GPS-PC Connection

[Rorge]

This has probably been asked many times before, but I haven't seen the answer, yet. I have just upgraded my crumbling old computer to an IBM Thinkpad, with Windows XP and USB ports. I got a serial-usb adaptor for the Garmin 76map, but the C-map software doesn't seem to be able to see the usb ports. Please, before I tear out my remaining strands of hair, can anyone help?

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[Johnboy2004]

hi i have a gpsmap 76S and a dell laptop.

i have garmin bluechart software and both work fine. however its via serial not usb.

with usb it can be sometimes tricky to get it working.

what c map software do you have? whats it called...



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[Guest]

[url]http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gps-navigator/[/url]

Come join us and any other questions you have can be answered also .... we have currently over 800 members worldwide and likely have nearly all GPS models covered by someone ..... any problem you have most likely another has already solved or is having as well .... we help each other to get through and improve our use of the GPS and all things connected.

Its free - all you need is a Yahoo ID and sign in .....

Members include various CHart Software producers - users / GPS manufacturers etc. etc.


<hr width=100% size=1>Nigel ...
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.qqbaltic.com/index.html>http://www.qqbaltic.com/index.html</A> For all those disbelievers ! /forums/images/icons/cool.gif

 

[Birdseye]

its not just a matter of having a plug. you also need a piece of software running on the pc. you should be able to dowload the software from the garmin site if it didnt come with the connector. failing that, i use software from the revealcable site which works albeit its a bit tempramental

once you have the sofware, you need to ensure that the port is enabled . go into settings / system/device manager and look for it

my c map would only run on 256 colours so check that issue out too. xp can operate in that mode if you wish.

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[Rorge]

Thanks for your help. I've installed the software that came with the cable adapter, and set the colours to 256. C-map looks fine, zooms in and out, but keeps looking for com ports,and there aren't any. I'm not altogether sure what I should be looking for on the device manager, is it a general hub, or what?

Come back Windows 98, all is forgiven!!!!!

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[boatless]

With my slightly ageing notebook (Acer cel600 with w2k) and Garmin 12, the gps has to be connected and switched on before booting the machine. Otherwise it doesn't find the gps. Btw, I also use serial port.

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[uke73]

Rorge,

In my experience when you use USB to serial adaptors the software driver which come with the cable creates a pseudo serial port which your software will use, rather than looking for the USB port directly. You can check the port number in XP by right clicking the My Computer icon and selecting properties, click the Hardware tab and select Device Manager, scoot down the list until you see Ports (COM & LPT), expand the list and hopefully you will see an entry like... Prolific USB-to-Serial Com Port (COM2) obviously it will be tailored to whatever make of USB to serial device but close enough to guess, then use the COM port detailed with your software. If you don't find your USB to serial device you probably need to find and install the correct drivers for it.

Sometime these devices create a really high numbered COM port, which is higer than the software can support. If this is the case right click the COM port on the list and select properties then Port Setting and the Advanced button you can select any number for the COM port so it fits within the range allowed by your software.

If you get stuck email me directly at uke73@yahoo.co.uk

Cheers

Neil

ps If you use computers for a living you won't lament the passing of Windows 98 or ME, both pieces of hacked junk!!

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[barson]

There are also some usb-serial adaptors which plain just don't work with some software. I have a Magellan connected to a Toshiba running XP and had no luck - until I changed adaptors

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