1UBXTOOL(1) GPSD Documentation UBXTOOL(1)
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6 ubxtool - u-blox tool
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9 ubxtool [OPTIONS} [server[:port[:device]]]
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11 ubxtool -h
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13 ubxtool -V
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16 ubxtool is a tool for u-blox GPS. If you do not have a u-blox GPS then
17 can stop reading now.
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19 This tool operates with your u-blox GPS at a very low level. To
20 understand ubxtool you must first be familiar with your u-blox GPS and
21 the documentation for the u-blox binary protocol. The u-blox protocol
22 varies greatly depending on GPS model and firmware revision. Use the
23 u-blox documentation for your model and firmware.
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25 ubxtool can decode common u-blox binary messages, poll the GPS status,
26 enable and disable GPS features, and send user generated commands to
27 the GPS. It can read binary messages from a file. It can read and write
28 directly through a serial device, or through a running gpsd instance.
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30 ubxtool does not require root privileges, except maybe to access the
31 serial port in direct mode. It will run fine as root. Running under
32 sudo will cause loss of functionality.
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35 The program accepts the following options:
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37 -?, -h, --help
38 Makes ubxtool print a usage message and exit. Use with -v 2 to see
39 all enable/disable and preset values. Use with -v 3 to additionally
40 see all configuration items (long).
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42 -c COMMAND, --command COMMAND
43 Send a command to the GPS. Accepts one parameter, COMMAND, a
44 comma-separated list of hexadecimal bytes specifying the class, the
45 ID, and any needed payload. The header, length, and checksum are
46 added automatically.
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48 --device DEVICE
49 The DEVICE on the gpsd to connect to. Defaults to all.
50
51 -d OPTION, --disable OPTION
52 Disable an option in the GPS. Accepts one parameter, OPTION, the
53 option to disable. Run "ubxtool -h -v 2" to see all possible
54 OPTIONs. A few possible OPTIONs are:
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56 BEIDOU
57 Disable use of the BeiDou (COMPASS) constellation.
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59 BINARY
60 Disable sending of the basic binary messages.
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62 ECEF
63 Disable sending of ECEF binary messages.
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65 GALILEO
66 Disable use of the GALILEO constellation.
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68 GLONASS
69 Disable use of the GLONASS constellation.
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71 GPS
72 Disable use of the GPS and QZSS constellations.
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74 NED
75 Disable sending of NED binary messages. UBX-NAV-VELNED and
76 UBX-NAV-RELPOSNED.
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78 NMEA
79 Disable sending basic NMEA messages. The messages are GBS, GGA,
80 GSA, GGL, GST, GSV, RMC, VTG, and ZDA.
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82 PPS
83 Disable TIMEPULSE 0.
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85 RAWX
86 Disable sending of the UBX-RXM-RAWX messages.
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88 SBAS
89 Disable use of the SBAS constellation.
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91 SFRBX
92 Disable use of the SFRBX messages.
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94 SURVEYIN
95 Disable survey-in mode with TMODE2.
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97 TP
98 Disable sending UBX-TIM-TP.
99
100 -e OPTION, --enable OPTION
101 Enable an option in the GPS. Accepts one parameter, OPTION, the
102 option to enable. -e accepts the same OPTIONs as -d, except the
103 action is to enable the option.
104
105 -f FILE, --file FILE
106 Connect to a file or device. Accepts one parameter, FILE, the file
107 or device to open. Files are opened read-only. Character devices
108 are opened read/write, unless the -r parameter is given. Requires
109 the pyserial module.
110
111 -g ITEM,LAYER,POSITION,END, --getitem ITEM,LAYER,POSITION,END
112 Get the value of ITEM from LAYER, starting at POSITION, up to END
113 key/value pairs (UBX-CFG-VALGET). All parameters past ITEM are
114 optional and decimal. If LAYER is absent, then layers 0, 1, 2 and 7
115 are all requested. See the section on CONFIGURATION ITEMS
116
117 --host HOST
118 Connect to the gpsd on HOST (server). Defaults to localhost.
119
120 -i port, --portid port
121 Specifies port ID # (interface) for port-related commands such as
122 UBX_CFG-PRT.
123
124 -p PRESET, --preset PRESET
125 Send a preset command the GPS. Usually accepts one parameter,
126 PRESET, the name of the command to send. A few PRESETS, like
127 LOG-FINDTIME, accept additional comma separated parameters. More
128 than one -p may be used.
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130 Only the common PRESETS are shown here. To see the full list, including
131 optional parameters, run "ubxtool -h -v 2".
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133 COLDBOOT
134 Coldboot the GPS (UBX-CFG-RST).
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136 HOTBOOT
137 Hotboot the GPS (UBX-CFG-RST).
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139 MODEL,model
140 Configure the Dynamic Platform Model to model. (UBX-CFG-NAV5).
141 Model is the decimal number of the desired mode.
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143 PMS
144 Set power management settings (UBX-CFG-PMS). "PMS,pow" where pow is
145 powerSetupValue.
146
147 RATE
148 Set measurement and nav rate (UBX-CFG-RATE). "RATE,meas,nav" meas
149 is the measRate in milli seconds. The nav argument is the navRate
150 in cycles and defaults to 1.
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152 RESET
153 Reset configuration to defaults (UBX-CFG-CFG).
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155 SAVE
156 Save current configuration (UBX-CFG-CFG).
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158 MON-RESETODO
159 Reset the odometer (UBX-MON-RESETODO).
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161 MON-VER
162 Poll GPS version (UBX-MON-VER).
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164 WARMBOOT
165 Warmboot the GPS (UBX-CFG-RST).
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167 Most PRESET parameters are simple poll commands. They merely poll the
168 GPS to respond with the associated message. For example "ubxtool -p
169 CFG-GNSS" asks the GPS to respond with a UBX-CFG-GNSS message
170 describing the current GNSS configuration. Increase the verbosity of
171 the output by adding the "-v 2" or "-v 3" options.
172
173 --port PORT
174 Use PORT to connect to gpsd. Defaults to 2947.
175
176 -P protver, --protver protver
177 Sets the protocol version to use for sending commands. Minimum 6
178 (Antaris 4). Use "ubxtool -p MON-VER" to see the version your
179 receiver supports. Many newer u-blox receivers will fail silently
180 or oddly if this is not set correctly. Default 10 (u-blox 5).
181
182 -r, -readonly
183 Read only. Do not send anything to the GPS.
184
185 -R RAW, --rawfile RAW
186 Save all raw serial data received from the GPS into the file RAW.
187
188 -s SPEED, --inspeed SPEED
189 Set local serial port speed to SPEED bps. Default 9,600 bps.
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191 -S SPEED, --setspeed SPEED
192 Set the GPS serial port speed to SPEED bps.
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194 -t, --timestamp
195 Timestamp decoded messages with seconds since the epoch. Use it
196 twice and also get UTC time.
197
198 -v VERBOSITY, --verbosity VERBOSITY
199 Set verbosity level to VERBOSITY. Verbosity can be from 0 (very
200 quiet), 2 (decode messages), to 4 (very noisy). Default 1.
201
202 -V, --version
203 Print ubxtool version and exit.
204
205 -w WAIT, --wait WAIT
206 Wait for WAIT seconds before exiting. Default 2 seconds.
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208 -x ITEM,LAYERS, --delitem ITEM,LAYERS
209 Delete the value of ITEM name from LAYERS. The bit map LAYERS is
210 optional. By default, delete in both the BBR and FLASH layers in
211 the receiver (UBX_CFG-VALDEL). Returning to the reciver default for
212 that item. See the section on CONFIGURATION ITEMS
213
214 -z ITEM,VAL,LAYERS, --setitem ITEM,VAL,LAYERS
215 Set the value of ITEM name to VAL in LAYERS in the GPS
216 (UBX-CFG-VALSET). VAL and the bit mask LAYERS are decimal.
217 ",LAYERS" is optional. The default LAYERS are RAM and FLASH. See
218 the section on CONFIGURATION ITEMS
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221 By default, clients collect data from the local gpsd daemon running on
222 localhost, using the default GPSD port 2947. The optional argument to
223 any client may override this behavior: [server[:port[:device]]]
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225 For further explanation, and examples, see the ARGUMENTS section in the
226 gps(1) man page
227
229 Configuring u-blox GPS with the traditional configuration messages is
230 fraught with problems. Many configuration messages interact in odd
231 ways. Something as simple as changing the serial port speed requires
232 you to read the current configuration using UBX-CFG-PRT for the proper
233 port, merging in the change, the writing back the changed UBX-CFG-PRT
234 message. Or just guessing at the current configuration and overwriting
235 it all.
236
237 The u-blox 9 series, protocol version 27+, tries, but does not
238 completely succeed, to solve the problem with Configuration Items. If
239 your GPS does not support protocol version 27+, then this section does
240 not apply to you.
241
242 Most of the configuration variables in the GPS have been assigned a
243 32-bit Key ID. Each Key references one specific value. A typical
244 receiver may have over 1,100 Key IDs. Each Key ID has been assigned a
245 Key Name. Most of the Key Names are documented by u-blox and supported
246 by ubxtool. To see all the Key Name understood by ubxtool run: "ubxtool
247 -h -v 3".
248
249 To get the value related to an item, use "-g ITEM".
250
251 To reset the value related to an item to it default value, use "-x
252 ITEM".
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254 To set an ITEM name to a value, use "-z ITEM,VAL".
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256 If you only want to set an ITEM in one layer, use "-z ITEM,VAL,LAYER".
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258 See the EXAMPLES section for concrete examples.
259
261 All examples assume that UBXOPTS is set with the protocol version of
262 your receiver. Be sure to replace the "-P 18" with your correct
263 prototype version.
264
265 export UBXOPTS="-P 18"
266
267 Dump configuration and status of the GNSS recceiver. The "-w 4" is to
268 provide extra time for the operations to complete.
269
270 ubxtool -p CONFIG -p STATUS -w 4 -v 2
271
272 Decode raw log file:
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274 ubxtool -r -f ublox-neo-m8n.log
275
276 Change GPS port speed of device on /dev/ttyAMA0 to 230,400 bps:
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278 ubxtool -S 230400 -f /dev/ttyAMA0
279
280 Watch entire GPS reset cycle, include $GPTXT messages:
281
282 ubxtool -p COLDBOOT -w 20 -v 2
283
284 Poll Enabled Constellations:
285
286 ubxtool -p CFG-GNSS
287
288 Dump gpsd data from a remote server named x.example.com:
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290 ubxtool -w 5 x.example.com
291
292 CFG-TP5
293 Some of the "-p" and "--preset" commands can take multiple options. One
294 of these is "--preset CFG-TP5".
295
296 Synopsis:
297
298 -p CFG-TP5,[tpIdx = 0],[antCableDelay = 2],[rfGroupDelay = 0],[freqPeriod = 1000000],[freqPeriodLock = 1000000],[pulseLenRatio = 0],[pulseLenRatioLock = 100000],[userConfigDelay = 0],[flags = 0x77]
299
300 Leave a positional parameter empty for it to take the default value.
301
302 To set the pulse period to 0.25 s and its length to 0.1 s:
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304 $ ubxtool -p CFG-TP5,,,,250000,250000,100000,100000
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306 To set the pulse period to 0.1 s and length to 0.1 s in the presence of
307 lock:
308
309 $ ubxtool -p CFG-TP5,,,,,100000,,50000
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311 Version 27+ examples
312 The following examples require a GPS supporting protocol 27 or greater.
313 Be sure to set your protocol version first:
314
315 export UBXOPTS="-P 32"
316
317 To check the current dynamic model, change it to 6 (AIR1, Airborne with
318 <1g acceleration), revert to the default setting, and verify the faults
319 was restored.
320
321 $ ubxtool -g CFG-NAVSPG-DYNMODEL
322 [...]
323 UBX-CFG-VALGET:
324 version 1 layer 0 reserved 0,0
325 layers (ram)
326 item CFG-NAVSPG-DYNMODEL/0x20110021 val 2
327 [...]
328 $ ubxtool -z CFG-NAVSPG-DYNMODEL,6
329 [...]
330 UBX-ACK-ACK:
331 ACK to Class x6 (CFG) ID x8a (VALSET)
332 [...]
333 $ ubxtool -g CFG-NAVSPG-DYNMODEL
334 [...]
335 UBX-CFG-VALGET:
336 version 1 layer 0 reserved 0,0
337 layers (ram)
338 item CFG-NAVSPG-DYNMODEL/0x20110021 val 6
339 [...]
340 $ ubxtool -x CFG-NAVSPG-DYNMODEL
341 [...]
342 UBX-ACK-ACK:
343 ACK to Class x6 (CFG) ID x8c (VALDEL)
344 [...]
345 $ ubxtool -g CFG-NAVSPG-DYNMODEL
346 [...]
347 UBX-CFG-VALGET:
348 version 1 layer 0 reserved 0,0
349 layers (ram)
350 item CFG-NAVSPG-DYNMODEL/0x20110021 val 6
351
352 Notice that the current DYNMODEL stayed at 6 (AIR1). The "-x" only
353 affects the saved setting, not the current setting. To change the
354 current setting you must set it with "-z".
355
356 Getting all the Configuration Items in a group one by one could be very
357 tedious. VAL-GET allows you to wild card the item number and dump all
358 the items in a group. To get all the CFG-TP items in ram, the currently
359 active ones, you can do this:
360
361 $ ubxtool -g CFG-TP,0
362 [...]
363 UBX-CFG-VALGET:
364 version 1 layer 0 position 0
365 layers (ram)
366 item CFG-TP-TP1_ENA/0x10050007 val 1
367 item CFG-TP-SYNC_GNSS_TP1/0x10050008 val 1
368 item CFG-TP-USE_LOCKED_TP1/0x10050009 val 1
369 [...]
370
371 The truly masochistic can dump all the Configuration Items by
372 wildcarding the group. Dumping all 1,000+ of them, 64 at a time, could
373 still be tedious. The -g parameter optionally allows you to specify the
374 starting position to get from, as well as the ending position. To get
375 all the known, and unknown, items supported by the receiver that are
376 currently in ram:
377
378 $ ubxtool -g CFG,0,0,1200 | fgrep "item CFG-"
379 item CFG-1-1/0x10010001 val 0
380 item CFG-1-1/0x10010101 val 0
381 item CFG-4-1/0x10040001 val 1
382 item CFG-4-2/0x10040002 val 0
383 item CFG-4-3/0x10040003 val 0
384 item CFG-4-4/0x10040004 val 0
385 item CFG-4-9/0x10040009 val 0
386 item CFG-TP-TP1_ENA/0x10050007 val 1
387 item CFG-TP-SYNC_GNSS_TP1/0x10050008 val 1
388 [...]
389
390 Changing CFG,0,0,1200 to CFG,7,0,1200 would instead dump all the
391 configuration defaults, from the Default layer (7).
392
394 Options can be placed in the UBXOPTS environment variable. UBXOPTS is
395 processed before the CLI options.
396
398 0
399 on success.
400
401 1
402 on failure
403
405 ubxtool is written to conform to the official u-blox documentation for
406 the u-blox binary protocol. https://www.u-blox.com/en/product-resources
407
408 gpsd(8), gpsctl(1), gps(1)
409
411 Project web site: https://gpsd.io/
412
414 This file is Copyright 2013 by the GPSD project
415 SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-2-clause
416
418 Gary E. Miller
419
420
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422GPSD, Version 3.23.1 2021-09-17 UBXTOOL(1)