Many GPS-related programs require an NMEA connection to your GPS through a serial port. But many new computers don’t include a serial port anymore, while many new GPS models, particularly Garmin, only have a proprietary USB interface and not a serial NMEA interface. For computers that don’t have a serial port, you can always buy a USB to serial converter like those from Keyspan. And for Garmin USB-only GPS units, there’s a program called GPSGate from Franson that converts the USB connection to multiple virtual serial NMEA ports, $10-30 depending on how many ports you need. Garmin offers a similar program for free called “Spanner” for their GPS 18 model, a USB receiver/antenna that’s designed to plug in to a notebook’s USB port and interface with programs running on it. What Garmin doesn’t say is that “Spanner” will also work with some, albeit not all, of its other GPS receiver units; you’ll have to experiment to see if it works with your model. And even if your Garmin has both serial and USB interfaces, like my Garmin 60Cx, using this program can save you the expense of a GPS-to-serial cable, a USB to serial converter if your computer doesn’t have a serial port, or both.
Download the Spanner program from the Garmin website, and install it. The program has only one configuration window:
You need to have your GPS turned on, connected to your computer via USB, and using the Garmin protocol; if any of these isn’t true when you start Spanner, make it so, then click “Find GPS”. At the bottom, use the “Add” button to add a virtual serial port to your computer for use by your software as an NMEA connection. Make sure you choose a number for your COM port that doesn’t conflict with any your computer currently has. I believe that Windows can handle COM1 through COM 255, but keep in mind some software programs won’t support ports higher than COM8, or even COM4.
I’ve had two programs running simultaneously, each one getting NMEA data from a different COM port, and given that COM ports are pretty slow, I’d guess that you could add a few more without putting a serious strain on your computer’s resources.
Actual screenshot |
See Real USGS Topo Maps, Aerial Photos And Scanned Maps On Your Garmin GPS WithMoagu:
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Actual screenshot |
Other posts in the Garmin GPS series
- Garmin microSD Card Tricks
- Exporting Data From Garmin’s MapSource Program To Google Earth
- Free Garmin GPS Unit Auto-Routing With MetroGuide Maps + Free European Basemap
- Cheap Worldwide Road And Contour Maps For Garmin GPS Units
- Converting A Garmin USB GPS Connection To Multiple Serial NMEA Connections
- Converting OpenStreetMap Data Into GPX Or Garmin .img Format
- Adding Garmin .img Map Files To MapSource
- Sources For Free Garmin .img GPS Map Files
- Beta Version Of DNRGarmin
- Google Maps Search Interface For Garmin .img Maps
- High-Res Garmin Topo Maps For CO, WY, and UT (also Argentina, Uruguay and Chile)
- Creating Custom Waypoint Icons For Garmin GPS Units I
- Creating Custom Waypoint Icons For Garmin GPS Units II
- Creating Custom Waypoint Icons For Garmin GPS Units III - Custom Waypoint Icons In MapSource
- Garmin Handheld GPS Units That Support Custom Waypoints
- Garmin MapSource For Free
- Garmin GPS Unit Waypoint Icons Table
- A Look At OpenStreetMap’s TIGER Data Exported To A Garmin GPS
- Beating The Garmin 2025-Map Limit With US Topo Maps
- High-Res Garmin Topo Maps Now Out For Utah
- Introduction To Garmin GPS Custom POI (Points Of Interest) Data
- Garmin Topo Maps For Montana And California
- Creating A Garmin Custom POI Datafile
- Managing Custom POI Data On A Garmin Handheld GPS
- Creating Custom Icons For Garmin Points Of Interest (POI)
- Creating A Garmin GPS Points Of Interest (POI) File From A Point Shapefile
- Entering Multiple Datasets For A Single Set Of Garmin Custom POIs
- AZ Garmin Topo Maps And More From The GPS File Depot
- Updates For Two Garmin-Related Programs
- Put USGS Topographic Maps, Aerial Imagery, And Other Raster Imagery On Your Garmin Handheld GPS
- New Garmin Map Links At The GPS File Depot
- Sets Of Custom Garmin Waypoint Icons
- Converting Raster Maps To Garmin Vector Format With BMap2MP
- Updates At The GPS File Depot
- Uploading .img Map Files To A Garmin GPS Unit With MapUpload
- Make Your Own Topo Maps For A Garmin GPS Unit
- Garmin Map Roundup
- Uploading .img Map Files to A Garmin GPS Unit With IMG2GPS
- Updates On The Garmin 1:24K US Topographic Map Front
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