enthusiastic amateur requires help!!

[tommyboy]

please excuse my ignorance but i currently own a a Garmin Etrex which i use as a safety backup when hillwalking, is there anyway i can link this to a PDA to give myself a vehicle type Sat Nav similar to my friends Tom Tom device?? i expect i am asking for the impossible but all replies will be gratefully recieved,
cheers Tom

 

[Irish Al]

I'm not up on the PDAs but I do know that even the simplest of the e-trex range will plug straight into a lap-top and is compatable with auto-route or map-source. Bit awkward on a bike though.

Al

 

[Kropotkin]

I believe you can do this. If the e-trex range has a connection for a serial cable, you should be able to plug this into your PDA. However, finding the right cable could be tricky, as well as configuring TomTom / Alturion / whatever to use the E-Trex as a GPS receiver.

David

 

[MiGSel]

Yup, most be possible David.

Etrex has serial out and the pda probably has serial in. And TomTom has Garmin and NMEA protocols. One of those should work.

As the man said, finding the right cable will probably be the tricky bit. I did it with a StreetPilot III and a HP Jornada pda a while ago and it worked just fine. Had to make my own cable though.

Cheers,
Michel

 

[Trevor S]

please excuse my ignorance but i currently own a a Garmin Etrex which i use as a safety backup when hillwalking, is there anyway i can link this to a PDA to give myself a vehicle type Sat Nav

I do this, running a Pocket PC connected to a GPS on my BMW 1150 GS Adventure.

You need:
Suitable cable
Suitable PDA (I prefer a Pocket PC)
Suitable Software for the PDA.

Cable
I have a combined power data cable,

http://www.gpsoz.com.au/cables.htm

PDA
Up to you, I run an Ipaq 3970 (older model now) Pocket PC.

Software
I use OziExplorer but it is non routing and designed for raster mapping (whcih suits me). If you want vector mapping, auto routing software there are a couple choices.

http://www.pocketgps.co.uk/menu_gpssoftware.php


and here is a review doing exactly what you are talking about.

http://www.bluerim.com.au/Ulysses Review.htm

You can alternativly go for an all in one solution eg a CF GPS card in a PocketPC or a purpose built GPS from Garmin, Magellan etc for the bike/car and keep your Etrex for hiking only. I find these proprietary solutions too restrictive for me, albeit they are popular with others.

Best of luck !

 

[tommyboy]

cheers Trevor,
thanks for the links, much appreciated

 

[DOWNUNDER]

This place has PDA/Garmin cables.

I have bought an antenna from them and they are reliable.

http://pc-mobile.net/gps.htm