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<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=348331116-22012012><FONT color=#0000ff
size=2 face=Arial>This isn't even APRS issue. All my nav programs on my boat map
to the virtual serial port as well.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Joe Della Barba</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=2 face=Arial>joe@dellabarba.com</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV><BR>
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<FONT size=2 face=Tahoma><B>From:</B> aprssig-bounces@tapr.org
[mailto:aprssig-bounces@tapr.org] <B>On Behalf Of </B>Stephen H.
Smith<BR><B>Sent:</B> Saturday, January 21, 2012 2:24 PM<BR><B>To:</B> TAPR APRS
Mailing List<BR><B>Subject:</B> Re: [aprssig] Really CHEAP Puck-type USB GPS
Receiver<BR></FONT><BR></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>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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