GPS Units

[Tim (PassMark)]

We have had a few requests for which GPS units we have had experience with. For the budget conscious these were at the lower end of the price range for units in their category at the time;

• Polstar PGM-111 (USB connection)
• Benelec GPS Mouse 02944304 (RS232 serial connection)
• Polstar PBT-111 (Bluetooth connection)

[OzzieBruce]

How about the Garmin GPS18

Hello all.
I own a Nuvi310 loaded with Australain maps. however Garmin also sell a GPS18 which is PC base GPS attn it will work with the mapsource software.

The GPS 18 is offered in three different cable configurations: A-style USB, DB-9 pin serial with 12-volt cigarette lighter adapter (PC), or bare wire (LVC). The PC and LVC versions both default to output data in the industry standard NMEA 0183 data format, but may also be user programmed to output data in the GARMIN proprietary format. The USB version produces data only in the GARMIN proprietary format. All three versions of the GPS 18 come complete with non-volatile memory for storage of configuration information, a real-time clock, and raw measurement output data for sophisticated customer applications. The LVC version additionally provides a pulse-per-second logic level output whose rising edge is aligned to the UTC second within 1 microsecond. The USB 2.0 full-speed version of the GPS18 is also compatible with USB 1.1 full-speed hosts

As my new laptop has no DB-9 pin connection only USB2 will it still work with this software??

Regards Bruce

[Tim (PassMark)]

For any USB GPS, as long as there is a USB-to-Serial virtual driver provided by the GPS manufacturer it should still appear connected to the PC as a serial device and WirelessMon should be able to connect to it.

However, if this statement is correct

The USB version produces data only in the GARMIN proprietary format.

then it doesn't sound like it will work as WirelessMon is expecting NMEA formatted data.

[OzzieBruce]

no serial connection

its a real bugger that now the new laptops do not had a 9pin D anymore for a hardwired connection. is the a 9pin - USB connection out there?

[David (PassMark)]

As Tim said. You shouldn't need a physical serial port, nor a hardware adapter. Almost all of the GPS systems with USB come with driver software to add a virtual serial port (which connects to your physical USB port).