Delorme Topo USA 8.0 + BU-353 + Acer Aspire One = Compatible?

That's right. I've given it a 3-hour, 200-mile test using GPSgate today and had absolutely NO issues tracking/ nav mode in Topo 8.0. Not so much as a single hiccup. I do have to open things in a specific order to get everything properly recognized though:

1) Turn on computer.

2) Plug in BU-353, activating its Prolific USB to COM driver

3) Run the GPSgate program

4) Open DeLorme Topo USA 8.0 & start GPS

If the GPSgate software is running before the BU-353 driver is activated, the driver will not function and the (virtual) COM port will not be recognized (shows "No Device" on all COM ports).

Would be a great feature, though! People wouldn't have to bother with installing software drivers for their USB GPS receivers, they would just use GpsGate instead. I suggested it for GpsGate v.3, but I'm not sure how difficult it would be to implement. Perhaps impossible.

If you plug the BU-353 into your laptop before the laptop starts, and if you set GpsGate to start automatically when Windows starts, you will not have to worry about starting things in a specific order.

You are correct, sir! I just tried this, and it works like a charm--Thanks!

You're pretty proficient on the technical end of all this, Marvin. Any ideas why I can't get this setup working using the GlobalSat driver alone, but it works fine with the GlobalSat driver + GPSgate?

Which version of gpsgate did you download?

They already do it for Garmin USB receivers, as Terry pointed out. As far as I know there isn't anything super special about Garmin's USB receivers. But I've been wrong at least once before. :rofl"

...ken...

It was the 14 day trial of GPSgate standard client v2.6, though I think when it comes time to buy it, I can get by with the express version for only $12.95

Rat own brotha! Thanks!
EDIT: Gave it a good test all day today. Worked perfectly.

Whew--It's nice to have this accidental fix independently validated like this. It is, however, driving me slightly further insane not knowing how GPSgate fixes it...

True and I wonder if we even need the BU driver.

If you read the previous posts, you would know. GPS Gate will only find the BU-353 because the Prolific driver provides a COM port output from the USB GPS input. GPS Gate can only see Garmin USB devices in its present form.

Terry

Yup...you do need it.

What was given up by setting the buffers to 1?

Oh...I forgot to say...I changed my buffers back to the max and also put the flow control back to "none", since changing them didn't really solve anything for me anyway.