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Now, what’s tomorrow’s challenge?
APN-004 Rev 1 November 12, 1997
TECHNICAL BULLETIN
Loading GPS Software to the GPS Receiver
Introduction
This bulletin describes the procedure for updating the resident software on the NovAtel 12
channel OEM and PC GPS cards. Note that 10 channel OEM cards must be returned to the
NovAtel factory for software updates and model upgrades. The VERSION command will
identify the current model number and software version of any GPS card as shown:
This example response to the VERSION command indicates type of GPS card, model number,
serial number, hardware version, software version, and date of software build.
The memory on the PC GPS cards is volatile and is therefore wiped out every time the card is
powered down (i.e. whenever the host computer is turned off). As a result, the GPS software is
resident on the host computer’s disk drive in the form of a BTL file (a file with the extension
BTL). The PC card is booted by loading the contents of the BTL file into the on-board memory
of the card. As a result, it is only the BTL file that needs to be changed in order to update the
software of a PC card.
Conversely, the GPS software for an OEM card remains in the on-board memory of the card. In
order to modify this software, it is necessary to communicate directly with the card via a program
called LOADER. This program will erase the memory of the OEM card and program it with the
new software load that comes in the form of a binary file (usually with the extension BIN).
Both of these procedures are described in detail below. All released loads of GPS software for
both OEM and PC cards are available on the NovAtel FTP site: ftp.novatel.ca, or on the dial-up
bulletin board at (403) 295-4902. The software loads usually come packaged with the
appropriate loading software in a self-extracting archive file. Most of NovAtel’s archives are
password encrypted. Please contact NovAtel Customer Service for more information.
Both software updates and model upgrades require an authorization code to be obtained from
NovAtel Customer Service. Model upgrades usually involve a fee equal to the cost difference
between the desired model list price and original model list price. All software updates,
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however, are free of charge. The procedures described below apply to both model upgrades and
software updates. Appropriate authorization codes can be obtained by contacting Novatel.
PCCard
The BTL file that is loaded into the PC card memory every time the card is booted defines the
GPS software load. In order to update the version of software and/or upgrade the model, the old
BTL file needs to be replaced with a new one. By default the BTL file is found in the \GPS
directory on the host computer and is named MAIN.BTL. To operate correctly, the BTL file
needs to be stamped with an authorization code that is specific to the receiver in which it will be
loaded. As a result, every BTL file becomes unique to a particular PC card, and cannot be
interchanged with other files unless they are re-stamped with appropriate authorization codes.
The BTL files are easily stamped with the proper authorization code using a small DOS utility
called GPSAUTH.EXE. To authorize a file, the following is typed at the DOS command line:
c: gpsauth /fFILE /aAUTHCODE /sSERIAL [/cCARD] [/oOLDFILE]
Option Description
FILE BTL file name.
AUTHCODE
Authorization code (all characters are hexadecimal: 0-9, A-F).
Typical format: aaaa,bbbb,cccc,dddd,eeee,xxxxR
SERIAL GPS card serial number (found on the label attached to the card).
[CARD] (optional) Type of GPS card: PC
[OLDFILE] (optional)
Hardware serial number of the GPSCard can be extracted from a
previous BTL file as entered here and inserted automatically. This
option may be used instead of the SERIAL option.
OEMCard
The GPS software for OEM cards is resident in the on-board flash memory and is changed using
the utility LOADER.EXE. The program is usually packaged with software files but can also be
obtained seperatly from the NovAtel Internet page, FTP site or dial-up BBS.
Loader
The program, LOADER, is run from a DOS prompt by typing LOADER. Upon running the
program, the main menu will appear. Four options will be
available: Program card starts the loading procedure,
Setup sets the communication parameters,
Terminal provides a simple interface to
communicate with the card.
Quit terminates the program.
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Selecting the SETUP menu item will cause the program to
prompt the user for the following parameters:
First, the COM port selection option will appear. Select the
COM port on your PC to which the GPS receiver is connected.
Use the mouse or the arrow keys to select the appropriate option
followed by the ENTER key.
The next option is the baud rate at which the card will be
programmed. Normally the highest rate of 115200 is selected.
If communication errors occur or a modem is being used to load
the card, then a slower rate should be selected. LOADER will
temporarily configure the COM ports on the GPS receiver to
match whatever setting is specified here.
The TERMINAL baud rate will control the communication rate
used if the TERMINAL function is employed. This is normally
set to match the configured baud rate of the GPS receiver COM
ports (the default is 9600).
The settings are saved by pressing the ENTER key. This will
bring up the main menu again. Select PROGRAM CARD to
begin uploading the new software.
The LOADER software requires the
location of the software file to be
loaded (BIN file). The utility will
query the user for the drive letter on
which the file is saved and then open
up a browse window, as shown here, to conveniently
locate the file. Either the mouse or the arrow keys can be
used to move the selection bar around the screen followed
by the ENTER key to choose the file. After selecting the
software file, LOADER will request the authorization
code.
Again, only hexadecimal characters
will be accepted (1-9, A-F) and all
lower case letters will be converted
to upper case. The commas are
inserted automatically after every
four characters. Once the code has
been entered, LOADER will prompt
the user to turn the receiver off and
then press the ENTER key. After
pressing ENTER, the program will
require the GPS card to be turned on again within 10 seconds.
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The original software load is erased before the new one is injected. Once the load is complete,
the card is reset and the total download time is displayed.
$AUTH Command
If it is desired to change the model of the GPS card without changing the software version, an
authorization code can be issued to the card without using the LOADER program. The
command is $AUTH and can be issued from the WinSat or GPSolution command line or through
any dumb terminal program. The syntax is simply:
$auth aaaa,bbbb,cccc,dddd,eeee,xxxxR
This command will insert the new authorization code into the OEM card and change the model
appropriately.
It is often necessary to issue temporary authorization codes to provide a trial period for a
particular model of GPS card. Temporary codes have the same format as described above except
that an expiry date is added to the end of the code. How the receiver functions after the expiry
date passes is a function of how the new authorization code is loaded. If the $AUTH command
is used, the card will revert back to its original model when the expiry date passes. If LOADER
is used, however, the card will become inoperative until another valid code is inserted. As a
result, unless its necessary to change the software load, its usually best to insert temporary
authorization codes using the $AUTH command.
Please contact NovAtel Customer Service with any questions or concerns regarding this
procedure:
NovAtel, Inc.
1120 68
th
Avenue N.E.
Calgary, Alberta
Canada, T2E 8S5
Phone: (403) 295-4900
Fax: (403) 295-4901
Toll free: 1-800-NOVATEL (Canada and U.S. only)
Internet: www.novatel.ca