Hardware:

 

1 - NEO-8M GPS Satellite Positioning Module for Arduino STM32 C51 $7.49 USD on Ebay.

 

 

NOTE it is using TTL output.  Validated USB GPS connection to work fine.

 

2 - Uxcell a14041500ux1216 MAX232CSE Transfer Chip RS232 to TTL Converter Module COM Serial Board for $7.37 USD (Amazon)

 

I connected PPS pin to Pin #1 on RS-232 interface.

 

Using Linux connected USB port and RS-232 port to laptop.

 

I see GPS chit chat fine on two serial intefaces.

 

Using this for a new PFSense box QOTOM Mini PC.

 

Transport ==>

 

USB power coming from QOTOM Mini PC and RS-232 coming from GPS/TTL converter.

 

NOTE: PFSense is BSD.

 

I see only one serial interface using command line 

 

/dev: cat cuaU0

 

$GNTXT,01,01,02,u-blox AG - www.u-blox.com*4E
$GNTXT,01,01,02,HW UBX-M8030 00080000*60
$GNTXT,01,01,02,ROM CORE 3.01 (107888)*2B
$GNTXT,01,01,02,FWVER=SPG 3.01*46
$GNTXT,01,01,02,PROTVER=18.00*11
$GNTXT,01,01,02,GPS;GLO;GAL;BDS*77
$GNTXT,01,01,02,SBAS;IMES;QZSS*49
$GNTXT,01,01,02,GNSS OTP=GPS;GLO*37
$GNTXT,01,01,02,LLC=FFFFFFFF-FFFFFFFD-FFFFFFFF-FFFFFFFF-FFFFFFF9*50
$GNTXT,01,01,02,ANTSUPERV=AC SD PDoS SR*3E
$GNTXT,01,01,02,ANTSTATUS=OK*25
$GNTXT,01,01,02,PF=3FF*4B

 

This is coming from the USB serial connection (and power).

 

I have the RS-232 9 Pin (from TTL to RS-232) plugged in to Quotom serial com port #1.

 

I do not see this port using command line where as I saw this in Linux.

 

If I power the GPS externally I see chatter from the RS-232 connection fine with Linux but not in BSD.

 

Any suggestions?

 

I am currently using a Sure GPS with a PPS modification on another PFSense box and it is working fine.

 

 

Well posting out loud here figured it out.

 

1 - bios serial port settings were off.  Here there are 4 serial ports out and none were enabled

2 - PFSense baud rate was incorrect

 

All is well now.  Apologies for the fuss.

 

 

Hmm... rather than say Pin #, use the signal line, e.g. Tx, Rx, CTS, RTS, DTR, DCD, etc...

 

Just a thought - for PPS, drop it on the DCD line for UART - GPSD can pick this up - this is a well known "hack" called the Macx-1 mod that was used with Ublox 6/7 with PL2303.