Thread: FLARM - No GPS
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Old November 27th 16, 11:28 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Bob Gibbons[_2_]
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Posts: 120
Default FLARM - No GPS

Have you considered replacing your batteries in the Portable?

From the last few lines of your dmp file.

00336.753 ERROR Insufficient supply voltage, shutting down
00336.754 ERROR Battery type: alkaline
00336.754 ERROR Battery voltage: 4.28
00336.755 ERROR External supply voltage: 0.00

Bob

On Sun, 27 Nov 2016 14:34:15 -0700, Dan Marotta
wrote:

Good thought about the SD card; it is/was not write protected. To
verify, I deleted everything in it (after saving to my hard drive),
reinserted it into the PF, took it out side, froze my butt off, powered
it up, and waited. No joy...

Before shutting it down I created a diagnostic dump file which can be
looked at HERE
https://www.dropbox.com/s/gbf2xgoij6kb98r/PFP00960.DMP?dl=0 if you
know how. I also copied the log file to my drop box HERE
https://www.dropbox.com/s/typrd4dz1a4g69t/PFP00960.TXT?dl=0. Reading
it, it appears that the unit talked with the GPS and everything was OK,
but it never received any satellites. That makes no sense unless
there's a problem with the internal GPS antenna or circuit wiring.

The log file implies to me that, during startup, the unit was looking
for other files which it did not find. When I acquired the unit, it
started right up without an SD card (which I purchased later). What
might that mean?

Dan

On 11/27/2016 2:24 PM, Tim Newport-Peace wrote:
At 19:45 27 November 2016, Martin Gregorie wrote:
On Sun, 27 Nov 2016 10:55:37 -0700, Dan Marotta wrote:

Thanks for the information, Martin.

Here are results from the last IGC file generated by my portable unit:

HFGPSType:u-blox LEA-6A .
.
.
F19130905101315182021252629

But all of these were recorded while my portable was receiving GPS
signals. Now that it doesn't receive the GPS signals, it does not
create an IGC file... I'm getting the feeling that there's no recourse
but to send it back for testing and repair.

If the PF can't read the A and H records and write them to the beginning
of the log maybe its got bigger problems than not finding the GRS
receiver, so at least contacting Flarm or the local rep to report that
your PF is not even writing the A and H records to the log and quoting
its serial number at them may be a good start. After all, it was working
and suddenly now its not.

*** One thought does occur: does the memory stick / SD card you're trying
to write the log to have a write protect switch? If so, it may be worth
making sure that its set to 'write' and trying the start the PF again if
it was write protected.

Interesting...

ANY IGC-approved recorder should record a file even if there is no GPS
signal. This is so it can act as an Electronic Barograph. This is written
into the IGC Specification.

Note: SeeYou will not display a file without GPS data, nonetheless a file
should be created.

An IGC file should be created once the minimum movement has been detected.
Without a GPS signal this will be a vertical movement (launch).

If no file is created, this needs to be resolved. I seem to recall that
Flarm use the Real-Time Clock on the GPS board and if Flarm cannot read the
RTC, who knows?

On the subject of SD cards, before reformatting, please read
https://www.sdcard.org/downloads/formatter_4/

An incorrectly formatted SD card is to be avoided.