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.