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Cellular forums Home > Archive > Garmin GPS > September 2006 > Serial or USB cables
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Serial or USB cables
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| I own a 60csx and want to upload/download waypoints with NOAA raster
maps on my MAC. The relevant MAC software is either GPSpro or GPSnavx
for marine charts. Both products require the use of a serial cable with
the keyspan serial to usb converter. Has anyone tried this with just
the USB cable supplied with the Garmin? Seems kinda backward that
simple USB is not supported directly.
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| Kendo1 2006-09-15, 12:33 pm |
| Hi,
I have a similar question. I own a Garmin 2006C Chartplotter and want to
download Garmin upgrades/ manage waypoints/routes etc. using my PC. Garmin
sell two different sets of equipmrnt to do this. Tthey are an AC/PC USA
Adapter, 18 pin sereal port connector cable which connects the GPS directly
to the PC. The second is a Marine Data Management Kit which contains a cable
to connect a 32 megabite data card (supplied) to the USB port . The card
"Stores data from MapSource Cd-Roms so you can make the moast of your Garmin
GPS." The kit also includes a MapSource CD titled: "Marine Trip & Waypoint
Manager." No manual comes with the data magement kit.
My questions:
1. Do I need both?
2 If not which one is prefered?
3. Is there freeware that provides the same info as MapSource?
4. I have a Blue Chart data card for NY/NJ area which I leave in my GPS.
Does the new data card update my GPS?
5. Do I then reinsert the NY/NJ data card.
Sorry for all the dtailed questions, any guidance will be greatly
appreaciated.
Ken
"Gene" <cosloy@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:1158195699.981642.229610@e63g2000cwd.googlegroups.com...
>I own a 60csx and want to upload/download waypoints with NOAA raster
> maps on my MAC. The relevant MAC software is either GPSpro or GPSnavx
> for marine charts. Both products require the use of a serial cable with
> the keyspan serial to usb converter. Has anyone tried this with just
> the USB cable supplied with the Garmin? Seems kinda backward that
> simple USB is not supported directly.
>
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| Jack Erbes 2006-09-15, 12:33 pm |
| Gene wrote:
> I own a 60csx and want to upload/download waypoints with NOAA raster
> maps on my MAC. The relevant MAC software is either GPSpro or GPSnavx
> for marine charts. Both products require the use of a serial cable
> with the keyspan serial to usb converter. Has anyone tried this with
> just the USB cable supplied with the Garmin? Seems kinda backward
> that simple USB is not supported directly.
>
For Windows PCs, Garmin provides a driver that finalizes the exchanges
when a Garmin GPS with USB is plugged into the windows machine. It is
that driver that allows the use of the Mass Storage Mode and the
interface with MapSource via USB.
That USB drivers can be downloaded here, note that the system
requirements make no mention of Macs:
http://www.garmin.com/support/downl...ails.jsp?id=591
There is a light at the end of the tunnel, the check is in the mail,
etc., etc., for Mac users, you can read about that here:
http://www.garmin.com/pressroom/corporate/011006.html
Jack
--
Jack Erbes in Ellsworth, Maine, USA (jackerbes at adelphia dot net)
(also receiving email at jacker at midmaine dot com)
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| Jack Erbes 2006-09-15, 3:33 pm |
| Kendo1 wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I have a similar question. I own a Garmin 2006C Chartplotter and want to
> download Garmin upgrades/ manage waypoints/routes etc. using my PC. Garmin
> sell two different sets of equipmrnt to do this. Tthey are an AC/PC USA
> Adapter, 18 pin sereal port connector cable which connects the GPS directly
> to the PC.
That AC/PC cable has a DB9S (female) connector allowing the GPS to be
connected to the RS-232 serial (COM) ports that used to exist on most
PCs. And it also has an AC adapter to provide power off the boat.
The DB9S connector uses the wires that, in a marine installation, would
share NMEA data with other equipments. Those all use RS-232 serial
communications (with hard wired connections instead of the DB9S/DB9P
connectors) for sharing NMEA data.
Since newer PCs no longer have the DB9P (male) RS-232 serial port
connector, you would have to use a serial to USB adapter along with the
Garmin AC/PC Adapter to connect it to a PC with only USB ports.
A serial to USB adapter is a short cable with a DB9P connector on one
end and a USB connector on the other. It has some electronics (a serial
to USB bridge) that accomplish the data conversion from RS-232 serial to
USB serial.
In use, drivers for the adapter are installed on the PC. Then the
serial to USB adapter is plugged in to the USB port and the plug and
play process creates a virtual COM port on the PC.
That virtual COM port is the COM port that would be used by applications
like the Garmin Marine Trip & Waypoint Manager and the MapSource
application for PCs (if MapSource is compatible with the 2006, I believe
it would be but am not certain).
> The second is a Marine Data Management Kit which contains a cable
> to connect a 32 megabite data card (supplied) to the USB port .
The MDMK uses what you call a "cable" (it is actually more than just a
cable, it is a USB hardware device called a Data Card Programmer) and
the 32mb Data Card, as an intermediate device, for transferring data to
and from the 2006. Instead of sending waypoints, routes, etc., to and
from the PC and GPS via the serial cable described above, the data is
sent to or read from the Data Card which can be moved back and forth
between the Data Card Programmer and the GPS.
> The card
> "Stores data from MapSource Cd-Roms so you can make the moast of your Garmin
> GPS." The kit also includes a MapSource CD titled: "Marine Trip & Waypoint
> Manager." No manual comes with the data magement kit.
From your other questions, I assume you do not already have a MapSource
application like BlueChart Americas. And since you don't have a
MapSource application that came on a CD or DVD you probably also do not
have the MapSource application for the PC (it is installed from the
purchased purchased products on CD or DVD).
If you had purchased a MapSource application (like BlueChart) and
installed on your PC it could recognize and communicate with the 2006
via the AC/PC Adapter. And MapSource would also recognize and use the
Data Card Programmer with Data Cards.
So if you had purchased a BlueChart CD and unlocked the region you
bought as a preloaded Data Card you would be able to see the unlocked
charts in full detail on your PC, you could select any or all of the
unlocked region and store it on a Data Card in the Data Card Programmer,
you could place waypoints and build routes on the PC and send those to
the Data Card too, and then when you put the data card in the 2006 you
would have the maps and data you had on the PC.
But remember, since you bought a preprogrammed Data Card (not a
BlueChart CD-ROM), you did not get MapSource and you don't have any
marine maps that you can look at or use with MapSource on the PC.
> My questions:
> 1. Do I need both?
With only a preloaded Data Card you don't need either one. They won't
do anything for you as explained above.
If you by BlueChart Americas, you will can install MapSource and
BlueChart on your PC.
If you have BlueChart Americas on your PC and want to want to create
routes at home and upload them directly to the 2006 you need the AC/PC
Adapter and a serial to USB adapter.
If you have BlueChart Americas on your PC and want to create routes at
home and upload them directly to a blank Data Card at home and take the
Data Card to the boat, you need a Data Card Programmer.
As an aside, blank Data Cards and Data Card Programmers can be purchased
from Internet dealers and on eBay for much less than from Garmin.
> 2 If not which one is prefered?
Your call. I'd probably want to have both if I were using the boat very
much. That may just be me though.
> 3. Is there freeware that provides the same info as MapSource?
None that I know of as far as maps and marine charts. There are
freewares that will interface with the 2006 (AC/DC Adapter and serial to
USB adapter needed) and upload and download waypoints and routes but not
that will show you the maps that are on your preloaded Data Card or that
will upload more or different maps or charts.
MapSource, as installed on the PC, only manages your interface with the
separately purchased MapSource applications (marine, topo, street &
highway, etc.) and lets you see and use the data in the applications.
For example you could see and upload marine charts from the unlocked
region(s) of BlueChart Americas if you purchased that.
> 4. I have a Blue Chart data card for NY/NJ area which I leave in my GPS.
> Does the new data card update my GPS?
The 32mb one in the MDMK? If so, no. It will not do anything for you
or for your GPS. It is a blank 32mb card. You could use it with the
Data Card Programmer, as described above, for moving waypoint and route
data back and forth between the GPS and the MapSource install on the PC
if you had one. And if you had BlueChart installed on your PC you could
make a data card that has the same charts on it that you have on your
NY/NJ card now (and maybe even more).
> 5. Do I then reinsert the NY/NJ data card.
Yes, if you want to see the charts you were seeing before.
Be careful with the preloaded NY/NJ Data Card. If you write any data to
it (either from the GPS itself or from MapSource with the card in a Data
Card Programmer) you run the risk of corrupting or erasing the charting
data on the Data Card.
Garmin warns you in the fine print somewhere that if you trash your Data
Card by writing to it by accident, they will not repair or replace the
Data Card. There is no way to "lock" a Data Card to prevent writing to
it. So my best advice is to be careful with them.
Be *very* careful with them if you have and use both blank and preloaded
Data Cards. Make sure the expensive/unreplaceable ones are *not* in the
GPS or programmer before you write to a data card.
> Sorry for all the dtailed questions, any guidance will be greatly
> appreaciated.
Good luck with that, feel free to email me if you want more info on
using the BlueChart charts with data cards or with the microSD cards on
the handhelds.
Jack
--
Jack Erbes in Ellsworth, Maine, USA (jackerbes at adelphia dot net)
(also receiving email at jacker at midmaine dot com)
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| Peter Headland 2006-09-17, 3:33 pm |
| Jack Erbes wrote:
> For Windows PCs, Garmin provides a driver that finalizes the exchanges
> when a Garmin GPS with USB is plugged into the windows machine. It is
> that driver that allows the use of the Mass Storage Mode ...
This is not true. You don't need the Garmin USB driver to use Mass
Storage mode on a 60..x or 76..x. You only need the driver for
MapSource, etc.
--
Peter Headland
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