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Main ❯ Navigation & tracking systems ❯ EchoTrace RF Dongle: Communication protocol specification

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EchoTrace RF dongle
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EchoTrace RF Dongle - navigation receiver for EchoTrace tracking systems
Communication protocol specification

EchoTrace RF Dongle
Communication protocol specification

Contents

1. Introduction

1.0. Physical layer protocol

EchoTrace RF Dongle devices support data interfacing via a serial interface.

Default connection port settings:

Baudrate: 38400 bit/s
Data bits: 8
Stop bits: 1
Parity: No
Hardware flow control: No

1.1. NMEA0183 dialog layer protocol standard

The NMEA0183 standard describes the format of dialog layer text (ASCII) sentences.

Sentence example: $PUNA0,1,0*hh<CR><LF>

The main elements of an NMEA0183 sentence (message):

2. UNV command system

The device and the command system for interacting with it are designed so that, once configured, the device can be connected to various applications designed to work with GNSS receivers. For the most part, the device uses standard NMEA protocol sentences: RMC and GGA.

2.0. UNV0 - Settings

The UNV0 sentence is used to specify settings for the device, request the current settings, and transfer the current settings from the device.

Sentence format: $PUNV0,x.x,x.x,x.x,x.x,x,x.x,x,x.x,x,x*hh<CR><LF>

No. Field/Parameter Description
  $ Sentence start ‘$’
  PUNV UNV
  0 Sentence ID
1 sty_PSU Water salinity in PSU, 0 .. 40 PSU
2 wtmp_C Water temperature in °C, -4 .. 46 °C
3 sos_mps Speed of sound in water in m/s, 1300 .. 1600 m/s
4 max_tspd_mps Maximum movement speed in m/s, 0.5 .. 5 m/s
5 sf_FIFO_size Smoothing filter buffer size, 2 .. 64
6 sf_rthld_m Smoothing filter reset threshold, 5 .. 1000 m
7 dhf_FIFO_size Classifier buffer size, 2 .. 64
8 dhf_rthld Classifier buffer threshold, 5 .. 1000 m
9 ce_FIFO_size Course estimator buffer size, 2 .. 64
10 brate Port speed (see ..)
11 echotrace_mode Operating mode (for the EchoTrace system). Empty field or 0 - pinger, 1 - divers
12 echotrace_drating Maximum pinger depth (for the EchoTrace system). 0 - 300, 1 - 500, 2 - 1000 m
  * NMEA checksum delimiter
  hh NMEA checksum
  <CR><LF> End of sentence

2.1. UNV1 - Reference point

The command is used to set a reference point, relative to which the device can calculate the course and distance to the positioned object.

Sentence format: $PUWV1,x,x.x,x.x*hh<CR><LF>

No. Field/Parameter Description
  $ Sentence start ‘$’
  PUNV UNV
  1 Sentence ID
1 ref_point_type 0 - AUX GNSS, 1-4 base points, empty - user defined
2 ref_point_lat Latitude, -90.0 .. 90.0 °
3 ref_point_lon Longitude, -180.0 .. 180.0 °
  * NMEA checksum delimiter
  hh NMEA checksum
  <CR><LF> End of sentence

2.2. UNV2 - Water depth and temperature

The command is used to set the water temperature. The depth field is not used by EchoTrace.

Sentence format: $PUWV2,x.x,x.x*hh<CR><LF>

No. Field/Parameter Description
  $ Sentence start ‘$’
  PUNV UNV
  2 Sentence ID
1 tDpt_m Not used by EchoTrace
2 wTmp_C Water temperature, -4 .. 46 °C
  * NMEA checksum delimiter
  hh NMEA checksum
  <CR><LF> End of sentence

2.3. UNV3 - Position of a numbered object

For the EchoTrace system only, when operating in the diver positioning mode. This sentence transmits the determined navigation data of a numbered target (for example, a diver equipped with a SubVox Diver wireless voice communication device). The object ID (address) is transmitted by the object itself and can take values from 0 to 999.

Sentence format: $PUWV3,x,x.x,x.x,x.x,x.x,x.x,x.x*hh<CR><LF>

No. Field/Parameter Description
  $ Sentence start ‘$’
  PUNV UNV
  3 Sentence ID
1 tID Object ID (address)
2 tLat Latitude, -90.0 .. 90.0 °
3 tLon Longitude, -180.0 .. 180.0 °
4 tDpt Depth, m
5 tCrs Course, , 0 .. 360.0 °
6 tRer Radial error, m
7 Age Navigation data age, s
  * NMEA checksum delimiter
  hh NMEA checksum
  <CR><LF> End of sentence

2.4. UNV4 - Parameters relative to the reference point

The sentence contains the calculated navigation parameters of the positioned object, relative to the configured reference point.

Sentence format: $PUWV4,x,x.x,x.x,x.x,x.x,x.x,x.x*hh<CR><LF>

No. Field/Parameter Description
  $ Sentence start ‘$’
  PUNV UNV
  4 Sentence ID
1 tID Object ID. In all cases except EchoTrace operating in diver mode, the field remains empty
2 rpLt Reference point latitude, -90.0 .. 90.0 °
3 rpLn Reference point longitude, -180.0 .. 180.0 °
4 dst2rp Distance to the reference point on the plane, m
5 crs2rp Course from the object to the reference point, 0 .. 360.0 °
6 crs4rp Course from the reference point to the object, 0 .. 360.0 °
7 Age Navigation data age, s
  * NMEA checksum delimiter
  hh NMEA checksum
  <CR><LF> End of sentence

2.5. UNV5 - Data from the built-in GNSS receiver

The sentence contains navigation data from the built-in GNSS receiver.

Sentence format: $PUWV5,x.x,x.x,x.x,x.x*hh<CR><LF>

No. Field/Parameter Description
  $ Sentence start ‘$’
  PUNV UNV
  5 Sentence ID
1 gnssLt Geographic latitude, -90.0 .. 90.0 °
2 gnssLn Geographic longitude, -180.0 .. 180.0 °
3 gnssCrs Course, 0 .. 360.0 °
4 gnssSog Speed, km/h
  * NMEA checksum delimiter
  hh NMEA checksum
  <CR><LF> End of sentence

2.6. UNV6 - Data from the EchoTrace pinger

The sentence contains data received from the EchoTrace pinger.

Sentence format: $PUWV6,x,x.x*hh<CR><LF>

No. Field/Parameter Description
  $ Sentence start ‘$’
  PUNV UNV
  6 Sentence ID
1 dataID Data ID
2 dataValue Data
  * NMEA checksum delimiter
  hh NMEA checksum
  <CR><LF> End of sentence

3. Other sentences

3.0. GGA

Standard NMEA0183 sentence - Global positioning system fix data.

Sentence format: $GNGGA,hhmmss.sss,ddmm.mmm,N|S,yyymm.mmm,E|W,x,xx,x.x,x.x,M,x.x,M,xx,xxxx*hh<CR><LF>

No. Field/Parameter Description
  $ Sentence start ‘$’
  GN Standard data source - Global navigation
  GGA Standard sentence ID - Global positioning system fix data
1 UTC Time UTC, hhmmss.sss (according to the built-in GNSS receiver)
2 Latitude Geographic latitude, ddmm.mmmmmm
3 N|S Hemisphere identifier, N - northern, S - southern
4 Longitude Geographic longitude, dddmm.mmmmmm
5 E|W Hemisphere identifier, E - eastern, W - western
6 Fix Type Navigation solution type
7 Satellites in view Number of available satellites (always 4)
8 HDOP Horizontal dilution of precision, meters. (this field conveys the radial error, the value of the residual function at the end of the solution)
9 Altitude Altitude, meters. (this field conveys depth, i.e. height with a “-“ sign)
10 M M - meters
11 Geoidal separation The field is not supported and remains empty
12 Age of data The field is not supported and remains empty
13 Reference station ID The field is not supported and remains empty
  * NMEA checksum delimiter
  hh NMEA checksum
  <CR><LF> End of sentence

3.1. RMC

Standard NMEA0183 sentence - Recommended minimum, sentence ‘C’.

Sentence format: $GNRMC,hhmmss.sss,A|V,ddmm.mmm,N|S,dddmm.mmm,E|W,x.x,x.x,ddmmyy,,,A|D|V*hh<CR><LF>

No. Field/Parameter Description
  $ Sentence start ‘$’
  GN Standard data source - Global navigation
  RMC Standard sentence ID - Recommended minimum, sentence ‘C’
1 UTC Time UTC, hhmmss.sss
2 Data quality indicator A - the time data (according to the built-in GNSS receiver) are correct
3 Latitude Geographic latitude, ddmm.mmmmmm
4 N|S Hemisphere identifier, N - northern, S - southern
5 Longitude Geographic longitude, dddmm.mmmmmm
6 E|W Hemisphere identifier, E - eastern, W - western
7 Speed The field is not supported
8 Course Course (direction of motion), degrees
9 Date According to the built-in GNSS receiver data
10 Magnetic variation The field is not supported
11 E|W The field is not supported
12 A Mode, A - GNSS
  * NMEA checksum delimiter
  hh NMEA checksum
  <CR><LF> End of sentence

3.3. RWLA - Data packet from the EchoTrace navigation buoy

Data received from the navigation buoy of the EchoTrace system (EchoTrace, sentence “A”)

Sentence format: $PRWLA,x,x.x,x.x,x,x.x,x,x.x,x.x*hh<CR><LF>

No. Field/Parameter Description
  $ Sentence start ‘$’
  PRWLA RWL
  A Sentence ID
1 bID Buoy number (address), 0 .. 3 (corresponds to buoys 1 .. 4)
2 bLt Buoy latitude, -90.0 .. 90.0 °
3 bLn Buoy longitude, -180.0 .. 180.0 °
4 bDpt_m Acoustic transducer immersion depth, m
5 bBat Supply voltage of the buoy’s built-in power source, V
6 pData Data packet from the positioned object
7 bTOA Time of signal arrival at the buoy, s, 0 .. 62
8 bMSR Main peak to side lobe ratio, dB
  * NMEA checksum delimiter
  hh NMEA checksum
  <CR><LF> End of sentence

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