Trying (and failing) to set up X50v, OCN4 and BT-338

SteveS44 · 04-03-05, 03:36 PM

Alright... I'm sure this is my problem, not a hardware or software issue. The last experience I had with a handheld-GPS system was with a Handspring Visor Platinum with Mapopolis and a Magellan GPS Companion that plugged into the back of the Visor. You didn't have to know anythng, just turned it on and it worked. But it was B&W and it didn't give directions. But at the moment, my X50v and the OCN4/BT-338 doesn't either.

Anyway, here's my problem, at least as far as I can tell... I turn on the PDA and ther BT-338; turn on BT on the X50v and enable the connection between the two. The conection is made, I would assume, because ther BT-338 starts blinking blue rapidly and the X50V says the connection is made (and the BT signal strength is fine). At this point, I think, I'm supposed to go to the GPSinfo pgm supplied with all this stuff to find out at what Comm port and baud rate I'm conected? I need this info to answer some settings questions that OCN4 would llke to know about if it is to run properly.

I start the GPSinfo pgm, set the baud rate at 4800 (according to the sheet supplied with this package) and tap the 'Scan Com Port' button. Nothing happens. I try to select any of the other ports and tap again. Nothing. I tap 'Start GPS' and the 'Scan Comm Port' button gets grayed out. I tap 'cold start' and nothing happens. After a while of fooling with this I notice that the BT-338 BT light is now blinking slowly and go back to the BT Manager and sure enough, no longer a connection. Apparently that's the BT-338's way of saying it had waited long enough without some kind of interaction so he's out of there. '

Anyway, what am I doing wrong? I have this intuituive feel that the combination of an X50v, OCN4, and a BT-338 should be better than an 8MB B&W Visor with a plug-in Magellan GPS Companion. And if I could just figure out how to get it to work I bet it would be!! Help?

JakeRich · 04-03-05, 04:00 PM

1. soft reset to kill everything that is running.
2. turn on the 338. blue light flashes.
3. enable BT on the X50v. blue light flashes.
4. pair the two. 338 blue light flashes faster
5. open OCN4, go to settings, GPS setting and select Standard GPS, COM7: and 4800 baud, then Save.

That should do it. At shutdown, close OCN4, then disable wireless on the X50 and shut off the 338. Next time, all you have to do is enable wireless, start the 338 and start OCN4. It will remember where it last saw the GPS and re-initiate contact automatically.

shameless408 · 04-03-05, 05:21 PM

JackRich, I read to set the baud rate to 38400 on OCN4.
that's how mine is setup on my x50v and all is fine.

Aren't the lower baud settings for non BT receivers?

JakeRich · 04-03-05, 07:17 PM

It doesn't really matter. You only get one update per second no matter what the baud rate is. There are actually two baud rates going on here--the BT baud rate (i.e., between the GPS and the Ax) is normally 38.4, but the internal port rate (i.e, between the BT software and the mapping software) is 4800. Since there are only about 300 characters to send each second, 4800 baud is more than sufficient.

shameless408 · 04-03-05, 08:39 PM

I see, thanks for clearing that up.

SteveS44 · 04-03-05, 11:31 PM

Okay... now I'm one more step along the curve. I paired the BT-338 and the Axim, went to OCN4 settings and entered Com7 and 4800 baud, then saved.

As a reference point, the BT-338 is sitting on a lawn chair in my front yard with a good view of the sky (at least N, E, and S; the house is W, but it still can see the higher 80% of the western sky). I am sitting on my front porch stoop (in the shade) about 15-20' away from the BT-338.

The GPS icon at the bottom of the screen changed from red to orange, as the manual indicated it would. Waited a while... nothing. The number in the GPS icon is still '0'. After 20 minutes, wondered if I was getting a good enough view of the sky and satellites, so I got out the old Visor/Magellan combo, out some batteries in the Magellan (had not used it for about 1-2 years) and placed it beside the BT-338 on the chair. It fired up and nailed 3 satellites within 5 minutes and a couple more within another couple of minutes. So I know the position the 2 devices were placed in was okay (from a viepoint standpoint anyway). Still nothing from the OCN4/BT-338 combo.

Waited another 20 minutes... still nothing. Had to go to a meeting so shut everything down and pondered the situation. Am still pondering the situation.

I still believe in the OCN4/BT-338 more than I do my technique of using these devices.

Only thing I can think of is that maybe it takes an hour for the BT-338 to get an initial fix in North Alabama (joke).

Does this thing really have to be operated *in* a vehicle and with the cigarette lighter adaptor plugged in? I would really tend to doubt that. The device seems to have been designed for use with its internal battery alone. So my setup should have worked.

Anyone suggest anything else I can try? I didn't try the higher baud rate but in light of the above doscussion regarding same, that should make no difference.

Also, I suppose I could get closer to the BT-338 with the Axim. But the Bluetooth Manager Connection Status page indicated that the BT signal strength varied between 'just right' and halfway between 'just right' and 'too weak' but never low enough to drop the connection.

-------------------------

#$!&%##! Ack! Forget the above! At the moment I'm sitting in my basement study. I'm underground on the 2 walls closest to me, have an entire building on top of me and the closest I can get to the sky is about 35 feet through several walls with a *lot* of steel, wire, etc. in the way. I turn on the BT-338 and the Axim to check some signal level issues. I'm about 2-3 feet away from the 338. I turn everything on and fire up OCN4. Wham! The GPS icon turns green immediately, and a map of my beighborhood jumps up and the thing has nailed my house down to the nearest yard! I guess it had done all that this afternoon but the signal from the 338 was insufficient to let OCN4 know about it. Because it can't possibly be seeing any satellites where it is now!

Anyway, thanks for the help and moral support.

Steve

shameless408 · 04-03-05, 11:57 PM

Originally Posted by SteveS44

Okay... now I'm one more step along the curve. I paired the BT-338 and the Axim, went to OCN4 settings and entered Com7 and 4800 baud, then saved.

As a reference point, the BT-338 is sitting on a lawn chair in my front yard with a good view of the sky (at least N, E, and S; the house is W, but it still can see the higher 80% of the western sky). I am sitting on my front porch stoop (in the shade) about 15-20' away from the BT-338.

Waited another 20 minutes... still nothing. Had to go to a meeting so shut everything down and pondered the situation. Am still pondering the situation.

I still believe in the OCN4/BT-338 more than I do my technique of using these devices.

Only thing I can think of is that maybe it takes an hour for the BT-338 to get an initial fix in North Alabama (joke).

I know this may sound silly but... did you click the connect menu on the BT-338 icon?

Originally Posted by SteveS44

Does this thing really have to be operated *in* a vehicle and with the cigarette lighter adaptor plugged in? I would really tend to doubt that. The device seems to have been designed for use with its internal battery alone. So my setup should have worked.

Mine works fine sitting on the dash. I can even get 10 sats from inside my house.

Originally Posted by SteveS44

Anyone suggest anything else I can try? I didn't try the higher baud rate but in light of the above doscussion regarding same, that should make no difference.

JakeRich explained why a higher baud rate isn't needed.

Originally Posted by SteveS44

Also, I suppose I could get closer to the BT-338 with the Axim. But the Bluetooth Manager Connection Status page indicated that the BT signal strength varied between 'just right' and halfway between 'just right' and 'too weak' but never low enough to drop the connection.

Try getting closer, you wont be 20 ft away while navagating down the hwy.

SteveS44 · 04-04-05, 02:30 PM

Originally Posted by shameless408

Try getting closer, you wont be 20 ft away while navagating down the hwy.

Right. As I indicated in an around-about way in post #6 (I think), that seems to have been the problem. A strong hint was when I got 2-3 (instead of 20) feet from the 338 in my underground basement and saw that it was picking up 5 satellites.

And yep, as I expected, it's a *whole* lot better than the old Visor/Magellan combo!

Thanks again...

Steve

Bigmouth · 04-20-05, 03:49 AM

Originally Posted by JakeRich

1. soft reset to kill everything that is running.

Thanx for the hint -- I struggled for almost one hour and just missed this step to finally make my fresh BT-338 work ...