996 and GPS??

[airbear21200]

I am interested in finding out what particular GPS units folks might be using with the 996.
I also use a mobile mounted laptop with Earthmate L20 antenna and Street Altas 2008. Is this something I should be able to use with the 996. If so, anyone have any tips or special instructions on how to set it up?
Any help would be appreciated.

Dave

 

[davidmc36]

Do you mean LT 20. Google did not seem to turn up an L 20. If so you will not be able to us this on the 996 since it is USB and you will need one with 9 pin serial output. I use a Magellen 315. I had it lying around. I see lots of them on Ebay and you can get connector cords with built in cigarette lighter power plugs too so you don't have to use batteries. The are other products that are just nice compact "puck" antennas with the proper serial plug. I think I have seen people post that Scanner Master has them.

 

[davidmc36]

Her it is:

http://www.scannermaster.com/GPS_Receiver_for_Uniden_Bearcat_BCT15_BCD996T_p/29-731177.htm

 

[Viper43]

Thats the one I use, it works fine
And nope, the Delorme units won't work, too bad, I have 3 of them.
V

Her it is:

http://www.scannermaster.com/GPS_Receiver_for_Uniden_Bearcat_BCT15_BCD996T_p/29-731177.htm

 

[hntsgt]

I would like one with a screen & can sit on the dash, like a Tom-Tom. Can anyone recommend one that is compatible with the 996T?

 

[davidmc36]

I would like one with a screen & can sit on the dash, like a Tom-Tom. Can anyone recommend one that is compatible with the 996T?

I use an old Magellen 315

There are lots of them on Ebay.

http://tinyurl.com/6kdbuv

I even found a car mount for it. It doesn't have a screen with mapping or the like but it has a monochrome screen with compass display, speed, lat/long, utm, and other stuff too. It does have a thing where it draws a line on a screen showing where you have been and has some major cities in its database, just s dot for the city center. There are tons of power/data cables available too with the cigarette lighter plug so you don't have to run it on batteries.

 

[UPMan]

I would like one with a screen & can sit on the dash, like a Tom-Tom. Can anyone recommend one that is compatible with the 996T?

I do not know of any PND types that will work. None of them support outputting the NMEA standard output over a serial link. I don't know of any that even have a serial link. Or of any that output a non-standard output over their USB link.

I've been told that all of these do have the requisite NMEA data, but you'd need to figure out where to tap to get at the data.

 

[davidmc36]

That is pretty much what I have seen too. No NMEA from these type of devices. Just proprietary type data.

 

[737mech]

I use the Garmin

I do not know of any PND types that will work. None of them support outputting the NMEA standard output over a serial link. I don't know of any that even have a serial link. Or of any that output a non-standard output over their USB link.

I've been told that all of these do have the requisite NMEA data, but you'd need to figure out where to tap to get at the data.

I use the Garmin 60CSX with the data cable works great!! Find them here...

http://www.gpscity.com/item-garmin-gpsmap-60csx-gps/60csx.htm

and the cable..

http://www.gpscity.com/item-garmin-pc-interface-cable/garpcintcbl.htm

 

[UPMan]

As do I, but that is not a PND (portable navigation device) style GPS like the OP was referencing. I also use a mag-mount GPS "puck" with no display at all.

Before I accidentally crushed my ETrex Legend (forcing me to purchase the 60CSX, oh darn) I used it, as well.

 

[737mech]

Correct not a PND

As do I, but that is not a PND (portable navigation device) style GPS like the OP was referencing. I also use a mag-mount GPS "puck" with no display at all.

Before I accidentally crushed my ETrex Legend (forcing me to purchase the 60CSX, oh darn) I used it, as well.

You are correct not a PND but a very good gps to have (The 60CSX) as it has the NMEA output and works wonders with nroute and a laptop!! Not to mention it is awesome all by itself with Citynavigator and a 2gb card. Can be mounted with a RAM mount and viola! Just what the OP wanted!!
The OP needs to find a gps handheld with NMEA output right? Lots of fun with the handheld and the added bonus of connecting to the scanner for location based scanning. PND's are nice but for driving only, I wouldn't buy one. If the OP can manage without voice commands the 60CSX is what he needs, it has turn by turn directions if you upload the Citynavigator dvd. My humble opinion is to have a handheld with NMEA output. It'll satisfy the GPS input for the scanner as well as function for someone on the go in the car or on the trail or quad, boat, or horse. I even tried it onboard an airplane just to see where I was during a night flight. (Above 10,000 feet of course).
The newer gps handhelds (are you listening Uniden?) have bluetooth wireless connectivity for connection to computers, I'm not sure about NMEA data streams but how hard could it be? The newer scanners should have either bluetooth inside or a usb port to add the bluetooth capability and avoid the extra cable. It can't be that hard to do, if a cell phone and a $300.00 laptop can bluetooth a $500.00 scanner should too!!

(OP) Forget the cheap PND's for sale this Christmas season and go find a Handheld GPS with NMEA output, you won't be sorry. My advise is to go Garmin because they have the best gps products and customer support as well. The others are cheaper on some comparisons but the old saying, "You get what you pay for."

I have to go write my letter to Santa now. (scanner with Bluetooth GPS and programability, Multicolor screen like my MP3 player, interactive displays on the gps from the scanner to show me the site locations, etc. etc. )

Upman you have a nice Holiday! I still like the Undien scanners but the future in this hobby lies with integrating all my toys to work together. My $.02

 

[airbear21200]

thanks

Thanks for the replies. It is kind of looking like the little unit that scanner master lists may be my direction. Being under $100 bucks helps too. And, being that it is small, self contained and "concealable" is a plus too. Having 7 antennas already on the car, I am trying not to have to add much more (in visual site anyway).
I use the "LT20" (sorry about the earlier typo) with the laptop when I need more detail or on a long trip. I have the LT20 receiver under the front dash panel using a little velcro strip. It works great and no one knows it is even there. I wasn't sure if if I could serial the laptop to the scanner and get NMEA output since the LT20 connects to the laptop through the USB. But then again, since I don't always have the laptop set up, I would like something that is dedicated and full time to the 996.
I have a Garmin 200 that I use all the time on the dash for a visual heads up display. I was pretty sure it did not have NMEA output.
Well, thanks again everyone who responded. This helps me make a bit more educated decision here.

Dave

 

[UPMan]

The newer gps handhelds (are you listening Uniden?) have bluetooth wireless connectivity for connection to computers, I'm not sure about NMEA data streams but how hard could it be? The newer scanners should have either bluetooth inside or a usb port to add the bluetooth capability and avoid the extra cable. It can't be that hard to do, if a cell phone and a $300.00 laptop can bluetooth a $500.00 scanner should too!!

I don't know of any that use bluetooth to communicate with computers, only with bluetooth headsets.

Both Bluetooth and USB add a significant one-time charge to the development (they have to go through industry verification), plus additional hardware and engineering costs. The relatively low unit volumes done in scanners translates this to a very large unit cost.

For example (and I'm simplifying the numbers both to make the math easy and to obfuscate business secrets), lets say the fee for BT is $15,000 (it is more) and we'd have to spend another $15,000 to implement (it would probably be more...adding a transmitter inside a scanner causes all sorts of interference issues that would need to be dealt with) and the hardware costs $3. Say we sold 3,000 scanners with the feature per year (it would probably be more) we'd amortize the $30,000 into the first year's sales...that would be $10 per unit + $3 parts. Then, you'd typically actually want to make a proportional profit on the feature...which would drive our sell price up by something more than the $13 cost. That is a very expensive feature. And it still wouldn't get you an NMEA link between the scanner and the PND (because no PND outputs NMEA in any form, including bluetooth).

Cell phones and laptops typically sell a few hundred thousand units per year, so adding a one-time charge to their development divides out to a very small $ number per unit. I could only dream that a scanner model could sell at that rate.

 

[datainmotion]

I do not know of any PND types that will work....Or of any that output a non-standard output over their USB link.

I've been told that all of these do have the requisite NMEA data, but you'd need to figure out where to tap to get at the data.

Both the DeLorme PN-20 and PN-40 output raw NMEA over USB for use as a receiver for a laptop.

 

[datainmotion]

Is anyone here aware of this item from Deluo GPS?

http://deluogps.com/product.php?id=30-573-01

 

[datainmotion]

Both Bluetooth and USB add a significant one-time charge to the development (they have to go through industry verification), plus additional hardware and engineering costs. The relatively low unit volumes done in scanners translates this to a very large unit cost.

Plus many of us have no interest in having another radio operating within our scanner (call me crazy)... so this Bluetooth model would have to have an entirely seperate $KU.

 

[UPMan]

Both the DeLorme PN-20 and PN-40 output raw NMEA over USB for use as a receiver for a laptop.

And neither are PND type GPS units like the OP was referring to. (And I also have a PN-20...use it on my bike.) I'm also not so certain that they output NMEA...they could be outputting proprietary (or otherwise non-standard) data that their software knows how to interpret into location info. I know that Garmin has such a mode that is not NMEA compliant. To meet the NMEA 0183 spec, it should be outputting NMEA sentences at 4800 bps over a serial link, so at least that much is not compliant to the spec.

EDIT: I see that they have a "serial emulation driver" that you need to run so that the laptop sees the data as NMEA 0183 compliant.

 

[datainmotion]

I was just replying to your reply. How are the PN-20 and PN-40 not "Personal Navigation Devices"? I use my PN-20 all the time when I hunt or ride my quad. I think you are thinking of the LT-20 and LT-40.

 

[datainmotion]

I'm also not so certain that they output NMEA...they could be outputting proprietary (or otherwise non-standard) data that their software knows how to interpret into location info. I know that Garmin has such a mode that is not NMEA compliant. To meet the NMEA 0183 spec, it should be outputting NMEA sentences at 4800 bps over a serial link, so at least that much is not compliant to the spec.

EDIT: I see that they have a "serial emulation driver" that you need to run so that the laptop sees the data as NMEA 0183 compliant.

The PN-20 and PN-40 NMEA data is raw. Only toy makers like Magellan and Garmin put it out with propietary coding.

 

[UPMan]

PND is an industry term for car navigation units like the TomTom the OP references. That definition does not include the handheld units.