Laptop GPS mapping software needed for Helicopter application

You can not change the data rate over USB. It is fixed at 115,200 and Mobile PC will not support that rate. From my testing Mobile PC can support 38,400 bps. If you can't use Bluetooth, you can not use the iTrek M7 with Mobile PC!

The only other GPS I have that supports 5 Hz refresh is a qStarz BT-Q890. It also uses the MTK chipset and is fixed at 115,200 bps over USB so is not suitable for Mobile PC. Using Bluetooth, it works fine.

Terry

OK, Disregard question #2, I found the Com Port using the driver settings page; and confirmed that Bluetooth is disabled on this machine.

If you can't use Bluetooth, Mobile PC will not work with the iTrek M7.

Terry

Thanks again Terry, looks like the old iTrek M7 won't work...is there any other USB receiver (Or I have a serial port) that refreshes greater than 1 hz that would work on MobilePC?

If baud rate is preventing a USB GPS receiver from working with GPS software, you can use GpsGate. GpsGate will act as a baud rate converter. It will adjust to what ever baud rate your software requires.

Gpsgate has a 14 day trial. You can test it if it works to your satisfaction.

Good suggestion Marvin. I never tried that with the 5 Hz option as I had Bluetooth. But if GPS Gate reduces the data rate to 4800, the higher refresh would not work. I'll have to test that!

Terry

Marvin is correct. Specifically, I have used GPSGate to connect my M7 to Mobile PC with a USB connection. It still puts through the full 5Hz update rate if you set the M7 refresh rate to that.

...ken...

I will agree as far as I could test. Setup was a snap and Mobile PC see the GPS Gate output. The bars on the satellite page appear to be changing faster than once a second so it looks like it works fine.

Terry

Terry, you can really see the faster refresh rate working on the road. Especially if you have "snap to road" set. You might remember that I reported in previous testing that I really don't like the 5Hz refresh for road navigation because it shows up as a lot of "jitter" on the vehicle icon?

If you are driving down a road and your vehicle location, as reported by the GPS, is consistently off the road a bit, the software has to place the icon and then snap it back to the road. This shows up as constant sideways jitter. It's not bothersome at a 1Hz refresh rate because the forward motion is much greater than the sideways motion to snap to the road. But with 5Hz refresh, the forward motion isn't much more than the sideways motion so it gets rather annoying.

But 5Hz definitely works through GPSGate (works fine in Mobile PC and iGuidance and Street Atlas but not so much in Streets&Trips).

In the air or any other offroad situation it's not an issue because you don't want it snapping to roads anyway. (rono, if you haven't already found it, it's in Settings > Map > Show Location > At GPS Location.)

...ken...

I am painfully aware of that thread, Ken. I just didn't realize (or had forgotten) you used a USB connection to the M7 for your tests.

terry

OK, it seems the gods are truly against my success here...GPSGate works perfectly, I created a 'garmin emulator' connection, but my Mobile PC still can't find a receiver (And i Know it's working correctly). ON the input side, I found and selected the com port (GPS Gate confirmed it was working properly); on the output side I created a separate 'garmin emulator' connection; selected a virtual com port from the drop-down list. I tried to get Garmin Mobile PC to find a sattelite and it still won't do it. I selected USB on the Mobile PC side, can't ever find a sattelite receiver; should I do a serial port search and try to match the com ports? What am I doing wrong?? Believe it or not, I'm a reasonably intelligent guy, or at least I like to think so, but maybe I'm not...my wife could be right after all these years...I've got to stay positive, can't think like that...

Mobile PC does not require a 'Garmin Emulator'. It works fine with NMEA outputs. Just do a standard Wizard thing with GPS Gate and it will create several COM ports. Mobile PC will find one of them and work fine.

*EDIT* COM means serial. Don't second guess these programs!

Terry

I tried to do the standard wizard, but the wizard can't even find my GPS receiver...however, if I go to settings and manually select the com port, it works and GpsGate states that it's receiving accurate GPS info...

If GPS Gate is showing a green indicator in the notification bar, it is happy with your input setting. Make sure you have allowed GPS Gate to set up at least one virtual COM port on the output tab.

*Make sure Mobile PC is the latest version (5.00.60) as some older versions do not work with GPS Gate.*

Let Mobile PC scan for a GPS serial port (not USB) and it should find the GPS Gate output COM port.

Terry

The version of Mobile PC is listed in Settings - About.

Latest version is here:

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/store/do...=139&pID=13484

Terry