Garmin Spanner

[The Adventure Hounds]

As noted at GPS Information, Garmin released Spanner Version 2.0 today.

 

The purpose of this application is to allow GPS 18 owners to use non-Garmin specific software. It does this by converting the Garmin data format into standard NMEA 0183 sentences, which are supported by almost all GPS applications.

 

Since the GPS 18 is USB only and emits Garmin data streams, an application such as Spanner or GPSGate is needed to both convert the data to NMEA 0183 and create "virtual" COM ports, so that applications that expects serial port based, NMEA data will work. Microsoft's Streets And Trips application is a good example - it doesn't work with Garmin USB devices, and even if you use a serial cable, you have to remeber to switch your GPSr from Garmin data format to NMEA format.

 

This is all well and good for GPS 18 owners, but the interesting thing is that Spanner might also work for all other USB based Garmin GPSr. For example, my 60CSx works perfectly with Spanner - I am able to redirect the Garmin USB format data to multiple virtual COM ports, and application such as Streets and Trips and USA Photomaps (in NMEA mode) work as expected. This is similar functionality to the commercial GPSGate application, which costs anywhere from $9.95 to $29.95, although to be fair, GPSGate does have many additional features. But if you just want to use non-Garmin software with your USB based GPSr, Spanner might be all you need.

 

There is practically no setup. Just install and run Spanner. It will create one virtual COM port by default, but if you want multiple applications receiving GPS data similtaneously, you can add additional ports. Then in your application(s), just use one of these virtual COM ports (4800 baud, NMEA format).

[+Cacheoholic]

Awesome! I’ve been looking for a free ride like this for about 2 years. The only thing I could get to work with Microsoft S&T was GPSGate but I just couldn’t get myself to pay for it for each computer I own. Even if I only put it on my laptops; that would be 4 licenses I had to buy. I just used an old Magellan 315 I had lying around to connect through the serial port. Anyone looking for a Magellan 315 for around $60? Now I don’t need it. Thanks for the post!

[+hogrod]

This is great, but I have a feeling that the 60/76x will be getting NMEA over usb in the future. The reason I say this is the most recent firmware update for the basic yellow 60 series they added NMEA over usb. after seeing this I emailed garmin and said hey what gives! a model 1/2 the price as mine in the same series has a better feature? I said I hope this means this is coming to the 60/76x models too. (I got no responce)

 

If you want NMEA over usb just email garmin and ask for it. if enough people ask they will probably add it.

[+PDOP's]

As noted at GPS Information, Garmin released Spanner Version 2.0 today.

...

This is all well and good for GPS 18 owners, but the interesting thing is that Spanner might also work for all other USB based Garmin GPSr. For example, my 60CSx works perfectly with Spanner - I am able to redirect the Garmin USB format data to multiple virtual COM ports, and application such as Streets and Trips and USA Photomaps (in NMEA mode) work as expected. ...

 

Thanks for pointing this out. I can confirm that it works with Fugawi and Streets&Trips simultaneously with USB output from my 76C.

[+hogrod]

As noted at GPS Information, Garmin released Spanner Version 2.0 today.

 

 

I also tried this today, and I must say it is very easy to use and worked with every map software I threw at it. I tested it working on my 60cx,legendC, and gps18. way to go garmin!

[cwichura]

Is the USB port sharable? E.g., can you run an app that has native Garmin USB support at the same time as you run Spanner v2 to provide NMEA for apps that do not have native Garmin USB support? Or is only one app able to access the USB interface at a time, and running Spanner will preclude another app from talking directly at the same time?

[cwichura]

Also, if someone has both the USB and PC Interface cable for a 60/76 unit it would be interesting to see concurrent serial port captures for the native NMEA stream from the GPSr and the Spanner-generated NMEA stream to see how closely they match (e.g., are all the same stanzas sent, or are there any field ommissions in one stream or the other, etc).

[+hogrod]

Is the USB port sharable? E.g., can you run an app that has native Garmin USB support at the same time as you run Spanner v2 to provide NMEA for apps that do not have native Garmin USB support? Or is only one app able to access the USB interface at a time, and running Spanner will preclude another app from talking directly at the same time?

 

No as far as I can tell I can't do both garmin usb format and use garmin spanner for NMEA output at the same time. you can however add many virtual serial ports in spanner and run multiple map programs at once, as long as they all suport NMEA. I tried getting Nroute to see my 60cx using spanner, and even tried to get it to see the gps as a serial gps, but it just wasn't working for me..... maybe someone else will have better luck.

[+PDOP's]

One thing I've noticed is that Spanner doesn't pass the elevation to the applications I've tried (Streets&Trips, Fugawi, GPSTrackmaker and VisualGPS) from my 76C.

Edited July 6, 2006 by PDOP's

[The Adventure Hounds]

This is great, but I have a feeling that the 60/76x will be getting NMEA over usb in the future. The reason I say this is the most recent firmware update for the basic yellow 60 series they added NMEA over usb. after seeing this I emailed garmin and said hey what gives! a model 1/2 the price as mine in the same series has a better feature? I said I hope this means this is coming to the 60/76x models too. (I got no responce)

NMEA over USB is half of the problem, but without the virtual COM support, any existing applications won't even see the data. So you will still need something like Spanner that pipes the USB data to a virtual COM port.

[robertlipe]

NMEA over USB is half of the problem, but without the virtual COM support, any existing applications won't even see the data. So you will still need something like Spanner that pipes the USB data to a virtual COM port.

Not if they do it correctly. If they enumerate the endpoint as a CDC/ACM device (i.e. a USB modem) any host OS with drivers that supports USB modems will recognize the device and treat it as a serial modem that's simply screaming NMEA sentences.

 

This is how their competitor did it and it works Very Well on all OSes that support USB modems without drivers or additional software.

[The Adventure Hounds]

Not if they do it correctly. If they enumerate the endpoint as a CDC/ACM device (i.e. a USB modem) any host OS with drivers that supports USB modems will recognize the device and treat it as a serial modem that's simply screaming NMEA sentences.

 

This is how their competitor did it and it works Very Well on all OSes that support USB modems without drivers or additional software.

That's very interesting. Thanks for the correction and here's to hoping that Garmin uses this approach.

[+hogrod]

It would be interesting to have someone with a basic yellow 60 series to test out the NMEA over usb and see how it works, I only hope it works as well as the explorist 400 I had.

[+ctgreybeard]

Very nice. Works great with my VistaC and MS S&T. Now to put it on the laptop and convince my wife that she wants the laptop on her lap as we travel ... not likely!

 

Might well be handy in the "wherethefugarewe?!" situations, though!

 

Bill W

[Barrikady]

Cool!

 

I just tried this using Garmin Spanner on my Macintosh Intel MacBook running Windows XP Pro and Microsoft S&T. I connected my Garmin 60Cx via a USB cable and S&T saw the Garmin and I was able to route with the 60Cx.

 

Thank you Garmin and thank you Apple!

Edited July 7, 2006 by Barrikady

[+CheshireFrog]

I'm using an older version of mapsource topo and thinking of picking up a Legend cx. I don't see any obvious way of outputting from mapsend to a device on USB. Do you think the virtual port created by spanner would solve this? Or is there another way I'm not seeing? Or is this just not possible?

[cwichura]

I'm using an older version of mapsource topo and thinking of picking up a Legend cx. I don't see any obvious way of outputting from mapsend to a device on USB. Do you think the virtual port created by spanner would solve this? Or is there another way I'm not seeing? Or is this just not possible?

Why not just update your version of MapSource? You can download the update from their website, and it should still read your existing Topo data. That will give you USB support for talking to the new GPSr without having to re-purchase your Topo data (unless you've already used up the two unlocks you get on other GPSr units).

[jay11]

I'm using an older version of mapsource topo and thinking of picking up a Legend cx. I don't see any obvious way of outputting from mapsend to a device on USB. Do you think the virtual port created by spanner would solve this? Or is there another way I'm not seeing? Or is this just not possible?

Why not just update your version of MapSource? You can download the update from their website, and it should still read your existing Topo data. That will give you USB support for talking to the new GPSr without having to re-purchase your Topo data (unless you've already used up the two unlocks you get on other GPSr units).

 

None of the TOPO products are locked.

[cwichura]

None of the TOPO products are locked.

Good to know. I've yet to purchase any of Garmin's Topo maps. I have DeLorme's TopoUSA v6, which all the comparisons I've read vs. the Garmin Topo USA indicate DeLorme is more detailed. But with the drawback you can't download it to the GPSr. My home state of Illinois is pretty flat, though, so Topo maps aren't really that necessary on the GPSr itself. If I ever get to go to a real park that is covered by one of the Garmin 1:24,000 packs then I'll probably get the appropriate pack at that time. But with the way work is, that just isn't likely to happen anytime soon... I haven't found much info on the quality of the Garmin 1:24,000 map packs in my searches, though -- seems every mostly just talks about the Topo USA pack (and bash it).

[+CheshireFrog]

I'm using an older version of mapsource topo and thinking of picking up a Legend cx. I don't see any obvious way of outputting from mapsend to a device on USB. Do you think the virtual port created by spanner would solve this? Or is there another way I'm not seeing? Or is this just not possible?

Why not just update your version of MapSource? You can download the update from their website, and it should still read your existing Topo data. That will give you USB support for talking to the new GPSr without having to re-purchase your Topo data (unless you've already used up the two unlocks you get on other GPSr units).

 

That's what I was looking for, thanks. I knew I must be overlooking something obvious.

[+Red90]

Is there any way to get nRoute to work at the same time? I've tried but it does not seem to work.

[+hogrod]

Is there any way to get nRoute to work at the same time? I've tried but it does not seem to work.

 

I also couldn't get it to work at the same time.

[+Cacheoholic]

I’ve experienced some technical difficulty with Spanner. I’m using it with MS Streets&Trips 2006 on a quick weekend trip to the beach and it keeps shutting off on me every 12 – 15 minutes and I must restart it. I haven’t had a chance to look into it and wondered if anyone has any thoughts?