VOYAGER GPS Configuration

Quick Start Guide

Welcome to GPS Configuration
At GNS, we create products that give ship management and crew the tools to
enable them to be more productive wherever they are in the world.

The Voyager GPS Configuration tool enables you to view your vessels position
in real time, overlaid on ENC’s in Voyager Planning Station.

To get started you need:

• Voyager Hub version 1.0.2 or above installed on your PC.

• Voyager Planning Station version 7.3.1 or above installed on your PC.
• GPS USB input.

If you haven’t already got Voyager Hub and/or Voyager Planning Station
installed, you’ll need to do that first. To do this put the Voyager Hub USB into
the USB drive of your Voyager PC and follow the on-screen instructions.

Further instructions can be found in your Voyager Hub user guide. If you have
got Voyager Hub and Voyager Planning Station installed but need to upgrade,
then you can do so by contacting support@gnsworldwide.com.

To get started with Voyager GPS you need to set up your GPS feed using the
GPS Config application in Voyager Hub. To find the GPS Config application go to
System section]in Voyager Hub and follow these simple instructions to
complete your set it up.

GNS Configuration enables you to configure a GPS data input, connected via a
NMEA 0183 USB serial device or a compatible USB GPS receiver. A compatible
NMEA USB device or USB GPS receiver can be purchased separately.

Contact us for more details.

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Once installed and a GPS input connected to the same PC as Voyager v7.3.1,
the ships position, heading, course and speed vector will be displayed and
available in Voyager for back of bridge monitoring mode

VPS Monitoring mode:

This is an ON/OFF toggle control. When clicked, the map will centre and scale
to the vessel position and will automatically follow and centre the vessel to
keep it within view. If you move the map to a different location whilst this
feature is toggled ON, the map will automatically centre and scale to the
vessel position every 20 seconds until you toggle OFF.

VPS v7.3.1 now has functionality to display the vessel position, heading, course
and speed vector.

The GNS GPS Configuration app must be installed and configured on the same
PC as VPS 7.3.1 and connected to GPS via a NMEA 0183 USB serial Device or
USB GPS receiver (Purchased separately).

Supported NMEA sentences are as follows.

Type Definition NMEA Sentences Source Device
POS Latitude/Longitude Position GGA / GLL / GNS / RMC GPS
COG Course Over Ground RMC / VTG GPS
SOG Speed Over Ground RMC / VTG / VBW GPS
ZDA UTC Date & Time ZDA GPS
HDG Heading Degrees HDG Compass
HDT Heading Degrees True HDT / VHW Compass
HDM Heading Degrees Magnetic VHW Compass
STW Speed Through Water VBW / VHW Speed Log

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Installing GPS Configuration
Installing GPS Configuration is easy. If you have received the software on a USB
package or a CD/DVD, simply follow the instructions on the Packaging. If you
have downloaded the installer, you will see a file
Gns_GPS_Configuration_Setup.exe.

Click on this to initiate the installation process.

Tick ‘I agree to the Licence Terms’ and click ‘INSTALL’.

The installation should take less than a minute.

Press the blue LAUNCH button when it completes.

Please note that GNS Configuration must be installed on the same computer as
your Voyager planning station version 7.3.1 and above.

The installation process will add a new icon to your Windows desktop. Click
this to run GPS Configuration at any time.

NOTE: You WILL require Administrator rights on your PC/laptop for this
installation to be successful. You may need to contact your IT team to arrange
this. To find out how you to check if you have admin rights see page 3.

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Administrator rights
To check if you have admin privileges on your computer
press WinKey+R, Type Netplwiz and press Enter.

In Windows XP
press WinKey+R, type Control Userpasswords2 and press Enter.

If “Administrators” is displayed in the Group column of your user name, you

have administrative privileges.

If “Administrators” is not displayed, you do not, and you will need to contact
the system administrator or IT department to grant you admin rights in order
to complete installation.

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Getting started with the USG-2
USB to Serial Gateway
If you received the GNS supported USG-2 USB to Serial Gateway device, then
please refer to the below instructions. Alternatively, if you received a different
device then please refer to the user manual supplied with your device.

In the USG-2 Box

Simple connection to a computer with no serial port

Laptop and desktop computers no longer come equipped with RS232 type
serial ports any more. The USG-2 creates a fully isolated marine standard
NMEA 0183 port from any computer USB port. This COM port appears on the
computer system as a Virtual COM port, and so can be used with all standard
marine navigation and display software such as VPS.

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Installing USG-2 USB Device
Before getting started
The wire colours used in this user guide are in accordance with the NMEA 0183
specification (v.4.10, June 2012) and are for illustration purposes only.

Power Supply
The USG-2 is powered by the USB connection.
Simply connect the USG-2 USB cable to the USG-2
device as shown below. Then connect to a USB
port on the Computer where VPS 7.3.1 is
installed.

Install USG-2 Device Drivers Automatically

If an internet connection is present when the USG-2 USB device is first plugged
in, the USB drivers will be downloaded and installed automatically.

Install USG-2 Device Drivers Manually

If no internet connection is present the first time your USG-2 USB device is
plugged in, or if Windows doesn’t automatically install the USB drivers, the
drivers can be installed manually from the USG-2 CD provided.

NOTE: Ensure the USG-2 USB device is NOT plugged in before continuing.

1. Insert the USG-2 CD in to the CD drive of the Computer that the USG-2 USB device
needs to connect with.
2. Click ‘Autorun’ if the option is available.
3. If ‘Autorun’ doesn’t appear, locate the USG-2 CD in Windows Explorer.
4. Browse to the DVD Drive:\Actisense\USB Drivers

5. Double-click the latest available Windows USB Driver and follow the on screen
instructions when prompted.
6. Once complete, plug in the USG-2 USB device to the computers USB port.

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Check Device Manager for the allocated COM port number
To find out which COM port the device has been allocated, open Windows
Device Manager by searching in the ‘Start’ menu or Press Windows+R on the
keyboard, type devmgmt.msc and press Enter or click OK.

Expand the ‘Ports (COM & LPT)’ list. The Actisense USB device will be displayed
with ‘(COM X)’ (X refers to the COM Port number) next to it. Please make a
note of this when configuring the GPS Configuration App.

Connecting to GPS NMEA 0183 Devices

Identify the GPS NMEA output location. This will either be directly from the
GPS device or from a NMEA multiplex distribution box located on the bridge.
Run 2 or 4 core shielded signal cable from the GPS NMEA output to the USG-2
USB device

Strands of wire must not be twisted before inserting in to the screwless

connector, this will ensure a much more secure termination than if the wires
are twisted. A small flat headed screwdriver (2-3mm) is needed to press down
on the orange buttons and open the terminal for the wires to be inserted or
removed.

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Inserting the Strain Relief Clip
Once the strain relief clip is inserted it
cannot be removed.
Insert the strain relief clip on the left
hand ‘Listener’ side.

NOTE: Use of the strain relief clip is optional, however it is required in order to
remove the screwless header from the screwless connector.

Securing Data Wires

To protect against vibration, wrap the supplied cable tie around the
terminated wires and in-line with the groove on the strain relief clip. Pull the
cable tie tight enough that it secures the data wires to the strain relief clip, but
not too tight that it begins to crush the wire.

Mounting the USG-2

The USG-2 should be installed in a suitable
protected location (e.g. below deck but close
enough to connect to the VPS PC) where it will not
come in to direct contact with water. The USG-2 can
be mounted with or without a DIN rail. DIN rail
mounts sold separately.

LED Behaviour

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Getting Started with GPS Configuration
Once you have installed the USG-2 USB device, you will need to setup the GPS
configuration app to connect to your GPS Device.

1. Launch the GPS Configuration app and select the settings menu icon.
2. Select ‘Configuration’ and select the allocated COM Port number noted
from Device Manager in the last section of this user guide.
3. Set the Baud rate of your GPS output configuration. The Baud rate is
usually 9600 for GPS units but some units can use 38400.
4. Click ‘Save’ then click the Connect button.

5. You should now see the NMEA sentence data as per the following.

6. If the NMEA sentence data looks to be valid and the location

information is displaying correctly then you have now
configured the GPS Configuration successfully.
7. Now you can open VPS 7.3.1 to monitor your vessels position.
8. If there is no data feed, then please check the wiring and USG-2
device LED status.
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GPS Configuration Test Mode
The GPS Configuration app has a Test Mode function to test the connectivity
with VPS 7.3.1.

1. Launch the GPS Configuration app and select the settings menu icon.
2. Select Configuration and click ‘Enable Test Mode’.
3. This will run the application in TEST MODE.
4. Closing the application will disable Test Mode automatically.

Enable Data Logging

The GPS Configuration app has the functionality to submit your GPS log file to
the GNS web server. The Voyager Hub application MUST be installed for this
functionality as the Hub manages the data file upload.

1. Select Data Log Settings in the settings menu.

2. Select the required Log File Period. (The is the frequency that your log
file will be submitted automatically) The default is every 6 hours.
3. Select the required logging frequency. (This is the frequency that your
NMEA GPS data will be logged) The default is every 10 minutes.
4. Click on the Log Status toggle button to enable logging.

NOTE: Data logging does not work in Test Mode.

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