Splitting a GPS Signal

tedkay · Posted: Sun Sep 14, 2003 8:04 am Post subject: Splitting a GPS Signal

Hi

OK Dave now you've got that one sorted (you sound extremely happy about it too!) dya think you could find a way to split the Socket Bluetooth signal too?

Or alternatively is there a way I could use my now redundant Navman antennae with other software like for instance Autoroute on my laptop? Now that would be really useful because while I follow my Navigator on the Ipaq my wife could look at the big picture on the laptop (these little Vaio SRX 10" screen jobs are ideal for it cos they're small enough to sit neatly on the glove box lid)

Regards

Ted Kay

Dave · Posted: Sun Sep 14, 2003 8:04 am Post subject: Splitting a GPS Signal

It would be great, but you'd need something in-between to receive the signal and then transmit it on two different Bluetooth outgoing connections to the Pocket PC. I think this would be difficult (not impossible though).

Strangely enough you say about the laptop and the Navman sleeve. There is a way you can do this, you have to use InfraRed though. Here's an email I received from somebody else who has achieved this...

I wanted to use the navman as a GPS for my desktop PC (number of reasons !) so had a quick thing about what would be involved, searching the web I found a useful piece of software called IrPass

http://www.coolstf.com/IrPass/index.html

This is designed for passing serial data from the cradle in/out the ir port of your pocket pc.

Using this, I changed the com port to my navman, and bingo, the deskpc with the serial cable to the cradle of my ipaq, thought it had a gps unit connected. Worked a treat.

So I went one stage further, my ipaq has Bluetooth built in, so I mapped a comport from my laptop to my ipaq using Bluetooth (easy to do ), then using IrPass I mapped the navman to the Bluetooth comport and another bingo, worked straight away.

Dave · Posted: Sun Sep 14, 2003 8:04 am Post subject: Splitting a GPS Signal

One thing I've been thinking about for a while now is Wouldn't it be good if we could use one GPS Receiver and split the GPS signal to multiple PDA's ? The Road Angel sort of does this to give an external GPS port, so it must be possible!

Until recently, it's just been a dream. I posed the above question to Ronald at PC-Mobile, and several weeks later he came up with a wonderful set of cables for me to test!

This is definately a first! 8 Pocket PC's connected to one GPS Receiver!

Anyone have multiple Pocket PC's ? Just make sure you've got a handheld GPS Receiver and you can use both Pocket PC's in-car at the same time!

I'm in heaven!

The full article can be read here

emjaiuk · Posted: Wed Dec 24, 2003 3:55 pm Post subject:

Dave

I've just noticed this thread.
I've got a Ipaq 5450, BT, Ir &WLAN; a Emtac BTEPS unit, and a Toshica 5200-701, BT, Ir &WLAN Card.
Although I don't understand com port mapping etc, will the various combinations you described allow me to use GPS info on both the Ipaq and the Toshiba? If it is I'll have to start stuhying this a bit more.

Merry Christmas

Malcolm

Dave · Posted: Wed Dec 24, 2003 9:31 pm Post subject:

No, the splitting of the signal is currently only available with cabled GPS Receivers. Bluetooth only allows one device to connect at anyone time. In theory if an application was written you could receive a signal from a Bluetooth GPS, have an application transport that out as WiFi and received as WiFi on another Pocket PC (in theory) but no software exists, and there might even be compatibility issues there with using WiFi and Bluetooth concurrently.

emjaiuk · Posted: Fri Dec 26, 2003 12:22 am Post subject:

Thanks for the prompt reply, on Christmas Day no less! My excuse is that I only finally unwrapped everything this morning!

When you say it's not possible to port the GPS signal to the PC as well as the Ipaq, does that include using Irpass. Looking at there website it seems to say that it can be done although I'll bow to your experience

Malcolm

Dave · Posted: Fri Dec 26, 2003 12:13 pm Post subject:

In theory it could be done via IR, but I think this would be a very unreliable situation and you would have to be virtually in line of sight.

Personally, if this is something you really, really, really want to do, I'd just splash out and buy another GPS Receiver, you'll find it a lot less hassle.

emjaiuk · Posted: Fri Dec 26, 2003 11:56 pm Post subject:

You're probably right, but thanks anyway

Malcolm

ted655 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Mar 09, 2007 Posts: 4

If I can ask a ?? along these same lines? I'm a houseboater who is using a PC based GPS. Fugami software & a Deluo GPS reciever. My VHS radio also intergrates with a GPS reciever as does my sonar. I'm looking for a way to use the Deluo reciever and connevt to all 3 units. The inputs are NMEA 1824 cables. (I may be off on that NMEA #).
Am I in on the right discussion here?
I'm not very "techy" & need to just buy whatever I'm told I need
Thanks for any and all help, Ted :D

SimonCatlin · Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 10:21 am Post subject:

Anyone thought of using GPSgate?
http://www.gpsgate.com/Index.aspx
_________________
iPhone5, TomTom, Google maps, Navfree, Viewranger and Apple Maps (ekk)

ted655 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Mar 09, 2007 Posts: 4

I don't think I can use a USB connection. My devices use a NMEA 0183 input.

Pc-Mobile · Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2007 5:20 pm Post subject:

If your GPS has serial output, you can always split the output to several devices with the right cables.

I do not know your GPS though so cannot tell you what to use.
_________________
Pc-Mobile
http://pc-mobile.net/gps.htm

Frabble · Occasional Visitor Joined: Mar 09, 2007 Posts: 51

NMEA just describes the data format. If all your devices are NMEA 0183 then that's a good start. It doesn't define the connectors used and all sorts can be used.
How does your receiver connect to the PC?
To save guessing, if you give the exact models of the kit you're using and links if Google can't easily find anything about them, then someone might be able to help.

ted655 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Mar 09, 2007 Posts: 4

It has a serial connector. It comes with a USB adapter IF the laptop was to be the sole destination. Obviously it is only 1 of 3 destinations. The sonar is wire ends, the VVHF radio is serial.
They need to all share & play well with each other :D
Thanks, Ted

Frabble · Occasional Visitor Joined: Mar 09, 2007 Posts: 51

Looks like I have to guess Sad

Seems you have multiple talkers and I have no idea of their capabilities to drive multiple inputs. NMEA multiplexers are relatively expensive so the alternative is to use whatever serial com ports you have to connect the serial devices and/or USB to serial adapters. For multiple ports, something like this:
http://www.easysync.co.uk/index.html?lang=en-uk&target=d13.html

Use GPSGate as SimonCatlin posted above to direct the NMEA streams to the ports you want.

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