USB GPS dongle

[TekWarren]

Hey guys, I've been wanting a GPS in the worst way for almost a year now and I may have a solution now...and at a great low cost!

I work for a small IT department and we each just got a new Dell mini 9 for testing as we may consider rolling them out to the students in our district. For those of you don't know its Dell's new ultra mini sub-notebook or "netbook". Sweet little device, solid state hard drive and no moving parts. The 9 is meaning its size in 9". I've only had the thing about 24hrs and I'm already thinking of personal uses for it LOL.

Anyway I'm looking at this USB GPS/data logger dongle. For $40 if it works well enough I can do everything I want which is mainly tracking/recording trails and manipulate them on the fly if the mood strikes.

Here is the unit I'm looking at: http://www.buygpsnow.com/Canmore-GT-730F(L)-USB-GPS-Tracker-Stick-Data-Logger-with-A-GPS-Support__1038.aspx

It states that the technology improves reception and will work plugged in directly to a laptop usb port. If needed however I could make a usb extension cable and locate the receiver in a more open area on the dash. Just wondering if anyone has any experience with type of setup or not or has any thoughts about what I hope to do?

[scottrock]

I've been considering the same thing as I am currently shopping around for a GPS but don't want to drop $500 on a Rhino :eek2:

I want to get a USB GPS module as a compliment to map software, a backup GPS as well as a planning tool. As a primary navigation tool, my laptop is not a viable solution to me. And I have a rather small Dell Latitude D430 that "could" be mounted up front but nah... too much. Space is already at a premium in a Wrangler. 9" laptop, another story altogether. Just hope that solid state drive has enough free disk space for a map program! Have they gotten over 36GB yet? I'm sure they have.

On another note, I found refurbished Magellan Crossovers on Ebay for $100.

Can you say "Merry Christmas to ME!!!!"? :ya:

[TekWarren]

We got the 16GB SSD drives in our minis. I'm not sure if dell offers a larger capacity at this point or not...but you can buy them. I found today 36GB for around $120 and 64GB for a little under $250. Prices are not bad but you have to consider the minis starting price is around $350. Also you can throw in a mini SD memory card on the mini for more space...I had an older 8GB card I put in mine, its not fast but its somewhere to store stuff. If you really had to you could run an external hard drive (laptop size) which i have also...but then you'd definitely want to have power to the mini. The size this unit is makes it about perfect for the dash above the radio. I'll have to figure out something to stabilize it but it wouldn't take much...thing weighs nothing!

[scottrock]

Nice, post up pics when you get it installed :brows:

[TekWarren]

I sure will! I'll probably order the dongle tomorrow. I will have to think about the mount so it looks decent. I could probably slap a chunk of heavy duty velcro on the bottom but don't think I want to do that just yet.

[mikejwil]

Have you looked at the DeLorme laptop GPS unit? They list it for $70 (including street atlas s/w), but you should be able to find it cheaper with a rebate deal. Their Topo s/w is very nice too...

shop.delorme dot com/OA_HTML/DELibeCCtpSctDspRte.jsp?section=10091

[TekWarren]

The Delorme looks like a decent unit but I'm not sure it would do all I wanted...maybe it would.

The Canmore GT-730F(L) does data logging which helps with recording tracks along with some other new technology:

Receiver Type 54 parallel channels, L1 C/A code
Accuracy Position 5m CEP
Velocity 0.1m/sec
Startup Time < 1sec hot start
(average) < 30sec cold start
Signal Reacquisition 1s
Sensitivity -155dBm Re-acquisition
-160dBm tracking
-147dBm Cold Start
Update Rate 1Hz standard
Dynamics 4G (39.2m/sec2)
Operational Limits Altitude < 18,000m or velocity < 515m/s
(COCOM limit, either may be exceeded but not both)
Protocol NMEA-0183 V3.01
GPGGA, GPGLL, GPGSA, GPGSV, GPRMC, GPVTG, GPZDA
38400 baud, 8, N, 1
Datum Default WGS-84
User definable
Input Voltage 3.8~8V DC
Power Consumption < 42mA (1Hz standard version)
Dimension 73.5mm L x 27mm W x 10mm H
Weight: 18g (Including Battery)
Operating Temperature -40oC ~ +85oC
Humidity 5% ~ 95%

It also has A-GPS which assists in satellite acquisition. You can download data that contains sat locations which is supposed to speed up connectivity (15 seconds it says on the site).

I figure play with a few different software application and find which one(s) suit my needs best.

[TekWarren]

Well I got the "dongle" yesterday, nice wasn't expecting it for another day or two. Didn't get to play with it much since the neighbor brought his laptop over and wanted some work done on it :naw:

I got the driver installed and think I updated the AGPS (was trying to watch tv shows at the same time). The software includes an app that shows the data coming in and the satellites its connecting to. Seems to connect very quickly! I didn't fire up the data logger program yet. I am wondering what software to use now? I wouldn't mind having two separate if it meant the best of both worlds, one for offroad and tracking and one for regular road trips. I downloaded google earth but then realized you have to pay to enable GPS support. I also have to keep in mind that the screen is small and the resolution is 1024x600. Google earth warned me about the resolution but looked ok when I opened it.

I'll do some searching on the forums and elsewhere to get an idea of what apps to use. My comment about not paying for google earth is not meant to say I won't pay for software simply that I want to be sure that before I pay I know it will do what I want.

[TekWarren]

Haven't played with the setup much yet but I've played with Delorme street atlas a little bit and the dongle works fine with it. I need to start looking at something for offroad now or something that can do both decently. I also still need play with a secure mount for the Dell mini.

Ended up buying my wife a mini for a christmas present LOL...there is a code on the net to get it for $299 with the 8gb SSD and windows XP

[GreytSilly]

I use Delorme Street Atlas on a laptop with a GPS antenna plugged into the USB port. Works very well, you can plot routes with it and it tracks your location on screen as you move. Delorme also makes a topo map software that I would imagine works with an external antenna too. My antenna is a Holux unit, about half the size of a pack of cigarettes.

[TekWarren]

Thanks for your input, the software does look really great and seems easy to use. I only had it going in the house but as Christmas approaches I'll have to run it when traveling to see family. I'll look for that topo software also, I think I saw it on the site but didn't look into it yet.

[neoxxis]

I use my laptop with a USB GPS (80$ / 26 channels) and Google Earth...

You can pre-download the area that you ride in and track your way on the satellite map...

This is very effective in the woods since a "car GPS unit" normally only shows roads...

And with this plugin you can track your trip in real-time and even save your tracks...

http://goopstechnologies.com/goops.html

Nice little plugin I think...
Saved me at least twice while it was getting dark outside and we were at least 4 hours away from home, in the woods "somewhere"...
No map could do as much a good job as seeing the real environment around you...

:thumbsup:

[TekWarren]

I'll have to try that...seems similar to this app: http://mboffin.com/earthbridge/

[qzing01]

You could look into Garmin Mobile PC. you can go with a bluetooth sirfIII reciever or a usb 20x which also uses the sirfIII technology. it also comes with maps.

[woffles]

A little late now but I use a Nuvi 500. Nice little unit which I can use hand held also if I want.

[qzing01]

Good unit! I am kind of partial to Garmin units.

[neoxxis]

I'll have to try that...seems similar to this app: http://mboffin.com/earthbridge/

Yeah I checked both and EarthBridge is very interesting...

But I'd say both do a pretty good job... :thumbsup:

[neoxxis]

Hey!

I tried EarthBridge again on Google Earth 5 this week-end...
With my USB GPS, it does the perfect job!!!
EarthBridge shows you where you are headed on the satellite photos and follows you, and you can have "track point" added to the map automatically...

Very nice, very impressive...

:thumbs:

[TekWarren]

Glad to hear it worked for ya...I actually installed it but did NOT get it working. I may just not be doing something right though. I got it set to my com port so I know its getting data but google earth (latest ver) didn't seem to be doing anything :thinking:

I'll have to play with it more this week...have a trail run coming up this weekend!

[neoxxis]

Here is what I do to make it work...

-Obviously, boot laptop and connect GPS to USB port.
-I had an utility with the GPS named GPS INFO, which shows which port the GPS is connected to. This way I can see that my second USB port on the left of the laptop is COM7.
-In EarthBridge, I go to Preferences, select COM7 as my port, and click "Connect to GPS" at the bottom...
-In EarthBridge, in GPS Status, you can see trafic with the satellites, etc...
-It wont work until you get "Fix acquired"...

Once fix is acquired, on the first tab of EarthBridge, you have a button to "Re-open in Google Earth"...
Click this...
Google Earth should open and "dive" to your position, showing a view angle at around 45 degrees, and it will follow you on the picture as you move with the vehicule...
(You have to open Google Earth with the Re-open button in EarthBridge because this will open a "network link" in GE and that's what allows GE to follow the GPS position...)

It's way easier to really see it happen if you're moving in a vehicule...

Ok, not super clear as I re-read myself but it should get you started... :thumbsup:

[TekWarren]

Thanks for the tips. I think I see some of my error. I probably had google earth open the whole time, may not have been waiting long enough for acquisition. I was also in the house at the time LOL. I'll run it on the way home today and try it.


Thanks again!

[TekWarren]

got it working last night. Weird though...it was streaming data from the GPS but it wouldn't show any sat locks. After a few times of pulling the usb dongle out and putting it back in...one time it just started working. I'm going to fire it up in a few minutes and try and record my drive home. If it works well I'll use it to record saturday.

[deadspot]

I was going to give a dittos to Delorme Street Atlas and the GPS puck. I also have a Garmin Map 60 which I like when hiking around out side of the Jeep. I like having the laptop because at times it's nice to have a full screen view of the map and it's easier to adjust your trip, etc. Some times the small screen on a regular auto GPS (I have a Magellan for normal street use) just gets frustrating because you can't see the bigger picture.

But I have to admit - for all my playing around with my GPS, trying to make my own topo maps, etc - I didn't catch on to tools like earthbridge or GooPs. I can't wait to play with that. Glad I checked this thread!


EDIT - I couldn't wait - that worked great - i used my Delorme GPS puck with the Delorme emulator, EarthBridge, and google earth. I think a couple other people mentioned Delorme - I found this write-up from someone which I found helfpul - http://www.instructables.com/id/SYBMYIOF4WXXLN6/. Now more stuff to waste time on...

[neoxxis]

The Google Earth / EarthBridge fan base is growing... ;)