Using an external GPS

[Steve Waechter]

I have been playing with Avare on a phone. It works, but on a phone, well, I wanted a bigger screen. 

I have a couple of tablets that lack GPS, an Amazon Fire HD 8 that I tested the message says NO GPS SIGNAL.
Well, yeah. Because it doesn't have that. 

Interestingly I did get a request from Avare to turn GPS on, and I said yes. No difference. 

On that tablet there were some allegations that the processor in that does have GPS but not enabled. Interesting. 

So I have a few Bluetooth GPS units, and a few USB GPS units. 

I have not tested this yet, but when I tried to use an external GPS on android some years ago I had to install some bluetooth software functions that I lacked. It worked but I didn't consider it usable at the time. It was probably android 5. 

So if I use an external GPS on a tablet with Avare, will it just find the external GPS, or do I need to install the hooks for the GPS? 

I am making a Stratux. Will that just work? It's software might provide the hooks for the external Stratux GPS. 

Thanks for your comments. 

[Jeffrey Ross]

Steve,

I normally turn off the GPS on my tablet as the GPS actually uses quite a bit of battery power to run, instead I use the GPS out put from the transponder (in my plane) or a Stratux unit if I fly my friends plane.

Although I haven't used the Amazon Fire unit I'm assuming the procedure would be the same, from the main Avare screen choose "Menu -> Preferences -> GPS" and enable both (green check mark) Short GPS Update period and Warn GPS Disabled.  Next choose "GPS Source" and select "Avare IO Module Only" (using all available can cause strange position problems) followed by selecting the "External WiFi Port" and enter the value of "4000" (most units today use 4000 including the Stratux).

I would suggest exiting Avare and restarting it to make sure the settings are set and next time your unit connects to a Stratux device that has a GPS, it will send the position over WiFi to your tablet.

Note you can verify you are receiving data by going to the "tools" tab along the bottom, you should see data there if you are properly connected to a Stratux (or other ADS-B device)

Jeff

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[Ed Vargas]

Steve -

I went through similar steps when I first set up my kindle fire HDX to work with Flitplan, and then Avare.  The kindle does not have a GPS, so you need to use a bluetooth GPS device.  Additionally, you need what's called a "helper" app, that will receive the bluetooth info from the external bluetooth device, and allow the kindle to "see" it and make it available to avare.  There are free bluetooth apps out there, just look in the kindle app store.  Once you install one, you need to tap it to make sure it's running, and then go into avare. 

Now then, you said you are building a stratux box.  You can either install the GPS receiver onto one of the four USB ports hanging off the strawberry Pi motherboard, or you can plug in an external GPS receiver to one of these ports and lay the receiver/antenna on your dash.  I went with the external GPS receiver for $15 or so since it eliminated the GPS error down to almost zero.  The internal GPS option gives about a 30 meter GPS variation.  You won';t need the bluetooth helper app when you use the stratux, as the GPS data is being received by the stratux GPS antenna. When you go into Avare, you'll need to go to the I/O tab amd put a check in the "Connect wifi" box, which will allow your kindle runing Avare  to see the stratux data (ADS-B In and GPS data).

Good luck and happy flying!

[John W SBA]

>> I have a couple of tablets that lack GPS

You could try this free open source app from the Avare team:

Bluetooth GPS For Avare
This free AddOn app for our free Avare app enables you to use the GPS
built in to one Android device, to serve as the location sensor for one
or more other devices running Avare. ...
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.apps4av.bluetoothgps

[Steve Waechter]

I downloaded that app to the Fire HD 8 tablet. 

I paired the bt gps to the tablet successfully. Used the normal bluetooth app on the tablet. 

I start Bluetooth GPS For Avare and it says BT and GPS disconnected. 

I click enable pairing, click allow visibility, and nothing happens then. 

I start Avare and it says no GPS signal.

I got into menu and select 

Short GPS update period

Warn GPS disabled

GPS position source Avare io module only and external wifi port 4000. 

This is a bluetooth gps, not wifi. 

No GPS signal. 

What could be wrong? 

[John W SBA]

> I downloaded that app to the Fire HD 8 tablet.

The Apps4Av Bluetooth app is for an Android GPS source device. Try it
with your phone. BT app on phone, pair to the Fire, put the phone where
it has a good satellite view.

What you may want to do is invest in a StratuX and put ADS-B Out on your
wish list. Meanwhile I used to sometimes fly the Apps4Av BT app on an
old S4 phone with my old Nexus 7 tablet, and it worked fine. I upgraded
to a Samsung tablet with GPS good enough that it got solid reception on
the yoke.

[Steve Waechter]

I have a bluetooth gps device, and it is paired with the Amazon tablet.

It's not working with Avare.

Is it working with the tablet? I don't know. Maybe not.

I downloaded the Avare bluetooth connection software but it doesn't like my paired bluetooth GPS

I think this should work.

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[Jeffrey Ross]

Steve,

I just verified the that a Bluetooth GPS works to my phone along with the steps, I have an old "GNS 1000" that I picked up a while back your steps will be the same, just replace "GNS 1000" with your Bluetooth GPS, I did the following:

1) turned off location services on the phone, internal GPS which isn't strictly necessary but to make sure I wasn't get a position from it
2) installed Avare IO on my phone
3) paired the GPS to the phone via Bluetooth via the Android's Bluetooth screen
4) Started Avare IO
    a) chose Bluetooth from the drop down at the top
    b) chose "GNS 1000" from the drop down within the green box
    c) chose connect (at this point you should see position information scrolling on the bottom of the screen)
5) Start Avare
6) go to "Menu -> Preferences -> GPS" and select "GPS Position Source", and select "Avare IO module only"

At this point you should have a GPS position on your tablet.

The app called "Bluetooth GPS for Avare" is simply a program you can load on another Android device that has a GPS and allow you to share that GPS to your tablet running the Avare program.

Lastly if you assemble/purchase/borrow/steal a Stratux box with a GPS module (which I would highly recommended) then you don't need the Avare IO module just simply point your tablet at port 4000 and not only will you get your position, you'll get WX and traffic.

Jeff

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[Steve Waechter]

Yeah, but I am trying to eliminate any phones in this scenario.

I just can't see what any phone adds to this,except for a workaround for software that does not support the tablet and it's currently paired bluetooth GPS. It seems if the GPS is an available device on the tablet, and it is, what in the world do I need to involve a phone for?

Maybe I should get the stratux stuff finished, I have part of it on hand.

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[Jeffrey Ross]

Steve,

I don't think you are following what needs to be done, in my case I used Avare on my phone since I didn't have a tablet available to me to test. Where I used phone change it to tablet in my message and follow the instructions I posted.

Jeff

[Steve Waechter]

I think I did all that.

 

I downloaded that app to the Fire HD 8 tablet. 

I paired the bt gps to the tablet successfully. Used the normal bluetooth app on the tablet. 

I start Bluetooth GPS For Avare and it says BT and GPS disconnected. 

I click enable pairing, click allow visibility, and nothing happens then. 

I start Avare and it says no GPS signal.

I got into menu and select 

Short GPS update period

Warn GPS disabled

GPS position source Avare io module only and external wifi port 4000. 

This is a bluetooth gps, not wifi. 

No GPS signal. 

What could be wrong?

[Jeffrey Ross]

Steve,

You did not follow the directions I gave you, nowhere did I say to use "Bluetooth GPS for Avare"  The application "Bluetooth GPS for Avare" allows you to use an android device that has an GPS to supply data to your tablet running Avare (or any other device) that does not have a GPS.

I think I found you confusion, since you are using an Amazon tablet, you don't have access to the Google Playstore, on the Playstore simply searcing for "Avare IO" would produce the correct result, in your case I think you have to manually install the program, the package that includes "Avare IO" is called "AvAddon" go to
http://mamba.dreamhosters.com/share/ and download the file AvAddon.apk.4.0.4.zip, inside you will find the file "AvAddon.apk" which is Avare IO.  From there follow the directions I posted previously.

Jeff

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[Steve Waechter]

OK, I see the problem. Someone mentioned that other android thing.
I do have the play store on my amazon tablet.

I looked on the play store for avare io but nothing.

I then found Avare external io plugin.

I think that's the one. Trying now.

I now have a GPS source from my bt gps.

This works great! Wow. Fantastic.

Thanks for all your help.

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