Re: [NTLK] 2100/GPS

From: Brian (bmcewen_at_comcast.net)
Date: Sat Jun 05 2004 - 11:00:50 PDT


On Saturday, June 5, 2004, at 12:06 PM, newtontalk_at_newtontalk.net wrote:

> Subject: [NTLK] 2100/GPS
> From: Dan Fackler <eulenspgl_at_sbcglobal.net>
>
> I'd like to know of any Listie experiences with the CompactFlash GPS
> receivers/software. Specifically, which GPS units are known to work
> and what
> application(s) you're using.
>

There's a lot in the list archives about this; you can do a search from
www.newtontalk.net for much reading enjoyment.

I'm using the Haicom HI-303E, which is a nice WAAS, NMEA CF unit. I
use it with FieldWorker for Newton (which itself is made of
unobtainium) and sometimes with free GPS Map Lite (the GPS Map Pro is
made of unobtainium- but there are people on the list who made a lot of
maps for GPS Map Lite- Marco Mailand? perhaps is a resource). They
have neat things available in the Haicom models- connect to your PC via
firewire or serial, cables included, etc. A nice deal for about $100.
  Handhelds with WAAS are about $250-400 depending on how many extras
you want.

There are some little apps that will talk to Trimble units using the
Trimble protocol (EasyGPS? Teletype GPS? or something? is one, I forget
the name, and don't have time at the moment to search old posts) but
that should be on UNNA, it was reworked and made available by a kind
soul about 2? years ago IIRC. I have not researched Trimble CF
solutions but that would work for anything they make with a serial
port. There are some other little utils (GPS Button, some others)
which will help you move coordinates around if you want to grab your
position then work up things in ArcPad later, but 1) those are mostly
for Trimble units I think 2) I think most people asking are trying to
build area maps to use to show your location as you drive etc. and I'm
not sure the Newton is really the best tool for that. GPS Map Lite has
been talked about most but is pretty processor intensive and can cause
the -61001 error. I use my MP and HI-303E to associate points w/ data
when I'm in the field and then build maps later using ArcView- so I
don't care about making "road maps".

One that I would love to get working for the PCMCIA card slot is
MapPad; that's a nice little trail-marking app, would be perfect for
hiking, plus can do mapping too (I'm not sure about making custom maps
for it anymore but it comes with some general ones) but it will only do
IR or RS232 ports, not the PC Card serial. The author, Elvin Slavik,
has basically vanished from the 'net, after many hours of google'ing I
found one reference to him from 2003, his yachting club in Australia
mentions him working at an event, but the yacht club people didn't
reply to emails I sent them for forwarding to the author... but that's
the right continent and city for him to be in. Internet Archive
actually had some of his samples maps saved so I can download them from
there and yup, I'm in N America :)

If someone who can speak NS can rework the IR toggle in MapPad to
instead talk to the PC Card serial, that would be really neat. I tried
really hard to get through to the author, with no luck- Elvin Slavik,
South Melbourne perhaps, Australia for sure, as of 2003.

Try <http://www.gpsy.com/gpsinfo/software.html> for some starter info
on Newton offerings from way back. Be prepared for dead links and to
use www.archive.org to pull some stuff up. And don't forget to check
out UNNA; I'm not sure what is and is not there, I know some Trimble
stuff should be present plus GPS Map Lite.

If this isn't enough to get you started, and you can't find other posts
in the archive, post again and I'll dig and find the messages- but they
are there somewhere.

HTH.

Brian

-- 
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-- Theodore Roosevelt, speaking on President Wilson's crackdown on 
dissent after the U.S. entered W.W.I
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