 6.--- Did as you suggested. Map changed to white screen with red arrow then immediately changed again to crosshairs.
AnswerID:
216677
Follow Up By: The Explorer - Saturday, Jan 20, 2007 at 19:46
Saturday, Jan 20, 2007 at 19:46
Hello - Ok - still dont have a clue what may be happening - My suggestion at this stage is to
1. Delete the maps you installed and see if you can get it running using the small scale world map that comes with the program. Does this work? if not then
2. Re-install software (use default locations for files) and try again
You can tell if you have a fix as the cursor/black cross hair will change to a red arrow (this is default unless you changed it) and if you have sounds activated unit will say .."GPS Fix OK" The number of satellites is shown near top right of screen.
The next option is to do what they suggest on website.....ie
If version 1.12.3 of OziExplorerCE does not work correctly on some PDA's the previous version can be downloaded here.
Site Link
Cheers
Greg
| I sent one final shout after him to stick to the track, to which he replied “All right,” That was the last ever seen of Gibson - E Giles 23 April 1874 Lifetime Member
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Follow Up By: John R (SA) - Sunday, Jan 21, 2007 at 11:38
Sunday, Jan 21, 2007 at 11:38
G'day
Ross,
In regard to your last paragraph, the red arrow on a white background suggests ozi is tracking, but it thinks you're at a point not covered by the map graphic. By then cutting to the cross hairs, that's what happens when you stop tracking and it puts those cross hairs at a the last known point, or a point you click/tap on.
If you were still tapping the 'track gps position' after point 6, this would make sense. However if you're not doing that, I wonder if the pda is disconnecting itself from the gps somehow (I forget what your setup is, but the point is there may be a stop to signals to ozi). Seems unusual. Tap the 'Map tab': i. is the top option 'Connect to GPS'? If so, it's not talking to the gps. If not, tap 'Display NMEA Input'. This will show a string of data as received from the gps. If that's full of data and constantly being refreshed, info is coming in from the gps.
(Having just re-read your post answering questions, if you have 'gps tracking suspended' in an orangy box on the screen, tap & hold the screen and then tap on 'Track gps'. See if that works?!)
As to being off the map, so to speak, first thing that comes to mind is that the datum of the map is differnt to the datum of the gps. I'm not sure how to check the datum of the map, but to check the GPS:
File -> Configuration -> NMEA (GPS) -> GPS NMEA Output Datum
(
mine = WGS 84, which works happily with every map I've used, including Natmap Raster)
FollowupID:
477264
Follow Up By: The Explorer - Sunday, Jan 21, 2007 at 14:04
Sunday, Jan 21, 2007 at 14:04
John R said "As to being off the map, so to speak, first thing that comes to mind is that the datum of the map is different to the datum of the gps. I'm not sure how to check the datum of the map, but to check the GPS:
File -> Configuration -> NMEA (GPS) -> GPS NMEA Output Datum"
Caution - Oziexplorer automatically adjusts coordinates if you load a map that was calibrated in a datum which does not match the datum of a nmea input - so there is no need for them to be the same. The important thing is to make sure the GPS NMEA Output Datum is set to the datum actually being out put by the GPS. This is the purpose of this option in Oziexplorer configuration - You state that to check the GPS output datum look at the setting in configuration - incorrect - it is not done automatically so just looking at what has been set in configuration does not necessarily show what is actually being output by the GPS - you can change it to anything you like (and get it wrong). Fortunately most gps units output in WGS84 - this is the default and so in most cases there will be no problem in this regard. However some GPS units will output nmea in the datum being used as the display datum (eg Aus84) so in this case it is necessary to change the datum in configuration to match....the only units I know that do this are some Magellans - all bluetooth/CF/inbuilt gps units typically used with PDA's should output in WGS84 (AFAIK).
Cheers
Greg
| I sent one final shout after him to stick to the track, to which he replied “All right,” That was the last ever seen of Gibson - E Giles 23 April 1874 Lifetime Member
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Reply By: Member - Ross (NSW) - Sunday, Jan 21, 2007 at 14:26
Sunday, Jan 21, 2007 at 14:26
Greg and John R,
Have done as you suggested...deleted all maps I loaded and have it running with the small scale world map. Screen shows a red arrow at my location on Aust map with 6 satellite's showing. PDA just beeps so how do I activate sounds?
Thanks again for your help...What do you suggest now.
Regards
Ross
AnswerID:
216836
Follow Up By: The Explorer - Sunday, Jan 21, 2007 at 15:19
Sunday, Jan 21, 2007 at 15:19
Ross - good stuff. The sound should be on by default - anyway wouldn't worry about that too much at this stage.
Ok - sounds like the maps you were trying to use were causing an issue - it is however difficult for me to define what may have been exact issue - try doing what you did before (which should work) and see what happens ie Just cut/import natmap of an area that that you are 100% sure includes the area you are in and see what happens. Do a relatively small area so you can email me the image and map file if issue arises - can then see how it looks from this end.
Cheers
Greg
| I sent one final shout after him to stick to the track, to which he replied “All right,” That was the last ever seen of Gibson - E Giles 23 April 1874 Lifetime Member
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Reply By: Member - Ross (NSW) - Sunday, Jan 21, 2007 at 14:34
Sunday, Jan 21, 2007 at 14:34
Guys,
Output datum was set at WGS 84
Ross
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: The Explorer - Sunday, Jan 21, 2007 at 15:11
Sunday, Jan 21, 2007 at 15:11
Thats fine as 99.9% chance it is correct...plus it would not cause issues you were having anyway.
Cheers
Greg
| I sent one final shout after him to stick to the track, to which he replied “All right,” That was the last ever seen of Gibson - E Giles 23 April 1874 Lifetime Member
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Reply By: Dave & Shelley (NT) - Sunday, Jan 21, 2007 at 16:18
Sunday, Jan 21, 2007 at 16:18
Hi mate,
I have a HP 6515F with he built in GPS. I use Ozi CE and have had similar issues to you. I went away for several months with work and came back to the PDA having a flat main and standby battery. All my maps where still on my SD card and all data was good.
I had to reload all software and that is when everything went pear shaped. Originally CE worked
well and I didn't have to do any data correction for the Rasters maps. After I reloaded CE, the problem occurred where I could not do this any more. I have the same white screen when trying to load on my maps.
I then went through and loaded my Hema maps and they worked first up (due to them being Ozf2 files). I then went trough and then converted the ecw raster map files using Img2Ozf. Once loaded onto the SD card the whole thing worked a treat.
If you have removed all you maps and get the "world map" up then everything is working
well with the GPS. You just have bad map data. If you reload them making sure that the files are in OZF2 it should work. I have never done steps 3 or 4 for the Raster maps to work on Ozi. I just import the whole map file over as the map number (ie SD5401.map and .ecw) and it works a treat.
Oh, make sure you select the correct folder for CE to look into for the maps as this can sometimes be the problem as i to have found out.
Hopefully you get it working soon because I know how frustrating it can be.
Cheers
Dave
AnswerID:
216852
Follow Up By: The Explorer - Sunday, Jan 21, 2007 at 20:09
Sunday, Jan 21, 2007 at 20:09
Good advice - though point of fact..current version of Img2Ozf converts images to OZF3 not OZF2. Also as I mentioned before there is no need to convert to OZF format if you are using ecw, they will work (though only available for PDA's with ARM cpu's..Hp ipaqs OK).
Cheers
Greg
| I sent one final shout after him to stick to the track, to which he replied “All right,” That was the last ever seen of Gibson - E Giles 23 April 1874 Lifetime Member
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Follow Up By: Dave & Shelley (NT) - Monday, Jan 22, 2007 at 23:24
Monday, Jan 22, 2007 at 23:24
Hi Explorer,
I would have agreed 100% about the ecw files working fine on the PDA without the Img2Ozf change over. However, since I had to reload my CE the ecw files are not working. I still don't understand why because all my ecw map files on the SD card from before reloading are no longer working on the PDA. That is when I did the conversion when the Hema maps worked. I have thoughts no why this is so????? The "white screen" scenario sounded so familiar to my experience.
As for the converted file, yeap, OZF3. You got me. ;)
Cheers mate, thanks for keeping me on my toes.
Dave
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Follow Up By: The Explorer - Monday, Jan 22, 2007 at 23:39
Monday, Jan 22, 2007 at 23:39
Computers - don't you love them!!
Time to head bush.
Cheers
Greg
| I sent one final shout after him to stick to the track, to which he replied “All right,” That was the last ever seen of Gibson - E Giles 23 April 1874 Lifetime Member
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Reply By: Member - Ross (NSW) - Monday, Jan 22, 2007 at 14:00
Monday, Jan 22, 2007 at 14:00
Thanks to everyone for their help I finally have success. The bloody thing is doing what it should.
Greg took your advice and did not convert to OZF format.
Thanks again
Ross
AnswerID:
217027
Follow Up By: The Explorer - Monday, Jan 22, 2007 at 19:37
Monday, Jan 22, 2007 at 19:37
Good stuff
Cheers
Greg
| I sent one final shout after him to stick to the track, to which he replied “All right,” That was the last ever seen of Gibson - E Giles 23 April 1874 Lifetime Member
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