GPSOut + USB PocketPC (solution?)

[FunkyMunky]

Not sure if anyone's still trying to do this without a serial cable, but I managed to get GPSOut to transmit via the USB connection to my pocket PC.

Replace whatever COM4/COM3/etc entry you have next to Ports= in the ini with "\\\WCEUSBSH001", ie,

Ports=\\\WCEUSBSH001

Then kill activesync on both the PC and PocketPC, fire up your pocketPC gps software and select COM9/USB as your GPS reciever from within the PocketPC software. Start up FS2004 and hopefully everything should be working together.

I've tried this with my medion pda (rebranded Mitac Mio 168) and a friends HP ipaq without problems, and at baud rates up to 19200 (can't remember the specific value but it was close to that) using both the medion navigator (for cars) software and the PocketFMS software. Both worked particularly well.

So in a nutshell, without hardware/software mods, hopefully this will allow some of you to use GPSOut with a pocketpc without much extra messing around.

[Pete Dowson]

Not sure if anyone's still trying to do this without a serial cable, but I managed to get GPSOut to transmit via the USB connection to my pocket PC.

Replace whatever COM4/COM3/etc entry you have next to Ports= in the ini with "\\\WCEUSBSH001", ie,

Ports=\\\WCEUSBSH001

Then kill activesync on both the PC and PocketPC, fire up your pocketPC gps software and select COM9/USB as your GPS reciever from within the PocketPC software.

Hey, how on Earth did you work that out? That's brilliant! I must give that a try when I get time.

Incidentally, the GPSout.INI parameter is "Port" not "Ports".

So in a nutshell, without hardware/software mods, hopefully this will allow some of you to use GPSOut with a pocketpc without much extra messing around.

Thank you very much! Looks like I should add this to the GPSout files -- shall I credit you? If so would you rather a different name entered than "FunkyMunky"? :wink:

Regards,

Pete

[FunkyMunky]

Hey :D No need for credit, but the name's David Grierson if you feel like it .

:)

I was reading a site about updating ipaq software roms (the OS, BIOS etc) and it mentioned connecting to the device via some sort of telnet-style software using the com port name for a serial connection, and also mentioned an equivelant port name for USB. It looked pretty much like a standard windows device location and I guessed since USB is essentially a serial bus in nature (it's in the acronym after all) it might just work with GPSOut - and it did! :lol:

Sorry about the port typo, was going from memory at the time :P

I 've yet to try this with other devices, but the Mio and the ipaq definitely work ok at the moment. With the baud set high enough (PocketFMS supports massively high baud rates, but I've yet to go past 19200) the interval can be set to sub 200ms levels, and the map display becomes pretty smooth. The main problem some software might have is that they dont allow changing of the GPS port on the PDA.

[sas550]

Hi Pete! Have you looked into this yet? I can't get my Asus Mypal 620 to work this way with PocketFMS. Just curious.

[Pete Dowson]

Hi Pete! Have you looked into this yet? I can't get my Asus Mypal 620 to work this way with PocketFMS. Just curious.

No, sorry. I did download PocketFMS, but I can't even get that to install anything on my iPAQ, so I eventually gave up. I would have tried harder, but I don't actually need or want this as for a moving map with FS. I use Jeppesen FliteMap on a PC with a 20" screen! Trying to use a 3" screen for the same thing isn't that attractive to me :wink: .

Maybe when I'm less busy I will try to make PocketFMS work again.

I did also try disabling ActiveSync, which wasn't as easy as it sounds, but afterwards I had a job getting it back working correctly with my iPAQ anyway -- much trial and error and not a little cursing was involved :? .

All this makes me feel rather ignorant about the ways of PDAs, and not really eager to learn I'm afraid.

Perhaps someone else who has achieved it will jump in and help you.

Regards,

Pete

[sas550]

Ok! Tnx for your reply.

[chamois]

Hello,

I try this method with My HP Ipaq RZ1710 and PocketFMS, and it did not work :cry:

Can David explain to me more details ?

Thanks.

And i never said that before, but : thanks a lot Pete for your work !

[Wildfire563]

Just thought I would mention that PocketFMS works great with GPSOut and a USB connection. I use it all the time and have not had any problems with it using an iPAQ 3835 with a 512MB SD card. In fact as long as I leave PocketFMS on, I can quit and restart MSFS all I want and it still connects each time without intervention on my part.

There is, however, a problem with older iPAQ's and SD cards. Apparently the authors made a change in PocketFMS v.953 in the way they read their data and the maps no longer display in any version above that. The authors say they are working on the problem, but do not have a solution currently. So we are stuck using .952 until either they find a solution or we upgrade our iPAQ's. I have heard, but have not tried it myself, that upgrading to PPC 2003 will also address the problems.

My settings are:

[GPSout]

Sentences=RMC,PGRMZ,GGA,GSV,GSA,GLL

Interval=1000

Port=\\.\WCEUSBSH001 ; the dot is very important

Speed=19200

There is a good thread on setup at the PocketFMS.com support forum, but basically, the way I get it to work is too:

A. Shut off USB access to ActiveSync. You may want to unconnect the cable and do a soft reset of your iPAQ after doing this.

1. Make sure the USB cable is unconnected

2. Start PocketFMS on the PPC

3. connect the USB cable

4. Enable the GPS in PFMS on the PPC

5. Move to the map page

6. Start MSFS

7. Make sure to check back that the GPS is still enabled, enable it again if it is not.

8. That should be it. I definately suggest reading the other thread on http://www.pocketFMS.com on this subject.

[MattKD]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the info so far, do you have any tips on finding the USB address for a device...?

I wanted to try and hook up a Garmin 296 without having to go and buy an adapter cable and I was wondering if this method might work if I could find the \\path to the device, let me know if you have any tips!

Thanks!

[McDaniel]

Hi there

i also have the Garmin 296, and did not managed to get it work :oops:

any tips would be usefull :D

regards

Daniel

[McDaniel]

Hello

i have managed it, its not working with the USB cable, you have to buy the COM1 interface 9minipol cable, then you can use the gps with FS2004

:D

But be aware its just like a moving map, gpsout just export signals to the gps, sadly its not possible to setup a flight in the gps and then use it with autopilot.

Regards

Daniel

[Lefthandman]

I've tried this a number of times, with many different combinations - but unfortunately haven't managed to get it working once!

Unfortunately I currently have no access to Pocket FMS, but am testing:

- Vito Smart Navigator

- OziExplorer 2

- GPS Utilities

The PDA in question is a Fujitsu loox 420.

The most annoying part is, this all runs perfectly with the XMAPSY demo. But it offers nowhere near the same configuration features or functionality as GPSout - and I refuse to pay a silly price for something that can be done for free.

PLEASE could someone give me a hand in getting this working, I would be most grateful.

[dmoyes]

I am also looking for help on this issue. I'm trying to connect my Dell Axim X51v to display FSX data thru my Anywhere Map GPS software. Can this be done using FSUIPC4 and it's GPSout module thru the PDA's USB cradle?

Thanks,

Dennis