Help Please

[+LiveStrong]

Hi, I was wondering if there was a way I could hook up my laptop to my gps to make a street atlas to show where I am instead of buying a whole new unit. I know I can by an external antenna but I don’t really want to spend any more money if I don’t have to.

[+Semper Questio]

Hi, I was wondering if there was a way I could hook up my laptop to my gps to make a street atlas to show where I am instead of buying a whole new unit. I know I can by an external antenna but I don’t really want to spend any more money if I don’t have to.

Depends on the laptop and GPS you have, but yes. I do this from time-to-time with my SporTrak GPS's and my Inspiron notebook. I connect them using the serial cable and a serial to USB converter and the GPS signal feeds into MS Streets and Trips. If we are in unfamiliar territory, we'll use 1 GPS for this, and another for when we get out fo the car and head to the cache so we dont have to keep disconnecting and reconnecting.

[+StarBrand]

I use Microsoft's Streets and Trips for this on occasion too. Depends on your GPS and connection capabilities though. Definitly not for bushwacking.

[+Sputnik 57]

One approach would be the Garmin GPS 18. It can be found from on-line dealers for under $100. If you later decide to get a Garmin hand-held GPS receiver, the maps that come with the 18 can be loaded onto your receiver (assuming you buy one capable of holding maps--the Legend or above.

[+LiveStrong]

Sorry, i do have a GPS a mearidan gold and also i have the mapsend i think it is. i know it is the right one for the gps. So is there anyway i can do it with these items.

[+Team Cotati]

Sorry, i do have a GPS a mearidan gold and also i have the mapsend i think it is. i know it is the right one for the gps. So is there anyway i can do it with these items.

I use the meridian gold as an antenna for my microsoft mappoint mapping aplication all the time. Works like a charm too. There is a little icon representing your auto that moves in real time as you drive. Pretty neat but you really don't need it when you think about it. Once you locate a cross street on the map and assuming that you know the route that you are traveling, you can just 'follow along' as you cross the intersections. The real time icon is mainly for entertainment when you get right down to it. Fun nonetheless. ;-) Sorry that I have no direct experience with the Mapsend app but the setup ought to be explained in the help screens or in the documentation. One thing that you will need to do is to set the GPSr to NEMA mode and probably to a port speed of 9600. I recall having to do those things in my setup. Perhaps someone will drop in before too long that the exact experience that you seek. I have mapsend on the laptop but for map POI info and detail resolution I prefeer the MS product.

 

Good luck and happy caching!! ;-)

[+AuntieWeasel]

Sorry, i do have a GPS a mearidan gold and also i have the mapsend i think it is. i know it is the right one for the gps. So is there anyway i can do it with these items.

Well, I can't comment on your specific hardware, but I have a very old and funky laptop I hook up to my Garmin with Mapsource (or Fugawi, when I'm in the UK), and the result is so deeply cool I can hardly stand it.

 

The big question is, serial or USB? Many newer laptops don't have serial ports, many older GPS units don't do USB. There are connectors and adapters in either case, but that's the first technical hurdle.

[vagabond]

I've used streets and trips 2004 with my mag. gold with a serial to usb adapter on my laptop with no problems, also streets and trips 2006 and my explorist 500

wooork very well on the laptop also.

[+LiveStrong]

Thanks everyone.