GC2 GSX & ProTee Inteface Setup for TGC and ProTee 2.0

[Maverick]

Follow the steps below and in the next few post to initially connect your GC2 to GSX to ProTee Interface. Enjoy!

1: Connect your Bluetooth adapter to your pc's USB port using a USB extension cable. Run the cable into the sim room where the adapter will be as close to the GC2 as possible or within 6 ft of the GC2. After that, install the Bluetooth adapter driver that came in the package.

2: Turn on the GC2. From the right bottom corner of the Taskbar, click the up arrow to show all hidden icons. Select the Bluetooth icon and select Add Devices. See the screen shots below.






3: If your GC2 does not pair up automatically, click your GC2 device and select Pair. Then enter 0000 and click Next.

[col forbin]

I spoke with them too and they told me the SDK fee is $995, but no way would I pay that. It appears all the people who have the Golf Club did not need to pay Foresight that fee. I believe TGC comes with GSX, which is the SDK. It is just Foresights chance to get more money. Believe me, they have taken quite a bit of mine with the new courses that don't even work properly. The company is money hungry and before did not want any 3rd party developers using the GC2. The fact that they acknowledge the availability of selling a SDK kit may make them realize that their software is inferior. The GC2 seems to be helping sell units anyways, and if they stopped anyone from playing, which I haven't heard of, people would find ways around it. The FSX was announce 2 years ago at least, just released this March, and feels like a beta to this day.

[mthunt]

It pretty simple folks. A while back someone at Protee realized that the GC2 outputs,data via Bluetooth and they figured out that they can capture the data and use it in Protee/TGC. Foresight told everyone they were going to block this. They said if you buy Protee, it'll stop working. The reality is the only way to block it is replace the GC2's with new GC2's that don't use Bluetooth. Not possible.

Fast forward a year and a half and Foresight realizes they have no way to stop it. So what do they do? Tell people go ahead and use Protee/TGC. We are ok with it but you need to pay us a fee. If people pay, they get more money. It's only smart business. In my world we call it FUD. Fear, uncertainty and doubt.

My buddy and I played 36 holes today using my GC2 with TGC. I never paid any SDK fee. My GC2 outputs ball data via Bluetooth. My computer captures the Bluetooth data and TGC runs on my PC. Simple.

Like my wise mother says, if it ain't broken, don't fix it. Tell me, who's having problems running TGC with a GC2? No one. So what do,you need an sdk for?

Nothing. Move on.

[mthunt]

[FaultyClubs]

...The reality is the only way to block it is replace the GC2's with new GC2's that don't use Bluetooth. Not possible.

They could encrypt the data with a firmware update.

Like my wise mother says, if it ain't broken, don't fix it. Tell me, who's having problems running TGC with a GC2? No one. So what do,you need an sdk for? Nothing. Move on.

A SDK will be needed when the data becomes encrypted.

An official SDK might be the first step in taking back control of what software runs with their box.

Not saying they will or won't...I really have no idea...but "not possible" seems like a stretch.

[mthunt]

Maybe you can explain how someone can encrypt the data stream on something not in their possession or control. There is no need to update firmware.

You should buy the SDK. You clearly see the value.

[davray666]

mthunt I agree with everything you said but it's actually worse than that.
Why would an end user buy an SDK in the first place. A Software Development Kit is used by integrators to hook up stuff like TGC to the GC2.
An integrator like pro tee or PP would buy it if they see any value in it. Apparently they don't.
So it sounds like Foresight failed to develop something that people want to pay for and therefore try to force feed the market by using the GC2 as hostage.
Not by offering an SDK but by adding a tax on all that use the unit to read the data it produces.
Lucky for us it seams it's just an empty threat.

Now if you did pay the SDK tax and they (and you) do update the firmware so the data is encrypted. You won't be able to play TGC.
Simply because they will not give the decryption code to Protee or any other software supplier.

Sad, because the hardware is great and something people are willing to pay for.

The Skytrak people have adopted a similar model but packaged it so that people do see the value and probably will pay the 100$ annual tax.
A clear case of smart vs. stupid.

[mthunt]

It's like I said. Fear, uncertainty and doubt. Foresight tells everyone they have to pay to use another software and then some shill comes on the forum and says the sky is falling. I've gotten so many PM's asking me about the Foresight SDK. My device and software work great. There's no need to update firmware. It's not connected to the Internet. Ergo, there's no way to break the process. Like I said before, not possible. It's no stretch. Last year shills were saying we were all breaking the law and going to jail. They said foresight was a week away from encrypting the data and we would have non working software. Shills and FUD. Don't fall for it.

[Bubba22]

You should all listen to what mthunt is saying. He is completely right!

[Mxwoodman]

Foresight could do something but mthunt is right and you would have to update the firmware yourself with a version that encrypted the data. Foresight can't force you to do it. The only thing that could happen and this did happen to me if you need to send the unit in for repairs they could update the firmware and they did change the version of firmware on mime.

[JV17]

mthunt is spot on... Loving my GC2 with TGC. It's a shame Foresight hasn't figured out that they suck at software and should stick to LMs and maybe try to keep people connected to them via a good online community presence. Foresight is missing out on GC2 sales because they aren't embracing TGC or e6. You're correct davray, not smart business moves over there. I'd package TGC with the GC2 and their driving range if I were them. Then I'd pull data back from the TGC api and own a very slick online golf club/community much like TGCTOURS does. Win/win... It's a damn shame I don't do solutions for a living... Oh wait... I do. 😜

[joeycalda]

The simulation business is changing for the better, and Foresight is not using any (foresight ) to help their business model. I was somewhat rudely hung up on, when I mentioned I would be buying a used unit. Which to me is better for them than buying a new SKYTRAK. That might have change their name to Shortsight.

[FaultyClubs]

I'm sure we all agree you don't need Foresight's $995 SDK to use TGC today. It's a matter of record that TGC today works fine without Foresight's software.

But clearly Foresight doesn't need to make new GC2 hardware without Bluetooth just to break TGC. Encryption works fine for that!

Harder to know is how stable the GC2/TGC combo will be going into the future. Right now Protee is charging $1k and pocketing all the money. What business stands by watches someone else take lucrative software profits? If there's money then I'm pretty sure Foresight cares. So what might they do? They could try and kill TGC and force people to buy their FSX software. Of they could accept times are changing and try to make money from TGC. Have they done that? Do they have any kind of licensing arrangement with Protee now? Have they even tried legal action to stop Protee? Do we know for sure? Are they letting Protee develop the market and then plan to move in and convert people to their software? What does it actually take for them to shut down TGC? Legal action? Or just encrypting their box? If they encrypt the box then existing users all become legacy users of a legacy box. How long will Protee support TGC in that scenario when Protee has no market to recoup any costs because new boxes are not compatible? And what happens if Foresight provide new firmware enhancements you want but can't have because you are tied to a legacy box/TGC. Or what happens if Foresight makes a licensing deal with Protee? Something like:

a) Encrypt the box
b) License the SDK to Protee
c) Include commercial terms stating TGC can only be used with the SDK

If that happens then sure you can use your existing firmware but TGC no longer works. If it does work it is an old version. Who wants an old version of TGC? Depending on the updates it may not be even possible. New versions will require the SDK and for that you'll have to update the firmware plus deal with whatever costs may occur for a SDK based TGC.

Updating the firmware is not the issue at all. That part is trivial. At issue is what Foresight decides to do or can do if they think TGC is/will materially affect their business? Protee is a factor in this too. I, for one, don't think Foresight people are stupid. More likely they are executing their business model which may not coincide perfectly with us. It may also be changing.

Given humans can't see the future, the software is unauthorized, there are many possible scenarios and there is money Foresight isn't accessing, I would think there should be more diversity of opinions for reasonable people to discuss.

[ks-man]

My guess is that Foresight is aware that TGC has better features and graphics than their own software but would obviously never publicly admit that. It also is likely that TGC is now leading towards the sales of more GC2s. There is no real benefit to Foresight to encourage people to use it as it would significantly cut into the sales of FSX. Their best approach is to discourage the behavior of buying the GC2 without Foresight software unless buying the SDK. Internally they know that they are ok with people buying a GC2 and using it with TGC. It would probably be very costly and likely impossible to completely revamp FSX to be a worthy competitor to TGC however they have put a lot into FSX and still hope to get something for it. Hence the current strategy.

It is unlikely that Foresight will fully break being able to use TGC through firmware without also giving some pathway to make it work and would probably require an agreement with ProTee/TGC as they have sold SDK kits. A universal upgrade would break that functionality also which would mean that all the people that did pay for the SDK would now have a serious issue (probably lawsuits) against Foresight.

My gut tells me that Foresight will continue to talk tough and outwardly discourage the pairing of the GC2 with TGC without paying for the SDK however internally they are fine with people doing it as it moves more GC2s and hopefully they will get the SDK fee from some people as a nice added bonus.

[IlliniMD]

is anyone able to see something obvious that i am doing wrong?
i don;t seem to be getting info from GC2 into the interface.
interface says 'waiting for external data' but nothing registers.
no problems getting gc2 data into ipad app, but not been successful on consistent basis getting the GSX Status Input to 'Connect"
Thanks for any help.

[IlliniMD]

On the PTG Interface Settings page, is there a reason to adjust the 'Comm port' dropdown??
as i look on my device manager, i do not have a COMM1 on this laptop, only the COM3 and COM4 that are coming from the bluetooth.
i've tried setting this COM port drop down to diferent things, but hasn;t seemed to make much difference,
still not seeing data get into the Interface.