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On 1/21/2012 1:00 PM, Larry McDavid wrote:
<blockquote cite="mid:4F1AFD3B.8050002@lmceng.com" type="cite">Steve,
would this GPS unit work immediately stand-alone with PM V9
(non-APRS)? That is, would PM V9 recognize its USB connection?
<br>
<br>
Larry
<br>
<br>
<br>
</blockquote>
<br>
Again, for the umpteeth time, virtually *NO* standard mapping or
APRS application program recognizes USB devices natively. They
only interact with classic SERIAL com ports. You MUST-MUST-MUST
install the appropriate driver to intercept the USB stream and
create a virtual (simulated) serial port. <br>
<br>
This is OUTSIDE of any particular application. The (simulated)
serial COM port then outputs a standard NMEA-0183 data stream (even
if the GPS itself outputs some sort of proprietary binary format)
that "fools" applications into thinking they are talking to a
classic NMEA GPS connected to a classic RS-232 serial COM port.
This will be true of ANY USB GPS device.<br>
<br>
Once that is done, there is absolutely no difference in how this GPS
would work with an APRS application vs a non-APRS "civilian" app
like Precision Mapping (or MapPoint, or Street Atlas or TopoUSA or
Streets & Trips, etc). As long as you can make the USB device
"quack like a classic RS-232 serial COM port", it will work with ANY
of them. <br>
<br>
Note that is this also true of APRSpoint, despite the
borderline-fraudulent claim on it's web site that it "works with USB
GPSes". You MUST have a vender-specific USB-->serial emulation
driver installed first.<br>
<br>
<br>
[There is ONE exception to this general statement. Current Delorme
programs such as TopoUSA and Street Atlas WILL work directly with
Delorme's own USB-connected EarthMate GPS units. Delorme offers
offers, as a downloadable freebie from their website, a Serial Port
Emulator driver to allow their proprietary USB GPS units to work
with non-Delorme programs.] <br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
In fact, you might want to follow up the USB-->Virtual Serial
driver with the FREEware utility XPort. XPORt can intercept a
serial port (either physical or virtual) and create up to EIGHT more
virtual com ports so that more than one program can use the GPS at
the SAME TIME. <br>
<br>
With XPort, I have routinely had USB GPSes plugged into my mobile
laptop, feeding serial port inputs on UIview, APRSpoint, TopoUSA,
MapPoint and the Visual GPS monitor utility simultaneously. (This
is on a Panasonic Toughbook laptop with 1GB RAM and a 1.6 GHz
Celeron CPU.)<br>
<br>
Get the FREEWARE XPort here:<br>
<br>
. <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="http://www.curioustech.net/xport.html"><http://www.curioustech.net/xport.html></a> <br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<blockquote cite="mid:4F1AFD3B.8050002@lmceng.com" type="cite">
<br>
On 1/21/2012 7:57 AM, Stephen H. Smith wrote:
<br>
<blockquote type="cite">On 1/20/2012 10:56 PM, Steve Noskowicz
wrote:
<br>
<blockquote type="cite">Note that he says "a computer-based APRS
or mapping program"
<br>
... COMPUTER BASED...
<br>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
...
<br>
<br>
</blockquote>
<br>
--<br>
<br>
Stephen H. Smith wa8lmf (at) aol.com <br>
Skype: WA8LMF<br>
Home Page: <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://wa8lmf.net">http://wa8lmf.net</a><br>
<br>
***** NEW Precision Mapping 9 For UIview Released! *****<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://wa8lmf.net/aprs/PMap9_Notes.htm">http://wa8lmf.net/aprs/PMap9_Notes.htm</a><br>
<br>
<br>
Vista & Win7 Install Issues for UI-View and Precision Mapping<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://wa8lmf.net/aprs/UIview_Notes.htm#VistaWin7">http://wa8lmf.net/aprs/UIview_Notes.htm#VistaWin7</a><br>
<br>
30-meter HF APRS over PSK63<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://wa8lmf.net/APRS_PSK63/index.htm">http://wa8lmf.net/APRS_PSK63/index.htm</a><br>
<br>
"APRS 101" Explanation of APRS Path Selection & Digipeating <br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://wa8lmf.net/DigiPaths">http://wa8lmf.net/DigiPaths</a> <br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
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