GPS

In article ,
writes
On Mon, 30 Aug 2004 19:17:05 +0100, Prometheus
wrote:
-Cut------------
We are talking about a digital compass using old fashioned magnetism,
not GPS. The GPS compass only gives a bearing when you are moving, which
is of no use when standing still taking photographs.

Some more recent ones will tell you the direction they're
pointed even when standing still. I believe they use a fluxgate
compass rather than doppler shift as the others do while in motion.

They do use a fluxgate; I thought the GPS signal derived compass used
change in position, otherwise it would not work if you walked too
slowly.
--
Ian G8ILZ

On Tue, 31 Aug 2004 17:26:09 -0000, Jeremy Nixon
wrote:

Big Bill wrote:

That's patently rediculous.
The user doesn't need to know anything about a serial port except how
to plug it in.

When the user looks at the cable, looks at his computer, and finds nothing
to match up the two, even that becomes difficult.

Well, believe it or not, there are more systems (including laptops)
that are being sold *WITH* serial ports than without.

Your user can always get support for his system without one. It's not
difficult for people who know how to contact other people.

You really are making a lot more of this than it really is.

Bill Funk
Change "g" to "a"

On Tue, 31 Aug 2004 17:26:09 -0000, Jeremy Nixon
wrote:

Big Bill wrote:

That's patently rediculous.
The user doesn't need to know anything about a serial port except how
to plug it in.

When the user looks at the cable, looks at his computer, and finds nothing
to match up the two, even that becomes difficult.

Well, believe it or not, there are more systems (including laptops)
that are being sold *WITH* serial ports than without.

Your user can always get support for his system without one. It's not
difficult for people who know how to contact other people.

You really are making a lot more of this than it really is.

Bill Funk
Change "g" to "a"

On Mon, 30 Aug 2004 23:28:21 -0000, Jeremy Nixon
wrote:

Prometheus wrote:

The people who want GPS receivers but have not bought one because they
can not connect it to a laptop, no that can not be right either since you
can get GPS receivers with serial or USB ports.

Even the ones with USB connections have serious problems. Every time I go
looking at GPS units I give up in disgust because no one makes one that
would work the way I want.

Ah, so in the end, it's all about "I".

Either they require specific, proprietary
software, or they use only certain maps that aren't very good and don't
allow any customizing,

OK, with the exception of using one third-party piece of
software, you can't customize the maps on any GPSR -- they all use a
proprietary forman and ouly allow uploading of their own mapsets. So
you may as well just drop the entire topic. It's likely to be years
before the industry rises to your required level of perfection.

or they only have room for a tiny geographical
area of street-level maps, etc. All the companies who make the things
seem to think you want something that works only within the device and
that you wouldn't ever care to do anything else with it. Silly.

The best I've seen is a Bluetooth GPS receiver that just works with a
computer, and doesn't have its own displays or anything. The main problem
at that point is that there still isn't any decent software to use with it...

You'd bitch if they shot you with a solid silver bullet.

On Mon, 30 Aug 2004 23:28:21 -0000, Jeremy Nixon
wrote:

Prometheus wrote:

The people who want GPS receivers but have not bought one because they
can not connect it to a laptop, no that can not be right either since you
can get GPS receivers with serial or USB ports.

Even the ones with USB connections have serious problems. Every time I go
looking at GPS units I give up in disgust because no one makes one that
would work the way I want.

Ah, so in the end, it's all about "I".

Either they require specific, proprietary
software, or they use only certain maps that aren't very good and don't
allow any customizing,

OK, with the exception of using one third-party piece of
software, you can't customize the maps on any GPSR -- they all use a
proprietary forman and ouly allow uploading of their own mapsets. So
you may as well just drop the entire topic. It's likely to be years
before the industry rises to your required level of perfection.

or they only have room for a tiny geographical
area of street-level maps, etc. All the companies who make the things
seem to think you want something that works only within the device and
that you wouldn't ever care to do anything else with it. Silly.

The best I've seen is a Bluetooth GPS receiver that just works with a
computer, and doesn't have its own displays or anything. The main problem
at that point is that there still isn't any decent software to use with it...

You'd bitch if they shot you with a solid silver bullet.

On Tue, 31 Aug 2004 03:53:00 -0500, Ron Hunter
wrote:

Prometheus wrote:
In article , Ron Hunter
writes

Mxsmanic wrote:

Jeremy Nixon writes:

And can you really think that RS-232 is just as easy for a normal
person
as USB?

Yes.

Amazing!
So, tell me. For a Supra Modem built in 1998, which pins are active
(necessary), and which are not needed, and what plug type is needed on
each end? What is the maximum baud rate, and what are the start and
stop bits to be set at?
Now a USB user would have the answer for all of those questions, and
be up and online before you figured out which connector, male or
female, was needed, and is it 9 or 25 pin, and which pin is strobe.

In short, you are really WAY off on this one.


You are amazing! We were discussing a connecting a GPS receiver to a PC.
The GPS Rx has only three data pins (TD, RD, GND), the start, stop, data
and parity are fixed, the cable with the correct connectors if not
supplied with it is on the hook next to it in the shop, the supplied
software sets the PC for these parameters and can not be altered by the
user. It is possible for the user to mismatch the Bd rate and the
protocol at the two ends, but that is because the international standard
for communicating with GPS devices has been revised and your new
receiver must be backward compatible. Have you used a GPS with a PC?
Have you used a GPS with other serial equipment? I have, I connect them,
they work; the work because nothing needs changing.

Besides a sub-miniature Dee connector is far more rugged for field use
that a USB.

In short you have no idea.
I read the instructions for MY GPS for the transfer. I concluded that
it would be more trouble to set the thing up than I was willing to deal
with. Your system may be different. Mine was more trouble than I was
willing to deal with for the minimal gain. The software wad
indechipherable. Case closed.

Correction -- mind closed.

On Tue, 31 Aug 2004 03:53:00 -0500, Ron Hunter
wrote:

Prometheus wrote:
In article , Ron Hunter
writes

Mxsmanic wrote:

Jeremy Nixon writes:

And can you really think that RS-232 is just as easy for a normal
person
as USB?

Yes.

Amazing!
So, tell me. For a Supra Modem built in 1998, which pins are active
(necessary), and which are not needed, and what plug type is needed on
each end? What is the maximum baud rate, and what are the start and
stop bits to be set at?
Now a USB user would have the answer for all of those questions, and
be up and online before you figured out which connector, male or
female, was needed, and is it 9 or 25 pin, and which pin is strobe.

In short, you are really WAY off on this one.


You are amazing! We were discussing a connecting a GPS receiver to a PC.
The GPS Rx has only three data pins (TD, RD, GND), the start, stop, data
and parity are fixed, the cable with the correct connectors if not
supplied with it is on the hook next to it in the shop, the supplied
software sets the PC for these parameters and can not be altered by the
user. It is possible for the user to mismatch the Bd rate and the
protocol at the two ends, but that is because the international standard
for communicating with GPS devices has been revised and your new
receiver must be backward compatible. Have you used a GPS with a PC?
Have you used a GPS with other serial equipment? I have, I connect them,
they work; the work because nothing needs changing.

Besides a sub-miniature Dee connector is far more rugged for field use
that a USB.

In short you have no idea.
I read the instructions for MY GPS for the transfer. I concluded that
it would be more trouble to set the thing up than I was willing to deal
with. Your system may be different. Mine was more trouble than I was
willing to deal with for the minimal gain. The software wad
indechipherable. Case closed.

Correction -- mind closed.

On Tue, 31 Aug 2004 03:53:00 -0500, Ron Hunter
wrote:

Prometheus wrote:
In article , Ron Hunter
writes

Mxsmanic wrote:

Jeremy Nixon writes:

And can you really think that RS-232 is just as easy for a normal
person
as USB?

Yes.

Amazing!
So, tell me. For a Supra Modem built in 1998, which pins are active
(necessary), and which are not needed, and what plug type is needed on
each end? What is the maximum baud rate, and what are the start and
stop bits to be set at?
Now a USB user would have the answer for all of those questions, and
be up and online before you figured out which connector, male or
female, was needed, and is it 9 or 25 pin, and which pin is strobe.

In short, you are really WAY off on this one.


You are amazing! We were discussing a connecting a GPS receiver to a PC.
The GPS Rx has only three data pins (TD, RD, GND), the start, stop, data
and parity are fixed, the cable with the correct connectors if not
supplied with it is on the hook next to it in the shop, the supplied
software sets the PC for these parameters and can not be altered by the
user. It is possible for the user to mismatch the Bd rate and the
protocol at the two ends, but that is because the international standard
for communicating with GPS devices has been revised and your new
receiver must be backward compatible. Have you used a GPS with a PC?
Have you used a GPS with other serial equipment? I have, I connect them,
they work; the work because nothing needs changing.

Besides a sub-miniature Dee connector is far more rugged for field use
that a USB.

In short you have no idea.
I read the instructions for MY GPS for the transfer. I concluded that
it would be more trouble to set the thing up than I was willing to deal
with. Your system may be different. Mine was more trouble than I was
willing to deal with for the minimal gain. The software wad
indechipherable. Case closed.

Correction -- mind closed.

On Mon, 30 Aug 2004 21:02:08 -0500, Ron Hunter
wrote:

Mxsmanic wrote:

Ron Hunter writes:


And a keyboard is the only thing you have on a USB interface?


I have two devices on USB, because that's all they support. One of them
requires that it not share the interface with anything else, which
pretty much blows one of the major advantages touted for USB.

That's out of three computers, too. I have three devices on serial
ports. I have four devices connected via SCSI. I have two devices
connected via PS/2 interfaces.

The keyboard is not among the devices connected via USB, because I like
to keep things simple, and I prefer a keyboard that works no matter what
state the system is in.


It would take dozens of serial ports to equal the data
handling capacity of one USB 2.0 port.


I don't need the data-handling capacity of a USB 2.0 port for the
devices I have connected via serial ports.

No, but in order to transfer megabytes to a GPS, a faster port than
serial (RS232) is highly desirable. Since I no longer get paid to deal
with RS232 ports, and a GPS is a recreational device, I don't intend to
mess with the confusion, and grief of dealing with a serial configuration.


Your call.

Don't bother to take up surfing, either.

On Mon, 30 Aug 2004 21:02:08 -0500, Ron Hunter
wrote:

Mxsmanic wrote:

Ron Hunter writes:


And a keyboard is the only thing you have on a USB interface?


I have two devices on USB, because that's all they support. One of them
requires that it not share the interface with anything else, which
pretty much blows one of the major advantages touted for USB.

That's out of three computers, too. I have three devices on serial
ports. I have four devices connected via SCSI. I have two devices
connected via PS/2 interfaces.

The keyboard is not among the devices connected via USB, because I like
to keep things simple, and I prefer a keyboard that works no matter what
state the system is in.


It would take dozens of serial ports to equal the data
handling capacity of one USB 2.0 port.


I don't need the data-handling capacity of a USB 2.0 port for the
devices I have connected via serial ports.

No, but in order to transfer megabytes to a GPS, a faster port than
serial (RS232) is highly desirable. Since I no longer get paid to deal
with RS232 ports, and a GPS is a recreational device, I don't intend to
mess with the confusion, and grief of dealing with a serial configuration.


Your call.

Don't bother to take up surfing, either.