Bluetooth GPS connection to laptop

I am trying to configure my Vaio laptop with Vista Business so it can detect my bluetooth gps receiver Xaiox Wonder - X. I have not have a success yet. At this point, the GPS receiver indicates that has a good satellite signal and a good BT connection, Vista has configured the BT conection but, and here is my first problem: I do not know how the information of the receiver get to the laptop. Do I have to set up especial files to recieve the data? Where? At the Bluetooth Exchange Folder? My best bet is: there must be a software to do that. Which? My second problem results when I try to use the strret map software GPSS form UK. It does not detect the information that supossedly the receiver is sending. Any suggestions?
Thank you for your attention

If the laptop uses the default Vista Bluetooth stack, you should see a little blue icon whith a white b on it in the notification bar ( bottom right of your screen. Right-click on this icon and choose 'Add a Bluetooth Device' from the top of the list.

Make sure your Bluetooth GPS is turned on. Check the box on the Bluetooth Wizard screen and choose Next. The program will search for all Bluetooth Devices within range and display them as a list. Choose your device from this list (if you don't use Bluetooth, it may be the only thing on the list) and click Next.

You will get a password screen. Click the Use the Passkey found... radio button and fill in your passkey (probably 0000).
The program will connect to your device and show you which COM ports it is assigning. Make a note of the Outgoing port and click Finish.

You will then have to tell your navigation program to look at this COM port to find the GPS.

Terry

Attached Images

Vista BT1.jpg (67.9 KB)

Vista BT2.jpg (123.8 KB)

Vista BT3.jpg (119.1 KB)

Vista BT4.jpg (113.3 KB)

Unless you have the software-only version of Garmin's Mobile PC, in which case you just have to tell it "Use Bluetooth" and it will find it. (You still need to go through the Bluetooth wizard first, one time, as Terry described.)

...ken...

Actually, most of the programs discussed here will automatcally find a Bluetooth GPS, some via its COM port (S&T, iGuidance, SA and sometimes nRoute) and one via Bluetooth (Mobile PC).

Unfortunately, I am not familiar with the one mentioned, GPSS, nor its capabilities.

Terry

Thank you for your answers. It looks like I will have to find out how GPSS finds a bluethoot GPS.
I will keep you informed.
Edgar

You were right Terry, GPSS was not listening to the BT COM port. I found the way to fix the problem and now everything is working. Thank you very much
Edgar

I'm happy to hear it works ok.
Glad I could help.

Terry

Hello, maybe somebody can help me with my bt garmin receiver the mobile10. It works fine with the maps of the USA instaledl in my laptop.But I cannot makeit work with Google Earth Plus. It just says it could not find the device. Any ideas.

I want to use it in Israel, and I cannot get any maps for my laptop that work in Israel.

Thanks very much.

Is that the GPS10 (the one with the magnetic base and miniscule power connector) or the GPS10x (with the belt clip and mini USB connector)? Either are capable of standard NMEA output, however will be switched to Garmin mode if you use them with nRoute. To restore it to NMEA, cycle the power off then on again.

If you are using Garmin Mobile PC, it connects directly via Bluetooth to the GPS. Earthplus needs to know which COM port the Bluetooth stack has assigned to the GPS10/10x.

If you can let us know what Bluetooth stack you are using and what version of Windows, we can tell you how to determine the appropriate COM port to point Earthplus to.

Terry

Thanks for the reply. It is the gps10x bluetooth receiver with the clip. I was able to connect the Nroute to the GPS receiver, however when try to connect to Google plus, it goes trhu all the coms, stops at the ones that is supposed to, but then it continues with all theother coms and finishes by saying that it did not find the device. There is no place to coonfigure anything, but just select garmin or magellan.
Of course I do nrttry to connect both programs at the same time.

What do you suggest? Thanks very much.

Make sure you power down the 10x after using it with nRoute. Then turn it back on and try the other program.

Terry

I did. Ijust did and still it does not connect. Do you know for a fact thatitt should work? If so I wonder what is itthat I am doing wrtong. I choose Garmin and import. Is there anything you should see where it shows that the BT receiver is connected to GE?

I am not familiar with the program. Maybe it wants a Garmin-type signal as you have to set it to Garmin.Two things to try; set the input to Magellan and see if it works; or run nRoute and when it finds the GPS, shut nRoute down but don't cycle the power on the 10x. Then try GE (set to Garmin) again.

Terry

Thanks, I will try that.,
Do with you know of any free or paid laptop maps for gps of Israel?


Thanks.

Hi lghitis, welcome to the forums. Try to post the question to Garmin Mobile PC section.

Hello. I'm a new user from Venezuela, I was looking for a forum where I could ask for a trouble with my Bluetooth GPS Receiver. It's Transystem i-737 (iblue), It was turn off for six months and now it shows me the last location where I was (six months ago) and wrong information about time, altitude, etc.. Maybe I have to reset it or something like that. I read the user's manual but there is no information about that issue. Other question is about what is the best navigation software for laptop with maps in Venezuela... Thank you

When you do not use your receiver for a long time it needs to "cold start". All that means is that it takes very long to find its current location again, almost like when you took it new out of the box.

As long as the battery is not dead, all you need to do is take it outside where it will get good view of satellites and leave it for 15 or 20 minutes. How long it will take is variable. It might only take a few minutes or it might take 20 minutes or more.

I think you can get Garmin-compatible maps for Venezuela but using Garmin software on a laptop has a number of difficulties (except for Europe and USA). It is not impossible but it takes some work. If you look through the Garmin Mobile PC section of this forum you will see many discussions about it.

I don't know if there are maps of Venezuela that will work on other brands of navigation software. If you use a search engine (like Google or Yahoo) and search for "venezuela gps maps" you should find some more information that might help.

...ken...

Here is a discussion you might find helpful. It talks about two different ways you can use Garmin navigation software to navigate with Garmin maps for places that are not in the USA or Europe.

http://www.laptopgpsworld.com/1496-new-gps-basics

...ken...

Consider using these tools to,

a) multiplex GPS output to multiple applications,

b) fix dropped connection problems:

xPort (freeware)

GPSProxy (free)

GPSGate ($$$)

Hello Alls,

Can some one tell me which Bluetooth GPS have build-in TMC (the FM traffic receiver).

Thank you

Hello friends. I hope this is the right place to get some solution to my problem. My Bluetooth receiver is unable to detect GPS signal. I am using VAIO netbook. I have changed com ports, even reformatted my netbook, but nothing happens. BT receiver is well connected with the netbook. I got the device from Satnav, India. Even their suggestions did not help.

May I expect some help?
Thanks
drkeshav

The ability of a GPS receiver to detect satellites is mainly affected by its placement. The first time you use it, it must have a good sky view for quite a while. This allows the receiver to find satellites and download information about where to look for others. Formatting your netbook will have no positive or negative effect. I don't understand what you mean about changing COM ports.

Is the battery of the Bluetooth GPS fully charged? What program are you using to test the GPS?

Terry

Dear Terry,

Thanks for the reply. In fact the experts at SatNav India told me to configure com 6 for incoming and com 7 for outgoing. So I did that. Nothing happened. Then they told me that if the Bluetooth is inbuilt, then there is no need to have two com ports for incoming and outgoing. One is enough. I did that. I placed the BT receiver in open space a number of times, but it could not detect GPS. I do not know if the device is defective. In that case I will return the device.

The software is labeled as SatGuide, and is provided by Satnav Technologies in India. I think BT receiver has SiRF III chipset. Any more help will be appreciated.

drkeshav

Whether you configure one or two COM ports is usually a function of the setup, not something you need bother with. If there are 2 COM ports, point your navigation software to the one labeled outgoing.

You seem to have been able to set it up with the computer's Bluetooth stack. Did you enter the passkey (probably 0000)? But you haven't said what software you are using to determine that the GPS is not working. What, exactly, do you have to monitor the GPS activity that leads you to believe it is not working?

Terry

Terry, he said he's using a program called SatGuide that was provided by the GPS receiver manufacturer.

drkeshav, can you provide a screenshot of the SatGuide screen as it looks when you have the GPS receiver connected so we may see what you have to work with and can make suggestions what you may try with the software?

...ken...