GPS

Ron Hunter writes:

Except that Ethernet/USB connectors are standard, no buying an adapter
to make it fit the connector on the equipment, and require no tools to
attach it.

It is a great deal more difficult to write a driver for the operating
system of your choice to make a USB device work usefully (and thus you
end up beholden to your GPS provider for updates to track your OS).

In comparison, you can connect any standard-serial-interface GPS
device to something that is expecting it, and software support for
something that doesn't is relatively trivial.


Your comment about the mapping data transfer is completely spurious
becuase if you want an all-signin and all-dancing GPS that talks USB
map transfers to your computer, bully for you. If that GPS doesn't
*also* have a serial port that can deliver data to a device that
doesn't need to talk the hugely complex USB protocols, then that GPS
has been crippled.

And the reason it has been crippled is to appeal to the sort of people
who can't understand why a standard and easy-to-interface
communication standard is a good idea.

B

In article , Ron Hunter
writes
Prometheus wrote:
Or he could buy a GPS Rx with USB.

where? How much? Models?
I checked throughly about this time last year and found ONLY a model
intended for connection to a particular model of pocket computer, and
the interface wasn't USB.

http://www.garmin.com/products/gpsmap276c/
--
Ian G8ILZ

On Tue, 31 Aug 2004 23:33:24 -0000, Jeremy Nixon wrote:

Prometheus wrote:

N.B. A GPS receiver without a serial port is not NEMA compliant, a
laptop without a serial port is not NEMA compliant.

Why would I care about NEMA compliance? I just want it to work.

'Cuz the standards, such as the NEMA standard, is what makes things work
together. Wanna do GPS? Then you want a unit that is NEMA compliant.

If I wanted to use a laptop with a GPS receiver I would buy one that has
a serial port, in fact I would want a serial port anyway.

People don't buy laptops to work with GPS receivers; quite the opposite.

Wrong. I want my computer to work with my Garmin GPS III, and any subsequent
GPS I may buy if this one dies or gets stolen. I'm not real happy with the
choices in laptops that I've seen - now I'll have to carry a stupid RS-232
adapter around in the data case as well as all the other junk.

Dave Head

On Tue, 31 Aug 2004 23:33:24 -0000, Jeremy Nixon wrote:

Prometheus wrote:

N.B. A GPS receiver without a serial port is not NEMA compliant, a
laptop without a serial port is not NEMA compliant.

Why would I care about NEMA compliance? I just want it to work.

'Cuz the standards, such as the NEMA standard, is what makes things work
together. Wanna do GPS? Then you want a unit that is NEMA compliant.

If I wanted to use a laptop with a GPS receiver I would buy one that has
a serial port, in fact I would want a serial port anyway.

People don't buy laptops to work with GPS receivers; quite the opposite.

Wrong. I want my computer to work with my Garmin GPS III, and any subsequent
GPS I may buy if this one dies or gets stolen. I'm not real happy with the
choices in laptops that I've seen - now I'll have to carry a stupid RS-232
adapter around in the data case as well as all the other junk.

Dave Head

On Wed, 01 Sep 2004 02:50:45 -0000, Jeremy Nixon wrote:

Prometheus wrote:

Strange idea, buying a laptop that wont work them complaining about the
nasty GPS Rx people for being standard unlike your laptop.

Strange idea, buying a laptop based on the needs of a GPS receiver.
People don't do that, and suggesting that they do or should is silly.

If I find a laptop that has RS-232, as well as the rest of my requirements, I
_will_ buy it specifically because I can set it in the car, and run my moving
map Street Atlas USA 2003+ program for navigation in real time via the RS-232
signal from my Garmin GPS III. That's one of my requirements. I conducted a
search about 3 weeks ago for such a laptop. Didn't find it, but had I found
it, I'd have bookmarked it for when I have the money for a new laptop.

Dave Head

On Wed, 01 Sep 2004 00:33:06 -0400, Rodney Myrvaagnes
wrote:

On Tue, 31 Aug 2004 23:33:24 -0000, Jeremy Nixon
wrote:

Prometheus wrote:

N.B. A GPS receiver without a serial port is not NEMA compliant, a
laptop without a serial port is not NEMA compliant.

Why would I care about NEMA compliance? I just want it to work.

If I wanted to use a laptop with a GPS receiver I would buy one that has
a serial port, in fact I would want a serial port anyway.

People don't buy laptops to work with GPS receivers; quite the opposite.

If they are buying the GPS receiver to work with the laptop, they can
get a PC-card GPS. No serial or USB port needed. These have been
available for years under $150.

Not very useful in your pocket out in the woods, tho. I buy a GPS like a
Garmin GPS III 'cuz I can take it canoeing in the wilderness too, as well as
hook it up to the laptop in the car for navigation.

Face it, you're just wrong on this.

Dave Head





Rodney Myrvaagnes NYC J36 Gjo/a

"Religious wisdom is to wisdom as military music is to music."

On Wed, 01 Sep 2004 00:33:06 -0400, Rodney Myrvaagnes
wrote:

On Tue, 31 Aug 2004 23:33:24 -0000, Jeremy Nixon
wrote:

Prometheus wrote:

N.B. A GPS receiver without a serial port is not NEMA compliant, a
laptop without a serial port is not NEMA compliant.

Why would I care about NEMA compliance? I just want it to work.

If I wanted to use a laptop with a GPS receiver I would buy one that has
a serial port, in fact I would want a serial port anyway.

People don't buy laptops to work with GPS receivers; quite the opposite.

If they are buying the GPS receiver to work with the laptop, they can
get a PC-card GPS. No serial or USB port needed. These have been
available for years under $150.

Not very useful in your pocket out in the woods, tho. I buy a GPS like a
Garmin GPS III 'cuz I can take it canoeing in the wilderness too, as well as
hook it up to the laptop in the car for navigation.

Face it, you're just wrong on this.

Dave Head





Rodney Myrvaagnes NYC J36 Gjo/a

"Religious wisdom is to wisdom as military music is to music."

Prometheus wrote:
In article , Ron Hunter
writes

Prometheus wrote:

In article , Ron Hunter
writes


Fine, up the price $20 I will pay!

A lot of people will not.


That's why companies make more than one model of a device.


Indeed, the standard model with the standard serial interface and the
restricted model with only USB.

I Googled for a while this morning and STILL found that there are no
models with USB intended for data transfer with the computer, only
special units that connect via USB to laptops/palmtops for GPS
functions. Will check for flash card units later, but I have little
hope that these are not also fantasies of the dedicated serial interface
people who want to continue to drive nails with a screwdriver.

Bruce Murphy wrote:

Ron Hunter writes:


Except that Ethernet/USB connectors are standard, no buying an adapter
to make it fit the connector on the equipment, and require no tools to
attach it.


It is a great deal more difficult to write a driver for the operating
system of your choice to make a USB device work usefully (and thus you
end up beholden to your GPS provider for updates to track your OS).

In comparison, you can connect any standard-serial-interface GPS
device to something that is expecting it, and software support for
something that doesn't is relatively trivial.


Your comment about the mapping data transfer is completely spurious
becuase if you want an all-signin and all-dancing GPS that talks USB
map transfers to your computer, bully for you. If that GPS doesn't
*also* have a serial port that can deliver data to a device that
doesn't need to talk the hugely complex USB protocols, then that GPS
has been crippled.

And the reason it has been crippled is to appeal to the sort of people
who can't understand why a standard and easy-to-interface
communication standard is a good idea.

B

Just how many people do you think will ever need to send data to some
kind of commercial/industrial datagethering device with their PERSONAL
GPS? If you run a fleet of fishing boats, have a fleet of trucks, or
are tracking you taxi cab fleet, then you will buy an INDUSTRIAL GPS,
and if you want use a 300bps connection or a pair of paper cups with a
string, be my guest. That is NOT what a consumer will EVER do with a
GPS. If I want to track my meanderings on vacation on my mapping
program, then I might want to upload my GPS data back to the computer,
but I don't want to have to wait hours while it sends the megabytes of
data via the slowest form of communication port on the computer.

You are seeing the issue from a completely different viewpoint.

Bruce Murphy wrote:

Ron Hunter writes:


Except that Ethernet/USB connectors are standard, no buying an adapter
to make it fit the connector on the equipment, and require no tools to
attach it.


It is a great deal more difficult to write a driver for the operating
system of your choice to make a USB device work usefully (and thus you
end up beholden to your GPS provider for updates to track your OS).

In comparison, you can connect any standard-serial-interface GPS
device to something that is expecting it, and software support for
something that doesn't is relatively trivial.


Your comment about the mapping data transfer is completely spurious
becuase if you want an all-signin and all-dancing GPS that talks USB
map transfers to your computer, bully for you. If that GPS doesn't
*also* have a serial port that can deliver data to a device that
doesn't need to talk the hugely complex USB protocols, then that GPS
has been crippled.

And the reason it has been crippled is to appeal to the sort of people
who can't understand why a standard and easy-to-interface
communication standard is a good idea.

B

Just how many people do you think will ever need to send data to some
kind of commercial/industrial datagethering device with their PERSONAL
GPS? If you run a fleet of fishing boats, have a fleet of trucks, or
are tracking you taxi cab fleet, then you will buy an INDUSTRIAL GPS,
and if you want use a 300bps connection or a pair of paper cups with a
string, be my guest. That is NOT what a consumer will EVER do with a
GPS. If I want to track my meanderings on vacation on my mapping
program, then I might want to upload my GPS data back to the computer,
but I don't want to have to wait hours while it sends the megabytes of
data via the slowest form of communication port on the computer.

You are seeing the issue from a completely different viewpoint.