Sending Position Reports via WinLink Express using Smartphone Internal GPS

G'Day Guys,

The WinLink Express client application used to allow operators to send emails via RF has as one of its features the application to send "Position Reports".  The position reports can contain lat/lon, comment and if desired include "weather details".  These reports are then if successfully received sent a "Position Report Acknowledgment" email to let the operator know the report has been received successfully and is now visible on the tracking map portal: https://www.winlink.org/userPositions

Via this portal you can see all the latest positions reports of all users for the last 10days. There are even link to allow you to view specific callsigns only (see bottom of the portal page).

The lat/lon for the position report can be entered manually, or it can be obtained from a NEMA compliant GPS connected to local COM port.  This is all fine and dandy if you have  one.... but we all do... kinda... we have a internal GPS on our all smartphones.  So th question is how do we get that integrated to WinLink.   A quick scan of the Android Playstore and I initially located the following:

• GPSIP
• GPS Tether
• ShareGPS

These programs provided a feature to support setting up a local TCP/IP Server on the phone which streamed the NMEA sequences from the phones internal GPS to any client connected.  I used VSPE (Virtual Serial Port tool)  to map a TcpClient to Virtual Serial Port.  The first hurdle I encountered was that it seems that the TCP service each app provided seemed to required a CRLF command sent from the PC before the application would send any data.  Then it appears that after a period of time the TCP socket for each application would close for no reason.

Taking a step back and rethinking this through, I located the follow applications which instead of providing a server to connect to,  it would act as a client and connect to your PC running a server and send NMEA sequences from the phones internal GPS.

• BlueNMEA
• Not available as a precompiled package on Playstore, needs to be compile and the resulting APK uploaded to phone.
• http://max.kellermann.name/projects/blue-nmea/
• NMEA Relay
• ShareGPS

Fortunately VSPE provided TcpServer and maps to a VSPE virutal comm port.  This allowed me to quickly configure NMEA Relay and ShareGPS to both connect as  clients sending NMEA sentences.  VPSE then mapped them over to the virutal comm port configured at 4800 which then be used by RMS Express.

Once the Lat/Lon is available on the GPS/Position Report, click the "Copy GPS Data" button.  Complete your report with a basic meaning comment or include weather data and send. A email / messages will be created and put int the Outbox ready for you to send via one of the WinLink sessions.

NMEA Via Bluetooth

ShareGPS offers another brilliant feature, that allows you to share the NMEA data via bluetooth.  This allows the phone to be connected to your PC via bluetooth and once connection established a COM port will appear on the PC which can be used by WinLink RMS Express.  Give it a go, but it will required your PC to have bluetooth capability (i.e internal or via external BT dongle).

VisualGPSView

Before I sign of, one other little gem of a tool I found while mucking around with all this was VishalGPSView.  Its free and will graphically show your GPS data and NMEA logs.


Hopefully wonderful WinLink devs will update the GPS/Position reports to provide a server which  accept NMEA data from Phone running an app like NMEA Relay / ShareGPS acting as a client.


That's all Folks,
73
de VK4TMZ (Mark)

Allowing Multiple Applications To Control your Rig(s) - Dealing with "Exclusive Serial Port Locking"

Until yesterday, when I finally decided to do a little review of my logging and rig control software, I'd been using DXLab Suite for Logging (DXKeeper), Rig Control (DXLab Commander).  WSJT-X was able to natively talk to "DXLab Commander" and setting up virtual "cat" under DxLab Commander  N1MM was able to also access VFO etc.  FLDigi was able to access DXCommander via a nice little bridging tool developed by N2AMG called "Fldigi-DxLabs Gateway". But it always annoyed me that I was not able to run RCForb (server) while DXCommander was running due to the serial port being exclusively locked.

So I remembered a little tools called "Omnirig" which I installed and quickly had WSTJ-X configured as it could natively integrate with it.  Next looking round the web for a new Logging application I came across "Log4OM" which also natively integrates with Omnirig and its a slick and easy to use UI as well as all the external logging (eSQL, QRZ.com, LoTW, ClubBook, HamQTH, etc).  As a bonus now that Omnirig was running a contest logging software I use "VK Contest Logger - VKCL" was able to also integrate with it too!.  However I was to quickly learn N1MM did not integrate with Omnirig nor did many of my other applications (PC-ALE, RCForb, MRP40 (CW RX/TX) etc) so back to square one kinda!.

So a little more googling, I saw reference to using to a little gem off a tool by Eterlogic called VSPE which offers "virtual serial port splitting".  The tool is free to download, and use but you will be reminded to purchase a "64-bit License" which I highly recommend for such a great little tool.

This tool appears to take care of the "exclusive serial port locking" by creating a "virtual serial port split" from the source serial port.

• Note: The only hassle I had is that RCForb needs to be started first, after that any and all applications work running at the same. I've not dug any further as to why RCForb has requires this but hey there's a work around.

Here is overview of my serial port topology / application integration:

Here is my VSPE config - "vpse_ft991a_virtual_split.vspe" which has both my FT-991A's serial ports (Enhanced / Standard) configured as "Virtual split".  Your ports may and will mostly differ but, the port settings will most likely be the same......

That's All Folks!   I hope this post helps you out to get all your applications that all want to talk and control the rigs working in harmony :)

73
Mark (de VK4TMZ)