Re: Streets & Trips - no USB GPS support help

Gary S. wrote:

On Mon, 25 Jul 2005 19:08:22 -0500,
achillis@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (achillis) wrote:


Hi, pink

I have the same problem as you had. Have you tried and what's the
result? I would like to know what's the final solution. Thanks



Doesn't Streets & Trips have a version which comes packaged with a USB
GPS, meant for putting on a laptop in your car?

I would think that that version would work fine with any USB GPS.

The do have that, they call it "M$ Streets & Trips 2005 with GPS Locater". What they describe as a "sleek and stylish Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver hardware component" is a M$ branded mouse style GPS receiver.

The reality is that all of those GPS receivers have a NMEA output and that is a RS-232 serial output. So somewhere in that receiver housing or cable is a serial to USB converter (like the Prolific PL-2303 USB to Serial Bridge Controller).

When that is plugged into the USB port, the system will Plug & Play it and create a virtual COM port. You can open the Device Manager before plugging the USB cable in and watch that happen, a new port will show up under Ports (COM & LPT). Or you can look afterwards to see what the COM port number is. That is the COM port that M$S&T will receive the NMEA data from.

On Windows 2000 and XP it will generally happen with no fuss or interaction with the user because the drivers are built in. If the device has been used before, the drivers will be in place and used.

You may get a CD-ROM with a driver on it for the receiver and you may have to put that in the drive to get the drivers loaded. If that is the case, with the CD in the drive, using the automatic process will generally result in the drivers being found and loaded. Worst case, you may have lead the Plug & Play process to the drive and maybe even fumble through some folders until it finds the *.sys file it is looking for.

If the receiver has an LED on it, it typically will go from steady to flashing (or vice versa, or maybe change color) when a fix is obtained.

Some of those GPS receivers do not output any data until a fix is obtained so the application may not see the GPS receiver (i.e., "no GPS receiver found, etc.") until that happens. Give it some time outdoors or near a window with a southern exposure before you give up.

I have an inherent love for things not MicroSoft and things that cost less. If you purchase a Altina, Holux, Rikaline, or similar mouse style GPS receiver it will probably cost less than the M$ model and work as well or better. Some models of those do not come with a built in USB to serial converter, you may have to purchase that separately.

I can personally recommend the Altina GGM-308 mouse style receiver. I use one with a PDA on my motorcycle and it generates warm fixes in about 5-10 seconds when turn it on. It is great for stop and go use.

That particular receiver is what they call a "PS2 Style". The cable from the receiver ends in a female PS2 connector (like those used for connecting mice or keyboards). That connector is used to get the RS-232/NMEA data out and also to get power (5V DC) to the receiver.

You can purchase accessory cables with a cigarette lighter DC adapter. That has a male PS2 connector on one cable and a second cable with a proprietary connector for one of a number of different models of PDAs. That is used to get the serial data into a PDA and power the receiver in a car, boat, motorcycle, etc.

The PS2 mouse style receivers typically sell on eBay for $30 to $55 and accessory cables are $15-$20.

Jack

--
Jack Erbes in Ellsworth, Maine, USA - jackerbes at adelphia dot net
(also receiving email at jacker at midmaine.com)
.

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