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segovia
Occasional Visitor
Joined: Dec 25, 2003
Posts: 2
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 Posted: Wed Mar 17, 2004 11:58 am Post subject: Handeld GPS and Laptop |
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Is there a handheld GPS that would plug into my laptop and be a GPS receiver?
I need it to work in the UK and France.
This is mainly for motorhoming and hiking.
What leads and softwate wouldI need?
Could you put the maps off the laptop onto the handheld device?
Any help appreciated
Cheers |
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Flibb
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Joined: Mar 16, 2004
Posts: 28
Location: Kent
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| Posted: Wed Mar 17, 2004 1:03 pm Post subject: |
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I use a Garmin etrex venture, it comes with the cable that lets you interface with a PC. The cable is a serial cable so if you laptop hasnt got a serial port you will need to get a usb-serial adapter. The adapters cost around £15 new on ebay and I have used one ona a friends laptop to interface with a dive computer and gps. Software wise I use memory map navigato (1:50,000 OS maps of UK) and autoroute. This runs fine on my old P2 266  .
Hope that helps
Jon |
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Flibb
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Joined: Mar 16, 2004
Posts: 28
Location: Kent
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| Posted: Wed Mar 17, 2004 4:53 pm Post subject: |
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I should have said the venture does not have a proper map onboard. Others might be able to give you more info, I am looking at connecting my etrex venture to a pocket PC so I can use proper OS maps. And using TomTom I will also get road navigation with spoken directions. I am still unsure how mutch detail all in one gps solutions have on their maps.
Jon |
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Skippy
Pocket GPS Verifier
Joined: 24/06/2003 00:22:12
Posts: 2946
Location: Escaped to the Antipodies! 36.83°S 174.75°E
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| Posted: Thu Mar 18, 2004 11:43 pm Post subject: |
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| segovia wrote: | | Is there a handheld GPS that would plug into my laptop and be a GPS receiver? |
Yes, there are lots of options. You can get a Serial, USB or Bluetooth receiver for your laptop. The price varies according to what sort of receiver you are after. Generally the GPS will come with the cable you need to connect it to your laptop. There are lots of GPS units which are receivers only. You should avoid these because they won't be any use to you when you are hiking (unless you take your laptop with you!). 
The type of GPS receiver you want is one of the handheld units from Garmin or Magellan, these have cables to connect to your PC and a power cable to connect to the 12v in your van. For Garmin GPS units you may need to buy a special combined data and power cable so you can power your GPS from the 12v in your camper and connect to the laptop serial port at the same time. 
I have a Garmin GPS, they are very robust, waterproof and designed for outdoor use. Batteries last about 12 hours depending on the model. Some more expensive units have a built-in electronic compass and barometer. This is because a GPS doesn't know which way you are facing if you are standing still, it can only give a compass heading if you are actually heading somewhere! (moving just a foot or two is usually enough though).
The latitude and longitude are usually accurate to within about 25 feet but the height reading from the GPS can be off by 50 feet or more. Some GPS units have a built-in barometer which gives a much more accurate height reading, as well as showing a plot of the atmospheric pressure over time. Neither of the barometer or electronic compass are essential, so long as you understand the limits of the GPS unit.
Take a look at some of the handheld Garmin units here:
http://www.garmin.com/outdoor/products.html
| segovia wrote: | | I need it to work in the UK and France. This is mainly for motorhoming and hiking. |
For use in your motorhome you will need street routing software with maps of the area you will be driving in. There are usually UK or European versions of the street mapping software so make sure you get the version which covers the area you need. I have not used InfoMap Navigator but it sounds pretty good and there is a review here on this website:
http://www.pocketgpsworld.com/menu_pcstreetrouting.php
It does sound like it lacks a couple of features like the ability to tell the routing calculator to avoid motorways or toll roads (useful when you are driving a leisurely trip). The "Points of Interest" lookup sounds like it doesn't support features like "Find nearest petrol station" either. That said, the price is VERY keen compared to the equivalent Pocket PC software or Garmin's Mapsource and who knows – these features may be added in the next version.
GPS with street mapping is not always 100% right, but for the 95% of the time that it does get it right, it is fantastic. If you have not used street mapping software on a GPS before then you will be astounded at how good it is.
The bad news is that for hiking purposes you pretty much can't put topographical maps (or any scanned maps) from your laptop onto a hand held GPS unit and any maps you do get have pretty sparse detail. Even the road maps for upload into a Garmin GPS are outrageously expensive. This is the reason why people spend £500 on a Pocket PC/GPS combo.
What you CAN do is use topographical mapping software on your PC (FUGAWI, OZI Explorer etc) which will allow you to scan your own maps and display them on your PC and overlay it with the GPS position, tracks and waypoints from the receiver.
http://www.pocketgpsworld.com/menu_gpstopo.php
You can then use the topomap software on the PC to mark lots of waypoints and create routes which you upload into your handheld GPS. Your GPS won't show you a map but it will show the routes and waypoints you have marked and you can navigate this way. It does mean you have to plan your hike in advance though.
You can also read map co-ordinates OSGB or Lat/Long from a paper map and enter them as waypoints in your GPS by hand or read the position off your GPS to verify where you are on the paper map.
Good luck!  |
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segovia
Occasional Visitor
Joined: Dec 25, 2003
Posts: 2
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| Posted: Fri Mar 19, 2004 1:19 am Post subject: Thanks |
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Excellent advice thanks!
This has to be the solution to me and the wife arguing and getting lost on holiday.
I just want to take advantage of the laptop and have a bit of versatility when on the bikes.
Once again thanks.
There seems to be some good deals on EBay. From USA etc, but backup and service might be a problem anyone had experience? |
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Skippy
Pocket GPS Verifier
Joined: 24/06/2003 00:22:12
Posts: 2946
Location: Escaped to the Antipodies! 36.83°S 174.75°E
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| Posted: Fri Mar 19, 2004 11:57 pm Post subject: |
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| segovia wrote: | | This has to be the solution to me and the wife arguing and getting lost on holiday. |
Oh yes, this is definitely a marriage saver.  My wife doesn't normally get excited by my gadgets, but she loves the GPS. And it does give a definitive answer to the "are we almost there yet" question. 8)
| segovia wrote: | | I just want to take advantage of the laptop and have a bit of versatility when on the bikes. |
Ahh, check out RAM mounts too then. I use a u-bolt ram mount to mount the GPS on my motorbike, they are very good. I got mine for about £22 from GPS Warehouse. You might find a good one for your laptop too.
http://www.gpsw.co.uk/about/page8.html or
http://www.ram-mount.com/
| segovia wrote: | | There seems to be some good deals on EBay. From USA etc, but backup and service might be a problem anyone had experience? |
There is no reason why the manufacturer wouldn't honour the warranty for a unit you brought from another country. The "G" in GPS does stand for Global after all so these units do travel.
If you know exactly what you want, then go ahead and buy it on ebay, but if you want the backup of a reputable dealer and UK consumer law then buy one here. I would suggest a visit to a dealer here anyway so you can have a look at what's available.
I don't have any relationship with them other than as a customer, but GPS Warehouse have a neat little showroom in London where you can have a look at all the different GPS units and mounts (and maybe try a few of them if you ask nicely). |
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