eXplorist 100, 200 and 300 DO have a data port

[+g011um]

I came across this site which claims it's possible to transfer data to and from an eXplorist 100, 200 and 300 with a little work:

 

http://rhamphorinkx.newmail.ru/connect.htm

 

They claim all the connections are there, you just need a little electrical know-how. Anyone ever open up their eXplorist models? I also found a guy on eBay selling what he claims is a data cable (USB-to-serial) that wiull work on these models.

 

Interested to hear what other might have to say about this

[robertlipe]

Well, I suppose removing the battery cover could be considered "opening the case up"...

 

See the Explorist FAQ (you know, the one pinned at the top of this group) for a vendor selling premade cable solution if whipping up an inverting line driver/receiver and molding a custom battery door isn't your thing.

 

http://www.mtgc.org/robertlipe/exploristwi...dex.php?Cabling

[+embra]

I'll do you one better (I apparently have no life) by providing the best target page of that vendor describing how to use the cable.

 

Somebody around here was able to use this setup successfully to upload POIs. I forget who.

[+chachman]

Have any of you actually purchased these cables and used them? I was interested in the USB connector USGMGS on the site PC Mobile . All I would need it for is to load POIs right from my PC cause I'm darn tired of entering them one at a time and I can't find an explorist 400 that is in my price range yet.

[Dale_Lynn]

Have any of you actually purchased these cables and used them? I was interested in the USB connector USGMGS on the site PC Mobile . All I would need it for is to load POIs right from my PC cause I'm darn tired of entering them one at a time and I can't find an explorist 400 that is in my price range yet.

 

Look for a Explorist 210, it has data port...

 

Dale

[+briansnat]

I can't find an explorist 400 that is in my price range yet.

 

Someone said yesterday that the 400 Wilderness package is $119 at Sam's Club, in store. That's a real good price with the topo mapping software included.

[+chachman]

I'll do you one better (I apparently have no life) by providing the best target page of that vendor describing how to use the cable.

 

Somebody around here was able to use this setup successfully to upload POIs. I forget who.

 

Did this person who was able to successfully upload POIs using an explorist 200 by chance? I have purchased the cable an I'm able to download from my 200 to my PC but not the other way around, I'm sure its some easy thing that I'm missing but I'm missing it just the same. Any ideas?

[FlagFinder]

yes there is a small port made only for the manufactureer in many explorist models even with the regular port this lil secret port is behind the patteries under a rubber stopper you just look in and you to the side and it says stuff such as power. but opening up your explorist is illegal as they can be tampered with to make fairly accurate bombs so dont take your explorist apart

[+MichaelShafferFamily]

Have any of you actually purchased these cables and used them? I was interested in the USB connector USGMGS on the site PC Mobile . All I would need it for is to load POIs right from my PC cause I'm darn tired of entering them one at a time and I can't find an explorist 400 that is in my price range yet.

 

Look for a Explorist 210, it has data port...

 

Dale

[+sledgehampster]

but opening up your explorist is illegal as they can be tampered with to make fairly accurate bombs so dont take your explorist apart

 

Could you give us your source for this info?

[+chachman]

Have any of you actually purchased these cables and used them? I was interested in the USB connector USGMGS on the site PC Mobile . All I would need it for is to load POIs right from my PC cause I'm darn tired of entering them one at a time and I can't find an explorist 400 that is in my price range yet.

 

Look for a Explorist 210, it has data port...

 

Dale

 

Thanks but I'm not looking to spend any more money, I just want to make what I got work the best it can. I've got the cable needed, I just can't seem to upload to my GPSr.

[+geognerd]

All along I have felt this kludge isn't worth the money. For example, I was able to sell my spare eX100 on eBay for $70. I then bought an eX210 for $125 and got a $30 rebate for a final cost of $95. So all but $25 of the upgrade cost was covered by selling my eX100 and I have a fantastic spare unit. This additional $25 bought me real PC connectivity and 22MB worth of memory for maps plus autorouting capability.

 

If you have an eX1/2/300, just sell the thing in the Garage Sale section of the forum or on eBay, and put it toward a new receiver like the 210 that is so much more capable than your old one will ever be. When I last checked the price of the eX210 on Amazon earlier this week, it was $130 (no rebates though).

[robertlipe]

I'm with geognerd on this. You get a unit that has a *supported* computer interface (USB, not serial) plus the ability to upgrade to detail maps & autorouting. Add the cost of a USB/Serial adapter - which many users of this combination will need - and you've spent more trying to make a low-end unit into an entry level unit than street price on a reasonable low/midrange GPS.

[+embra]

I concur with my esteemed colleagues...but it sounds like you've got all the pieces already and you're trying to make them work. I'm not certain of the procedure, never having tried it. My guess, though, would be to make the hookups and turn the GPS on. My 500 goes into a menu where you choose between data transfer mode and power only.

 

Once you choose data transfer, the GPS should attach itself as an external hard drive to the PC. Then you can copy POI files into the appropriate folders using Windows Explorer. Oh, wait...I re-read your original question and see you are already transferring to the GPS. To get stuff out of the GPS, just read or copy from the GPS using Windows Explorer or whatever program you were using (what application is that?)

[darwinmay]

yes there is a small port made only for the manufactureer in many explorist models even with the regular port this lil secret port is behind the patteries under a rubber stopper you just look in and you to the side and it says stuff such as power. but opening up your explorist is illegal as they can be tampered with to make fairly accurate bombs so dont take your explorist apart

 

I suppose my Garmin contains the answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything! Wow! I wondered what the plug was for.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 30, 2006 by BlueNinja

[+TopoJones]

yes there is a small port made only for the manufactureer in many explorist models even with the regular port this lil secret port is behind the patteries under a rubber stopper you just look in and you to the side and it says stuff such as power. but opening up your explorist is illegal as they can be tampered with to make fairly accurate bombs so dont take your explorist apart

 

I would be very interested in find out where your source is on this information. Because, I just happen to work for the United States Space Command in the Military and we control the GPS constellation and I can assure you that there is absolutely nothing illegal in pulling apart your gps to tinker with it. This is a classic example of how urban myths get started. Without tinkering there would be no developments in technology and now that there is differential GPS (which is significantly more accurate than standard GPS or WAAS) and no selective availabity turned on all GPSr's have the potential to be as equally accurate depending on your operation. Small handhelds are going to be significatly less accurate on principle becuase they do not compound your triangulation and have inferior antenna's as compared to something like a surveyors geometer. Hope this helps clear some things up.

 

Jeremy

[+rufnredy]

The Explorist 100 with the subject cable does in fact pass data to the GPS.

Had a bit of a tussle getting it to work, but the end result was waypoints passed seamlessly using GSAK.

 

The puzzle was solved when I went to the COM port in use and set it to:

 

8 bits (default)

No Parity (default)

1 stop bit (default)

speed needs to be the same on GPS and COM port - I used 9600 (default)

Xon/Xoff ............. THIS WAS THE KEY setting the COM port up ... (NONE IS THE DEFAULT)

 

Hope this helps a bit ...

[+Cacheoholic]

yes there is a small port made only for the manufactureer in many explorist models even with the regular port this lil secret port is behind the patteries under a rubber stopper you just look in and you to the side and it says stuff such as power. but opening up your explorist is illegal as they can be tampered with to make fairly accurate bombs so dont take your explorist apart

 

I would be very interested in find out where your source is on this information. Because, I just happen to work for the United States Space Command in the Military and we control the GPS constellation and I can assure you that there is absolutely nothing illegal in pulling apart your gps to tinker with it. This is a classic example of how urban myths get started. Without tinkering there would be no developments in technology and now that there is differential GPS (which is significantly more accurate than standard GPS or WAAS) and no selective availabity turned on all GPSr's have the potential to be as equally accurate depending on your operation. Small handhelds are going to be significatly less accurate on principle becuase they do not compound your triangulation and have inferior antenna's as compared to something like a surveyors geometer. Hope this helps clear some things up.

 

Jeremy

 

Sure glad to hear that. I was really starting to sweat it that “THE MAN” might be looking for me because one time I opened up a GPSr, but I never inhaled!