AGG Software Forums

I am looking for a Serial Data monitor software for use in our lab. I came across the free copy of your Advanced Serial Port Monitor software. It appears to meet what we need. However, there are a couple of issues, I am hoping that you can provide me with the answers.
1. I am trying to capture the GPS NMEA sentences from a GPS receiver via RS-232. Before each of the GPS NMEA sentences, there is a time stamp associated with it. Is the time stamp displayed when first bit/byte of the sentence being captured/logged? Or is the time stamp displayed when the CR/LF of each sentence is received?
2. How can I capture the time stamp and data just as it is displayed on screen? Currently, the time stamp in the log file is kind of embedded within the data in the log, and it does not seem to match up with time stamp in the display. How can I configure the "Log File" option to  capture time stamp/data just as being displayed?
tks

1. Time stamp is displayed when the program outputs data (to file or to display).
2. You can open program settings and activate this option.

Arthur,
Thanks for the quick response.
I saw the timestamp displayed. But my main question is as follows:
. Timestamp starts when the 1st byte/bit data received or at the end of block.
I already have the log activated, but the timestamp is embedded within the data block, not same as displayed. Please refer to my attachment in the original message.
Thanks again

Hmm. In your first post you mean Advanced Serial Port Monitor, but the doc file contains screenshots for Advanced Serial Data Logger.

In Advanced Serial Data Logger:

1. The program takes the stamp at the moment when displays data or outputs it to a file. Because the program outputs data on screen and to a file asynchronously, then stamp may be different.

2. Options -> Other -> Date time stamp view you can change the stamp timeout. If it will not help, then you need to configure the ASCII Data parser and write to a file after parsing.

Based on the time stamps of the below attached log, the time difference between the 1st GPRMC & GPGGA is 156 ms. Is it correct to say that it takes the Serial Data Logger 156 ms to serially read in the GPRMC message? These two messages come out back to back, only seperated by CR/LF characters.
Thanks

<2012.05.10 08:14:43.369>
$GPRMC,131443,A,4201.8115,N,09142.7195,W,000.0,190.5,100512,000.3,W*71#0D#0A
<2012.05.10 08:14:43.525>
$GPGGA,131443,4201.8115,N,09142.7195,W,1,09,1.3,240.4,M,-31.3,M,,*7B#0D#0A
<2012.05.10 08:14:43.665>
$GPVTG,190.5,T,190.9,M,000.0,N,0000.0,K*72#0D#0A
<2012.05.10 08:14:44.383>
$GPRMC,131444,A,4201.8116,N,09142.7195,W,000.0,190.5,100512,000.3,W*75#0D#0A
<2012.05.10 08:14:44.539>
$GPGGA,131444,4201.8116,N,09142.7195,W,1,09,1.3,240.4,M,-31.3,M,,*7F#0D#0A
<2012.05.10 08:14:44.664>
$GPVTG,190.5,T,190.9,M,000.0,N,0000.0,K*72#0D#0A
<2012.05.10 08:14:45.381>
$GPRMC,131445,A,4201.8116,N,09142.7195,W,000.0,190.5,100512,000.3,W*74#0D#0A
<2012.05.10 08:14:45.537>
$GPGGA,131445,4201.8116,N,09142.7195,W,1,09,1.3,240.4,M,-31.3,M,,*7E#0D#0A
<2012.05.10 08:14:45.662>
$GPVTG,190.5,T,190.9,M,000.0,N,0000.0,K*72#0D#0A
<2012.05.10 08:14:46.380>
$GPRMC,131446,A,4201.8116,N,09142.7195,W,000.0,190.5,100512,000.3,W*77#0D#0A
<2012.05.10 08:14:46.536>
$GPGGA,131446,4201.8116,N,09142.7195,W,1,09,1.3,240.4,M,-31.3,M,,*7D#0D#0A
<2012.05.10 08:14:46.661>
$GPVTG,190.5,T,190.9,M,000.0,N,0000.0,K*72#0D#0A
<2012.05.10 08:14:47.378>
$GPRMC,131447,A,4201.8117,N,09142.7195,W,000.0,190.5,100512,000.3,W*77#0D#0A
<2012.05.10 08:14:47.519>
$GPGGA,131447,4201.8117,N,09142.7195,W,1,09,1.3,240.4,M,-31.3,M,,*7D#0D#0A
<2012.05.10 08:14:47.659>
$GPVTG,190.5,T,190.9,M,000.0,N,0000.0,K*72#0D#0A
<2012.05.10 08:14:48.377>

1. Is it data after or before parsing?
2. Windows is not a real time OS. The user mode application may receive data from a serial port with delays.

Arthur,
Thanks for the reply.
The data I posted earlier is "before parsing".
Anyway, I took more samples with different modes of loggin - Before parsing, after parsing and after filtering. The time interval between "$GPRMC" & "$GPGGA" in those modes are pretty much the same.
Please refer to the attached screenshop. Base on these reading, what can I say about the time (roughly) it takes to read in $GPRMC?
Thanks for the help.

Write to log file before parsing

<2012.05.11 07:28:00.270>
$GPRMC,122800,A,4201.7854,N,09142.7238,W,000.0,004.0,110512,000.3,W*77#0D#0A
<2012.05.11 07:28:00.426>
$GPGGA,122800,4201.7854,N,09142.7238,W,1,07,1.4,253.8,M,-31.3,M,,*72#0D#0A
<2012.05.11 07:28:00.551>
$GPVTG,004.0,T,004.4,M,000.0,N,0000.0,K*7A#0D#0A
<2012.05.11 07:28:01.268>
$GPRMC,122801,A,4201.7855,N,09142.7238,W,000.0,004.0,110512,000.3,W*77#0D#0A
<2012.05.11 07:28:01.424>
$GPGGA,122801,4201.7855,N,09142.7238,W,1,07,1.4,253.8,M,-31.3,M,,*72#0D#0A
<2012.05.11 07:28:01.549>
$GPVTG,004.0,T,004.4,M,000.0,N,0000.0,K*7A#0D#0A
<2012.05.11 07:28:02.282>
$GPRMC,122802,A,4201.7856,N,09142.7238,W,000.0,004.0,110512,000.3,W*77#0D#0A
<2012.05.11 07:28:02.423>
$GPGGA,122802,4201.7856,N,09142.7238,W,1,07,1.4,253.8,M,-31.3,M,,*72#0D#0A
<2012.05.11 07:28:02.563>
$GPVTG,004.0,T,004.4,M,000.0,N,0000.0,K*7A#0D#0A
<2012.05.11 07:28:03.281>
$GPRMC,122803,A,4201.7856,N,09142.7238,W,000.0,004.0,110512,000.3,W*76#0D#0A
<2012.05.11 07:28:03.437>
$GPGGA,122803,4201.7856,N,09142.7238,W,1,07,1.4,253.8,M,-31.3,M,,*73#0D#0A
<2012.05.11 07:28:03.577>
$GPVTG,004.0,T,004.4,M,000.0,N,0000.0,K*7A#0D#0A


Write to log file after parsing

<2012.05.11 07:38:41.302>
$GPRMC,123841,A,4201.7855,N,09142.7205,W,000.0,169.1,110512,000.3,W*77#0D#0A
<2012.05.11 07:38:41.442>
$GPGGA,123841,4201.7855,N,09142.7205,W,1,09,1.4,246.6,M,-31.3,M,,*7D#0D#0A
<2012.05.11 07:38:41.582>
$GPVTG,169.1,T,169.4,M,000.0,N,0000.0,K*7B#0D#0A
<2012.05.11 07:38:42.300>
$GPRMC,123842,A,4201.7856,N,09142.7205,W,000.0,169.1,110512,000.3,W*77#0D#0A
<2012.05.11 07:38:42.456>
$GPGGA,123842,4201.7856,N,09142.7205,W,1,09,1.4,246.6,M,-31.3,M,,*7D#0D#0A
<2012.05.11 07:38:42.597>
$GPVTG,169.1,T,169.4,M,000.0,N,0000.0,K*7B#0D#0A
<2012.05.11 07:38:43.314>
$GPRMC,123843,A,4201.7856,N,09142.7205,W,000.0,169.1,110512,000.3,W*76#0D#0A
<2012.05.11 07:38:43.470>
$GPGGA,123843,4201.7856,N,09142.7205,W,1,09,1.4,246.6,M,-31.3,M,,*7C#0D#0A
<2012.05.11 07:38:43.595>
$GPVTG,169.1,T,169.4,M,000.0,N,0000.0,K*7B#0D#0A
<2012.05.11 07:38:44.297>
$GPRMC,123844,A,4201.7857,N,09142.7205,W,000.0,169.1,110512,000.3,W*70#0D#0A
<2012.05.11 07:38:44.453>
$GPGGA,123844,4201.7857,N,09142.7205,W,1,09,1.4,246.6,M,-31.3,M,,*7A#0D#0A
<2012.05.11 07:38:44.578>
$GPVTG,169.1,T,169.4,M,000.0,N,0000.0,K*7B#0D#0A
<2012.05.11 07:38:45.295>
$GPRMC,123845,A,4201.7857,N,09142.7205,W,000.0,169.1,110512,000.3,W*71#0D#0A
<2012.05.11 07:38:45.451>
$GPGGA,123845,4201.7857,N,09142.7205,W,1,09,1.4,246.5,M,-31.3,M,,*78#0D#0A
<2012.05.11 07:38:45.592>
$GPVTG,169.1,T,169.4,M,000.0,N,0000.0,K*7B#0D#0A


Write to log file after filtering

<2012.05.11 07:43:11.296>
$GPRMC,124311,A,4201.7977,N,09142.7227,W,000.0,352.2,110512,000.3,W*76#0D#0A
<2012.05.11 07:43:11.452>
$GPGGA,124311,4201.7977,N,09142.7227,W,1,09,1.0,249.0,M,-31.3,M,,*78#0D#0A
<2012.05.11 07:43:11.577>
$GPVTG,352.2,T,352.6,M,000.0,N,0000.0,K*7A#0D#0A
<2012.05.11 07:43:12.294>
$GPRMC,124312,A,4201.7977,N,09142.7227,W,000.0,352.2,110512,000.3,W*75#0D#0A
<2012.05.11 07:43:12.450>
$GPGGA,124312,4201.7977,N,09142.7227,W,1,09,1.0,249.0,M,-31.3,M,,*7B#0D#0A
<2012.05.11 07:43:12.575>
$GPVTG,352.2,T,352.6,M,000.0,N,0000.0,K*7A#0D#0A
<2012.05.11 07:43:13.309>
$GPRMC,124313,A,4201.7977,N,09142.7227,W,000.0,352.2,110512,000.3,W*74#0D#0A
<2012.05.11 07:43:13.449>
$GPGGA,124313,4201.7977,N,09142.7227,W,1,09,1.0,249.0,M,-31.3,M,,*7A#0D#0A
<2012.05.11 07:43:13.589>
$GPVTG,352.2,T,352.6,M,000.0,N,0000.0,K*7A#0D#0A
<2012.05.11 07:43:14.307>
$GPRMC,124314,A,4201.7977,N,09142.7227,W,000.0,352.2,110512,000.3,W*73#0D#0A
<2012.05.11 07:43:14.447>
$GPGGA,124314,4201.7977,N,09142.7227,W,1,09,1.0,249.0,M,-31.3,M,,*7D#0D#0A
<2012.05.11 07:43:14.588>
$GPVTG,352.2,T,352.6,M,000.0,N,0000.0,K*7A#0D#0A
<2012.05.11 07:43:15.290>
$GPRMC,124315,A,4201.7977,N,09142.7227,W,000.0,352.2,110512,000.3,W*72#0D#0A
<2012.05.11 07:43:15.446>
$GPGGA,124315,4201.7977,N,09142.7227,W,1,09,1.0,249.0,M,-31.3,M,,*7C#0D#0A
<2012.05.11 07:43:15.586>
$GPVTG,352.2,T,352.6,M,000.0,N,0000.0,K*7A#0D#0A
<2012.05.11 07:43:16.319>
$GPRMC,124316,A,4201.7977,N,09142.7227,W,000.0,352.2,110512,000.3,W*71#0D#0A
<2012.05.11 07:43:16.475>
$GPGGA,124316,4201.7977,N,09142.7227,W,1,10,1.0,248.9,M,-31.3,M,,*7F#0D#0A
<2012.05.11 07:43:16.600>
$GPVTG,352.2,T,352.6,M,000.0,N,0000.0,K*7A#0D#0A

Arthur,
The screenshot is not from the log files. It's from the display on screen. Anyway, base on those screen display, is there anyway I can figure out how long it takes to read in packages starting with "$GPRMC". It's hard to figure that out by looking at the log. Since the time stamp is embedded within the package. Please refer to attached file for physical log file.
Thanks again.

If you'll activate to write to a log file as you see it on the screen then the program will not split sentences in the log file.

Arthur,
According time difference between "$GPRMC..." & "$GPGGA..." displays on the screen, is it correct to say that it takes 156 ms to read in and display "$GPRMC" package?
Thanks

<2012.05.11 07:43:11.296>
$GPRMC,124311,A,4201.7977,N,09142.7227,W,000.0,352.2,110512,000.3,W*76#0D#0A
<2012.05.11 07:43:11.452>
$GPGGA,124311,4201.7977,N,09142.7227,W,1,09,1.0,249.0,M,-31.3,M,,*78#0D#0A
<2012.05.11 07:43:11.577>
$GPVTG,352.2,T,352.6,M,000.0,N,0000.0,K*7A#0D#0A

Yes (read, process and display).

Similar subject was being discussed at yahoo answers last week. I can post the link if needed.

The program saves all settings in the Windows registry.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\AGG Software\Advanced Serial Port Monitor
you may export this node and import it on another computer.