Momentary GPS data dropouts with PowerFLARM to SN10A to Oudie2 setup

I made a couple of flights yesterday with a new setup that links a PowerFLARM brick (2.79/3.1/Flarmnet loaded) to an SN10B (2.37, PDA, FLARM, 19200 selected) passing Flarm, GPS, and vario data to an Oudie2.

All worked exactly as expected EXCEPT that randomly during flight, at irregular intervals, I would get a momentary GPS dropout in the Oudie, indicated by either a PRIMARY GPS BAD followed immediately by a PRIMARY GPS OK caution on the Oudie, or more frequently just the PRIMARY GPS OK caution.

Green GPS bar on the Butterfly display never changed, and only once did the SN10 give me a bad GPS info warning, but I did see the map change from centered to offset on it's own occasionally.

Logger files from both the PFB and SN10 look good.

I'm not an expert, but could there be a problem with the 19200 baud rate dropping GPS data while trying to merge and pass it all on to the Oudie?

I haven't had a chance to try running the Oudie directly off the PFB to see if that isolates the problem.

A friend of mine flying with his PFB hooked up to his SN10 (no Oudie) said he had similar problems, so I wonder if it is the PFB GPS output that is a bit erratic.

Anyone else seen this kind of behavior?

Except for this annoyance, the setup worked like a dream, with all the displays working together to provide really good situational awareness. Flarm on the Oudie is awesome!

Cheers

Kirk
66

Should be fixed in SN10 v2.38, expected release after
18-meter nationals. Contact me offline to help with Beta.
Thanks,
Best Regards, Dave "YO electric"

Hi Kirk,

If the new SN10 software doesn't fix the problem. On the Oudie, go to Menu
Settings Input and change the "Last Sentence". Use trial and error to
find a sentence that works the best.

Best Regards,

Paul Remde
Cumulus Soaring, Inc.
_________________________

"Dave Nadler" wrote in message
...

Should be fixed in SN10 v2.38, expected release after
18-meter nationals. Contact me offline to help with Beta.
Thanks,
Best Regards, Dave "YO electric"

On Monday, May 6, 2013 1:34:30 PM UTC-7, Paul Remde wrote:
Hi Kirk,



If the new SN10 software doesn't fix the problem. On the Oudie, go to Menu

Settings Input and change the "Last Sentence". Use trial and error to

find a sentence that works the best.



Best Regards,



Paul Remde

Cumulus Soaring, Inc.

_________________________



"Dave Nadler" wrote in message

Should be fixed in SN10 v2.38, expected release after

18-meter nationals. Contact me offline to help with Beta.

Thanks,

Best Regards, Dave "YO electric"

Ok, thanks for the quick response. I'll contact Dave.

Paul, I'll let you know what works.

Thanks guys!

Kirk
66

May be able to help you with this one as I've had the same problem since
getting my new Oudie 2 last Summer and it has driven me nuts but I've
recently solved the issue with help from Andrej.

Go to SettingsHardware and uncheck GPS forwarding(it's an LNav only
thing), and more importantly uncheck Use backup GPS.

My theory is that if you are using an external GPS input on Comm 4 as
Primary with Backup GPS checked, then every time the Oudie senses that the
Primary GPS is on the threshold of useability it switches to backup and
then it can't make it's mind up which to use and you end up with the
continuous and very annoying switching back and forth between the two -
there's a conflict in there somewhere.

Yes you lose the back up GPS feature but do you really need it? - my set up
has been rock solid for weeks now when before I had the problem EVERY
flight.

Garmin 2+/ LX Nav V7/ Oudie 2 at 4800 baud.

Pete

I think I can help you with this one as I've had the same problem myself
and it's driven me nuts but it's now sorted with help from Andrej.

I bet you're using an external GPS on Comm 4 and have Use backup GPS
checked in HardwareSettings?

You must UNCHECK Use backup GPS and while you're there uncheck Use GPS
forwarding which is an LNav only thing.

There's a conflict in there somewhere that causes the backup GPS to kick in
every time it sees the slightest degradation of Primary GPS signal, even if
it's only momentary, so it then cannot make it's mind up which to use and
you end up with this continuous and very annoying bouncing backwards and
forwards between the two. If your using a good primary GPS input you don't
need the backup facility anyway.

I've now had several weeks of trouble free operation after suffering this
problem on almost every flight.

Garmin 2+/ LX Nav V&/Oudie 2 at 4800baud.

On Monday, May 6, 2013 3:02:27 PM UTC-7, Pete Startup wrote:
May be able to help you with this one as I've had the same problem since

getting my new Oudie 2 last Summer and it has driven me nuts but I've

recently solved the issue with help from Andrej.



Go to SettingsHardware and uncheck GPS forwarding(it's an LNav only

thing), and more importantly uncheck Use backup GPS.



My theory is that if you are using an external GPS input on Comm 4 as

Primary with Backup GPS checked, then every time the Oudie senses that the

Primary GPS is on the threshold of useability it switches to backup and

then it can't make it's mind up which to use and you end up with the

continuous and very annoying switching back and forth between the two -

there's a conflict in there somewhere.



Yes you lose the back up GPS feature but do you really need it? - my set up

has been rock solid for weeks now when before I had the problem EVERY

flight.



Garmin 2+/ LX Nav V7/ Oudie 2 at 4800 baud.



Pete

Good suggestion - I'll try that in case the SN10 bug fix doesn't work.

Thanks!

Kirk
66

On Monday, May 6, 2013 3:17:31 PM UTC-7, Pete Startup wrote:
I think I can help you with this one as I've had the same problem myself and it's driven me nuts but it's now sorted with help from Andrej. I bet you're using an external GPS on Comm 4 and have Use backup GPS checked in HardwareSettings? You must UNCHECK Use backup GPS and while you're there uncheck Use GPS forwarding which is an LNav only thing. There's a conflict in there somewhere that causes the backup GPS to kick in every time it sees the slightest degradation of Primary GPS signal, even if it's only momentary, so it then cannot make it's mind up which to use and you end up with this continuous and very annoying bouncing backwards and forwards between the two. If your using a good primary GPS input you don't need the backup facility anyway. I've now had several weeks of trouble free operation after suffering this problem on almost every flight. Garmin 2+/ LX Nav V&/Oudie 2 at 4800baud.

Why are you running the V7 oudie combo at 4800 Baud.

Configure the Garmin as fast as it will go but less than the Oudie.
Set the Oudie as fast as possible at least 115,200.

Make sure use backup GPS and GPS Forwardign is unchecked.


Richard
www.craggyaero.com

On Monday, May 6, 2013 12:53:13 PM UTC-7, kirk.stant wrote:
I made a couple of flights yesterday with a new setup that links a PowerFLARM brick (2.79/3.1/Flarmnet loaded) to an SN10B (2.37, PDA, FLARM, 19200 selected) passing Flarm, GPS, and vario data to an Oudie2.



All worked exactly as expected EXCEPT that randomly during flight, at irregular intervals, I would get a momentary GPS dropout in the Oudie, indicated by either a PRIMARY GPS BAD followed immediately by a PRIMARY GPS OK caution on the Oudie, or more frequently just the PRIMARY GPS OK caution.


Kirk, I may be wrong here, but I'm pretty confident that it is the 2.37 SN10 software causing the issue. I have the brick and SN10 combo (no Oudie... yet) and I upgraded from 2.36 this March. I am still running the 2.4 PF brick software. I experienced the same irregular drops on every flight so far after the 2.37 upgrade. I had zero drops last year running 2.36. Quite annoying. Fortunately, I have other flight recorders for my trace. It looks like I'll be loading the 2.38 as soon as it's available.

Craig