[aprssig] Garmin and APRS

[Michael Carey]

Hi Scott,
I will be sending an email to Garmin about this subject.
I've noticed that my HamHud  waypoint generation function leaves 
multiple duplicates on my Gamin GPSMAP60CS with strange letter and 
numbers appended to the end of the name each time.
I am presuming that this is the same issue you have with Gamin units 
other than the nuvi 350.
Michael.
VK5ZEA

Scott Miller wrote:
> As I think just about everyone here knows, I've been working a lot with 
> the Garmin nuvi 350 because through some fluke its fleet management 
> interface allows real-time waypoint creation (it's not part of the 
> documented protocol), and it works perfectly for APRS.  The Tracker2 and 
> now the D700/D710 or any other NMEA-capable tracker (with the GTRANS 
> translator cable) can use it.
>
> I've been trying for a year or more to convince Garmin to add this 
> capability to other models, but I really haven't had any luck.  I'm not 
> sure I've even convinced them that I'm not just a lone nut, so it's time 
> to let them know there are a lot of us nuts out there.
>
> I'm calling on any APRS users who own Garmin automotive navigation 
> systems (nuvi, zumo, StreetPilot), or would honestly buy one if their 
> APRS support was better, to email Garmin and let them know that you want 
> to see real-time waypoint creation through the fleet management 
> interface like on the nuvi 350.
>
> If you have a StreetPilot 7200 or 2720, a nuvi 600 series, or a nuvi 
> 360, these already create waypoints but they leave duplicates each time 
> a station moves.  This is a legitimate mis-feature to open a support 
> ticket for, and Garmin has changed waypoint behavior in the past at 
> customer request.  It'd be a minor change and would give us several more 
> APRS-capable models with larger screens and more features.
>
> The Garmin support contact page is here, for those who already own 
> Garmin products:
>
> http://www.garmin.com/garmin/cms/site/us/support/supportcontact
>
> I'm really hoping to get across to them how important this feature is 
> for emergency response, search and rescue, and related activities. 
> Situational awareness is a big deal, and most SAR teams, Red Cross 
> chapters, and so forth can't afford expensive mobile data terminals that 
> probably won't interoperate with anyone else's equipment in a major 
> disaster or mutual aid situation.
>
> It'd also be nice to let them know that you appreciate their support for 
> APRS with the enhanced NMEA input on the Colorado 300 and the new Oregon 
> handhelds.  The outdoor products division gets it, apparently.
>
> If you have APRS-related stories, testimonials, and so forth, you can 
> send them to:
>
> stories at garmin.com
>
> The new models are coming out with no waypoint display capability at 
> all, just a broken point of interest upload capability that won't work 
> for APRS at all.  We need to let them know it's important before it 
> disappears completely.
>
> The Colorado 300's example shows that Garmin CAN pull this off, and that 
> a tiny bit of work on their part opens up a lot of possibilities for us 
> APRS users.
>
> So please, let Garmin know what you think about this.  Be polite and 
> constructive, and let them know that helping out the APRS community 
> makes financial sense for them and provides a real benefit to our public 
> service capabilities.  They're closed for the weekend, so this is a 
> perfect time to get your messages in and get their attention on Monday 
> morning.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Scott
> N1VG
>
>
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