New GPS/Plotter soution. ON A BUDGET

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mikenfi

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Hi All,

I plan to update my GPS but as usual I am on a budget so I am trying to make it work with the things I have to hand and as little expense as possible. A friend of mine was using an old Windows XP laptop and USB GPS antenna while running a chart software called Tsunami 99. He has since upgraded his system and has very kindly given me his software. Winner!

So My plan is
Use my old Macbook to run windows XP (Using Bootcamp, effectively a Windows XP PC)
Use the onboard GPS (apelco gxl 1000) with a Data output (NMEA 3 Pin)
A 3 Pin NMEA lead which is bare cable on the other end to the NMEA connection.

So I guess the questions come now.

Can my GPS be used in conjunction with a chart software? (I have looked in the instructions and cannot find any reference to this)
Can I solder a USB connection to the NMEA lead to link the GPS (apelco gxl 1000) to the computer?

If I understand this correctly the GPS (apelco gxl 1000) will send data (GPS coordinates) on the data connection to the laptop. So intheory this should work.

Has anyone experience of creating solutions like this?

I do have navionics but its on the ipad air which they sold with a rubbish GPS reciever and it cannot be counted on 100%. This is why I am looking to upgrade.
 
I would suggest you use a GPS puck, wired version with a usb connection to your laptop. Buy a Sirf 4 chip one preferably though sirf 3 ones are now very cheap.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/NEW-BU-3...02?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_15&hash=item3378078fe2

Sirf 3 versions are about half that money.

I would suggest downloading Seaclear 2 [free] Make your own charts or borrow some from mates. XP is more than adequate. Keep the other GPS as a back up,
 
I used to run an early Garmin hand-held GPS, which would only output via RS232, into a laptop. It worked fine once the port/baud rate etc. was identified to the software. This was pre-USB so I don't know if an RS232/USB converter would work. Initial setup I remember being rather frustrating but it is something you can mess with while watching the TV at home.
 
Your Apelco outputs NMEA 0183 (of which there are several interpretations), so you'd need a RS422 to USB converter, or possibly a RS232 to USB one (FTDI chips are widely considered the best for this). Or as someone already pointed out, just grab a USB GPS dongle for about the same price (Navilock makes nice ones) and pop that in your USB port and get redundant GPS location data as a bonus.

Either way you'll need software that can understand NMEA GPS sentences. If yours can't, OpenCPN can and it's free (and quite good).
 
Tsunamis is getting long in the tooth now, c. 15 yrs. I loved the features on my 'All World' version and still run it for fun at home now and again (Venice Lagoon, Suez Canal etc-)

I use Memory Map on the boat, £c.40.all UK?. Visit My Harbour seems similar, but not tried.

Big advantage over Tsunamis is the ability to use my 10' Motorola Xoom tablet and save 70-80% of the laptop's power usage.

The laptop is used to route plan and send to the Garmin and deck repeater via a £2.00 USB/serial connector and tablet ( via bluetooth) and then shut down.
 
Sell the old macbook
Buy an low range android tablet with navionics

Spend the spare cash you now have on beer tokens!
 
Burnham Bob said:
another vote for selling the macbook and getting a tablet. neater solution all round.
Click to expand...

That certainly makes sense if he wouldn't otherwise be using the laptop. Depending on its age the overall cost might well be negative, ie a profit :)

He may well want to use the laptop for other stuff as well though, in which case a USB GPS and SeaClear seems like a good option.

Pete
 
Burnham Bob said:
another vote for selling the macbook and getting a tablet. neater solution all round.
Click to expand...

I have a great tablet - a 10" Sony Xperia Z2 which is waterproof and dust proof so ideal for use on the water (screen is daylight viewable and battery life is long).

You can find them on Ebay and as they have a built in gps, no need for anything else. I use Memory Map and Seawi but Navionics charts are popular.

Not only is it a neater solution, but at £225 a lot less than even a used 10" hi res plotter.
 
ianj99 said:
I have a great tablet - a 10" Sony Xperia Z2 which is waterproof and dust proof so ideal for use on the water (screen is daylight viewable and battery life is long).

You can find them on Ebay and as they have a built in gps, no need for anything else. I use Memory Map and Seawi but Navionics charts are popular.

Not only is it a neater solution, but at £225 a lot less than even a used 10" hi res plotter.
Click to expand...

From the spec - it would appear that the Z2 tablet relies upon Assisted GPS (it also includes GLONASS). That means, out of cellular coverage, positioning will be slow at best and might be occasional, at worst.
Not everyone stays in coastal waters entirely ;-)
 
charles_reed said:
From the spec - it would appear that the Z2 tablet relies upon Assisted GPS (it also includes GLONASS). That means, out of cellular coverage, positioning will be slow at best and might be occasional, at worst.
Not everyone stays in coastal waters entirely ;-)
Click to expand...

I thought that A-GPS is an enhancement designed to speed up time to first fix and improve gps performance in urban areas?

Doesn't it also rely on 3G or 4G? There is neither on the Scottish West Coast north of the Clyde.

I did try my Z2 briefly on friday when I gave the new engine a quick run and it seemed to be okay, though it did take about a minute to get a lock.

I plan on not using the internal gps in any case, as I am intending to supply position, depth, wind etc from a multiplexer via wifi.
 
charles_reed said:
From the spec - it would appear that the Z2 tablet relies upon Assisted GPS (it also includes GLONASS). That means, out of cellular coverage, positioning will be slow at best and might be occasional, at worst.
Not everyone stays in coastal waters entirely ;-)
Click to expand...

aGPS is an enhancement over GPS only. Almanac and ephemerides data is downloaded over the data network and not from the satellites, because the cellular datarate is much higher than the satellite one. With no network coverage the GPS receiver will work as all other non-networked ones do. So out of cellular coverage the GPS will work just like a bog standard marine one does. It will only be slow if it has not been switched on for yonks or has moved a large distance from the last time it was used. Getting GPS reception at sea is not difficult because of the open sky and lack of obstructions. aGPS, as well as speeding up time to first fix, was designed to help in city landscapes where the view to the sky is often not open.

Therefore no problem with going away from coastal water.
 
Last edited:
AngusMcDoon said:
aGPS is an enhancement over GPS only. Almanac and ephemerides data is downloaded over the data network and not from the satellites, because the cellular datarate is much higher than the satellite one. With no network coverage the GPS receiver will work as all other non-networked ones do. So out of cellular coverage the GPS will work just like a bog standard marine one does. It will only be slow if it has not been switched on for yonks or has moved a large distance from the last time it was used. Getting GPS reception at sea is not difficult because of the open sky and lack of obstructions. aGPS, as well as speeding up time to first fix, was designed to help in city landscapes where the view to the sky is often not open.

Therefore no problem with going away from coastal water.
Click to expand...

Perhaps you're right, but many experts would disagree with you:-

Perhaps this might widen knowledge;-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assisted_GPS
 
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