ping: Cobra GPS 1000 users

[+sataraid1]

1. Is there anyone out there familiar enough with the Cobra GPS 1000 GPSr

to field a few operational questions I have?

 

2. Are there enough users out there with already built street-level maps

to explore the possibility of swapping maps?

 

Given the shortcomings of the Cobra software, and the time involved in

making and uploading street-level maps to the receiver, we could save

ourselves a lot of time and frustration by swapping the maps we've

already built. Once they're on your SD card, they can be pulled off

with any card reader, backed up to CD, transferred to another SD card,

or swapped with other Cobra users.

 

Maybe there aren't enough users out there to make a go of it, but it

seemed like it was worth asking.

[+Prime Suspect]

<link>

[+Mojoski]

1. Is there anyone out there familiar enough with the Cobra GPS 1000 GPSr

to field a few operational questions I have?

 

2. Are there enough users out there with already built street-level maps

to explore the possibility of swapping maps?

 

I have one of these units and am really interested in other who are interested in helping me figure out how to upload waypoints onto it from GSAK or some other geocaching tool.

 

Any interest?

[+sataraid1]

I have spent a lot of time searching for options on loading waypoints into the GPS1000, and haven't found any yet. Being a Mac user adds Extra Bonus Frustration!

 

The problem in a nutshell is that the GPS1000 uses a proprietary communications protocol, and though it COULD be deciphered and used by an application like GSAK or GPSBabel, there are so few people out there using them for geocaching that it's not worth the effort to develop.

 

If I had a PC to run the Cobra mapping software, I might have made a serious effort at finding a solution, but it won't run on my Mac, and I have yet to find a cheap PC to work with.

 

Do you have the mapping software? Do you have an SD card for you receiver? If so, where are you located and have you built any maps? Once you have them transferred to the SD card in the receiver, they can be pulled from the card and backed up on CD or duplicated to a second SD card for backup use.

 

The Cobra mapping software is horribly clunky, but I have found the maps to be extremely accurate as of the date they were released, at least for the Illinois/Indiana area.

 

If you have any other questions about the units or their use, let me know. I'd be happy to lend a hand if I can.

[+Mojoski]

Well, I did start down the road of deciphering the serial protocol last year, and figured most of it out. Writing the C code to actually create a plug in for GSAK was where I got stuck. I saved my data about the protocol, but really just need to find a C programmer who is willing to assist in writing the code to implement it.

 

The other option would be to ask Robert Lipe of GSAK fame, and the other GSAK developers, what it would cost to get one of them to implement it for us, and then take up donations to make it happen. Would anyone else be interested in making that happen? Does GSAK work on the MAC? It seems that, if so, that might be the best way to quickly get a cross platform solution for the Cobra 100 in place.

 

Anyone else interested in chipping in some C coding skills, or some cash to get a C coder to implement it for us?

 

If we could just get one of the GSAK guys to take an initial stab at writing the plugin, I could probably modify and debug it enough to make it work well. I was just a bit overwhelmed at trying to get the initial code written. I'm not a C programmer..

 

Thoughts?

[+sataraid1]

I would contribute within reason to any efforts to create modern software that can talk to the Cobra GPS units.

 

Unfortunately GSAK does not have a Mac version ... but if you have done work on the protocol, I'd encourage you to inquire with the folks at GPSBabel (http://www.gpsbabel.org/). They build an open-source communication and conversion engine that interfaces with lots of GPS units, and is multi-platform.

 

MacCaching, the software I use to do paperless caching with my iPod, uses GPSBabel to communicate with receiver. So if your work would let GPSBabel talk to a Cobra, then MacCaching would be able to as well.

 

Despite what the misinformed consensus seems to believe, the GPS 1000 is a good receiver. It's accurate, reliable, and has a screen that's even larger than the top of the line Garmins. It's easy on the batteries, and has virtually unlimited memory for maps when you consider that you can load all the maps you want onto standard SD cards. It's walked me right to nearly every cache I've found. Give me good coordinates, and it will put me right on top of it.

 

It's just the device communications that's the real achilles heel.

 

(Edited to prevent the world from exploding.)

Edited November 20, 2007 by sataraid1

[+trainlove]

forum glitch again makes a duplicate entry so I'll erase this one while I can.

Edited November 20, 2007 by trainlove

[+trainlove]

Sadly, but actually happily, I no longer have a Cobra 1000, got rid of it 2.5 years ago just before geting into geocaching.

 

But since that usit uses Rand Mcnally mapping software, can't you export waypoints in GSAK to RM format and import that into the GPS or the maps sofrtware? Just winging it from memory here.

[robertlipe]

As observed in this thread, GPSBabel is pretty much the cross-platform (Mac, Linux, Windows, FreeBSD, Nokia, Solaris, Unixware, pretty-much-everything-that-matters) ticket to solving this problem well.

 

There was a thread a year or so ago on the GPSBabel development list started by some dude that was hot on the trail of reverse engineering/forward implementing the Cobra protocol. The GPSBabel developers (including myself) poured some hours into helping make this happen, but the dude in question went cold turkey *after* we poured in the effort. The end result was just wasted time from what I can tell as we never saw any code.

 

The great thing about open source is that anyone that wants it badly enough can make it happen. Does your seventh-grade nephew have something to prove? Send me an appropriate patch and some reasonable promise of support and I'll integrate it into GPSBabel. Given a contribution that meets our standards, I don't care if the contributor is a muitiple Phd or a seventh grader.

 

I'm available for contract hire. Honestly, given the installed bases of GPSBabel (think orders of magnitude > 1 million users) and Cobra when you think of the time it'd take to reverse engineer the protocol, implement it, document it, and support it - all for a discontinued receiver - I'd have to ask if it's really worth it. My experience on the reverse-engineered protocols is that they're a giant pain in the neck.

 

GPSBabel has support for all kinds of nutty things that don't matter to the masses and that weren't developed by anyone solving a problem for anyone but themselves. That's fine. If a Cobra owner wants to step up and contribute code, I'll work with him or her on the cross-platform and acceptance issues. Just don't expect anyone else to do it for you.

 

I'm not going to buy hardware and spend a few hundred hours reverse/forward engineering the protocol to support the dozen users that *might* use it. Cobra support just isn't on my list. If you're with Cobra and you're actually willing to fund this, contact me for a quote. Given the donation rate of GPSBabel, you should accept that my hourly rate is more than pennies per hour.

 

That said, the OP asked about maps and not about anything in the perview of GPSBabel anyway.

 

It's not that I harbour any ill will to Cobra GPS units; it's that I have scores of user bases tugging at my pants for attention. A discontinued product line with undocumented protocols and a small user base isn't at the front of the line.

 

Sorry, but that's the kind of honesty that large companies pay marketing/support groups to shield the customer base from.

[+Indotguy]

Would it not be simpler just to buy a new Geocaching capable GPSer?

[+sataraid1]

Would it not be simpler just to buy a new Geocaching capable GPSer?

 

Simpler, but not cheaper. The Cobra was a gift, and and I probably would never have tried caching otherwise. So far, it's been a great performer, so I intend to wring every last cache out of it that I can. Plus, there's something to be said for an accurate receiver that only costs about $40 to replace if I drop it in a sinkhole or something.

 

I'd have to spend a lot of money to buy a new receiver with the same accuracy and screen size as I'm used to with the Cobra. And believe me, when you're as blind as I am, that large screen is a delight. I'm firmly convinced that the Cobra is more accurate than the entry-level Garmins, and easier to operate as well.

 

The only real drawback to the Cobra is having to manually enter waypoints. That in itself is only a problem when I plan a major outing where I might need to enter 50+ waypoints along a planned route. But hey, that's not so bad when you weigh spending an hour entering waypoints in the evening while watching TV against the hours of enjoyment spent hunting caches for an entire weekend. For now, that amount of work isn't worth spending over $300 to remedy. A person who only hunts a few caches every once in a while could use a Cobra forever and never have a problem.

 

With all that said, however, I am obviously in favor of any efforts that would enhance the Cobra's computer interface. It would be nice, but I'm not holding my breath nor harboring any unrealistic expectations. If it happens, great, if not, no big deal. I'm going to keep finding caches either way, until the Cobra receiver meets some grisly fate.

[+sataraid1]

Lame duplicate post.

Edited November 21, 2007 by sataraid1

[+sataraid1]

It's not that I harbour any ill will to Cobra GPS units; it's that I have scores of user bases tugging at my pants for attention. A discontinued product line with undocumented protocols and a small user base isn't at the front of the line.

 

Sorry, but that's the kind of honesty that large companies pay marketing/support groups to shield the customer base from.

 

You have nothing to apologize for. In fact, I'd like to thank you for making an authoritative statement regarding the process of getting Cobra support into GPSBabel. I recall reading something in the GPSBabel discussion boards some time ago regarding Cobra support, which as you described, ends abruptly to say the least.

 

I won't pretend to understand all the intricacies of reverse engineering the Cobra protocols ... it simply seemed prudent to make mojoski aware of your efforts, and another possible avenue for his efforts thus far.

 

One thing I DO understand the pitfalls of using marginalized equipment. After all, I've been a Mac user for over 20 years!

[+Mojoski]

There was a thread a year or so ago on the GPSBabel development list started by some dude that was hot on the trail of reverse engineering/forward implementing the Cobra protocol. The GPSBabel developers (including myself) poured some hours into helping make this happen, but the dude in question went cold turkey *after* we poured in the effort. The end result was just wasted time from what I can tell as we never saw any code.

 

Hey, Robert! That was me, actually. I'm sorry I never ended up getting anything together worths sending in as a patch. I was just a bit overwhelmed with the C coding and I never made anything worth submitting. I did spend a fair amount of time on it as well, and I still have all of the data we collected when discussing the protocol, and that is why I would guess it is about 90% understood. You and the others on the GPSBabal-devel list very EXTREMELY helpful, and I'm sorry I never was competent enough to make some actual working code with the info you guys helped us discover.

 

 

The bottom line is that I'm rather C ignorant and honestly didn't know where to start. I know you guys had a template file to use when creating new serial plugins but the code didn't make sense to me and I wasn't sure how to do, in C code at least, many of the basic calculations that the protocol required. Anyway, I got a new job and had gotten very busy for a while and I had basically taken a break from geocaching for quite a while.

 

So anyway. the other day I picked up my Cobra and started having fun with it again. That is why I was looking for someone with some C skills to help me take it to the next level. We wouldn't be starting from scratch, thanks to the assistance of Robert and others on the GPSBabel developers mailling list. I still have all of the data I collected last year. If anyone here has some decent C coding skills, I will be happy to help out. I just need someone to get the basic skeleton written and then I think my skills are probably good enough to get the code debugged and running reasonably well.

 

As for importing an RM file into the provided software, that sounds like a simple enough workaround in the mean time. I am not at home at the moment and therefore can't test it at this time. But I definitely will try it when I get home.

 

So does anyone here have any C coding skills and is interested in helping me make this happen? Are you a C programmer, sataraid1? That handle gives me hope that you're a techie kind of guy as well...

 

[+Mojoski]

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