[Ma-linux] GPS upgrades sans Windows?

[Michael Gurski]

Excerpts from Johnson, Steve (NIH/OD/ORS) [E]'s message of Mon Nov 19 16:46:53 -0500 2007:
> (I'm looking into this equipment from Magellan not because I have one
> but because I've got an ODBC reader that is "updatable" - in case you
> are wondering, the error code says my transmission slips!)
> 
> following is from the FAQs on the web site
...
> Frequently Asked Questions
> Generic (all products)Question:
> Can I interface my GPS receiver with a Macintosh?
> Answer: At this time, Magellan products do not support Apple or
> Macintosh.
> It may be possible to connect your GPS to a Macintosh computer by
> searching Apple.com for connectivity plugins under COM ports or serial
> ports.

In *theory*, if you can get the magellan to output NMEA, something
like gpsd should be able to read it.  It's basically an ASCII protocol
at, errr, I think 4800 baud that outputs a stanza of data every N
seconds (where N can be < 1).

If you've not purchased yet, you might want to also check out the
Garmin line as well.  I've had good luck using a Garmin eTrex Vista
with Linux and gpsd, so you might be able to do the same with a Mac.


-- 
Michael A. Gurski (opt. [first].)[last]@pobox.com  http://www.pobox.com/~[last]
1024R/39B5BADD PGP: 34 93 A9 94 B1 59 48 B7  17 57 1E 4E 62 56 45 70
1024D/1166213E GPG: 628F 37A4 62AF 1475 45DB  AD81 ADC9 E606 1166 213E
4096R/C0B4F04B GPG: 5B3E 75D7 43CF CF34 4042  7788 1DCE B5EE C0B4 F04B
Views expressed by the host do not reflect the staff, management or sponsors.