GPSOut info sent from FSX to Garmin GPS & vice-versa

[Serte]

Hello!

I have two questions:

1) I am wondering what information is sent from FSX to GPSOut - I am able to get position info but not able to get any flight plan info into my GPSMap 396

2) Is there any way to have what is on the Garmin 396 control FSX - if a approach is loaded on the GPS, can FSX interpret and fly the approach using that data.

Thanks in advance for your input.

[Pete Dowson]

1) I am wondering what information is sent from FSX to GPSOut - I am able to get position info but not able to get any flight plan info into my GPSMap 396

GPSout makes FS emulate a GPS feeding information to a moving map, to show position, altitude and speed, those elements allowed by the relevant NMEA 0183 protocol sentences and the only useful information for that purpose. Quite often it is the moving map program which contains the plan which it has generated for FS in the first place -- for instance, as with Jeppesen's FliteStar (for which the package was originally written).

The current trend to use a real GPS as the moving map program for FS seems odd to me, but if folks enjoy that it is fine. However, if you want your flight plan in your real GPS you'd need to feed it in there just as you do in FS.

2) Is there any way to have what is on the Garmin 396 control FSX - if a approach is loaded on the GPS, can FSX interpret and fly the approach using that data.

No, not by any means I know. If the GPS was capable of outputting the needed information at the rate needed for good controlled flight, like an autopilot, then I expect you could write an interface program to do that, but I'd be doubtful that it could. Do you use the GPS yourself to control a real aircraft? Or is it simply providing the information for you to set the autopilot or for you to hand fly?

Regards

Pete