GPS - GlobalMap 2000 (Lawrance)

Author

GlobalMap 2000 (Lawrance)

tbl

2006-08-11, 10:33 pm

At work, we have 4 GlobalMap 2000 units that are going to be
replaced with newer units. We have 300 to 400 waypoints on
each unit that need to be preserved and put on the new
units. A Lawrance rep said that it can't be done. But in
the manual, there are diagrams for wiring the unit to talk
to other NMEA 183 devices.

I've tried connecting the output from the GM2000 to a serial
port on my PC, but haven't been able to get the waypoints
out. Actually, I haven't even been able to get the serial
port to connect, using G7ToWin. The same serial port works
fine when I connect my Garmin Legend up to it.

One of the fuzzy parts of the wiring diagrams is that the
GM2000 shows 2 pairs of wires for the NMEA 183 connection:
plus and minus for input, and plus and minus for output (it
doesn't show the RS-232 pinout). Other diagrams from other
GPS/Serial Port related stuff all seem to show that pin 2
should be data from the GPS to the computer, and pin 3
should be data from the computer to the GPS. Pin 5 should
be ground. The GM2000 diagrams show that you can do
either/or, or both. I've tried connecting the data+ out
from the GM2000 to pin 2 and the data out- to the pin 3, but
no cigar.

Can anybody here shed any light?
--
Thanks,
tbl

Don B

2006-08-12, 10:33 am

I'm not familiar with that unit, but it might be similar to some of the
Lowrance units listed on this site.

http://pinouts.ru/Devices/

Jack Erbes

2006-08-12, 3:33 pm

tbl wrote:

> At work, we have 4 GlobalMap 2000 units that are going to be
> replaced with newer units. We have 300 to 400 waypoints on
> each unit that need to be preserved and put on the new
> units. A Lawrance rep said that it can't be done. But in
> the manual, there are diagrams for wiring the unit to talk
> to other NMEA 183 devices.

I'd check out some of the third party applications here:

http://gpsinformation.net/#3rdparty

I have GPS Utility and it is compatible with Lowrance GPS receivers.

http://www.gpsu.co.uk/

You can download a trial copy of that or try one of the other sharewares
of free wares there and I'd be surprised that you wouldn't find
something that will download tracks, waypoints, and routes from the GPS
receivers you have now and upload them to the brand you buy next.

GPSU is great for managing collections or groups of waypoints and
routes, for reviewing tracks and routes either as tabular data or
displayed in a coordinate system on a blank map or over a map image.

Jack

> I've tried connecting the output from the GM2000 to a serial
> port on my PC, but haven't been able to get the waypoints
> out. Actually, I haven't even been able to get the serial
> port to connect, using G7ToWin. The same serial port works
> fine when I connect my Garmin Legend up to it.
>
> One of the fuzzy parts of the wiring diagrams is that the
> GM2000 shows 2 pairs of wires for the NMEA 183 connection:
> plus and minus for input, and plus and minus for output (it
> doesn't show the RS-232 pinout). Other diagrams from other
> GPS/Serial Port related stuff all seem to show that pin 2
> should be data from the GPS to the computer, and pin 3
> should be data from the computer to the GPS. Pin 5 should
> be ground. The GM2000 diagrams show that you can do
> either/or, or both. I've tried connecting the data+ out
> from the GM2000 to pin 2 and the data out- to the pin 3, but
> no cigar.

Try using the output pair. Assume that (+) is TXD and connect it the
RXD (pin 3/RXD) and that (-) is RXD and connect it to TXD (pin 2/TXD) at
the COM port.

Also, if there is a ground on the GPS connect that to the negative power
lead and also connect pin 5 from the DB-9 connector to the negative
power lead.

If it does not work, try reversing the TXD and RXD wires. If it still
did not work, I'd try the same things with the input pair.

If you're using Hyperterm to check the COM port, set it to 4800 8 N 1.

Jack

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

tbl

2006-08-12, 10:33 pm

On Sat, 12 Aug 2006 14:34:13 -0400, Jack Erbes
<jackerbes@adelphia.net> wrote:

>I'd check out some of the third party applications here:
>
>http://gpsinformation.net/#3rdparty
>
>I have GPS Utility and it is compatible with Lowrance GPS receivers.
>
>http://www.gpsu.co.uk/
>
>You can download a trial copy of that or try one of the other sharewares
>of free wares there and I'd be surprised that you wouldn't find
>something that will download tracks, waypoints, and routes from the GPS
>receivers you have now and upload them to the brand you buy next.
>
>GPSU is great for managing collections or groups of waypoints and
>routes, for reviewing tracks and routes either as tabular data or
>displayed in a coordinate system on a blank map or over a map image.

>Try using the output pair. Assume that (+) is TXD and connect it the
>RXD (pin 3/RXD) and that (-) is RXD and connect it to TXD (pin 2/TXD) at
>the COM port.
>
>Also, if there is a ground on the GPS connect that to the negative power
>lead and also connect pin 5 from the DB-9 connector to the negative
>power lead.
>
>If it does not work, try reversing the TXD and RXD wires. If it still
>did not work, I'd try the same things with the input pair.
>
>If you're using Hyperterm to check the COM port, set it to 4800 8 N 1.

Thanks Jack! I'll give this a more thorough read tonight
and have another whack at it.
--
tbl

tbl

2006-08-14, 10:33 pm

On Sat, 12 Aug 2006 14:34:13 -0400, Jack Erbes
<jackerbes@adelphia.net> wrote:

>I'd check out some of the third party applications here:
>
>http://gpsinformation.net/#3rdparty
>
>I have GPS Utility and it is compatible with Lowrance GPS receivers.
>
>http://www.gpsu.co.uk/
>
>You can download a trial copy of that or try one of the other sharewares
>of free wares there and I'd be surprised that you wouldn't find
>something that will download tracks, waypoints, and routes from the GPS
>receivers you have now and upload them to the brand you buy next.
>
>GPSU is great for managing collections or groups of waypoints and
>routes, for reviewing tracks and routes either as tabular data or
>displayed in a coordinate system on a blank map or over a map image.
>
>
>Try using the output pair. Assume that (+) is TXD and connect it the
>RXD (pin 3/RXD) and that (-) is RXD and connect it to TXD (pin 2/TXD) at
>the COM port.
>
>Also, if there is a ground on the GPS connect that to the negative power
>lead and also connect pin 5 from the DB-9 connector to the negative
>power lead.
>
>If it does not work, try reversing the TXD and RXD wires. If it still
>did not work, I'd try the same things with the input pair.
>
>If you're using Hyperterm to check the COM port, set it to 4800 8 N 1.

Well, I gave it another valiant try, but could not get this
unit to cough up a single character. Maybe the tech was
right. Maybe it will only accept input from the gps or dgps
beacon... I dunno. I tried every possible combination of
connections, including your suggestions, but still no cigar.

Thanks for your input. It looks like well just have to
connect the old systems up just to be able to get the boat
to the waypoints, and punch the button on the new units for
each one. An extra 4 days work before we can even start the
real work... ugh.

--
tbl

Jack Erbes

2006-08-15, 10:33 am

tbl wrote:.
<snip>
>
> Well, I gave it another valiant try, but could not get this
> unit to cough up a single character. Maybe the tech was
> right. Maybe it will only accept input from the gps or dgps
> beacon... I dunno. I tried every possible combination of
> connections, including your suggestions, but still no cigar.
>
> Thanks for your input. It looks like well just have to
> connect the old systems up just to be able to get the boat
> to the waypoints, and punch the button on the new units for
> each one. An extra 4 days work before we can even start the
> real work... ugh.

That's too bad. It is maddening to think that all the data you want may
be there and you can't get it.

Did you have access to the manual as you were doing this? I googled
that and found this great page:

http://www.lowrance.com/Manuals/default.asp

and the manual you need it here I think:

http://www.lowrance.com/Manuals/Fil...000_0134-15.zip

A quick check of that shows that as having a two way serial port with
the NMEA input and output being on red (input) and green (output) wires.

Looking at the wiring diagrams in the manual that thing could have a
bewildering number of wires because of the capabilities it has and the
number ancillary devices involved. But the manual looks like it could
be very helpful for making sure that you've given it good try.

That unit was a Cadillac in it's day.

Jack

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

tbl

2006-08-16, 10:33 pm

On Tue, 15 Aug 2006 09:28:51 -0400, Jack Erbes
<jackerbes@adelphia.net> wrote:

>That's too bad. It is maddening to think that all the data you want may
>be there and you can't get it.
>
>Did you have access to the manual as you were doing this? I googled
>that and found this great page:
>
>http://www.lowrance.com/Manuals/default.asp
>
>and the manual you need it here I think:
>
>http://www.lowrance.com/Manuals/Fil...000_0134-15.zip
>
>A quick check of that shows that as having a two way serial port with
>the NMEA input and output being on red (input) and green (output) wires.
>
>Looking at the wiring diagrams in the manual that thing could have a
>bewildering number of wires because of the capabilities it has and the
>number ancillary devices involved. But the manual looks like it could
>be very helpful for making sure that you've given it good try.

Yup, have the paper and e-manuals, and studied the diagrams
carefully. When these usits were in the boats, the only
unused cable was the NMEA cable (clearly marked with a
silver tag. All of those mysteriously named components in
the big diagram were present in the boats.

I think one clue is that nowhere in the manual do they talk
about connecting to a computer, or transferring waypoints
to/from anything else. It seems to me that by "data" (with
respect to the NMEA cable), they're just talking about
getting positional info to/from the GPS or DGPS, not
waypoints and such.

In contrast, I found the manual for a newer unit on their
site, and it mentioned connecting to a computer and came
with a CD, *and* the manual actually defined "data" as
"positional information and waypoints, tracks, routes, etc.

>That unit was a Cadillac in it's day.

As frustrated as I am... I'm thinking more along the lines
of a Titanic! If these things didn't have property tags,
I'd be tempted to tear on of 'em open and have a look. But
then again, if there are no moving parts, what's a guy to
fix? ;-) But yes, they were/are still very nice units...
except for "one little thing"!

Thanks for your thoughts. It's nice to know that somebody
else thinks it *should* be do-able.

--
tbl

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