GPS Connector

GPS Connector is a GREAT App; thanks for all the hard work and making it available!!!

Background:
I was trying to get a NOVATEL Ag-STAR to work with an agricultural App. The GPS has Blootooth and RS-232. The Bluetooth connection unfortunately was not stable, and disconnected every few minutes, making it pretty much useless.
I bought a RS-232 to USB-C adapter/cable on Amazon (Prolific PL2303) and hooked it up to an Android phone.
All the documentation of the GPS indicated the baud-rate as being 9600, so that's what I used in the settings of the App.
It did NOT work, and wouldn't connect.
I then went to a Windows Laptop, and downloaded a free demo software called FarmerGPS, and tried connecting through the GPS through it; I immediately noticed that the connection attempt was "scanning" various baud-rates. At 38400 it stopped.....AND CONNECTED. I had been using the wrong baud rate all this time.

Feature request:
I am wondering how difficult it would be to include such an "auto-scanning-baud-rate" feature in GPS Connector?
Seems like it might help others connect to an external USB GPS, if they're unsure or wrong in their assumption of what the baud rate of the GPS is set at.

Hi Narvik,

thanks for the feedback!
I know - using the wrong baud rate could be a big problem, except on u-Blox, which has something like a auto-baud-rate feature.
Most of the users "should" (don't know if they really do ) configure their GNSS device before using it on Android.
Every vendor has it's own configuration tool, like u-center for u-Blox, where you can select NMEA output and ... the baud-rate.

Nevertheless it's not too difficult to implement a "scan baud-rate" feature, so i will add it to my ToDo list.

Btw. did you check on the terminal page in the app if the baudrate is sufficient for your configuration?

Cheers,
Markus

Thanks for the detailed reply.

You wrote: "Most of the users "should" (don't know if they really do ) configure their GNSS device before using it on Android."

Yeah, I know, and you're definitely right; but the manual for my GPS is something like 40 pages long....I got confused very quickly!


You wrote: "Nevertheless it's not too difficult to implement a "scan baud-rate" feature, so i will add it to my ToDo list."

Awesome!!!


You wrote: "Btw. did you check on the terminal page in the app if the baudrate is sufficient for your configuration?"

Oh, yes, THAT is a good idea! I will definitely check that....it should be okay, but best to make sure....

Thanks again!