Text/NMEA Sub Menu
This option displays a dialog box that allows the user to generate a text file composed of all ship and ORE target position data currently in memory. When you click on the Text/NMEA File sub menu command the Text/NMEA Settings dialog box will appear. After setting the parameters listed below, click the Ok push button. The SaveAs dialog box will appear. Enter the name of the text file in the space provided and click the Ok push button. The default name is Run1.txt. The user may change the name, however it is a good idea to not use *.trk or *.raw as the file extension as this may cause the text file to be confused with an IPS format file.
Position data IPS files with *.trk and *.raw extensions that are loaded into memory using the FILE -> Open command may also be output as a text file. However a text file generated using the Save as Text File command may not be loaded back into the IPS for post processing. To save position data in a file for post processing use the -> FILE -> Save command.
A dialog box allowing the user to set the following Text/NMEA parameters will appear when the Text/NMEA sub menu is selected:
Text\NMEA Format:
allows the operator to select a National Marine Electronic Association (NMEA) format or IPS format for the serial output. Check the appropriate radio button to select one of the nine formats. The nine options for NMEA serial output are GGA2,
DTF, DTF NOAA, TLL, TPD, Waypoints Only, Waypoints w/ ArcView, UTM(x,y,z) and $PIUDP data. If a GGA output format is selected, the target ID must be set in SETUP->Serial Out Command to a target that is being tracked or no data will be sent to the output file.
Note: When the TPD format is selected as NMEA serial output the target's depth will be given in the current IPS system units. This means the target's depth will be expressed in meters if meters are the current system units and feet in all other cases.
Target ID:
allows the user to select which of multiple targets will be sent out as a text string if GGA version 2.0 has been selected for serial output. This is necessary because neither GGA format includes a target ID or name. If the Text\NMEA Format is GGA, the target ID
must be set to a target number that is being tracked, or no data will be sent to the output text file. All other serial output options include a target name or ID. Therefore text strings will be output for all targets for which valid data is being received if any other serial output format is selected. This is the only effect the Target ID has on any of the target's parameters. Enter the appropriate target number in the edit box provided.
Display/Raw:
allows the user to choose to save either the data displayed to the screen or all data collected by the IPS software. If Display is selected data eliminated using the Filter Command and data not displayed due to the INPUTS->Target Settings Command-> Draw Rate setting will not be included in the text file.
Time Format(Seconds):
allows the user to select the format used for the time format field of the data file.
Check Sum:
allows the user to enable or disable the check sum field. A check sum is a field at the end of the data string that can be used by the receiving software to verify that the text string has not been corrupted during transmission. If the check sum is enabled an asterisk will be displayed after the text string format selected.
Target Data Only:
allows the user to eliminate ship position data from the text file. Only position data pertaining to ORE targets will be added to the text file. However, not all of the output formats have ship's data. For example, the GGA format does not have a target ID field so it will only contain the info for the IPS "Target ID". Whereas, TPD, DTF, TLL all have their own target ID fields and can be created with or without the ship data depending on if the "[ ] Target Data Only" check box is enabled.