User manual

Settings

Configure velahelm in a practical order: appearance first, then sources, connections and tools. Expand the sections below whenever you need the detailed instructions.

1 · Presentation

Appearance

Demo mode and language

Demo mode simulates active subscriptions and loops a saved NMEA demo stream. It is useful for demonstrations, shore-side testing and exploring the displays without an onboard network. Selecting a real source manually may turn it off. Under Language, System follows the Android language; German and English can also be selected directly.

Design, formats, night mode and brightness

Design follows the system or forces light or dark. Dashboard font, angle/position format and leading zeroes control number presentation. Night mode can be manual, sunset-based or light-sensor-based; the automatic modes require location/time data or a sensor. Brightness can follow the system or be reduced with the slider for night sailing.

2 · Data basis

Sources & calculation

GPS, time, wind and routing

For GPS, position, SOG and COG come from the NMEA stream or device sensors. NMEA is normally best with an onboard GPS or plotter over Wi-Fi; device sensors suit a standalone phone or tablet. Time is NMEA UTC or device local. Wind comes from NMEA or Calypso Ultrasonic over BLE; Calypso supplies AWS and AWA, from which velahelm derives further values when the required base data is available.

Great circle uses great-circle courses and distances, matching BWC calculations; rhumb line matches BWR.

Waypoints and automatic advance

With NMEA, RMB, BWC and BWR sentences control CNW, DNM, WPT and TTG; a local selection remains saved but does not control those values. Local list uses the selected local waypoint, or the active course item when an event is active. Waypoints received through WPL, BWC, RMB and BWR can also be saved locally and assigned to events.

Automatically select next waypoint is available only for the local list. Set the switching distance in metres or boat lengths. Events advance through marks and gates in course order; otherwise the local waypoint order is used. The final target remains selected. If Remote Display Sync is configured, the new selection is sent to the receiver.

Performance, polars, event and start

The performance source is from NMEA or local polar. In the polar manager import or select a polar and make it active. A .vhpolar package contains exactly one polar, including its name, wind-speed and wind-angle grids and, where available, beat/run optima. Import it through Tools → Polars → + → File; on a name conflict select Copy or Overwrite. Share a polar with its share icon. CSV, TSV and space-separated tables are imported through Paste in the same + dialog; the ORC catalogue is also available.

Select exactly one active event, set boat length as a reference, enter the bow offset between GPS and bow, and choose the start-line display unit. Local polar values are used for performance only when Local polar is selected as source.

3 · Onboard network & devices

Connections & devices

NMEA connections

Create one or more connections with name, type and ports: TCP client connects to a server host/IP and port, UDP (listen) listens for incoming sentences, and TCP server (listen) waits for a client. The list shows live, connecting, waiting, disabled, error age and last data. Disable unused connections rather than deleting them.

Calypso: BLE and UDP gateway

Under Calypso Ultrasonic, search for, connect, disconnect and rename sensors; enable auto-connect and set the AWA offset. Bluetooth and the Android location/Nearby Devices permissions must be available.

Enable the UDP gateway and choose an output port.
Enter one receiver per line as Host or Host:Port.
On every receiver, create a matching UDP (listen) NMEA connection using that port.

This lets the BLE-connected device distribute Calypso wind data as NMEA MWV unicast over Wi-Fi.

Remote Display Sync and Velapace Link

On the receiver, enable it and check port and token; regenerate the token or show its pairing QR/IP if needed. On the sender enter host, target port and token or scan the QR code. Send dashboard & display transfers dashboard and display settings; Send event & polar requires an active selection on both devices. Devices must be reachable on the same network.

When a compatible Garmin watch with Velapace is detected, configure data sending, bow offset, active view, layout fields, background and arc use for the 2- and 4-field views.

4 · Direct access

Tools

The tools card opens Alarms, Waypoints, Events, Polars, Tracks and the GPS quality test.

Alarms

Tap +, name the rule and choose its metric and operator. Metrics include DPH, XTE, DNM, speed, performance, wind, course and current values, and are evaluated only when current data is available. Conditions are above, below, inside/outside range and change exceeds. Hold (ms) filters short spikes; hysteresis prevents toggling around a threshold; trigger once stays silent until the condition becomes normal and occurs again. Internal threshold units are kn, m and degrees. The dashboard/start bell mutes effects for five minutes.

Waypoints and events

Create waypoints by entry or Save position; with a GPS fix the reported accuracy is saved too. Assign them to events, filter by event/name, show nearby points, open them in a map app and reorder them when no filter is active. At NMEA source a local selection is saved but becomes effective only with Local list.

Events group marks or gates as a race or trip. Activating one selects its first course item; deactivating or deleting it returns to the individual waypoint. A start line is always first and is not selected again after an advance. The share icon exports the event and referenced waypoints as .vhpack.

5 · Android

Background operation

Enable Run in background to keep GPS, NMEA connections and alarms active while the app is closed or the display is off. Android may require location services, foreground location permission and background location permission. velahelm directs you to the relevant Android settings; battery optimisation can also restrict operation.

Active alarm rules require background operation. If a prerequisite is missing, velahelm saves a newly enabled rule as disabled and shows the relevant instruction.

Info

Help & information

Find the intro guide, subscriptions and upgrades, and legal information such as the imprint and copyright here.

Help

Troubleshooting

Problem	Likely cause	Solution
No GPS values	Wrong source or no NMEA data	Check GPS source and NMEA status; choose device sensors if appropriate.
NMEA stays “waiting”	Wrong port, Wi-Fi or connection type	Check host/port and UDP/TCP type; put devices on the same network.
Calypso is not found	Bluetooth, permission or sensor issue	Check Bluetooth/permissions, restart the sensor and scan again.
Display Sync does not send	Host, port or token missing/wrong	Scan the QR again and check token and network.
Background operation will not start	Location services or permission missing	Open the prompt and apply the suggested Android settings.