[aprssig] Compatible GPS for waypoint upload?

['Scott Miller']

It's not as easy as that.  There ARE some USB host controller chips out
there.  Using them is far more difficult (assuming you're not just
connecting to a standard HID or mass storage device) than building a USB
client ('function' in USB terms) device.
 
Even when the low-level stuff is taken care of, you've got absolutely no
standards to govern how the GPS receivers use that connection.  Many (most?)
GPS manufacturers might not even KNOW how their devices use USB, because
they use an off-the-shelf device (like those by FTDI) for the USB interface,
and the vendor supplies the host drivers.  If they don't provide a driver
for your host environment, you're pretty much stuck.  Fortuantely Garmin at
least documents that part, to some extent anyway.
 
To get an idea of how bad the problem is, check out the
/usr/src/linux/drivers/usb/serial directory on a Linux box.  All of those
drivers are there to support USB to serial converters, including some used
in certain GPS receivers.
 
Still, I do plan to take a crack at it, at least for Garmin units.  I just
need to determine if it's feasible first.  If they all go into a blank
screen as soon as you hook them up to a PC, there's no point.
 
Scott
N1VG


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From: aprssig-bounces at lists.tapr.org [mailto:aprssig-bounces at lists.tapr.org]
On Behalf Of Andrew Rich
Sent: Tuesday, June 12, 2007 1:21 PM
To: TAPR APRS Mailing List
Subject: RE: [aprssig] Compatible GPS for waypoint upload?


Time to start adding FTDI chips to APRS projects perhaps ?

-----Original Message-----
From: aprssig-bounces at lists.tapr.org
[mailto:aprssig-bounces at lists.tapr.org]On Behalf Of 'Scott Miller'
Sent: Wednesday, 13 June 2007 5:31 AM
To: 'TAPR APRS Mailing List'
Subject: RE: [aprssig] Compatible GPS for waypoint upload?


I've got a related question, for those of you with USB only automotive GPS
receivers.  I know at least some of the Garmins still support waypoint
uploads (from MapSource?) via USB.  When you plug the device in to USB, what
happens?  Is the device still usable as usual, or does it display a
different screen?  In other words, if you had a PC connected to the device
instead of a tracker, would it be able to plot waypoints in a way that would
be usable for APRS?
 
Scott
N1VG


  _____  

From: aprssig-bounces at lists.tapr.org [mailto:aprssig-bounces at lists.tapr.org]
On Behalf Of Wes Johnston, AI4PX
Sent: Tuesday, June 12, 2007 12:23 PM
To: TAPR APRS Mailing List
Subject: Re: [aprssig] Compatible GPS for waypoint upload?


GPSmap 276c
Wes

 
On 6/12/07, Stephen Peters <scpeters at mac.com> wrote: 

Hello all,

I've been looking around for an automotive style GPS (autorouting,
good basemaps, color screen etc) that can accept waypoint uploads. 
I've been disappointed to find that most of the modern GPS units do
not include an NMEA-0183 serial port, and instead only a USB port.

With the advent of so many "waypoint upload" style APRS products, Can 
anyone recommend a good GPS unit to connect to the other end of such
a device!

For example, none of the Garmin NUVI series would work, neither would
the modern Magellan units that I've seen.  The Tomtom website doesn't 
even provide enough information to determine if the port exists!

There are some intriguing(?) products that could serve this market,
but I don't know much about them, for example:
<  <http://www.navigadget.com/index.php/2007/06/07/woots-done-it-again-7->
http://www.navigadget.com/index.php/2007/06/07/woots-done-it-again-7-
gps-navigation-with-20gb-hdd-for-250/>
<http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp
<http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp> ?
EdpNo=2529863&Sku=D158-1706>
(Maybe one of them could run Xastir??)

Do you have a GPS that you use with $GPWPL sending hardware that you
would recommend?

I am already familiar with the Garmin 276c, and a number of the older 
monochrome units.

Thank you in advance,

-Steve

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