[time-nuts] Re: GPSDO control programs.

[rbenward at verizon.net]

Hi Matt,
Thanks for your response.  The checkmark, or "start" from the menu.  I did that already. I tried manual and "start".  I did manual so I could just do an ID and then do a screen capture.  I hit every button I could find.  The command window gets the info, and it's in readable text.  I'm just not sure why it doesn't process anything.

Do you have GPScon running on your computer?  I would love to hear of other time-nuts members setups.

Regards,
Bob

-----Original Message-----
From: time via time-nuts <time-nuts at lists.febo.com> 
Sent: Friday, July 11, 2025 5:41 PM
To: time-nuts at lists.febo.com
Cc: time <time at msosborn.com>
Subject: [time-nuts] Re: GPSDO control programs.
Importance: High

I've looked at the photo you've attached and it appears that you haven't started GPScon running yet. That red check mark just above the 'Send' 
button should be gray and the gray X mark should be red when GPScon has been started.

Pressing the red check mark should start GPScon and a successful start (the com port is opened) turns the red check mark gray and the gray X should turn red. GPScon will then start monitoring the GPSDO and you should see the results on the display.

Good luck.


Matt

On 7/10/2025 8:29 PM, rbenward--- via time-nuts wrote:
> Hi Bob,
> Thanks for replying.  I am not having any of these problems that you mentioned.  The three GPSDOs communicate with the GPScon and the VisualGPSView.  The replies come up in the window, and it's not gibberish.  I can send a command (I usually use something simple like *idn? and *gps:pos?.  The problem is the data is not getting formatted and displayed into the various tools.  Here is a link to my Flickr page.  It should be the top two images of my photostream. Look in the left side of the frame.  Both the device ID and the fixed position are visible.  So, the baud rate is correct, and the SW is capturing the data stream, but as you can see on the right side, nothing populates into the tools.  I am thinking it's something stupid that I did, that is usually the root cause for most of my problems!
>
> I have contacted the seller, and he is contacting Graham Baxter, the author/maintainer of the SW.  For now, I am clueless.
>
> https://www.flickr.com/photos/203157635@N08/
>
>  From K8CU's website:
> GPS Receiver Control Software version 2.026, 14 March 2022 for:
> Hewlett-Packard HP Z3801 - Z3805 - Z3812 - Z3816 - 58503A - 55300A 
> Jackson Labs CSAC - M12M Symmetricom UCCM-P Datum 2000 Navsymm Proteus 
> Trimble UCCM
>
> Regards,
> Bob
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Bob Camp via time-nuts <time-nuts at lists.febo.com>
> Sent: Thursday, July 10, 2025 7:34 AM
> To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement 
> <time-nuts at lists.febo.com>
> Cc: Bob Camp <kb8tq at n1k.org>
> Subject: [time-nuts] Re: GPSDO control programs.
> Importance: High
>
> Hi
>
> Unfortunately, the outputs of many GPSDO’s are specific to that design. There is no single “standard” way to talk to all of them. That is what drove the development of very unique programs like Lady Heather and Z38xx. They may or may not put out this or that message by default. This or that message likely can be turned off with some command(s).
>
> If it still works with Lady Heather, that suggests it’s not totally broken. It’s likely that some setting is now a bit off. The not so simple answer is to grab a terminal program like PUTTY. Get it set up and connecting to the device. See what the messages actually are.
>
> The program is free. You already have the hardware needed. The main fun is working out what the baud rate on the device actually is now set to. Often the “simple” approach is to just try the dozen or so likely candidates. In a few cases odd settings for data bits and parity might be involved.
>
> The commands and responses on many (but not all) GPSDO’s are standard serial communication.
> There’s no strange binary stuff involved. You can type it in and read the reply. You can make sense of the reply if you have a manual that shows the commands and responses. If *idn? does come back with  E1 as a reply, that should be in the manual.
>
> Fortunately the HP stuff fits into the “many” category.
>
> These devices are now in the “old enough to vote” category, They are 
> not that common (at low
> prices) on eBay. In addition, the GPS modules in them are well into the “roll over problems” range.
> it’s unlikely that anybody will go back and do all of the work to incorporate them in a newer program.
> A *lot* of work went into Z38xx and Lady Heather.
>
> No, that’s not saying one should toss them in the dumpster. Far from 
> it. With some mods (= new
> modules) they are very useful items. Even without mods, some of them 
> can be made to show the correct time and date (at the hardware level).
>
> Bob
>
>> On Jul 9, 2025, at 11:52 PM, rbenward--- via time-nuts <time-nuts at lists.febo.com> wrote:
>>
>> Hi All,
>>
>> I've been trying to get my Z3805, Z3801, and my Trimble to work 
>> another GPS program other than Lady Heather and Z38xx.  On the 
>> Jackson Labs GPScon, I have the latest version (V2.026 14 Mar 2022).  
>> Back in October when I purchased the program, I had it running fine.  Now its not doing anything.
>> I can send the *idn? command and the gpsdo  responds, as well as 
>> *gps?.  I get responses in the command window, but the other windows do not fill up.
>> Not the RX status window, not the satellite constellation window, not 
>> the EFC window, no position..  Nothing.
>>
>>
>>
>> It also does the same thing with VisualGPSView (ver1.1 build 401.
>> Send an *idn? and the response is E1>, which I suspect is not a 
>> response at all, but just an error.  The Z38xx program works great.
>>
>>
>>
>> I am running Windows 11 on a miniPC and using a USB to RS-232 
>> converter. All the hardware works with Lady Heather and Z38XX, and 
>> this is on two different computers, a mini Dell 7020, and an Beelink 
>> AMD Ryzen 5(?).  Has anyone run into this kind of problem before?
>> It's frustrating, like the two programs can interrogate, display he 
>> response, but it can't parse the data into their respective destinations.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Does anyone have any other GPSDO programs they use?
>>
>>
>>
>> Regards,
>>
>> Bob
>>
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