I came across a Garmin 18 WAAS-enhanced GPS for a laptop. That led me
to search for other types and brands, but I didn't get many answers.

These units are sold with road use in mind. What if I wanted to use one
with nautical charts? Does anyone know if the BSB and roadmap formats
are the same?

I'd like to hear from anyone who might be using this equipment.

Gualtier Malde (Chuck) wrote:
I came across a Garmin 18 WAAS-enhanced GPS for a laptop. That led me
to search for other types and brands, but I didn't get many answers.

These units are sold with road use in mind. What if I wanted to use
one with nautical charts? Does anyone know if the BSB and roadmap
formats are the same?

I'd like to hear from anyone who might be using this equipment.

So long as the GPS can be set to download in Lat./Lon., it can be used for
nautical navigation.

Dennis.


- - -
Satellite photocharts of the UK & Ireland
available, excellent detail and accurate
calibration using Oziexplorer.
Remove *nospam* to reply.

Dennis Pogson wrote:

Gualtier Malde (Chuck) wrote:

I came across a Garmin 18 WAAS-enhanced GPS for a laptop. That led me
to search for other types and brands, but I didn't get many answers.

These units are sold with road use in mind. What if I wanted to use
one with nautical charts? Does anyone know if the BSB and roadmap
formats are the same?

I'd like to hear from anyone who might be using this equipment.


So long as the GPS can be set to download in Lat./Lon., it can be used for
nautical navigation.

Dennis.

That's good news - so generally the formats of nautical charts and ones
for highway use are the same?

In article ,
"Gualtier Malde (Chuck)" wrote:


That's good news - so generally the formats of nautical charts and ones
for highway use are the same?

NO, they are not the same or even close. what the guy said was that if
your GPS can output Lat/Long it will drive the map system that you have
loaded in the application. Each mapping system is usually mutually
exclusive, and propritary to the program. BSB isn't the same as Delorma,
which is different from Bluechart or some of the others. One program
doesn't do both......


Me

Me wrote:
In article ,
"Gualtier Malde (Chuck)" wrote:


That's good news - so generally the formats of nautical charts and
ones for highway use are the same?

NO, they are not the same or even close. what the guy said was that
if your GPS can output Lat/Long it will drive the map system that you
have loaded in the application. Each mapping system is usually
mutually exclusive, and propritary to the program. BSB isn't the
same as Delorma, which is different from Bluechart or some of the
others. One program doesn't do both......

But all of them understand the NMEA protocol, which is the language of GPS.
The NMEA sentences
are usually downloaded in decimal lat/long and interpreted by the receiver
into degrees, minutes and centiminutes to 3 decimal places for nautical
nav., but you can set most receivers in their built-in setup programs to
Deg, Min.sec., or Ordnance Survey co-ords, or many other formats.
My Garmin does this, but I can't answer for all GPS recevers.

Dennis.
- - -
Satellite photocharts of the UK & Ireland
available, excellent detail and accurate
calibration using Oziexplorer.
Remove *nospam* to reply.

I use a GPS from Deluo Electronics with Windows Streets and also Capn
Firstmate and Maxsea. Works great with each program.

Gualtier Malde (Chuck) wrote:

I came across a Garmin 18 WAAS-enhanced GPS for a laptop. That led me
to search for other types and brands, but I didn't get many answers.

Try these:

https://www1.securesiteserver.co.uk/holux/catalogue/

http://www.rikaline.com/gps_receiver.htm

Also, do an eBay search for GPS devices and you'll see a lot of makes
and types of GPS receivers.

You have to carefully consider which version of the GPS 18 you buy and
how you want to use it. Here is an extract from a Garmin web page:

"The PC and LVC versions both default to output data in the industry
standard NMEA 0183 data format, but may also be user programmed to
output data in the GARMIN proprietary format. The USB version produces
data only in the GARMIN proprietary format."

If you are not using a Garmin automotive navigation software (nRoute,
MapSource City Navigator, etc.) the 18 USB will not work for you. If
you are looking for a NMEA output the GPS 18 USB will not work for you.
And, as far as I know, the GPS 18 USB is not compatible with any of
Garmin's marine charting packages.


These units are sold with road use in mind. What if I wanted to use
one with nautical charts? Does anyone know if the BSB and roadmap
formats are the same?

For marine use, you want a GPS receiver with a NMEA output and that
rules out the GPS 18 USB. But you could use the GPS 18 PC or LVC for a
NMEA input for a marine navigation software.

And BSB and the routeable road maps are not the same. BSB is a raster
format (a bitmapped image) while most of the road navigation packages
are vector formats to allow automatic routing. For the most part, the
vector road navigation map packages are much more expensive and limited
to use with specific brands of hardware.

I'd like to hear from anyone who might be using this equipment.

For the most part, I would not buy hardware from Garmin because it would
mean I could use only Garmin's mapping/charting packages. Further, any
interoperability (automobile, marine, topo, etc.) would be limited to
what they wanted to market or allow and require additional purchases of
more Garmin mapping packages.

I don't have anything against Garmin, their marketing is simply not
aimed at me.

Jack

--
Jack Erbes in Ellsworth, Maine, USA - jackerbes at adelphia dot net
(also receiving email at jacker at midmaine.com)

Jack Erbes wrote:
Gualtier Malde (Chuck) wrote:


You have to carefully consider which version of the GPS 18 you buy and
how you want to use it. Here is an extract from a Garmin web page:

"The PC and LVC versions both default to output data in the industry
standard NMEA 0183 data format, but may also be user programmed to
output data in the GARMIN proprietary format. The USB version produces
data only in the GARMIN proprietary format."

I looked all over for that kind of thing and didn't find it. I do wish
I were better at finding things in web sites.

If you are not using a Garmin automotive navigation software (nRoute,
MapSource City Navigator, etc.) the 18 USB will not work for you. If
you are looking for a NMEA output the GPS 18 USB will not work for you.
And, as far as I know, the GPS 18 USB is not compatible with any of
Garmin's marine charting packages.

OK. I am beginning to understand that my question was based entirely on
my own misunderstanding (and badly stated as well). Now I believe that
the entire GPS device is in the thing I thought was an antenna, and what
is on the laptop is the software.

So I have navigation software using NMEA and I have a DB9 connector. I
buy the GARMIN 18PC, plug in and power up and tell me software where
it's connected, and I'm off and running again.

I didn't realize that the Garmin unit, itself, is simply a GPS machine
without its own display.

Unless I am still incorrect in that assumption, I'll depart now with my
sincere thanks for all of your replies.

Chuck

Well, perhaps except for this from Jack Erbes:

For the most part, I would not buy hardware from Garmin because it would
mean I could use only Garmin's mapping/charting packages. Further, any
interoperability (automobile, marine, topo, etc.) would be limited to
what they wanted to market or allow and require additional purchases of
more Garmin mapping packages.

I don't have anything against Garmin, their marketing is simply not
aimed at me.

But if the unit I buy has NMEA output and I have software to handle that
(Nobeltec), then I don't have to worry about Garmin's software, do I? I
hope not, because that would be a deal-breaker.

Chuck

Gualtier Malde (Chuck) wrote:

snip
I looked all over for that kind of thing and didn't find it. I do wish
I were better at finding things in web sites.
snip

That was from a google search for "garmin gps 18" and the hit that
produced at http://www.garmin.com/products/gps18oem/

Well, perhaps except for this from Jack Erbes:

For the most part, I would not buy hardware from Garmin because it
would mean I could use only Garmin's mapping/charting packages.
Further, any interoperability (automobile, marine, topo, etc.) would
be limited to what they wanted to market or allow and require
additional purchases of more Garmin mapping packages.

I don't have anything against Garmin, their marketing is simply not
aimed at me.


But if the unit I buy has NMEA output and I have software to handle that
(Nobeltec), then I don't have to worry about Garmin's software, do I? I
hope not, because that would be a deal-breaker.

You are right, you don't have to worry as long as you have a NMEA
output. And nearly all newer GPS receivers will give you a NMEA output,
the Garmin 18 USB just happens to be one that will not.

Jack

--
Jack Erbes in Ellsworth, Maine, USA - jackerbes at adelphia dot net
(also receiving email at jacker at midmaine.com)

On Thu, 17 Feb 2005 13:42:35 -0500, Jack Erbes
wrote:



For the most part, I would not buy hardware from Garmin because it would
mean I could use only Garmin's mapping/charting packages. Further, any
interoperability (automobile, marine, topo, etc.) would be limited to
what they wanted to market or allow and require additional purchases of
more Garmin mapping packages.

Almost all Garmin GPS receivers, like most other makes, will output
NMEA-0183 format data, which can be read by virtually all mapping
programs.

Garmin recievers only use the Garmin protocol for uploading and
downloading waypoints and routes, and for uploading Garmin's
proprietary maps or charts. Many non-Garmin programs can use the
Garmin protocol for waypoint and route transfers.

I don't have anything against Garmin, their marketing is simply not
aimed at me.

Jack

--
Peter Bennett VE7CEI
email: peterbb4 (at) interchange.ubc.ca
GPS and NMEA info and programs: http://vancouver-webpages.com/peter/index.html
Newsgroup new user info: http://vancouver-webpages.com/nnq