Operating Instructions and Installation Instructions

ComNav Vector G2 & G2B Installation & Operation Appendices

Document PN 29010078 V2.0 - 78 -

DRAFT #3 – 29 May 2009

Capturing Data Output from the G2

One of the problems with using HyperTerminal is that it’s hard to watch individual sentences,

or inspect them carefully – because the data keeps coming out of the G2, so the text in the

HyperTerminal’s “screen” area is constantly changing, as new data comes in and the older

data scrolls up (& eventually off) the active display area.

Or, you might want to “capture” the output from the G2 over along period of time – for

example, to look how position &/or heading changed during a voyage, in order to check if

your autopilot is properly adjusted for your boat.

To look at data in these ways, it’s necessary to use HyperTerminal’s Capture Text function:

Figure 31 – Capturing the G2’s Output

Enter a file name, & Browse to a folder (in which to store the captured text) that will be easy

to find later

Figure 32 – Choosing a Filename & Location for Captured Output

On most modern PCs, with the typical hard disk of at least 80 GB, you could keep capturing

the G2’s output for a very long time, without running out of storage space. At 4800 Baud, the

G2 puts out about 25 KB per minute, or ~1.5 MB per hour, ~36 MB per day.

Note: it may be hard to look at files bigger than 10 MB or so, later on

(with ordinary text editors, at least).

You could also use HyperTerminal’s standard “storage” folder, although that can be hard to find, as it is usually located

somewhere in the “system” folders on the main hard drive, e.g., C:\Program Files\Windows NT\HyperTerminal\