During the winter I purchased a Dell laptop. I have a Garmin GPSMAP 230 on the
boat and supposedly you can interface the two with the correct adaptors. Has
anyone interfaced their GPS and laptop and if so what were the results?

Thanks.

RGrew176 wrote:
During the winter I purchased a Dell laptop. I have a Garmin GPSMAP
230 on the boat and supposedly you can interface the two with the
correct adaptors. Has anyone interfaced their GPS and laptop and if
so what were the results?

Thanks.

You can run any gps capable mapping program. Pretty cool if you load all the
maps in highest detail, etc. Bad part, laptop gets wet, falls, etc.

YES... I started doing it 10 years ago with the Garmin 45 and and old
program from Garmin. Now I use the Blue chart software on my laptop and
upload charts and waypoints to the unit before each trip. I also
download tracks and waypoints back to the laptop for archival. I have
a garmin 2006, a 175, and a legend. All can swap waypoints and the 2006
and the legend can take blue charts. Once the little guys are full, I
Archive entire areas off to the laptop for later use. I removed the
Abacos a few years ago and went to the exumas the last few years... this
summer back to the abacos so I am archiving the exumas and replacing
them with all the abaco waypoint, old tracks and routes... AWESOME!!!!

ONLY ISSUE.... some dell laptops do not have a serial port without a
docking station... EZ to check...

have fun
Ed


Dan J. S. wrote:
RGrew176 wrote:

During the winter I purchased a Dell laptop. I have a Garmin GPSMAP
230 on the boat and supposedly you can interface the two with the
correct adaptors. Has anyone interfaced their GPS and laptop and if
so what were the results?

Thanks.


You can run any gps capable mapping program. Pretty cool if you load all the
maps in highest detail, etc. Bad part, laptop gets wet, falls, etc.

YES... I started doing it 10 years ago with the Garmin 45 and and old
program from Garmin. Now I use the Blue chart software on my laptop and
upload charts and waypoints to the unit before each trip. I also
download tracks and waypoints back to the laptop for archival. I have
a garmin 2006, a 175, and a legend. All can swap waypoints and the 2006
and the legend can take blue charts. Once the little guys are full, I
Archive entire areas off to the laptop for later use. I removed the
Abacos a few years ago and went to the exumas the last few years... this
summer back to the abacos so I am archiving the exumas and replacing
them with all the abaco waypoint, old tracks and routes... AWESOME!!!!

ONLY ISSUE.... some dell laptops do not have a serial port without a
docking station... EZ to check...

have fun
Ed

Dan J. S. wrote:
RGrew176 wrote:

During the winter I purchased a Dell laptop. I have a Garmin GPSMAP
230 on the boat and supposedly you can interface the two with the
correct adaptors. Has anyone interfaced their GPS and laptop and if
so what were the results?

Thanks.


You can run any gps capable mapping program. Pretty cool if you load all the
maps in highest detail, etc. Bad part, laptop gets wet, falls, etc.

Thanks for the replies. I will try to have some fun this summer with the laptop
PC and my Garmin. Agreed if it gets wet not good so I probably will not be
using it underway since I really have no place to set the PC where it would not
be in danger from falling.

Just something to play around with.

Thanks again.

On Sat, 22 May 2004 01:39:20 +0000, RGrew176 wrote:

During the winter I purchased a Dell laptop. I have a Garmin GPSMAP 230 on the
boat and supposedly you can interface the two with the correct adaptors. Has
anyone interfaced their GPS and laptop and if so what were the results?

Thanks.

I've also done this for years (wrote a few programs to decode the NMEA...), but
I've always found my old laptop was virtualy impossible to read in sunlight. Are
new ones better?

Lloyd Sumpter
"Far Cove" Catalina 36

On Tue, 25 May 2004 11:37:51 -0700, "Lloyd Sumpter"
wrote:

I've also done this for years (wrote a few programs to decode the NMEA...), but
I've always found my old laptop was virtualy impossible to read in sunlight. Are
new ones better?

==================================

The ones with a so called "TFT active matrix" screen are a lot better.
I have a Conpaq Armada M700 which has very good visibility. Even
better are some of the new, inexpensive flat panel monitors.

I have an old laptop with MS Streets and Trips installed, attached to a
cheap eTrex.

It works well...it shows your position real time, and you can "chart" using
the draw function from the program, and make waypoints where ever you want.

I like it a lot.

--
-Netsock

"It's just about going fast...that's all..."
http://home.insight.rr.com/cgreen/
"Lloyd Sumpter" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 22 May 2004 01:39:20 +0000, RGrew176 wrote:

During the winter I purchased a Dell laptop. I have a Garmin GPSMAP 230
on the
boat and supposedly you can interface the two with the correct adaptors.
Has
anyone interfaced their GPS and laptop and if so what were the results?

Thanks.

I've also done this for years (wrote a few programs to decode the
NMEA...), but
I've always found my old laptop was virtualy impossible to read in
sunlight. Are
new ones better?

Lloyd Sumpter
"Far Cove" Catalina 36

I use Garmin's MapSource software and Garmin's Roads and Recreation CD with
my laptop and either my GPS 12 or eTrex Mariner; both handheld Garmins.
Works great for a real time display or planning except that I can't see the
laptop display in the sunlight, even with the convertible top in place on my
19' bowrider. Of course, using a laptop in a 19' bowrider is a challenge
anyway: any wind and chop means constant vigilance to protect the laptop
from spray/splash!
What's neat is that I connect the GPS to my Furuno 1622 radar and the
current Lat/Long and waypoint information is displayed on the bottom of the
screen. very convenient for everyone else to see, as the handheld GPS is
located where only the person at the helm can easily view it.

"Netsock" wrote in message
...
I have an old laptop with MS Streets and Trips installed, attached to a
cheap eTrex.

It works well...it shows your position real time, and you can "chart"
using
the draw function from the program, and make waypoints where ever you
want.

I like it a lot.

--
-Netsock

"It's just about going fast...that's all..."
http://home.insight.rr.com/cgreen/
"Lloyd Sumpter" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 22 May 2004 01:39:20 +0000, RGrew176 wrote:

During the winter I purchased a Dell laptop. I have a Garmin GPSMAP
230
on the
boat and supposedly you can interface the two with the correct
adaptors.
Has
anyone interfaced their GPS and laptop and if so what were the
results?

Thanks.

I've also done this for years (wrote a few programs to decode the
NMEA...), but
I've always found my old laptop was virtualy impossible to read in
sunlight. Are
new ones better?

Lloyd Sumpter
"Far Cove" Catalina 36