GPS on Sierra MC8780 - NO NMEA channel

RouterOS General
1

Hi,
We have RB411UAHR with 3G card Sierra MC8780 (F1_2_3_15AP firmware) installed. We’d like to use GPS on this card but can’t get raw gps data (NMEA channel).
We discovered that USB2 channel 2 is AT command port but we didn’t find any NMEA port - channel 0 and 1 simple display “CONNECT 7200000” or strange characters like below…

Previously we was testing Option GTM382 and we got nmea gps data on one of the channel…

Should somebody manage to run GPS on this card in Mikrotik ?

When I insert Sierra MC8780 in my old Dell and install 3G Watcher tool COM9 is AT Command port and COM12 is NMEA port and after entering “at!gpstrack=1,60,10,1000,60” on COM9 I get full NMEA data on COM14…


[admin@MikroTik] > port print detail
Flags: I - inactive
 0   name="serial0" used-by="Serial Console" channels=1 baud-rate=9600 data-bits=8 parity=none stop-bits=1
     flow-control=none

 1   name="usb2" used-by="" channels=3 baud-rate=9600 data-bits=8 parity=none stop-bits=1 flow-control=none
[admin@MikroTik] > system serial-terminal usb2 channel=2

[Ctrl-A is the prefix key]


at+gmr
F1_2_3_15AP C:/WS/FW/F1_2_3_15AP/MSM7200R3/SRC/AMSS 2008/07/09 13:02:11

OK
at!gpstrack=?
!GPSTRACK: <fixtype>,<maxtime>,<maxdist>,<fixcount>,<fixrate>
<fixtype>: 1-Standalone, 2-MS-Based, 3-MS-Assisted
<maxtime>: 0-255 seconds
<maxdist>: 0-4294967280 meters
<fixcount>: 1-1000,1000=continuous
<fixrate>: 1-1799,999 seconds


OK
at!gpstrack=1,60,10,1000,60

OK

[Q - quit connection]      [B - send break]
[A - send Ctrl-A prefix]   [R - autoconfigure rate]



Welcome back!
[admin@MikroTik] > system serial-terminal usb2 channel=1

[Ctrl-A is the prefix key]


 Đ~ Đ~ Đ~ Đ~ Đ~
[Q - quit connection]      [B - send break]
[A - send Ctrl-A prefix]   [R - autoconfigure rate]



Welcome back!
[admin@MikroTik] > system serial-terminal usb2 channel=0

[Ctrl-A is the prefix key]



CONNECT 7200000
2

I opened a case at mikrotik’s support and got known that Sierra MC8780 uses its own Sierra prioprietary NMEA protocol and the only wat to get GPS position is by AT Command “AT!GPSLOC?”. But this command shows the position only when the card was installed in my laptop and when I used built-in “passive” antenna but NOT with external “active” antenna and NOT when it was installed in MT (no matter what antenna I was using)…

So, did someone manage to get GPS position using mini PCI-E 3G card ???
It’s very impornent for me and I need to know:

  1. What type of 3G card was used ?
  2. What GPS antenna was used ?

I mentioned about antenna since after some investigation I found that active GPS antenna (with long cable) needs 3-5V whereas I measured that AUX connector on Sierra MC8780 had 0V… Mikrotik support told me that AUX connector on 3G card never puts voltage to supply GPS antenna.
I also found on the internet that someone had to prepare extra electrical circuit that injected 3V into the antenna circuit…

Now I am a little confused if GPS with mini PCI-E 3G card should work normally… NEED help !!!