Registered: Aug 2000
Location:
Posts: 38

For what it's worth I did a final battery requirement test last night with my HandyGPS. It was able to start fine with a new set of Energizer Titanium AAA cells. I will note that it locked up the Visor once and took ~ 10 minutes to get a position fix, but it was able to lock on 5 satellites after this time, and it was fairly consistent, although not very good in my car (Saab 9000) even up against the windshield (where it is totally useless as I can not see it at all). However, when I put the NEXcells (fully charged with a peak detecting charger) in it would not start up and gave me the battery/insertion error. So I believe that I have at least established that MY HandyGPS will not work with NiMH's which in my book has it going back to Nexian as soon as possible for a full refund.

- Ryan


[This message has been edited by rdanell (edited 08-18-2000).]

Registered: Mar 2000
Location: Miami, FL, USA
Posts: 96

Hi Ryan:

quote:

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Originally posted by rdanell:
I have yet to try alkalines again (just have not gone to buy any). Mike (and other HandyGPS owners), any experience using NiMH batteries in the Handy?

- Ryan

[This message has been edited by rdanell (edited 08-17-2000).]

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Registered: Aug 2000
Location:
Posts: 38

I just wanted to let you all know my latest developments getting GPS going on my Visor. I sent my HandyGPS unit back about two weeks ago now, I have not received the refund check yet, but I will keep on them if they don't send it soon (anyone else had any trouble getting your money back from Nexian?).

I was going to wait and see what the Geode looked like before I decided on a GPS unit, but then I got to thinking:
Do I really want to take my VDX ($250) and the Geode ($250) out with me mountain biking and hiking where they both could potentially be damaged? NO.

So what about handheld GPS units? The Garmin eTrex is selling for $114 at several online GPS vendors and it is quite small, has NMEA output, etc. Plus it is WATERPROOF (the Visor definitely is not) and it is ruggedized (already dropped it on the floor once without any trouble). So as you can see I ordered one. I also have one of WaC's serial Hotsync converters/connectors to complete the GPS interface. I just got the GPS three days ago and got the connector and wiring harness setup last night so here are my initial impressions:

1) Yes carrying a GPS unit and your Visor is not as cool as an all-in-one unit. However, the eTrex is REALLY small, shorter and thinner than the Visor but a little deeper. The eTrex also is a really nice looking piece of electronics, so if you MUST carry two (the only GPS-Visor option now with Handy being further delayed) devices these are two nice ones to carry.
2) The eTrex works GREAT. I really mean that. It is about 1000 times better than my HandyGPS, it gets a lock in about 10 seconds, retains lock under all the tree cover I have tried, I have even been able to get a position lock inside my apartment! It retains lock in the drivers seat of my car (under the metal roof), in my pocket, in my jersey pocket when I am riding, everywhere I would want to carry it.
3) After testing the output voltages of the eTrex things looked good for using WaC's serial converter so I wired that up and it works great! The Visor is able to communicate with the GPS without any trouble. So for those of you out there wondering, it looks like his connector will work for Garmin units, at least the eTrex and eMap.
4) It is really nice to be able to just take the eTrex, have it always record my route and not have to worry about damaging my Visor. If I want to have mapping capability than I can plug in my Visor, if not, I don't have to risk it.
5) Battery life. I have only put in one set of Energizer Titaniums but they have already lasted several hours and are only about 1/6th down. The reported life is 22 hours on alkalines (I think that is with battery saver mode on), I will be testing NiMH's in the next couple weeks and will report here how they do.

I would highly recommend the eTrex. Being so small and providing such high performance, while still being the cheapest receiver with a data output, I don't see why you would buy anything else. Even after buying separate software it is only slightly more than the HandyGPS was and it is SO much better. After I have a couple weeks of use under my belt I will post my final impressions.

Registered: Sep 2000
Location:
Posts: 5

Been following this thread for a while. It seems that the Etrex/serial cable solution looks like the way to go. just a few questions, sorry for being such a newbie.

Is NMEA a communications standard or a mapping protocol?

What software are you using to put maps on the Visor?

What kind of (if any) software has to run on the Visor with this solution?

__________________

Keith

Registered: Mar 2000
Location: Hermosa Beach, CA
Posts: 222

rdanell, thanks for all that info. i have had bad experiences with my handygps and have sent it back also. i just received my refund check from them over the holiday weekend. i've been now looking into buying a stand-alone unit and making a cable to connect to my visor.

i agree with everything you've said especially about wanting to be able to carry only the gps when i need to. a hard crash on my bike or dropping it on the trail would be easier on my wallet if it was just my gps and not both my gps and visor.

the only time i would use the gps and the visor would be in my car and the chances of something horrible happening to both would be minimal. besides, when you're hiking/biking/etc, would you really need road maps on your gps? a gps unit with a map is really all you need. the only time i would need road maps would be when i'm actually on a road (i.e. in my car).

the only problem is that i don't have the time to make my own cable and have been looking for other alternatives like buying one from someone. do you know where or whom i can buy one from?

ps - i think it should also be mentioned that the cost of the pc cable for the garmin etrex should be put into consideration since its cost is significant ($29), at least for me.


[Edited by Nhatman on 09-06-2000 at 04:27 PM]

Registered: Aug 2000
Location:
Posts: 38

I am glad my information has been useful for some of you. I too was a newbie not long ago and spent a lot of time reading and surfing to learn what I have, so I am happy to tell you what I know. I used my eTrex/Visor setup fairly extensively this weekend on a trip from Chapel Hill to Hilton Head Island. I downloaded the newly available Solus Pro 2.0 mapping application from http://www.delorme.com and used a planned route to navigate there. I will say that I was not able to download vector based maps before I left, apparently their MapConnect site was not fully up and running, so I just used the raster maps that were available. I have, since my return, been able to download and use vector maps, so that problem has obviously been resolved. I am still really happy with the unit. It tracks satellites very well, only having slight problems with the unit between the seats of my car - great reception with it on the dash. I really liked using the routing features of Solus, it was so handy to have it beep before you have to make a turn. It even allowed me to figure out that my speedometer was miscalibrated (reading too low at high speeds by about 7 mph), very handy. I also used the GPS separately to track walks on the beach, etc. I would not want to take my Visor out there, but just the GPS is no big deal!

First to answer your questions:
> is NMEA a communications standard or a mapping protocol?
NMEA is a communications standard, National Marine Electronics Association I believe (boaters were one of the first to be very concerned with GPS and interfacing them with other units, such as auto-pilots).

> What software are you using to put maps on the Visor?
As above, I am using Solus Pro 2.0. The combination of vector maps, routing, option for topo maps, integration with address book all made it the obvious choice for me. There are several other programs available, however, see below.

> What kind of (if any) software has to run on the Visor with this solution?
You don't "have" to run any software on the Visor. However, the eTrex has no mapping capability, so if you want maps and directions, etc. then you need some software on the Visor. Also there is at least one program (GPSa) available that allow you to transfer waypoints, routes and tracks from the eTrex to the Visor and vice-versa (for waypoints and tracks at least). You can get GPSa (a beta vertsion) at the following link:
http://users.javanet.com/~tlovell/
There are several other programs for the Palm that are more fully featured that do similar things for Garmin units, however, I have not found that any will work with the eTrex (besides GPSa), not sure why.

About cables� I am currently using a home-made cable based on the Hotsync connector Wayne (WaC - see above posts) made for me. I then wired this into a serial cable myself for connecting to my eTrex. I made my own eTrex adaptor based on some designs I saw on the web, but you can buy 2 eTrex adaptors for $15 total (use one for a Visor cable and one for a PC cable) from the following site (kind of an interesting business plan - just read the info pages, but it seems to work and their connectors are said to be first rate - I have not recieved mine yet):
http://pfranc.com/projects/g45contr/emap/index.htm
So the cost here is $10 (connector from Wayne) + $15 = $25 (definitely the cheapest option), plus some three conductor wire and a little soldering. As long as you have a little soldering experience it will not take you more than 30 minutes to make this connector, and then you will have a single cable that is perfect for your application.

If you really don't have the time, than it seems like the ATL serial cable (see the Accessories discussion) and a Garmin serial cable and a gender changer is the easiest option (but you will have a lot of extra connectors in the cable).

For other general GPS info I would highly recommend the following site:
http://joe.mehaffey.com/
A little surfing around will probably get you to this site as it is very popular within GPS circles. From that site you can get to the following site:
http://celia.mehaffey.com/dale/pilotgps.htm
This is specific for information about using a GPS with Palm based handhelds.

Registered: Mar 2000
Location: Hermosa Beach, CA
Posts: 222

great info, rdanell. i've actually followed all of your links and i definitely understand a lot more now than i did before. unfortunately, because i'm not as ignorant as i was, it sounds like the ATL cable will not work with a GPS unit as-is because of the power draw issue; an issue that Mark/Space has addressed. now i just need to wait for them to start shipping them.

thanks again, rdanell!

Registered: Sep 2000
Location:
Posts: 5

Cool... thanks for all the info. I think I'll be going the eTrex + Solus route now. It looks like this way is not only cheaper, it's more versatile since you have the standalone unit to use in places you don't want to take your Visor.

Seems like there is a good opportunity for someone to package all this stuff together and make the cables and all. Been a while since I soldered anything but I think I could handle making the cable and all but I think this is going to be my Merry Christmas to me present.

__________________

Keith

Registered: Sep 2000
Location:
Posts: 15

GPS car power cable

Has anybody built a Pfranc cable with a power adapter for the car? The Pfranc site, http://www.pfranc.com/projects/g45contr/emap/assemb.htm, lists several options for dropping from the car's 12 VDC to the 3.00 +/-15 VDC required for the Etrex. Being more mechanical than electrical, I don't know the pros and cons. Hopefully you sparkies out there can set us nut-and-bolt types straight. Also, what's the best way to split the cable. Does Radio Shack make a "Y" shrink tube? How about the Pfranc connector - any good? Opinions anybody? Might be time to dust off that ol' soldering iron...

Thanks much.
- ThunderRay

Registered: Aug 2000
Location:
Posts: 38

ThunderRay,
I can not speak totally from personal experience, as I am still waiting for my e-Plug from my Pfranc, but I have heard that they are very nice, well made, etc. So I think that the plug itself comes highly recommended.

With respect to the car power adaptor, I would recommend using a voltage regulator. Several different regulators are available that will put out 3 VDC (NOT +/- 15VDC) given a supply of 12 volts or so. The regulator approach is the most straight forward and will be the highest quality. Most regulators have 3 leads, one for power in, one for power out, and one for ground, so wiring is pretty simple. The problem is finding these. Last time I was at Radio Shack they did not have any, and it was not clear that they carried them, as 5V is much more commonly used for digital electronics. There are several options for ordering the regulators, I have heard that http://www.mouser.com, is a good source. At work we usually use http://www.DigiKey.com, but they have a $25 min. order or you get an extra charge. A quick search of Mouser gave this unit, http://www.mouser.com/products/deta...p;source=search, which should work fine. I am sure there are other electronics supply outfits on the web you could find as well.

Again, I know that Y shrink wrap is available, I am just not sure Radio Shack has it (see a trend here?). Maybe you could get some when you order the 3V regulators?

Lastly I would just like to ask if you have tried rechargeables with the eTrex yet? I have been using NiMHs with my eTrex and have had very favorable results. I WAS planning on making a car adaptor but am now going to hold off. I have found that the unit will run for 6-8 hours on a single set of NiMHs, maybe more actually, I have only gone through one recharge cycle and did not keep very accurate track of the runtime. With this kind of time I don't see that I will really need a car adaptor. Just get two sets of batteries and you have a whole day of driving around covered.

- Ryan

Registered: Sep 2000
Location:
Posts: 15

Ryan,

Thanks for the good info. I'm actually shopping for the Etrex right now. I was debating the relative merits of buying vs. making my data cable. If I were to make one, though I figured I might as well add the power capability into it just in case I'd ever need it. Glad to hear the rechargeables hold up so well!

T-Ray

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: NY
Posts: 26

geocaching

something fun to use your gps for:
http://www.geocaching.com
kinda a worldwide gps treasure hunt of sorts..

i chose to get a magellan 315 for hiking etc since its waterproof and much more, well rugged than my visor. i'd love mapping features for driving though, and i think eventually i'll get something for the visor, unless prices on the gps mapping handhelds and their cdroms go down drastically, visor springboard seems the potentially cheapest way to go. maybe. we'll see what develops..

andy

Registered: Dec 2000
Location:
Posts: 13

Magellan VISOR GPS $149

My answer to your question is: get a Magellan GPS Springboard. I have just preorderd mine at MarcoSoft. They will start shipping by the end of January http://www.marcosoft.com They have licensed Quo Vadis to Magellan. For $149 you get the GPS and two software programs. One is a Navigation program (Nav Companion) that will give you all the usual GPS features, the other is Map Companion (a rebranded Quo Vadis v.2.0) with all the maps covering the entire US.

They told me that batteries will last 10 hours. There is also an optional power cable for the car.


[Edited by dxbup on 01-19-2001 at 10:16 PM]