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<font face="Arial">Franson GPSgate is a utility used to share a GPS
connected to a single serial port on a PC with multiple applications at
the same time. It works by creating multiple virtual serial ports that
receive data echoed from a real one. Each application is set to use a
different virtual com port. <br>
<br>
The program can also intercept a USB Garmin, redirect it to one or more
virtual serial ports <br>
--AND-- <br>
convert the proprietary Garmin format on USB to NMEA on the virtual
serial port! It doesn't need the usual USB-to-serial emultor dri<br>
<br>
<br>
And the utility can also send from/to TCI/IP allowing you to distribute
GPS over Ethernet to nearby PCs. <br>
<br>
And the utility can create back-to-back-connected virtual serial ports
( in a manner similar to the MIxW serial port bridge) that are needed
to connect the emulated TNC output of MixW to a program like
UIviewGPS. Or connect the OUTPUT of UIview's GPS repeater to another
GPS-using app. (But unlike the Mix bridge, it works on Windows 98!)<br>
<br>
And echo the data from a single virtual serial port (such as created by
the driver for a USB-interfaced GPS like a current Delorme Earthmate II
or III) and echo it out multiple additional virtual serial ports.
[NOTE: Except for the Garmin mode noted above, any other USB GPS used
this way must output standard ASCII NMEA. It WILL NOT convert formats
such as Trimble or Rockwell binary.]<br>
<br>
And it can act as a GPS logger/simulator that can be used to test or
demonstrate APRS apps indoors<br>
<br>
<br>
All-in-all, an enormous amount of useful function for USD $30. <br>
<br>
Full details at:<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://franson.com/">http://franson.com/</a> <br>
<br>
<br>
My current record for GPS port sharing:<br>
<br>
A Garmin ForeTrex 201 Wrist GPS (Real serial COM1 interface running
real NMEA mode) distributed simultaneously to:<br>
<br>
o Visual GPS "COM3"<br>
o COAA's GPS TIme (PC clock setting utility) "COM4"<br>
o Advanced GPS add-on for MS MapPoint "COM5"<br>
o Precision Mapping 7.0 (running independently outside of UIview)
"COM6"<br>
o UIview (GPS on "COM7" , D700 TNC on virtual "COM2" via USB dongle)<br>
o Delorme TopoUSA "COM8"<br>
</font><font face="Arial">o APRSplus "COM15"</font><br>
<font face="Arial">o Microsoft Streets & Trips "COM17"<br>
<br>
Traditonally, COM port numbering ended at COM4 . Current versions of
Windows can support large numbers of COM ports but many applications
can't support ports beyond the traditional first 4. When I set up
virtual ports, I inventory all the programs I'm using and assign ports
3 and 4 to any apps that can't user higher numbers. <br>
<br>
o COAA's GPS Time only offers ports up to COM4<br>
o Visual GPS, UIview and TopoUSA 3.0 offer ports up to COM8<br>
o APRSplus offers ports up to COM16<br>
o Microsoft Streets&Trips, MapPoint, Automap, etc offer any port
real or virtual<br>
previously enabled in the system. This means you have to create
the port in<br>
GPS Gate FIRST, before you can select it in MS apps. [Most of
the other apps<br>
will let you select a currently non-existent port in their setup
and then wait until<br>
that port appears, courtesy of GPS Gate or the Eltima port
splitter.]<br>
o Hyperterm offfers COM1 through COM4 plus any others enabled in the
system.<br>
Same behavior as MS programs. <br>
<br>
This is all run on a Celeron Centrino laptop running Windows 2000 at
1.4GHz with 512MB RAM. <br>
<br>
One flaw I HAVE discovered in GPS Gate is that the help system is only
a link to their website. A lot of good that does when you are actually
in the field where a GPS would be used, and you are out of range of
Internet connectivity. </font><font face="Arial"> A PDF image of <br>
the website-based help system IS downloadable from the website.<br>
<br>
</font><font face="Arial">Further, it seems to be impossble to
determine the program version number without accessing the website.
[I was trying to do the customary Windows "Help, About" drill to get
the version number when I discovered this.]<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
Stephen H. Smith wa8lmf (at) aol.com <br>
EchoLink Node: 14400 [Think bottom of the 2M band]<br>
Home Page: <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://wa8lmf.com">http://wa8lmf.com</a><br>
<br>
New APRS Symbol Chart <br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://webs.lanset.com/wa8lmf/miscinfo/APRS_Symbol_Chart.pdf">http://webs.lanset.com/wa8lmf/miscinfo/APRS_Symbol_Chart.pdf</a> <br>
<br>
New/Updated "Rev G" APRS <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://webs.lanset.com/wa8lmf/aprs">http://webs.lanset.com/wa8lmf/aprs</a><br>
Symbols Set for UI-View, <br>
UIpoint and APRSplus:<br>
<br>
<br>
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