GPS

Rodney Myrvaagnes wrote:

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.

Okay. Where? I just went to Garman and Magellan's sites and I'm not
seeing anything like that, though they don't exactly make it easy to
get an overview of all their products.

--
Jeremy |

On Tue, 31 Aug 2004 17:32:48 -0000, Jeremy Nixon
wrote:

Big Bill wrote:

So you're saying that the reason people (who, according to you, want
to buy them) won't buy a GPS is because they can't figure out how to
use a serial port?

Nope. I'm saying that's part of it; it's a symptom of the fact that GPS
manufacturers aren't making units for normal people. And I can see why,
when there are all these folks who so strongly insist that people
should not be allowed to have one that works the way they would want
it to, and should instead have to adapt to the technology.

Quick -- put the key in the driver's side lock of a Mitsubishi
and open all four doors.

Now do it on a Honda.

Which one worked for you? Either?

Well damn, you better stay with your Honda until they all do
it the way _you_ want.

On Tue, 31 Aug 2004 17:32:48 -0000, Jeremy Nixon
wrote:

Big Bill wrote:

So you're saying that the reason people (who, according to you, want
to buy them) won't buy a GPS is because they can't figure out how to
use a serial port?

Nope. I'm saying that's part of it; it's a symptom of the fact that GPS
manufacturers aren't making units for normal people. And I can see why,
when there are all these folks who so strongly insist that people
should not be allowed to have one that works the way they would want
it to, and should instead have to adapt to the technology.

Quick -- put the key in the driver's side lock of a Mitsubishi
and open all four doors.

Now do it on a Honda.

Which one worked for you? Either?

Well damn, you better stay with your Honda until they all do
it the way _you_ want.

On Wed, 01 Sep 2004 02:52:51 -0000, Jeremy Nixon
wrote:

Prometheus wrote:

Lost a sale to, what, one of the five people who would actually buy a laptop
based on their GPS receiver?

I suspect more than one in five informed people purchase equipment to
work together, do you think that people buy equipment so that it will
not work.

Do you really think normal people buy a laptop based on the needs of a GPS
receiver?

Incidentally I would want a serial port anyway.

Good for you. Unbelievable as it may sound, there exist people in the world
who want to do things differently from the way you do.

Yep. And like you, they're denied the benefits of using a
GPSR.

On Wed, 01 Sep 2004 02:52:51 -0000, Jeremy Nixon
wrote:

Prometheus wrote:

Lost a sale to, what, one of the five people who would actually buy a laptop
based on their GPS receiver?

I suspect more than one in five informed people purchase equipment to
work together, do you think that people buy equipment so that it will
not work.

Do you really think normal people buy a laptop based on the needs of a GPS
receiver?

Incidentally I would want a serial port anyway.

Good for you. Unbelievable as it may sound, there exist people in the world
who want to do things differently from the way you do.

Yep. And like you, they're denied the benefits of using a
GPSR.

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.

You'll just hold your breath until your ears bleed to avoid
buying a cheap adapter, won't you?

Of course, if you're too dim to match the two pieces, you
should just return one as defective, right?

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.

You'll just hold your breath until your ears bleed to avoid
buying a cheap adapter, won't you?

Of course, if you're too dim to match the two pieces, you
should just return one as defective, right?

On Tue, 31 Aug 2004 18:17:48 -0500, Ron Hunter
wrote:

Prometheus wrote:

In article ,
writes

On Mon, 30 Aug 2004 09:23:42 GMT, "David J Taylor"
wrote:

----------Cut---------

More standardised like being able to use a three-wire connection with
software flow control. Auto-detect of baud rate etc. Perhaps your
devices missed out on that?


I'd forgotten about that. My blood glucose meter connects
using a cable with only a tip, ring and ground plug on the meter end
and a DB-9 on the computer end. The app has no trouble finding it,
shaking hands and carrying on an intimate conversation with no
intervention on my part. Even shuts the meter down after they're
finished chatting.


Your call. Why is this _our_ problem?


I am afraid that Rod Hunter believes that is not possible, it is an
article of faith with him that "RS-232" serial connections must always
be purgatory.


They have always been, and I have been dealing with them for about 37
years! I read the instructions that came with the program I bought to
transfer data to my GPS and I was stumped at the first decision, which
protocol to use, and what settings I needed to set in the COM: port to
do the connection, since each was different. I probably could have
leaped that hurdle had the program not been written in a totally
non-intuitive way, and the instructions looked like they were written by
the programmer. It was hopeless. When a modern interface exists for
data transfer between my computer and a GPS, then I will buy a new one,
not before.

On Tue, 31 Aug 2004 18:17:48 -0500, Ron Hunter
wrote:

Prometheus wrote:

In article ,
writes

On Mon, 30 Aug 2004 09:23:42 GMT, "David J Taylor"
wrote:

----------Cut---------

More standardised like being able to use a three-wire connection with
software flow control. Auto-detect of baud rate etc. Perhaps your
devices missed out on that?


I'd forgotten about that. My blood glucose meter connects
using a cable with only a tip, ring and ground plug on the meter end
and a DB-9 on the computer end. The app has no trouble finding it,
shaking hands and carrying on an intimate conversation with no
intervention on my part. Even shuts the meter down after they're
finished chatting.


Your call. Why is this _our_ problem?


I am afraid that Rod Hunter believes that is not possible, it is an
article of faith with him that "RS-232" serial connections must always
be purgatory.


They have always been, and I have been dealing with them for about 37
years! I read the instructions that came with the program I bought to
transfer data to my GPS and I was stumped at the first decision, which
protocol to use, and what settings I needed to set in the COM: port to
do the connection, since each was different. I probably could have
leaped that hurdle had the program not been written in a totally
non-intuitive way, and the instructions looked like they were written by
the programmer. It was hopeless. When a modern interface exists for
data transfer between my computer and a GPS, then I will buy a new one,
not before.

On Tue, 31 Aug 2004 18:18:49 -0500, Ron Hunter
wrote:

Prometheus wrote:

In article , Ron Hunter
writes

Prometheus wrote:

In article , Ron Hunter
writes

--Cut----------

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.


Unfortunately there are badly written user manuals, there are also
people who can not comprehend a well written user manual, using USB does
not eliminate these problems.

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

It would cost the manufacture money to redesign the integrated circuit
to provide USB in addition to NEMA, the customer would have to pay for
that through increased price.

Fine, up the price $20 I will pay!

The adapter to do the job is only a few bucks. Get shopping!