GPS as a scanning tool

[n4jri]

I've had quite a good time playing with my Garmin nuvi 255w GPS. Not only does it keep me from getting lost in the boondocks, it helps show me my position relative to quite a few things.

A freeware program called Extra_POI_Editor v2.99 has been very helpful in getting files organized and helping me preview them and develop a format. It's put out by turboccc, and available at TurboCCC » home

I've also found a lot of good help, advice and files at POI Factory | new & interesting places for your GPS

Here are a few examples of what I'm finding helpful.

1 - Virginia has a statewide radio system called STARS where there will eventually be 94 trunked sites, each with its own control channel. By saving these in the GPS, I can quickly bring up a screen with the four closest sites, showing me their names, control channels, distance and direction from me. NC's VIPER and WV's WVIRP would also be great to have in such a setup.

2 - The POI Factory had a great file with all the aviation NAVAIDS in the US, including their frequency and elevation. So driving down the road, I can see if I'm near it, where to hear it, and whether I'm moving towards or away from it.

3 - Files on Ham repeaters show a similar benefit, although I don't know of any at this time that indicate the actual transmitter site. They're usually listed by town, out of respect for the repeater operators.

And most of this stuff doesn't even involve making any of this stuff a destination. All I have to do is press the "Go to" button and I can check on their status as I drive along my route.

I'd be interested in collaborating on some things of scanner interest, and not sure whether it's best to do it here, or on a GPS website. But for multisite systems alone, this thing is fantastic.

Any thoughts?

73/Allen (N4JRI)

 

[davidmc36]

With the NUVI showing you where you actually are in relation to different sites and a GPS hooked up to a 996 turning the sites on and off for you as you tour around you can add a new and interesting dimension to scanning.

 

[n4jri]

With the NUVI showing you where you actually are in relation to different sites and a GPS hooked up to a 996 turning the sites on and off for you as you tour around you can add a new and interesting dimension to scanning.

There's a South Carolina policeman here on RR who does just that in his squad car. Personally, I'm a dyed-in-the-wool GRE guy, but this setup is great for double-checking what control channels I have stored in my trunked systems. There isn't room enough for everything STARS has, but this is a great reference for double-checking on the road. Also, GRE's 500/600 (and presumably Radio Shack's 106/197) have a feature where you bring up a P25 or Motorola CC in Tune mode, hit the "Store" button, and it forms a system for you instantly.

Right now, I'm playing with files of about 20 sites each for STARS, WVIRP and NC's VIPER. Lotsa fun on the screen...

73/Allen (N4JRI)

 

[timkilbride]

N4JRI,

Thanks for your posting. I have making my own POI this afternoon for ham radio repeaters for my state. The orginal from poi-factory is lacking a little so I'm making my own. Thanks again for posting that.

Tim K.

 

[n4jri]

N4JRI,

Thanks for your posting. I have making my own POI this afternoon for ham radio repeaters for my state. The orginal from poi-factory is lacking a little so I'm making my own. Thanks again for posting that.

Tim K.

Are you able to enter their real locations, and if so, what is your source? Having 8 or 9 of them all pointing to Richmond's 'zero milestone' is pretty annoying.

73/Allen (N4JRI)

 

[timkilbride]

Are you able to enter their real locations, and if so, what is your source? Having 8 or 9 of them all pointing to Richmond's 'zero milestone' is pretty annoying.

73/Allen (N4JRI)

I have no source. I just enter them with the town name associated with them. I'm only entering repeaters that are used for weather spotting and club repeaters. Using that method really cuts down on the clutter on the screen. I'm going to use the GPS for a quick reference for when I'm in not so familiar territory chasing storms. I do not intend to enter every repeater.

Tim K.

 

[slicerwizard]

I've had quite a good time playing with my Garmin nuvi 255w GPS.

I have the same unit and have also created POI files for transmitters of interest. I also added a 4 GB SD card for topo maps.

Unfortunately, the nuvi has no NMEA output, which eliminates some applications like controlling a 996 or MapPoint, building drive test coverage maps, etc. With my old eMap, I can look up any transmitter site as I drive by it by triggering a detailed radius search on my laptop PC. The nuvi, despite being light years ahead of the eMap, can't facilitate this simple task. I wonder if I can convert all 340,000 transmitter records to POIs? Mind you, pulling up a few dozen licenses for one rooftop on the nuvi doesn't sound like fun.

I'd be interested in collaborating on some things of scanner interest, and not sure whether it's best to do it here, or on a GPS website.

Here, I'd think.

 

[poltergeisty]

GPS-Waypoints - GPS POI sharing community


Where the cross hare is, that's the coordinate. ACME Mapper 2.0

 

[UPMan]

In a recent post in the Uniden forum someone indicated that there an adapter that allows (at least some) nuvi units to output standard NMEA for marine/ham/Uniden scanner compatibility.

 

[slicerwizard]

Just did some research and now I'm downloading real time position/speed/heading data out of my 255w - tested and verified. No adapter required - just a stock USB cable. Didn't see that one coming...

 

[Justin220]

Thanks for sharing this useful information, and this" POI Factory | new & interesting places for your GPS" deserve my visit too！