Send waypoint list as route to GPS

Another possibility ...

I also have an old Garmin GPS linked to Maptech Offshore Navigator and cant upload waypoints & routes without changing the interface protocol from NMEA to Garmin, which is a pain. This season I am planning to store waypoints and routes points in the Maptech s/w database and just use the GPS to provide NMEA Lat/Long.

That way I can set a waypoint or route by clicking on the plotter screen as well as by typing it in, and save the upload hassle. (Belt & Braces - I will periodicaly backup the waypoints to the GPS though)

So that my cockpit GPS repeater continues to work I am also planning to have the software passthru the relevant NMEA sentences (RMC,GSA) and have the software generate the routing data (NMEA RMB) from the softwares autopilot function and not the GPS.

All works OK in my study ;)
 
If you want to do it from scratch, here are the specs for NMEA sentences. The ones you need are WSPL and RTE. The tricky bit is generating the checksum data.
 
snowleopard said:
I have the £40 MemoryMap raster chart set with its primitive plotter. I have now acquired the hardware to connect to my old Garmin 128 GPS in the hope of seeing my position on screen and uploading routes.

Should I expect problems with compatibility of formats?
Click to expand...

I have played with that system and have had no problems whatsoever in achieving what you want, but with a Garmin 72. I suspect it will be fine.

I regarded tidal information as a necessity so didn't pursue this configuration further.

My impression was that this is a system designed for land nav and adapted for sea. Many of the things that we do all the time - changing scales, scrolling across multiple charts, etc seemed counterintuitve to me - but maybe familiarity would help. Good value for money, and does export to GPX.
 
affinite said:
I also have an old Garmin GPS linked to Maptech Offshore Navigator and cant upload waypoints & routes without changing the interface protocol from NMEA to Garmin, which is a pain. This season I am planning to store waypoints and routes points in the Maptech s/w database and just use the GPS to provide NMEA Lat/Long.

That way I can set a waypoint or route by clicking on the plotter screen as well as by typing it in, and save the upload hassle. (Belt & Braces - I will periodicaly backup the waypoints to the GPS though)

So that my cockpit GPS repeater continues to work I am also planning to have the software passthru the relevant NMEA sentences (RMC,GSA) and have the software generate the routing data (NMEA RMB) from the softwares autopilot function and not the GPS.

All works OK in my study ;)
Click to expand...

I ran Maptech OSN on the Garmin protocol all the time communicating to my Garmin 12 in the cockpit. Worked fine - apart from the fact that I could never get tidal updates out of them, and I have an ambition to overlay AIS.

If Maptech come up with a new version I'd be tempted.
 
Warning: Geek stuff

Out of interest, I think the Garmin data exchange mode may be using the GPX standard too.

Tracks downloaded from my Garmin GPS152 include this extension:

<TrackpointExtension xmlns="http://www.garmin.com/xmlschemas/GpxExtensions/v3">
<Depth>0.00</Depth>
</TrackpointExtension>

Complete with the proprietary Garmin namespace, which wouldn't have been added by EasyGPS
 
Imray Digital Charts - no route transfer to Garmin

My goal is:

1. Nip below and knock up a quick route on the laptop.

2. Send it along the wire to the Garmin 72 handheld in the cockpit.

3. Navigate happily knowing the laptop won't get wet, and even if it does, I have all the key info in the handheld.

Been doing this for 6 years (I think) with Maptech Offshore Navigator (OSN) and the Garmin protocol.

Two problems with my beloved setup:

1. Maptech are hopeless at delivering tidal updates - tides are crucial if you own the slowest boat on the East coast.

2. It'd be kind of nice to attach AIS to the system - not currently supported by OSN.

So I look around - enter Imray Digital Charts (IDC). Seems to do everything I want, but I do put a query out to Imray about transfer of routes to the handheld. Advised that this is works on the Garmin protocol. Wow - this looks good. Buy IDC. Ah... I currently run via a USB to serial adaptor on an old-style Garmin 72. IDC does not offer Garmin on the serial port, but does on the USB - not available on the Garmin 72. Discover that I can send a route to the 72 using NMEA - or can I... actually all it does is send the waypoints, not the route.

However, maybe if I buy a Garmin 72H which can send the Garmin USB protocol I'll be able to send routes to it. Now I'm anxious, so I email Imray to ask if I can send routes from IDC to a Garmin 72H over USB with the Garmin protocol. Imray can't answer but refer me to Meridian (who wrote the software). After seeking advice they respond that it is impossible.

So I have just bought IDC to do something it can't do.

Ho hum. With the help of this forum I have a system to turn IDC databases into GPX which I can stuff into EasyGPS and send to the 72. But it is a f@rtabout.

Might find another system - I have used several others that do the route transfer I want.

Aaaarrgh.... why does no system do ALL the things I want?
 
I'm not sure about the 72, but with the GPS152, the main issue preventing what you want is lack of support for the inbound RTE sentence.
Without this it's necessary to toggle between Garmin Data Transfer mode to upload routes and NMEA In/Out to provide position information between GPS and DSC radio and plotter software.

SeaClear uses G7toWin to provide upload of route information, but you still need to toggle transfer modes on the GPS.
 
Amulet said:
Two problems with my beloved setup:

1. Maptech are hopeless at delivering tidal updates - tides are crucial if you own the slowest boat on the East coast.

2. It'd be kind of nice to attach AIS to the system - not currently supported by OSN.

Aaaarrgh.... why does no system do ALL the things I want?
Click to expand...

Maybe you need to consider using 2 programmes.

I use Maptech Offshore Navigator - have done for 10 years and love it.

When I wanted to add AIS I used another programme to provide the display. Initially this was YachtAIS, which cost money (about £50 but more now) which gives a radar type of (uncluttered) display. However, through the Forum, I discovered OpenCPN about a year ago and used it last season for AIS display, while Maptech continues to provide navigation.

OpenCPN is free as are the charts and the AIS display features with CPA/TCPA alarm etc. are excellent. The charts may be old but for AIS you don't want too much detail on the screen - just the basic land and buoyage features are sufficient.
 
Many packages let you run the whole system on the Garmin Protocol

Wunja said:
I'm not sure about the 72, but with the GPS152, the main issue preventing what you want is lack of support for the inbound RTE sentence.
Without this it's necessary to toggle between Garmin Data Transfer mode to upload routes and NMEA In/Out to provide position information between GPS and DSC radio and plotter software.

SeaClear uses G7toWin to provide upload of route information, but you still need to toggle transfer modes on the GPS.
Click to expand...

In the system I had with OSN it was left on the Garmin protocol all the time. (I have another GPS sending NMEA to the DSC Radio and the AIS.) This meant I could shoot a route off to the GPS whenever I wanted, with no adjustment of the equipment. (Other systems allow this too.)

I am not familiar with NMEA, but no system I have ever looked at enabled transmission of routes over NMEA. Waypoints yes, and when IDC sends a route actually all that arrives is a list of waypoints. I had assumed that you couldn't send routes in NMEA. However my message from Meridian says:

However I have confirmed it is possible to export routes to your Garmin using a NMEA connection. This is achieved by sending the waypoints to your device (Export waypoints to GPS) and it is then up to your Garmin to interpret these positions as a route. Not all models support this and it may need to be setup manually in your device by converting waypoints to route for example.
Click to expand...

I have not investigated this yet.
 
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