GlobalSat BT-359 and Garmin Mobile PC

OK...this is really weird. You are right..my GPSInfo app, although is receiving data, is not showing the satellites at the bottom, but it does give valid coordinates. I didn't even know it was supposed to show the satellites as it has never shown the graph at the bottom. But it has to be working and have a lock, as I used it driving to Missoula and back, testing with several destinations and it was dead on! I even tested with the GPSInfo app while in route (I wasn't driving, BTW), but no satellite graph!

I remembered that nRoute shows a good 3D satellite position and accuracy screen. I'm at work so I went outside and sure enough, even though nRoute locked right on my new position 10 miles away from home, it showed no satellites!!! I even got in the car and drove around the block and it tracked me perfectly on the map and showed street names.

Evidently, it is working OK, but is not transmitting the satellite positional info. nRoute, S&T, Google Earth, and Nat'l Geo TOPO must not care, but Mobile PC is pickier.

I am really confused now!

But the green light is flashing, which according to GlobalSat documentation, the "GPS position is fixed".



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#30 on Terry's FAQ file:
30.) Q: Why is my GPS receiver detected by Bluetooth but no communication is being established to GPSInfo or my third party mapping application?
30.) A: Some BT-359 receivers have been found with the NMEA protocol disable. You may consider using a Bluetooth enabled notebook or desktop and SirfDemo program to switch the receiver back into NMEA mode. If problems persists, continue by removing rechargeable battery for a period of 1-3 hours. This action allows the device to reset

Karen, on your above screen shot see your GPS receiver outputting only two NMEA sentences (GGA and RMC). I wonder if this, while sufficient for Streets & Trips, may not be enough data for Garmin Mobile PC to function properly.

Is there some utility software that came with your GPS receiver? If yes, does it have the ability to enable and disable individual NMEA sentences?

AHA.....SUCCESS!

I took the battery out for 2 hours to let it reset. Maybe the previous owner had "reconfigured" it?

Marvin, nothing came with my receiver as I got it on Amazon ("Used-Like New") for $18. No software, no charger cables, no docs, nothing! Just a receiver in a padded envelope.
Now, I have RMC, GGA, GSA. Don't know what that means, but it's more than I had before!
I did discover SIRFDemo from Terry's doc from GlobalSat's web site. May take a look at it when I get a chance.

GMPC has dodged another bullet...lol.

Thanks guys!

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That's possible for a variety of reasons. For example, some users experience crashes with Streets & Trips, which can be helped by disabling $GPGSA.

I was missing GSA - "overall satellite reception data" - GMPC must need it!
"GPGSA sentences contain information on the quality of the positional fix and the individual satellites from which it was derived."

Wow! Have I learned a lot from this experience.

Thanks Marvin! You were posting while I was composing!

You are most welcome, Karen. We all have learned from this.

What you and Marvin said .. learned lots. It makes sense that Mobile PC wants the satellite reception data. It's interesting that it refuses to work without it, though.

...ken...

It was fortunate that GPSInfo needed it too or you might never have guessed that something was missing.

Terry

Troubleshooting is always so interesting as it is like detective work. I am not even a big fan of GMPC, but I refused to let it beat me! The knowledge I gained was immeasurable! Who would have ever thought that taking the battery out for 2 hours would solve the problem (and put the data stream back in). I got the idea from Terry's FAQ page. And Marvin's observation made me Google all those data streams just to see what they do. (I was so "blissfully" ignorant 5 years ago with my GPS 18 and nRoute!)
Thanks to everyone for your help! I learn from all of you!

Bottom line...GMPC is very greedy and requires a lot of data to work.

And statements like that are what keep me doing this sort of thing for fun after thirty years of doing it for a living. I am constantly learning radically new ways of thinking about and articulating things that I may have known about for years but could never really explain very well to folks with no technical background.

Thank you!!

...ken...

LOL...glad I could be of assistance!

BTW, Ken, what DO you do for a living? Enquiring minds want to know. In fact, what do all of you do?
I am a long time (28 yrs) Laboratory Medical Technologist. I can solve all of your blood (and other specimens) tests questions. And if you ever need a transfusion, I'm here for you, as Blood Bank is my speciality!

Hi Karen,

I'm retired. I worked in the telecommunications industry for thirty years, in a Canadian telco for most of that time. I started in the IT department and spent about half my career there before I got totally fed up with the mainstream IT mentality. I moved to the Engineering department for the remainder of my time at the telco. Then I moved to Nortel .. got an offer I couldn't refuse and took an available early retirement package to make the move. I lasted a year at Nortel before the start of their now-notorious meltdown.

Although my retirement wasn't voluntary I decided to make it permanent. It allows me to spend lots of time at the golf course in the summer. Unfortunately I hate winter so I spend a lot of my time on the computer when the snow is on the ground, the days are short and the nights long.

While in the IT department I started the desktop computing operation, operated and managed it for nine years. I think that was the last straw. Before that I had been somewhat annoyed and frustrated at the attitude so many mainstream IT professionals have towards "users". After nine years of working closely with those same users -- consulting on hardware configurations and software solutions as well as operating the help desk -- and fighting to try to get them a decent level of support out of the IT mainstream I had pretty much had it.

I ended up in a systems group in the Engineering department. It was a breath of fresh air because my staff was mainly engineers with CompSci courses rather than traditional CompSci grads.

The move to Nortel was pure greed. It turned out to be a mistake.

...ken...