Re: How to use an old gps with a new laptop?
- From: "Dennis Pogson" <dennis_nospampogson@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 06 Sep 2007 15:10:42 GMT
Jack Erbes wrote:
placidsailor wrote:
I have a very old Garmin Model 12 - no mapping. Can I hook it up to a
new pc laptop? If so, what cable do I need and where can I get it?
I'm in the U.S. and I want to be able to map my travel in real-time
while in Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. What is the best
software (maps and nautical charts) to do this and where can I buy
it? Thanks, Stan
If you can afford a new laptop why not buy a state of the art cabled
or bluetooth GPS receiver? It will be faster, more accurate, and an
absolute no brainer to connect and get working. And it won't need
batteries, it will draw power from the USB port. Look at the Holux
GR-213, less than $50 typically and a wonderful, simple, tough, and
easy to use GPS receiver.
That said, to use the model 12 look at the interface setting and see
if it has a NMEA IN/NMEA OUT setting (not just a GARMIN or GARMIN
HOST) setting. If it does, get a serial to USB adapter. A search
for "serial USB adapter" on the internet or "serial usb" on eBay will
surface links for buying one of those.
Install the drivers for that, plug serial to USB adapter in, and a new
virtual COM port will appear in the Device Manager.
As soon as you have a fix on the GPS receiver you will see the NMEA
data strings if you look at that COM port with Hyperterminal (COM port
setting 4800/8/N/1).
Now you need an application. Micro$oft Street & Trips would be a good
and inexpensive software to start with for the U.S. Get that going
and it will give you some background on using GPS and get you to the
U.S. border where you will run out of mapping.
Now the hard part.
You need to find an application and the mapping data for the obscure
places. A good start would be Ozi Explorer for the software.
Then you can start working on finding and using the mapping for the
obscure places. If nothing else, you can go there, find local maps,
scan them in bit mapped images, calibrate the images, and start
building useful maps for places where no maps could be found.
You can even add the missing trails, roads, and features. And if you
can make those available to the world via the internet, it will be
easier for the next person and inspire others to make more and better
mapping.
Jack
I would endorse everthing that Jack has said, and would add that a cable to
connect your old GPS12 to a new laptop (with USB-to-serial converter) can be
had by typing "pfrank" into Google and you will be able to follow the leads
to a local supplier of the cable.
Dennis.
.
- References:
- How to use an old gps with a new laptop?
- From: placidsailor
- Re: How to use an old gps with a new laptop?
- From: Jack Erbes
- How to use an old gps with a new laptop?
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