How to install MAVProxy?

MAVProxy is one of the Ground Control Station (GCS) software that supports the MAVLink protocol. It’s a powerful command-line based ground control station software. It has several key features, including the facility to transmit messages from your UAV over the network via UDP to multiple devices.¹

Image Credits: Web illustrations by Storyset

If your device is based on any of the following operating systems, then it’s possible to install MAVProxy on your device:

1. Linux
2. Windows
3. Mac

Installing MAVProxy on Linux

For installing MAVProxy on Linux based systems, execute the following commands on your terminal:

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$ sudo python3 -m pip install --upgrade future lxml
$ sudo python3 -m pip install --upgrade pymavlink
$ sudo python3 -m pip install --upgrade mavproxy
$ echo "export PATH=$PATH:$HOME/.local/bin" >> ~/.bashrc

You can also open the terminal window using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Alt + T

Successful Installation of MAVProxy on Linux

After completing the execution of the above commands on the terminal, close that terminal and execute the below command on a new terminal window.

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$ mavproxy.py

If you see some warning like the below window in your terminal, then MAVProxy is successfully installed on your device!!!

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WARNING: You should uninstall ModemManager as it conflicts with APM and Pixhawk
Auto-detected serial ports are:
/dev/ttyS0
/dev/ttyS1
/dev/ttyS2
/dev/ttyS3
Warning: multiple possible serial ports. Use console GUI or 'link add' to add port, or restart using --master to select a single port
No mode mapping available
Failed to load module: No module named 'terrain'. Use 'set moddebug 3' in the MAVProxy console to enable traceback
Log Directory: 
Telemetry log: mav.tlog
MAV>

In some cases, mavproxy.py will not execute on your machine after installation. For that, you can run the below command once and try to execute mavproxy.py again:

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$ source ~/.bashrc

For removing the ModemManager on your device, which conflicts with APM and Pixhawk, you can execute the below command in your terminal.

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$ sudo apt-get remove modemmanager

Executing the mavproxy.py after removal of ModemManager will lead to the following result on your terminal.

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$ mavproxy.py
Auto-detected serial ports are:
/dev/ttyS0
/dev/ttyS1
/dev/ttyS2
/dev/ttyS3
Warning: multiple possible serial ports. Use console GUI or 'link add' to add port, or restart using --master to select a single port
No mode mapping available
Failed to load module: No module named 'terrain'. Use 'set moddebug 3' in the MAVProxy console to enable traceback
Log Directory: 
Telemetry log: mav.tlog
MAV> 

Voila, you’ve successfully unlocked one more feature on your Linux machine!!!

Installing MAVProxy on Windows

MAVProxy has native windows installer, and you can able to install mavproxy.exe on your windows machine with minimal effort. You can download the latest version of MAVproxy from the below link, or you download it from the official downloads site.²

After installing MAVProxy, try to execute the following command on your Command Prompt.

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mavproxy.exe

If you see something like below, then you’ve successfully installed MAVProxy on your Windows device.

MAVProxy on Windows

Installing MAVProxy on Mac

Since I’m not owning a Mac device, I’m adding installation information from the official MAVProxy Download and Installation page³, for your reference. Kindly, let me know if it’s working on your Mac device.

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$ sudo pip install wxPython
$ sudo pip install gnureadline
$ sudo pip install billiard
$ sudo pip install numpy pyparsing
$ sudo pip install MAVProxy

Conclusion

I’ve tried to explain how to install MAVProxy with the acquired information from various sources. I’m expectantly waiting for your valuable feedback and suggestions regarding this topic.

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References