attaching gps to computer with no serial port

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rosewood

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hello
I have neptune planner on my laptop, i would like to attach my garmin gps to the pc. it only seems to work if you attach it via a com port which is a serial port. I do not have a serial port only usb. can i attach the gps to the usb port nbd have the neptune planner think this is a com port. aplogies if this makes no sense. my computer skills are limited and all the kids have gone out to watch the football
 
You need a serial to USB adaptor, but you might find it easier to buy a USB GPS so you have an additional GPS receiver. You will still need to designate a coms port for the GPS.
 
The basic idea is that you'll need a USB to serial cable as the others have said.. and then take a couple of pins from the serial cable to the NMEA wires..

If you want data to go both ways then you would need to connect three wires (NMEA data in one direction, NMEA data in the other direction and data ground).

These USB to serial cables use parts that come from just a couple of different manufacturers.. mainly Prolific or FTDI.. Try to find one from FTDI.. They're generally easier to get working (and to keep working). The one linked above doesn't appear to show which chipset it uses.

Something like this... http://www.amazon.co.uk/Startech-com-Serial-RS232-Adapter-Retention/dp/B004ZMYTYC/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1403197729&sr=1-1&keywords=ftdi+startech

But you might then need a 9pin d-type plug to go into the Serial end of the cable so that you can manually wire the pins to your NMEA.

Hard to explain in a few sentences.. Happy to help (and lend a Serial<->USB cable to try out) if you're in the Solent area..
 
Martin_J said:
The basic idea is that you'll need a USB to serial cable as the others have said.. and then take a couple of pins from the serial cable to the NMEA wires..

If you want data to go both ways then you would need to connect three wires (NMEA data in one direction, NMEA data in the other direction and data ground).

These USB to serial cables use parts that come from just a couple of different manufacturers.. mainly Prolific or FTDI.. Try to find one from FTDI.. They're generally easier to get working (and to keep working). The one linked above doesn't appear to show which chipset it uses.

Something like this... http://www.amazon.co.uk/Startech-com-Serial-RS232-Adapter-Retention/dp/B004ZMYTYC/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1403197729&sr=1-1&keywords=ftdi+startech

But you might then need a 9pin d-type plug to go into the Serial end of the cable so that you can manually wire the pins to your NMEA.

Hard to explain in a few sentences.. Happy to help (and lend a Serial<->USB cable to try out) if you're in the Solent area..
Click to expand...

thats really kind of you and when i am next down i will contact you if i haven't sorted it. i did not realise you could get a usb to serial connector. i have a serial to usb but no serial port to plug it in to. i was hoping the usb to mini usb that came with the gps would work but the neptune planner keeps looking for the com port and the com port is only a serial one i think. this is all very confusing for an old git like me
 
When you plug one of those USB<->Serial cables into the USB port on your PC, it appears as a COM port.

The PC software can then be configured to talk to that COM port - once you have gone into Device Manager and worked out which COM port it appeared as!

Some of these cables have 'COM port retention' meaning that whichever USB port on the PC that you plug it into, it will always appear as the same port (for the software).

It can be a right pain going into Device Manager on the PC each and every time you plug the cable in... so that you can then set the port yet again in the application.

As to the connection to the NMEA.. It's either a case of plugging a plug in (with a few soldered leads).. or perhaps cutting off the Serial plug on the lead and wiring direct to the NMEA.. Again, easy to see once done but hard to explain in words..

Perhaps sbdy will come along with a picture shortly :)
 
I have no problem getting to a com port with a USB. I use USB hub with the GPS, Navtex (via a serial USB adaptor), an AIS engine all going into one USB port on the laptop.
 
Digital Yacht make a cable with a USB plug on one end and NMEA wires on the other. It costs about forty quid, which some on the forum think a disgrace, but it's a value judgement as to whether you'd just like the blooming thing to work straight out of the box or whether you want to be soldering to pins on converters etc etc or anything in between. We got the digital yacht cable, wired it to our NMEA bus (or in your case, to the wire ends of the garmin NMEA interface cable) and it worked perfectly immediately. If you want to short cut the hassle it is a very convenient option. O
It does cost forty quid, mind you. Depends on what you think a frustrating day with a soldering iron is worth!

Cheers
 
Martin_J said:
When you plug one of those USB<->Serial cables into the USB port on your PC, it appears as a COM port.

The PC software can then be configured to talk to that COM port - once you have gone into Device Manager and worked out which COM port it appeared as!
Click to expand...

Download a free program called XPORT - allows you to define the port number....
 
As said above, you need a USB to COM port adaptor.

May I suggest this one: FTDI USB to Serial RS232 Adapter Cable with COM Retention: http://amzn.to/1cEOL4h

Several reasons:
FTDI Chipset, not some unsupported knock-off whose drivers cause The Blue Screen of Death.
COM Retention means that it remembers what COM port it is set to if you plug it into another USB port, most don't.
It is very well made and by a well known manufacturer.
 
GPSU Utility

I had problems connecting both my Garmin 72 and 76 to my PC laptop until I used GPSU. http://www.gpsu.co.uk/

It is a freebie and with it I sorted out the comport thing. Now I don't know if it interfaces with your plotting software but there is a fairly active and knowledgeable forum associated with it.

I used it to upload and downlaod waypoints and routes.
 
nigelmercier said:
As said above, you need a USB to COM port adaptor.

May I suggest this one: FTDI USB to Serial RS232 Adapter Cable with COM Retention: http://amzn.to/1cEOL4h

Several reasons:
FTDI Chipset, not some unsupported knock-off whose drivers cause The Blue Screen of Death.
COM Retention means that it remembers what COM port it is set to if you plug it into another USB port, most don't.
It is very well made and by a well known manufacturer.
Click to expand...
+1
The cheap prolific ones are a pain, spend the money on a ftdi
 
Looks like the link to the same FTDI cable that I posted earlier.. It's now +3 for the FTDI chipset :)

I use the wall mountable 4 port version with COM retention.

http://uk.startech.com/Cards-Adapters/Serial-Cards-Adapters/Professional-4-Port-USB-to-RS-232-Serial-Adapter~ICUSB2324X

It's hidden away with the NMEA cables and presents just a single USB cable at the chart table.

Once you have connected GPS position info over NMEA, AIS via NMEA and then Seatalk that's been converted to NMEA, then plugged in a Sat Phone modem.. four ports is only just enough!
 
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Apologies ... I'm jumping ahead..

The offer is still there if you are in the area and you'd like to borrow a single cable to see how that works first.
 
Martin_J said:
Apologies ... I'm jumping ahead..

The offer is still there if you are in the area and you'd like to borrow a single cable to see how that works first.
Click to expand...

Sadly I am required to be at home doing the bloody garden this weekend. Which is particularly annoying as the kids are home from uni and they could be doing it. However like the coward I am, I'm telling you this and not my wife! If I haven't sorted it for next weeken I'll take up your kind offer
 
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