Moving around in Street Atlas USA

Mouse around a little inside a Street Atlas USA map. Notice that as you move the cursor around, information appears on the lower edge of the map. Anytime you move the cursor over a map feature, whether it’s a road, river, or even some open space, a line of text appears at the bottom of the map with a brief description of the feature.
The numbers in parentheses that appear before a street name description show the range of street addresses in the general vicinity of the cursor. This is handy for getting a quick idea of addresses on a particular street. You’re probably going to want to see more map than what appears on the screen, and Street Atlas USA has several ways to move the map, including

• Centering: Click a location to center the map over the cursor.
• Dragging: Whenever you move the cursor to the edge of the map, it turns into a hand icon. Hold the left mouse button down and drag the map to scroll.
• Arrow keys: You can use Alt+ the keyboard arrow keys to move the map in the direction of the arrow key you pressed.
• Compass Rose: In the Control Panel, beneath the zoom tools, is the Compass Rose. This is a series of nine buttons with yellow arrows. Click a button to scroll the map in the direction of the arrow. If you click the middle button in the Compass Rose, the previously viewed map is displayed. You can view up to the last 256 previously displayed maps by clicking this button.

Zooming in and out

With Street Atlas USA, you can view the entire United States and then zoom in for street-level detail. As you zoom in, the Data Zoom level, which is displayed at the top of the Control Panel, increases. Data Zoom level 2–0 shows the entire U.S., and Data Zoom level 16–0 shows the maximum amount of detail for a location.
Beneath the Data Zoom are three buttons that control zooming. These buttons, each with red arrows and pictures of the Earth, are from left to right

• Zoom out three levels: Click the button with three arrows pointing away from Earth.Zoom out: Click the button with the red arrow pointing away from Earth.
• Zoom in: Click the button with the red arrow pointing toward Earth. In addition to the zoom buttons, DeLorme also uses Octave controls, which are up and down arrows next to the Zoom Data level value, allowing you to have finer control over zooming in and out. Click the up arrow to zoom out; click the down arrow to zoom in.

When you click an Octave control, notice that the Zoom Data level number changes. The number to the right of the dash next to the Zoom Data level is the octave value. For example, if the current Zoom Data level were 12-3, clicking the Octave down arrow would zoom in and change the value to 12-4. (Octaves range between 0 and 7, just like a diatonic music scale.) You can also zoom in on a specific area by holding down the left mouse button and dragging down and to the right. This draws a rectangle and will zoom in to that area when you release the mouse button. You can zoom out by holding down the left mouse button and dragging up and to the left.

Exploring the Street Atlas USA interface

The Street Atlas USA user interface is made up of four different. They include the

• Map: The main map takes up most of the screen and is where all the action takes place. You’ll find roads, bodies of water, parks, businesses and services, and other features displayed.
• Control Panel: The Control Panel, located to the right of the map, contains commands for moving around in the map and zooming in and out.
• Tab functions and options: Primary mapping commands and options are underneath the map in a series of tab items. For example, click the Find tab for searching commands and options. You can shrink the size of the Tab area to show more map area by clicking the down-arrow icon in the right corner of the Tab area. If the Tab area has been minimized, clicking any tab will automatically expand it.
• Overview Map: The Overview Map appears to the right of the Tab area and contains a small map with a larger overview of the main map that you’re viewing. You can customize the Tab area by clicking the HELP button in the window title and selecting the Tab Manager menu item. Use the Tab Manager to show, hide, or reorder the tabs.

Navigating Street Atlas USA

The first thing that you notice about Street Atlas USA is that it doesn’t use a familiar Windows, menu-based user interface. DeLorme uses a unique user interface with its mapping programs; after you get the hang of it, it’s pretty easy to use. I walk you through the user interface and then show you how to move around inside a map.
Be sure to quickly browse through the PDF help file that comes with Street Atlas USA, which you can access by clicking the HELP button at the top of the window. Street Atlas USA has a rich set of commands, often offering you several different ways to perform a single task or operation.

Discovering Street Atlas USA Features

Like other street navigation software, Street Atlas USA displays road maps of the United States, finds addresses, and creates routes between two or more points. Check out a few other program features that are important to know about.

• POIs: All street navigation programs contain extensive databases of POIs. POIs refer to Points of Interest, not to Hawaiian side dishes made from taro root. POIs include restaurants (some of which might serve poi), hotels, parks, gas stations, and other locations you might be interested in while traveling. Street Atlas USA has a POI database that contains over four million businesses, services, and organizations.
• Voice support: If you’re using a laptop and GPS receiver as part of a car navigation system, Street Atlas USA can give you voice instructions when you need to turn to reach your destination. You can also use a voice recognition feature to give Street Atlas USA commands instead of using a keyboard or mouse.
• Routable roads: A big issue that all map companies face is ensuring that their road data is accurate, which can be very challenging considering the number of new roads that are built every year. Street Atlas USA has a feature that allows you to draw in roads that are missing on a map. After you create a road, Street Atlas USA can use it when calculating routes.
• Customizable maps: Street Atlas USA has an extensive collection of drawing tools for customizing maps with symbols, shapes, and text annotations. Street Atlas USA has many more features than I can cover in the space of this chapter (such as measuring distances and trip planning that takes fuel consumption as well as the number of hours spent driving into consideration).

To find out more about all the program’s features, visit www.delorme.com. Street Atlas USA comes on two CD-ROMs: one with the installation program and files, and the other with map data files. By default, you need to insert the map data CD-ROM each time you use the program. If you have enough space, you can copy the map data files to your hard drive; see the online Help for instructions.

Using DeLorme Street Atlas USA

In the pre-PC days, taking a trip across town, a state, or the country to visit someplace you’d never been before often involved planning worthy of a major expedition. You’d have to carefully check maps, trying to figure out the shortest and fastest routes, guessing when and where you’d need to stop for gas, scribbling down notes, and highlighting roads on paper maps. That’s all changed with inexpensive and easy-to-use street navigation software. Just run a program on your PC and enter the address of your starting point and the final destination. Then, a few mouse clicks later, you’ve got both a map and exact turn-by-turn directions for how to get from Point A to Point B. And as an added bonus, if you have a laptop and GPS receiver, you can take this software on the road with you, track your location in real-time, and get helpful hints in reaching your destination. (Most street navigation programs also have versions that run on PDAs for ultimate portability.) Several street navigation software packages are on the market that can keep you from getting lost. They all generally work the same, with the primary differences in the user interface and support of advanced features. If you’ve never used a street navigation program before, this chapter gets you moving in the right direction. I focus on DeLorme’s Street Atlas USA, showing you its basic features and how to use them.

Converting coordinates using online conversion utilities

If you don’t need to convert coordinates on a regular basis, you can save some hard drive space by using a Web-based coordinate conversion utility instead of installing GeoTrans. Most conversion sites are pretty straightforward to use; just enter the coordinate values that you want to convert and click a button. These sites are a few of the most popular:

• For simple datum, latitude and longitude, and UTM coordinate conversions: http://jeeep.com/details/coord
• For latitude and longitude, UTM, and Township and Range conversions:nwww.esg.montana.edu/gl
• For advanced online and standalone conversion tools, visit the U.S. National Geodetic Survey: www.ngs.noaa.gov/TOOLS

Understanding Graphical Locator

The Environmental Statistics Group at Montana State University hosts a very powerful online tool called the Graphical Locator. It’s a cross between a gazetteer and a coordinate utility converter. Some of its features are

• A map of the United States that shows coordinate information when you click a location. You can zoom in on regional and state maps. (The maps only show geographic features, not feature names.)
• Coordinate conversion utilities for latitude and longitude, UTM, and township, range, and section.
• Extensive information on selected locations, including latitude and longitude; township, range, and section; UTM; elevation; state and country; nearest named features and distances; and USGS 7.5 minute topographic map name.

The Graphical Locater is designed to work with locations within the United States. It’s fairly easy to use; its author, D.L. Gustafson, has extensive online documentation on the utility. I use the Graphical Locator for quickly getting rough latitude and longitude coordinates of a location. Because there are no place names on the online maps, I consult a paper map with place names to zero in where I want to get location information if I’m unfamiliar with the terrain.
To check out the Graphical Locator, visit www.esg.montana.edu/gl.

Using GeoTrans to Convert Coordinate

GeoTrans is a popular, free Windows program developed by the Department of Defense (DoD). You can convert coordinates from many coordinate systems and datums. GeoTrans is available for download at http://earth-info.nima.mil/GandG/geotrans/geotrans.
htm.
Follow these steps to convert between coordinate systems with GeoTrans:

1. Select the map datum used with the coordinates from the drop-down
Datum list.

2. Select the coordinate system from the drop-down list below the datum.
Use Geodetic if you’re converting from latitude and longitude.

3. Enter the coordinates in the appropriate text boxes.

• If you’ve converting from latitude and longitude, enter the coordinates.
• If you’re converting from UTM, enter the Zone, Hemisphere, Northing, and Easting.

4. In the lower part of the window, select the datum and the coordinate system that you want to convert to.

5. Click the Convert Upper→Lower button.
The converted coordinates appear in the lower part of the window.
GeoTrans’ Help file covers these advanced features if you need them:

• Converting datums used in foreign countries
• Determining distance errors when converting between maps and scales

Advanced GNS Searches

For GNS advanced searches, you can enter an extensive list of feature types as part of your search criteria. These include oil pipelines, refugee camps, and vegetation types. Other options limit searches by the latitude and longitude boundaries of a rectangle, use special character sets from foreign languages, and use government and military codes as part of the search. If you want to run these advanced searches, the GNS Web site has links with explanations. If GNS finds records that match your search criteria, the features appear on a new page. A number of pieces of information are. For the average civilian user, the most useful data includes

• Name of the feature.
• Region of the world where the feature is located. Click the link to get an explanation of the abbreviation.
• Designation: The feature type (such as populated locality, farm, or reservoir). Click the link to get the definition of the abbreviation.
• Latitude and longitude coordinates.
• Area: Country and state or province information for the feature. Click the link for the meaning of the code.

You can also download tab-delimited text files from the GNS Web site for any country that contain features and information. This data can easily be imported into spreadsheets and databases.

Waypoint repositories

A number of Web sites provide waypoints that you can upload to your GPS receiver. (A waypoint is a set of coordinates for a location.) With these waypoint repositories, you can search a region or for a feature name for its waypoints in a database. If a waypoint has been logged in the site database, you can download the waypoint and then upload the coordinates to your GPS receiver. Some of the waypoint sites include

• http://wayhoo.com: This site converts GNIS and GNS feature information into waypoints. There are also coordinates for airports and a database where users can upload waypoints.
• www.travelbygps.com: This site holds a collection of waypoints for interesting places all over the world, including photos and descriptions. The site has an extensive collection of links to Web sites with special interest waypoints.
• www.trailregistry.com: This is a waypoint collection dedicated to hikers and backpackers.
• www.trailwaypoints.com: This is a GPS repository site that collects recreationoriented waypoints from all over the world.

Using the GEOnet Name Server (GNS)

The GEONet Name Server (GNS) searches for features around the world. GNS is located at http://earth-info.nima.mil/gns/html/index.html. The database contains over 3.5 million features and over 5 million place names for locations outside of the United States. The military relies on GNS for its operations, so the database is updated every other week. GNS is primarily designed for military use. Some of the search criteria and information in the database isn’t very useful to the average civilian. At best expect to find these types of information for a given feature:

• Country
• Type
• Latitude and longitude

To perform a basic GNS search for a feature, follow these steps:

1. Go to the GNS Web site at http://earth-info.nima.mil/gns/html.
2. Click the Access GNS link.
3. Click the GNS Search link in the GNS Main Menu at the left of the page. You can enter search criteria by scrolling down the page.
4. In the Name text box, enter the name of the feature you’re looking for. A drop-down list box to the right of the text box lets you narrow your search with these options:• Starts With • Is an Exact Match • Contains • Ends With
5. If you know the country the feature is located in, select the country from the list.
6. Click the Search Database button.

Additional information on GNIS features

After you pick a feature, click its Feature Name link to display more information. A new page displays additional information including:

• Elevation: The elevation of the feature is displayed in feet.
• TopoZone.com link: Clicking this link goes to the TopoZone.com Web site and shows the feature location on a USGS topographic map.
• FIPS55 Place Code: Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 55 contains codes for named populated places, primary county divisions, and other locations in the United States. Click this link to display the FIPS55 code for the location; unless you know that you need this, the code isn’t very relevant for the average user.
• Digital Raster Graphic (DRG) link: Click this link to display the feature location on a digitized version of a USGS topographic map; supplied by www.terraserver-usa.com.
• Digital Orthophoto Quadrangle (DOQ) link: Click this link to display a black-and-white aerial photograph of the feature location, supplied by www.terraserver-usa.com.
• Tiger Map Server: Click this link to display a road map of the feature area prepared from U.S. Census Bureau data.
• Watershed: Click this link to visit U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) maps and information about the watershed where the feature is located.

You need an Internet connection to access the GNIS database. In addition to the online search capabilities at the GNIS Web site, you can download text files of all the features and associated information for each state. The files are quote- and comma-delimited and can be opened with your own databases and spreadsheets. The files come in compressed and uncompressed formats; if you have a slow Internet connection, download the Zip files.
Ever wanted to name a mountain or another land feature after yourself or a loved one? The U.S. Board on Geographic Names is responsible for naming and renaming features that appear on USGS maps. If there’s an unnamed geographic feature, you can propose a new name for it (or suggest a name change for an existing feature). The Board even has an online form that you can fill out. Submitting the form doesn’t guarantee you’ll automatically get some peak named after Uncle Harry; this is a rather big deal. For instructions on filling out the online form see http://geonames.usgs.gov/dgnp/dgnp.html.

Performing basic search for a GNIS feature

Follow these steps to perform a basic search for a feature:

1. Go to the GNIS Web site at http://geonames.usgs.gov.
2. Click the Query GNIS: U.S. and Territories link.
3. Enter the feature name that you want to search for in the Feature Name text box.
4. From the State or Territory drop-down list box, select the state where the feature is located.
5. Click the Send Query button.

The more you narrow a search, the faster it is. For example, if you know the county where a feature is located, select it. If you don’t know much information about the feature, be patient. The GNIS server can be pretty slow.
If GNIS finds any records that match your search criteria, it lists all the
matching features. Figure 11-2 shows that a search for Horse Butte found
three matches. Information about the features includes

• Feature name
• State
• County
• Feature type
• Latitude and longitude
• USGS 7.5 minute map that the feature appears on

Using the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS)

The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is the federal repository of geographic name information. The database contains information on nearly 2 million physical and cultural geographic features in the United States and its territories: a city, dam, island, school, or any other designated feature type. You can search for feature information at the GNIS Web site: http:// geonames.usgs.gov.
The GNIS search page has a number of different data fields that you can use to narrow down your search, including

• Feature Name: This is the name of the feature you’re looking for. This can be either the whole name or a part of the name. Feature name searches aren’t case sensitive.
• Query Variant Name?: Some features have other names in addition to their primary name. If you select the Yes radio button, records with matched variant names are displayed.
• State or Territory: From this drop-down list, select the state or territory where the feature is located.
• County Name: If you click the County Name button, a drop-down list box shows all the counties in the currently selected state. If you know the county where the feature is located, enter it to speed up your search.
• Feature Type: The Feature Type drop-down list box contains all the feature types, such as bridges, canals, lakes, and populated places. If you know what the feature is, select its type.
• Elevation Range: The Elevation Range text boxes let you search for features that occur at a certain height range; use feet when entering the range values.
• Topo Map Name: You can confine a search to features only found within a United States Geological Survey (USGS) 7.5 minute topographic map by entering the map’s exact name.

Finding Your Way with Online Gazetteers

Sometimes you need a little bit more information about a location. _ You know a place name, but you don’t know exactly where the place is located.
_ You’ve heard about a place but don’t know whether it’s a mountain peak, a river, or a town.
_ You generally know where a place is, but you need the exact latitude and longitude or Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) coordinates. In these cases, you can turn to a gazetteer, which is a collection of place names with such useful data as geographic coordinates, elevation, and feature type. Gazetteers are usually published as books, but digital versions are available. The U.S. government has two free online gazetteer services:
_ GNIS provides information about places in the United States.
_ GNS has information about locations all over the world.

MapSource on the Web

If you use a Garmin GPS receiver and are interested in seeing what maps from the different map products look like — or to check out the amount of detail and coverage for certain areas — visit www.garmin.com/cartography and check out the MapSource Map Viewer.
Choose any of Garmin’s map products from a drop-down list, and the selected map is shown in your Web browser. After the map is displayed, you can move around the map and zoom in and out. What you see on your PC monitor is what you can generally expect to see on your GPS receiver if you upload that particular map product. Remember that your GPS receiver screen is smaller; and, if it doesn’t support color, the map will be displayed in monochrome. Even if you don’t use a Garmin GPS receiver, this Web site is useful for getting a better idea of the types of maps that are available for GPS receivers, their general appearance, and what information they show.

Understanding Garmin MapSource

Like the other GPS receiver manufacturers, Garmin offers a number of different types of maps for its products. Unlike Magellan and Lowrance, however, Garmin doesn’t use memory cards in its current line of handheld GPS receivers. Any maps that you upload must be able to fit into whatever fixed memory the GPS receiver has available for storage. (The amount of fixed memory depends on the model, with high-end, handheld GPS receivers sporting between 56–115MB of memory.)
Although Garmin doesn’t use commonly available SD or MMC memory cards in its GPS models, the company is using newer technology to make uploading maps quicker. Recent Garmin products feature USB connectivity, which is considerably faster than uploading a map to a GPS receiver through a PC serial port.
If you own a Garmin GPS receiver or are considering purchasing one, here are some of the mapping software packages that you can use. Detailed information about all is available from the Garmin Web site.

• MapSource City Select: City Select contains street maps and points of interest and is designed to work with Garmin GPS receivers that support autorouting (turn-by-turn street directions), such as the GPSMAP 196 and GPSMAP 60C/60CS. (If you own a GPS V or iQue 3600, this software came bundled with your GPS receiver.) The three versions of the product are available for North America, Europe, and South Africa.
• MapSource MetroGuide: MetroGuide is similar to City Select but is designed for Garmin GPS receivers that don’t support autorouting (such as the eTrex Legend and Vista). Four versions of this product are available, providing street maps for the United States, Canada, Australia, and Europe.
• MapSource WorldMap: This software provides basic international maps that expand the default basemap coverage that comes with your GPS receiver.
• GPS receivers sold in different parts of the world typically have different basemaps.
• MapSource BlueChart: BlueChart products are Garmin’s nautical charts and are available in regional versions that cover the Americas as well as the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
• Fishing Hot Spots: Fishing Hot Spots are maps of popular fishing areas in North America with depth contours, shoreline details, boat ramp information, and fishing tips. The maps are sold for multistate regions.
• Minnesota LakeMaster ProMap: Designed specifically for GPS receiver owners who fish in the Minnesota area, this map product has maps of popular lakes and includes three-foot contours with underwater structure detail, islands, reefs, points, bays, access points, and marinas.
• MapSource U.S. TOPO: The TOPO product contains 1:100,000 scale maps of the United States and shows terrain contours, elevation, trails, roads, and summits. It’s designed for outdoor recreational use
• MapSource U.S. TOPO 24K: 24K doesn’t refer to gold but rather to 1:24,000 scale maps, which have significantly more detail than the maps found in MapSource TOPO. The maps provide detailed coverage of U.S. national parks and surrounding national forest lands. Points of interest and park amenities are also included. Two versions of the product are available: National Parks, East and National Parks, West.

Check for current information about Garmin map products at www.garmin.com.

Do-it-yourself maps

For the most part, GPS manufacturers have a lock on the market when it comes to maps that can be uploaded to their receivers. GPS receiver owners must use proprietary maps distributed by the manufacturers.
However, a small group of technically adept GPS and map enthusiasts have found ways around this map monopoly. They have created free tools such as GPSMapEdit and Mapdekode with which Garmin GPS receiver owners can create their own maps and upload them to their receivers. Similar projects are under way for Magellan GPS receivers.
At the present, creating your own do-it-yourself GPS receiver maps is a somewhat complicated process, but a number of tutorials are available on the Internet. (Here’s one for starters:www.gpstm.com/eng/dekode_eng.htm.)
If you’re really interested in this topic, check out the Yahoo! Group devoted to GPS map authoring at groups.yahoo.com/group/map_authors.

Lowrance MapCreate Review

Lowrance was the first manufacturer to offer a GPS receiver with uploadable maps. (For you trivia buffs, it was the GlobalMap100, which first came out in April, 1998.) The company continues the electronic map tradition with its current line of iFINDER handheld GPS receivers; which use memory cards to store maps.
If you own a Lowrance GPS receiver or are considering purchasing one, here are the map products you can use:

• MapCreate: MapCreate is Lowrance’s primary map program for creating GPS receiver maps of the United States. In addition to street maps and points of interest, MapCreate also has an extensive database of navigation aids, wrecks, and obstructions for marine use. One nice feature of MapCreate is that you can select polygon map regions to upload, which maximizes map storage space. Although MapCreate currently doesn’t offer autorouting and turnby-turn directions, Lowrance does plan to offer this feature in the future. Several versions of MapCreate are available. If you’re using an iFINDER GPS receiver, be sure you get Version 6 or later.
• FreedomMaps: In addition to maps on CD-ROM, Lowrance also offers the FreedomMaps product line, comprising memory cards preloaded with maps of the United States, Europe, and Canada. Regional maps come on 128MB and 256MB memory cards that you just plug into your GPS receiver; no software or CD-ROMs are required.
  
• Navionics charts: Navionics (www.navionics.com) is one of the largest producers of electronic nautical charts. Navionics Gold and Classic charts and fishing HotMaps are all available on MMC memory cards and are also compatible with the iFINDER Pro GPS receiver.

Magellan MapSend Review

Magellan manufactures the popular Meridian and SporTrak GPS receiver lines. The Meridian receivers use memory cards for map storage, and the SporTrak models have a fixed amount of internal memory to store maps. (You can upload maps to all SporTraks with the exception of the basic model.) Software products that you can use with Magellan mapping GPS receivers include the following. Information about all these products is available at the Magellan Web site.

• MapSend DirectRoute: This software package provides street maps, POIs, automated street routing, and turn-by-turn directions for most Meridian and SporTrak receivers. With automated street routing (also called autorouting), you can enter a starting and destination street address, and the GPS receiver will provide you with a route, including street directions. Most GPS receivers give you a straight-line route between two points, but Magellan upgraded the firmware on a number of their receivers to support both straight-line and street routes when MapSend DirectRoute maps are uploaded. Versions of the software are available for the United States, major cities in Canada, and Europe.
• MapSend BlueNav charts: These are nautical charts with detailed coverage areas and enhanced marine navigation information, such as currents, tides, and port services. Charts, available for a number of coastal areas in North America and Europe, can be purchased on CD-ROM or preloaded SD memory cards.
• MapSend Topo: The Topo product is designed for outdoor recreation use and features 1:100,000 scale topographic maps of the United States, including trails, roads, rivers, lakes, coastlines, and POIs. After you upload the maps, you can display elevation profiles on your GPS receiver for roads, trails, and user-created routes.
• MapSend Streets & Destinations: Magellan’s original road map software package has versions available for the United States and Canada. If you’re looking for street navigation software for your Magellan, I recommend MapSend DirectRoute because of its autorouting features and more current NAVTECH maps. Choose Streets & Destinations if you have an older GPS receiver that isn’t compatible with DirectRoute or if you’re on a tight budget. (Streets & Destinations is a bit cheaper than DirectRoute.)
• MapSend Streets Europe: Magellan also offers street-level maps of Europe for its GPS receivers. Like with Streets & Destinations (see the preceding bullet), if your GPS receiver is compatible with DirectRoute, I suggest going with the European version.
• MapSend WorldWide Basemap: This map software package expands your GPS receiver’s built-in basemap coverage to other international regions. Each basemap region has basic map features such as cities, highways, waterways, railroads, national boundaries, and shorelines. Don’t expect street-level detail, but there’s enough information to help you get around.

Check periodically for current information about Magellan map products; go to www.magellangps.com.

GPS Manufacturer Software Reviews

GPS receiver manufacturers have a number of software products available for their models that support maps. So you have a better understanding of what types of maps are available, here are the different map software packages that the major GPS receiver manufacturers offer. Read on to discover what types of maps you can upload to the three main brands of GPS receivers. For more information and in-depth reviews of GPS receiver manufacturer map products, including screenshots, visit http://gpsinformation.net. GPS receivers sold in different parts of the world typically have different basemaps. For example, a GPS receiver sold in Germany will have a more detailed basemap of Europe, compared with the same model of receiver sold in the United States.
I want to clarify a point that sometimes confuses current or prospective GPS receiver owners: Each of the major GPS receiver manufacturers has their own line of map products that all sound pretty similar. Here they are:

Magellan (www.magellangps.com) MapSend
Lowrance (www.lowrance.com) MapCreate
Garmin (www.garmin.com) MapSource

MapSend, MapCreate, and MapSource all refer to the respective PC programs that allow you to view maps on your PC, upload maps to your GPS receiver, and manage GPS waypoints, routes, and tracks. Magellan, Lowrance, and Garmin ship these programs with their respective map products. Just remember that MapSend, MapCreate, and MapSource are not maps nor map data but simply the programs that interface the map data. In addition to map products, several GPS manufacturers sell waypoint and route management software. If you don’t care about uploading maps but want to transfer and save waypoints, routes, and tracks, I recommend using the free G7ToWin program (which works with most all GPS receivers) that you can download at www.gpsinformation.org/ronh.
Some manufacturers offer GPS receivers bundled with map software and other accessories. These bundled products are usually cheaper than separately purchasing the GPS hardware and map software, so shop around. Just like any other software line, GPS receiver manufacturers roll out new products, drop outdated ones, and add new features to existing products. Be sure to check the manufacturer’s Web site to get the latest information on what map software is available for a particular model of GPS receiver.

Getting maps to GPS receivers

All GPS manufacturer map programs upload maps to your GPS receiver in similar ways. Although the user interfaces are different and the commands vary, you load a map onto a GPS receiver by using the same basic process.

1. Run the map program and zoom in on the area that you want to upload to your GPS receiver.
2. Choose which parts of the map you want to upload to the GPS receiver. This usually means selecting one or more rectangular areas on the map. Depending on the program, you either draw a rectangle that defines the areas that you want to upload, or you select grid squares that appear on the map that correspond to the areas you want to upload.
3. Connect your GPS receiver to your PC. You use a special cable for this data transfer connection. To read more on connecting your GPS receiver to a PC, go to Chapter 9. If the GPS receiver uses a memory card to store maps, you can skip this step.
4. Set the communications parameters in the map program. This comprises the COM port, baud rate, and other settings that are needed so that the GPS receiver can successfully communicate with your PC. This is usually a one-time setup, so you don’t need to repeat this each time you want to upload a map. Again, you can skip this step if your GPS receiver uses a memory card.
5. Upload the map to your GPS receiver. The program extracts the information that it needs from the map data CD-ROM and builds a custom map of the area that you select. When this process finishes, the program either starts uploading the map to the GPS receiver or saves the map to your hard drive where you can copy it to a memory card (if applicable).

How long building a map takes depends on the size of the area that you select, how much map detail you want to include, and how fast your PC is. This can range from a minute or less for small areas (such as a metropolitan area) to five or ten minutes for a large map (such as one that includes many different states). For example, when using Lowrance’s MapCreate, it takes a little under five minutes to create a 26MB map of the state of Oklahoma and the Texas panhandle on a typical PC that’s been manufactured within the past several years.
How much time it takes to upload a map into a GPS receiver also depends on the size of the area you select and how the receiver stores maps. If you’re uploading a large map from a PC via a serial cable, it can take hours to transfer the map between a PC and your GPS receiver. GPS receivers that support Universal Serial Bus (USB) communications are much faster. For GPS receivers that use SD or MMC memory for storage, after the map has been created and saved to the memory card, it’s just a matter of inserting the card into the receiver.
After you purchase GPS receiver map software, be sure to check the manufacturer’s Web site every now and then to see whether updated releases of the PC software are available. You may be able to download upgraded versions of the program with bug fixes and enhanced features. Keep in mind that when you download the program, updated map data doesn’t come with it. Some GPS receiver manufacturers use different methods for stemming software and map piracy. Both Garmin and Magellan use unlock codes on some of their map products that require you to visit a Web page and get a code to activate the program. Some map products (notably nautical charts) have multiple regions stored on CD-ROM, and you need to purchase an unlock code for each region you want to access. In addition, programs commonly link the serial number of a GPS receiver to a map, meaning that the map will work only with the GPS receiver that the map was originally uploaded to.

Common GPS map software features

Here are some of the features that all GPS receiver map software have in common.

• Upload maps to GPS receivers: The main job of a mapping program on your computer is to upload maps to your GPS receiver. The maps appear the same on your computer and your GPS receiver screen although the GPS receiver displays smaller portions of the map than you can view on your computer screen. (And the map won’t appear in color if your receiver has a monochrome display.) You use the mapping software to select the portions of the maps that you want to upload to your GPS receiver.
  
• Print from and use maps on your PC: In addition to uploading maps to a GPS receiver, you can also use the map software on your PC to view and print maps, measure distances, and plan trips.
• Download waypoints, routes, and tracks from GPS receivers: With GPS mapping software, you can download information that you’ve recorded with your GPS receiver, such as waypoints, routes, and tracks. You can store this data on your PC’s hard drive or display it as an overlay on the maps displayed on your PC.
  
• Upload waypoints, routes, and tracks to GPS receivers: In addition to downloading GPS data, you can also upload waypoints, routes, and tracks from your PC to a GPS receiver. For example, you can plot several waypoint locations on the PC map and then transfer them to your GPS receiver.
• View POIs: Many software packages have Points of Interest (POIs), such as restaurants, gas stations, and geographic features shown on the maps that you view with your PC or GPS receiver.

Three rules of GPS mapping software

Consider these three basic tenets before you start to shop for GPS mapping software.

• Not all GPS receivers can display maps. Lower-cost models (typically under $150) or GPS receivers with very small screens usually don’t support maps. If you already own a GPS receiver, make sure that it’s compatible with the map software you’re interested in using. Manufacturer Web sites are pretty good about listing product compatibility. The same holds true if you’re shopping for a new GPS receiver.
• You can use only proprietary products (made by the same company that manufactures your GPS receiver). For example, you can’t use Garmin maps on a Magellan GPS receiver. Likewise, you can’t use thirdparty maps produced by DeLorme or Maptech on a Magellan GPS receiver. Repeat after me, “You can only use Magellan maps on a Magellan GPS receiver” (or whichever brand you happen to be using). Admittedly, I’m belaboring this point, but a fair number of novice GPS users think that they can load just about any map on their new GPS receiver, which isn’t the case.
• Don’t expect the level of detail in a GPS map to match paper maps. In order to maximize memory space, GPS receivers use vector maps (created with lines and shapes) instead of raster maps (scanned paper maps). And because a GPS receiver has a fairly small screen to display a map, don’t expect the map on your GPS receiver to appear as an identical version of your favorite paper map.

Until GPS receivers incorporate science-fiction like, holographic projection systems where a map appears in midair (and I’m not holding my breath), viewing a paper map will always be easier and more effective than staring at a map on a GPS receiver. Keeping these three rules in mind when you go map shopping, you can generally expect to pay anywhere from $100–$150 for a map software product from a GPS receiver manufacturer. You can easily avoid paying suggested retail for map software if you exploit the Internet for dealers offering better prices. Even if your GPS receiver doesn’t support maps, you can still use a manufacturer’s map program with your receiver to download and upload waypoints, routes, and tracks, as well as access maps on your PC.

Using GPS Manufacturer Mapping Software

GPS receivers that support maps come with a basemap of the region the GPS receiver was sold in (such as North America or Europe) that shows city locations, highways, major roads, bodies of water, and other features. Precisely what the basemaps display varies by manufacturer and model. Although base- maps do provide general information, some GPS receiver users want more detailed maps that show city streets, topographic features, marine navigation aids, or places outside the United States.
The good news is you’re not limited to the basemap that came with your GPS receiver: Most mapping GPS receivers allow you to upload more detailed maps. These GPS receivers either have a fixed amount of internal memory used to store the added maps, or they support external Secure Digital (SD) or MultiMediaCard (MMC) memory cards for map storage. (Check product marketing literature or the GPS receiver user manual for details on how many megabytes of map data a particular model can store. More is always better.) Different types of maps are available from GPS receiver manufacturers and are sold on CD-ROMs, including street maps, topographic maps, fishing maps, and nautical charts. These map products have software that you run on your PC to install the maps, plan trips, and exchange data with your GPS receiver. I will discuss mapping software produced by the Big Three GPS receiver manufacturers (Magellan, Lowrance, and Garmin). I also show you the general features that all GPS map programs share as well as what kind of maps are available for the different GPS receiver brands.

Uploading Firmware Revisions to Your GPS Receiver

Just like software vendors, GPS manufacturers find bugs and add enhancements to their products. New versions of a GPS receiver’s operating system can be upgraded through the receiver’s firmware (the updateable, read-only software that’s embedded in a hardware device). Check that your GPS receiver’s firmware is current every few months or so, especially if your receiver is a newly released model. GPS manufacturers offer free downloads of firmware upgrades on their Web sites, and these bug-fixes or new features can definitely make your GPS receiver perform better.
To upgrade your firmware

• Check the current version of your GPS receiver firmware. Sometimes this is displayed when the GPS receiver is turned on, or it might be shown on an information page. Consult your user’s guide or the manufacturer’s Web site for specific instructions on how to get this information for your model.

• Visit the manufacturers’s Web site and go to the software updates section. Here are the URLs of the major GPS manufacturers: Garmin: www.garmin.com

• If you have a Garmin GPS receiver, you can sign up for automatic e-mail notification of firmware upgrades at the Garmin Web site. I expect other GPS manufacturers to start offering this service. Lowrance: www.lowrance.com, Magellan: www.magellangps.com
• Find your GPS receiver model and check its manufacturer’s Web site for the latest firmware version. If your firmware is older than the current version on the Web site, follow the online instructions to download the firmware installer. Usually, the higher the version number, the more recent the firmware version. Make sure that the firmware installer you download is for your GPS receiver model. If you upload firmware designed for a different model, plan on the GPS receiver not working until you load the proper firmware.
• Follow the installation instructions that come with the downloaded file.

Usually firmware installation files come in two forms:

• A standalone program that runs on your computer, connects to the GPS receiver, and sends the upgraded firmware to the receiver. You need to have a PC interface cable attached to both the computer and the GPS receiver.
• A special file that you copy to a memory card. When the GPS receiver starts, it searches the card to see whether a firmware upgrade is present. If it is, the receiver uploads the upgrade.

After the upgrade is successful, you can erase the firmware upgrade file from the memory card. Upgrading a GPS receiver’s firmware is pretty easy; not too much can go wrong. About the only thing that can get you in trouble is if the GPS receiver’s batteries die midway through a firmware upload. A firmware upgrade usually only takes a few minutes to complete, but make sure that your batteries aren’t running on empty before you start.
Some firmware update software works only on COM ports 1 through 4. If you’re using a USB adapter, (which is usually set to COM port 5 or higher) and are having problems connecting to the GPS receiver, try reassigning the existing COM ports to numbers higher than the USB adapter’s port; then set the adapter’s port number to 1. Refer to online Windows help (choose Start➪ Help) and perform a search for device manager to get more information on changing device settings.

Troubleshooting GPS Receiver Connection Problems

If you follow the instructions that come with the your software to connect your GPS receiver to a computer, usually getting the two devices talking is painless.
If you do run into problems, follow this set of steps, in this order, to help you identify a possible culprit for your connection troubles:

1. Always make sure the cable is securely plugged in to both the GPS receiver and the computer. While you’re at it, check that the GPS receiver is turned on.
2. Make sure that the baud rate and the protocol are the same in both the GPS receiver and the interface program. Double-check this again if you can’t establish a connection. Even if the baud rates match, they may be set too high — thus causing communication errors. When in doubt, lower the baud rate. You can either step-down a rate at a time or go directly to 4,800 or 9,600 baud. Although this is slow, this rate shouldn’t generate errors.
3. In the interface program, make sure that the correct COM port is specified. If you can’t get a connection, try different COM port numbers until you find one that works.
4. Always check the program’s user manual, online help, or support section of the vendor’s Web site for specific information on interfacing with a GPS receiver.

If you can’t get your GPS receiver to talk to your computer and you happen to have a PDA, turn off the PDA synchronization program first. PDA synchronization software that’s running in the background is a frequent culprit in causing GPS receiver interface problems.

G7ToWin and other utilities

G7ToWin is the Swiss Army knife of the GPS world. This free utility program works with most all brands of popular GPS receivers. With this Windows program, you can

• Upload waypoints, routes, and tracks to your GPS receiver.
• Download waypoints, routes, and tracks to your computer.
• Edit waypoint, route, and track data in a spreadsheet-style window.
• Create waypoints, routes, and tracks.
• Save waypoints, routes, and tracks in different file types. (Remember that GPS receiver and software manufacturers all use a number of different file formats for waypoints, routes, and tracks.)
• Save the image that appears onscreen of many Garmin GPS receivers.

G7ToWin is a must for the serious GPS receiver user. Its author, Ron Henderson, continues to add new features to the program. DOS and Pocket PC versions of the utility are also available. You can download G7ToWin at www.gpsinformation.org/ronh.
Other GPS utilities worth consideration include

• EasyGPS: A popular, free utility for creating, editing, and transferring waypoints and routes, available at www.easygps.com.
• GPS Utility: A popular freeware/shareware program that lets you manipulate and map waypoints, routes, and tracks and works with Geographic Information System (GIS) data. It’s available at: www.gpsu.co.uk.
• GPS TrackMaker: A free utility that creates, edits, and deletes waypoints, routes, and tracks. It supports mapping features. You can download the program at www. gpstm.com.
• GPSy: For users who want to interface their receiver with a Mac. For more information, see www.gpsy.com.

How to Transfer Data from GPS Receiver?

GPS receiver interface programs tend to work the same way, although they have different menus, dialog boxes, commands, and appearances. When you transfer data between your GPS receiver and PC, you’ll either be

• Capturing current location coordinates to use with a real-time mapping program you have running on your laptop (or PDA). As you move, your location appears on the map.
• Downloading or uploading waypoints, routes, tracks, or map data.

The process to complete both of these tasks is the same. (If you have a GPS receiver with a memory card, you don’t need a cable to download or upload waypoints, routes, tracks, or map data because you’ll be using the memory card and a card reader to do this. However, you’ll still need a cable to capture your current location to use with a real-time mapping program.) Take a look at the general steps involved in transferring data with a cable:

1. Connect the PC interface cable to your computer and to your GPS receiver.
2. Turn on your GPS receiver. The GPS receiver doesn’t need to have a satellite fix to transfer data unless you’re using the receiver with a mapping program that’s plotting your current location.
3. Run the interface program.
4. Ensure that the protocols and settings on both the GPS receiver and the computer are the same.

At this point you can

• Select the type of data (waypoints, routes, or tracks) and upload it to the GPS receiver from your computer or download it from the GPS receiver to your computer.
• Upload a map to the GPS receiver that was created with a GPS manufacturer’s mapping program.
• Have the GPS receiver start providing location data to the interface program for real-time mapping.

Check the program’s user manual or online help for specific instructions on transferring data between your GPS receiver and a PC. If you’re transferring data to and from a memory card, refer to the GPS receiver’s user manual or support Web site. With some receivers, you can simply drag data between the memory card and the hard drive via Windows Explorer. In other cases, you might need to use a utility program, such as G7ToWin or EasyGPS.

Transferring GPS Data

After you have a cable and then get the ports, baud rates, and protocols all figured out (or have a memory card and card reader), the next step is getting the data transferred between the GPS receiver and your computer. This is where software comes in, and you generally have three options:

• GPS manufacturer software: The commercial mapping programs that GPS receiver manufacturers sell can all upload and download waypoints, routes, and tracks as well as upload maps to certain models of their GPS receivers. GPS receivers that display maps work only with proprietary maps provided by the manufacturer. You can’t upload maps from third-party mapping programs into your receiver. Sometimes GPS novices believe that they can load maps from DeLorme, Maptech, National Geographic, or other mapping companies directly into their GPS receiver. You can’t.
• Third-party mapping software: Most third-party, commercial map programs can also upload and download waypoints, routes, and tracks —they just can’t upload a digital map that appears on your PC. This is an essential feature so you can overlay GPS data on a digital map to see where you’ve been or plan a trip with the mapping software and then upload waypoints and routes from your computer to a GPS receiver.
• GPS utilities: Software programs used to interface GPS receivers to computers are utility programs designed specifically to download and upload waypoints, routes, tracks, and other information. These programs are usually freeware or shareware and have a number of useful features.

A few drawbacks to GPS receivers that support memory cards

Here are a few drawbacks to GPS receivers that support memory cards:

• Added cost: They add a bit more cost to the receiver price because of the built-in card reader and associated technology.
• Reader: You need a memory card reader connected to your computer to transfer data back and forth between the GPS receiver. However, some computers (notably laptops) have built-in card readers. If your GPS receiver didn’t come with a card reader, any third-party reader will work. These devices are inexpensive and easy to use. Just plug the reader into a USB port, and Windows treats the memory card like a hard drive or floppy disk. You can then copy data back and forth between your hard drive and the memory card. Card readers are inexpensive, and you can purchase a basic model for under $20.
• Removal: Memory cards can be a little tedious to swap because you need to remove the GPS receiver batteries to access the card slot. Just like digitals cameras, GPS receivers that support memory cards usually come with a card that has a relatively small amount of storage space (8–16MB). In fact, if they both use the same type of memory card, you can swap a card between your digital camera and GPS receiver. You’ll probably want to upgrade to a larger capacity card. Blank memory cards with the GPS receiver manufacturer’s brand name tend to be more expensive than standard MMC and SD cards. I don’t find any difference between the two, and you can save money with third-party memory cards in your GPS receiver.

Managing GPS Receiver Memory

If you own a GPS receiver that uses a memory card, congratulations! I personally like the versatility these receivers offer (such as stuffing a bunch of maps onto a single, large-capacity memory card). This section talks about how to get the most out of your memory card GPS receiver. If your GPS receiver uses only a cable to connect to a computer, you can skip this section. Better yet, read along to see how memory cards work for transferring data.
If your GPS receiver supports using a memory card, you have some significant advantages when exchanging data with a computer, including

• Upload speed: Uploading maps from your computer to a GPS receiver is considerably faster with a memory card than via a serial port cable. Because GPS receivers communicate at a fairly low baud rate, transferring 10–20MB of map data can take a long time (up to hours depending on how the serial port is configured).
• Affordable and practical: Memory cards have gotten inexpensive over the years. You can load frequently used maps on several cards and not bother with repeatedly uploading data from map program CDs. You can easily pick up a 128MB memory card, which I’d recommend as a minimum size, for under $40. I like to use Froogle (http://froogle.google.com) to find the best prices online.
• More storage: Memory cards give you considerably more storage than GPS receivers with fixed amounts of internal memory. You can currently purchase memory cards that provide between 8–512MB of data storage. Handheld GPS receivers that don’t support memory cards might have only 1–115MB of internal storage.
• Versatility: You can use the memory card in your PDA, digital camera, and cellphone (if all the devices support the same type of card).
• Minimal settings: When using a memory card, you don’t need to worry about COM ports, baud rates, and protocols when transferring data. (However, if you’re using your GPS receiver with a laptop and cable connected to a moving map program, you still have to contend with getting all the settings just right.)

GPS Receivers Protocols

A protocol is a way for two devices to successfully talk with each other. Think of a protocol as a language with a strict set of rules. When one device sends a message to another device, it expects a certain type of response back. This structured, back-and-forth conversation takes place until one device sends a message that says the conversation is over.
Likewise, when you connect a GPS receiver to a computer, a certain protocol is used to transfer data back and forth between the two devices. You need to ensure that the same protocol has been selected for both devices. If two different protocols are used, it’s like the GPS receiver speaking Russian to a computer that understands only Chinese.
The protocols typically used with GPS receivers are

• NMEA: The National Marine Electronics Association came up with the NMEA 0183 standard, which is a protocol for transferring data between marine-related electronics such as GPS receivers, autopilots, and chart plotters. Virtually all GPS receivers support the NMEA 0183 standard, which uses widely documented text messages. Typical NMEA data includes latitude, longitude, time, and satellite status. NMEA comes in several different versions, including 1.5, 2.1, and 2.3. Make sure that this version number matches both the GPS receiver and the computer program that you’re using.
• Proprietary: Some GPS manufacturers have their own proprietary protocols for communicating with a GPS receiver. These protocols send additional data that isn’t included in the NMEA standard: for example, altitude, speed, and position error.

NMEA is the de facto standard for getting a GPS receiver to talk to a computer. However, some programs support GPS manufacturer proprietary protocols. If you have a choice between NMEA and a proprietary protocol (for example, the Garmin protocol used with Garmin GPS receivers), select the proprietary protocol because it can supply richer data to a program.

USB ports and GPS Receivers

Consumer GPS receivers first started appearing in the mid-1990s. At that time, personal computers exclusively used serial ports to interface with other devices, making it easy for hardware manufacturers to design their products to communicate through a serial port. GPS was initially popular with sailors because they could connect a GPS receiver to an autopilot or chart plotter and navigate a vessel based on GPS data. With the right cable, you can also connect your GPS receiver to a computer and download and upload data.
Serial ports are now going the way of the dinosaur, replaced by easier-touse and faster USB ports. In fact, some laptops no longer have serial ports. However, GPS manufacturers have been slow to jump on the USB bandwagon and until recently have relied on serial port connections for getting GPS receivers and computers to talk to each other.
At some point, GPS receivers with USB connectivity will eventually become widely available in the marketplace. But until that time comes (and considering the millions of GPS receivers already manufactured that can connect only through a serial port), what do you do if your computer doesn’t have a serial port?
The solution is to use a USB serial port adapter. The adapter plugs into your computer’s USB port and has a standard 9-pin connector that you can connect your serial port devices to. After you install a driver for the adapter (which comes with the product on a disk or CD), Windows recognizes the adapter as a serial port. Just connect a PC interface cable to your GPS receiver and the adapter, and you’re all set to send and receive data between the two devices.
Note this one little “gotcha” to mention regarding USB adapters: Windows might squawk that you need a driver when you plug in the adaptor, but you know you’ve already installed one. The fix: In the dialog box that’s prompting you for the driver location, tell Windows to look in the C:\Windows\Drivers directory. (This path is for Windows XP; the location varies in older versions of Windows: for example, C:\WINNT\system32\drivers in Windows 2000.) Depending on what USB devices are running at the time, Windows XP might assign the adapter to a different COM port from the last time it was used and incorrectly assume it’s a new device that needs a new driver. This abovementioned directory is where previously installed drivers are stored, saving you from having to find the original driver distribution disk. All GPS receiver manufacturers sell their own branded serial-to-USB adapters, albeit at a premium price. If you’re on a tight budget, most any third-party adapter that you buy from a computer retailer will work. These adapters tend to be cheaper than the GPS manufacturer brand-name models.

Typical COM port setting

Unless the program specifies otherwise, here are the typical COM port settings to use when interfacing with a GPS receiver:

• Baud rate: 4,800 and 9,600 baud are almost certainly guaranteed to work with all GPS receivers. You can increase the speed to a higher rate on some types of GPS receivers. The higher the speed, the faster the data transfer. I recommend experimenting until you find the fastest, mostreliable baud rate, and then using that setting.
• Data bits: 8.
• Parity: None.
• Stop bits: 1.
• Flow control: None.

Some GPS receivers allow you to set the baud rate in the system setup page of the receiver, but other models don’t give you any control of the speed. Check your GPS receiver user guide for more information about your model.

COM ports Properties

COM ports have properties that establish how the communication between the two devices will occur. Generally, both of the devices need to have the same settings. The COM port properties include

• Baud rate: Baud is the speed at which the port communicates with other devices. This number is in bits per second (bps): the bigger the number, the faster the speed.

• Data bits: This is the number of data bits that are transferred for each character, typically 7 or 8.
• Parity: This is a form of error checking that ensures the integrity of transferred data.
• Stop bits: This is how many bits follow a character and mark the end of a data transmission.
• Flow control: Sometimes called handshaking, this is a way for one device to stop another device from sending data until it’s ready to receive the data.

Although you can set COM properties in Device Manager, I recommend making changes in the program that you’re using to interface with the GPS receiver. You’ll usually see an Options or Configuration menu in the program that displays a dialog box where you can set these values.

COM ports for GPS Mapping

A COM port is a computer serial port that’s used to connect a mouse, modem, or other device, like a GPS receiver. (COM stands for communication, and the ports are called serial ports because they receive data serially, one character at a time.) COM ports typically have a small oval, D-shaped connector (with nine pins) and are located on the back of your computer. (If you have other devices plugged into your serial ports, you’ll need to unplug them so your GPS receiver cable has a port to plug in to. You can plug the other devices back in when you’re through transferring data with your GPS receiver.) Your PC might have one or two physical serial ports that you can plug devices into, but Windows allows you to assign a COM port number to each device. These numbers usually range from 1 to 4 but might go as high as 256 if a USB adapter is used, (which I talk about in the upcoming section, “USB ports”). In most cases, you won’t need to use Windows to reassign any of the port numbers. Just know that you have numbered COM ports and that you need to assign one to your GPS receiver, which I talk about next. To get more detailed information about COM ports and Windows, including how to change settings with Windows Device Manager, head to the Microsoft support Web site at http://support.microsoft.com and search the Knowledge Base for com port. Or pick up a copy of PCs For Dummies, 9th Edition (Wiley) by Dan Gookin, which has an excellent chapter that clearly explains everything you need to know about the subject. The program you’re using to interface with the GPS receiver is where you need to specify which COM port number the receiver is connected to. Programs typically use a drop-down list box that shows all the COM ports; just select one from there. (Some programs have an autoselect feature that tries to establish communications on all available COM ports until the port with the GPS receiver is found.)

Understanding Ports and Protocols

Argg. You track down the right cable you need. You plug one end into your GPS receiver and the other into your computer. And nothing happens. Exactly. Nothing should happen because you need to be running some type of software on your computer that enables the two devices to talk to each other. Before I discuss interface software, however, I have to lay some groundwork. The programs designed to communicate with GPS receivers have one thing in common: You need to specify certain communication parameters in both the program and the GPS receiver for the devices to successfully exchange data. If the settings aren’t correct, you may as well try to communicate with someone a thousand miles away by sending smoke signals through a telephone line. Although setting the right communications parameters isn’t that difficult, it can be a bit confusing. This section guides you through the process and also gives you some tips on smoothing out some common problems that you may encounter, beginning with ports and their settings. Setting up communications between a GPS receiver and a PC is a one-time process. After you get everything working, no worries about the next time.

Untangling GPS Receiver Cables

If your GPS receiver uses a cable to connect to a computer and you want to interface the two, you need the right type of cable. Some GPS receivers come bundled with this cable; others don’t.
If you don’t have a cable for your GPS receiver, get one. Cables tend to vary in design between manufacturers and models, so be sure to get the right one for your GPS receiver. (See Figure for examples of different types of cables.) You can purchase a cable directly from the manufacturer at its Web site or through a retailer. Expect cable prices to range from $20–$45. For this connectivity, you need a PC interface cable. It has a connector that attaches to the GPS receiver on one end and an RS-232, 9-pin serial connector on the other end to connect to your computer.
Newer GPS receiver models support USB. If your GPS receiver supports both serial and USB interfaces, use a USB cable for much faster communications. If you bought a GPS receiver that didn’t come with a cable and you can’t find a cable to buy, you’re not necessarily completely out of luck. If you’re handy with a soldering iron, most GPS receiver manufacturer Web sites describe the pinout configurations of their cables so you can make your own. The tricky part can sometimes be finding the right connector for the GPS receiver because most connectors vary between manufacturers and models. A number of how-to sites on the Internet show you how to build your own cables and where to get the connectors. Do a Web search for gps cable connector and the brand of your GPS receiver to find different options.
Some cables are designed to both power a GPS receiver from a cigarette lighter and to connect to a computer to send and receive data. These cables are especially useful if you’re using your GPS receiver with a moving map program and a laptop. Just remember that you’ll also need to buy a dual, car cigarette-lighter adapter so you can plug in both your GPS receiver and laptop into a single cigarette lighter.
If you have a Garmin receiver, check out the Pfranc company for its quality Garmin-compatible cables. Larry Berg started out making shareware Garmin cable plugs, and his business grew. He now stocks a line of reasonably priced cables for all Garmin models. Check out his Web site at www.pfranc.com.