[aprssig] help with UI-view

[Stephen H. Smith]

Nick Pugh wrote:
> Hi All
> I just purchase a Gormain 18 GPS receiver with a USB input. I would 
> like to configure it with UI View. I don't see a USB input for it.
>  
> Help
>  
> thanks
> nick k5qxj
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------

APRS programs and APRS hardware devices (Kenwood radios, TinyTraks, 
OpenTracks, KPC3+TNCs, etc.) only recognize and work with classic 
RS-232   <<SERIAL>>  com ports carrying standard NMEA-format data. They 
will not support or interact directly with USB devices of any kind.   

Before any USB device such as a newer USB-connected GPS will work, you 
will have to make it "look like" a classic serial port with an 
appropriate software driver that creates a virtual (simulated) serial 
port.     Garmin supplies such software on it's website.  

[This driver is similar in concept to the drivers supplied with 
USB-to-serial "dongles" used to add classic serial ports to newer 
"legacy-free" USB-only computers.  However the Garmin driver performs 
the additional step of converting the  proprietary binary Garmin GPS 
data format to standard NMEA ASCII recognized by all APRS programs and 
mapping applications. 
     Note that the USB version of the GPS-18 ONLY outputs the 
proprietary Garmin-format data while the serial-port versions of the 
GPS-18 can be set to output either Garmin proprietary -OR- standard NMEA 
formats.]



An alternative is the Franson GPSgate software available at:
     <http://franson.com>  

This program was originally created to receive GPS data from a single 
serial COM port and then split it into multiple virtual (simulated) 
serial ports, so that more than one program can use the GPS at the same 
time.    The current version can also receive proprietary Garmin USB as 
input, and convert it into multiple standard NMEA serial streams on 
simulated com ports.   For example, you could run UIview and Street 
Atlas at the same time.  

Note that while software fixes may allow you to use the USB GPS on 
Windows PCs, it will still be unusable for direct connection to 
stand-alone (non-computer) hardware devices such as Kenwood D700 radios, 
TinyTracks, OpenTrackers, etc. which require "real" hardware-based 
serial connections.





--

Stephen H. Smith    wa8lmf (at) aol.com
EchoLink Node:      14400    [Think bottom of the 2M band]
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