# GPS / PC systems **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 23, 2000, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gps-pc-systems/34273 "2000-09-23T15:45:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2000, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gps-pc-systems/34273/1 "2000-09-23T15:45:28Z")
- - - Most GPS receivers are hand-held uits that you load maps into and use as stand-alones, but I have seen one GPS receiver called the ETAK Skymap 2000, that has a “plain” (screenless and buttonless) unit that plugs into a PC. Are there any other brands that do this? What I am curious about is any other GPS units that can feed coordinates into a PC. - MC ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2000, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gps-pc-systems/34273/2 "2000-09-23T16:57:47Z")
[http://www.trimble.com/products/catalog/mobile/place450.htm](http://www.trimble.com/products/catalog/mobile/place450.htm) I am not sure what you are looking for but several manufacturers make these units intended exclusively to be connected toa PC OTOH most fixed mount GPS receivers and many handhelds will have NMEA 0183 or Seatalk connections which allows them to talk to other instruments. While I do not know the specs of these standards I would suspect the can be easily interfaced with a PC (I believe they are pretty much just RS232C). Many handhelds can be connected to a PC for saving waypoint lists etc. I would expect they might combine this with the NMEA 0183 or seatalk functions. I should know more about this but I have not kept up lately. I will soon need to learn as I am replacing all the electronics on my boat. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2000, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gps-pc-systems/34273/3 "2000-09-23T19:52:51Z")
If you’re using Win98, click on **start-\>settings-\>control panel-\>add new hardware** Follow the instructions to pick the hardware from a list and click on **Global Positioning Devices**. My list shows several GPS cards from Rockwell, Trimble, and Socket Communications. ---
**Author:** ![Arjuna34](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Arjuna34](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arjuna34)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2000, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gps-pc-systems/34273/4 "2000-09-23T20:10:09Z")
Any GPS with the standard sailor mentioned (NMEA 0183) will work into a PC- it’s just a standard RS-232 protocol. You’ll need PC software to receive it and put it on the screen, though. Many GPS units have that serial interface on it. The GPS may even be programmed to spit out coordinates once per second automatically- it’s worth hooking it up to a PC and running Hyperterminal (or your favorite serial terminal program) to see if anything’s being sent. It’s almost certainly either 4800 or 9600 baud, 8 bit, no parity. Arjuna34 ---
**Author:** ![TheNerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/858c86/32.png) [@TheNerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheNerd)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2000, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gps-pc-systems/34273/5 "2000-09-23T20:24:27Z")
I’d be very surprised if you found any recent GPS unit which did not have NMEA output (someone is bound to find one, just to prove the point though). I use a Magellan 315 (available for about $100 US) in my car’s system. It works just fine. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2000, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gps-pc-systems/34273/6 "2000-09-23T20:46:27Z")
You can easily find the info online searching for NMEA [NMEA 0183 GPS Communication Protocol](http://www.homebuilt.org/tech/nmea.html) [NMEA to PC Wiring Standard Version 2](http://www.w6bhz.calpoly.edu/~rgilliga/NMEAWiring.html) [NMEA 0183 INTERFACE STANDARD](http://www.nmea.org/0183.htm) [NMEA-0183 and GPS Information](http://www.vancouver-webpages.com/pub/peter/) ---
**Author:** ![JonF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/cab0a1/32.png) [@JonF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JonF)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2000, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gps-pc-systems/34273/7 "2000-09-23T23:13:16Z")
[Earthmate® GPS Receiver](http://www.delorme.com/earthmate/)