Data Hacking

Making
Connections
In this chapter, you will learn how you can connect your GPS receiver to
various devices to make use of the data transfer facility. You’ll first look at
the different ways that receivers connect to devices, and then examine
how to troubleshoot problems.
The PC — GPS Relationship
Most GPS receivers are self-contained and require no external device or
data processor of any kind. The Garmin eTrex (see Figure 7-1) is a good
example of a device that incorporates data processing, mapping, waypoint
management, and more into a single, portable device.
Other GPS units are purely receivers that need a PC or handheld device to
process the data received and to display it. Figure 7-2 shows the Bluetooth
receiver from Haicom (www.haicom.tw).
These types of receiver-only GPS devices require an external device to
connect to, either through a wired or wireless connection, and as such the
connection methods are usually better documented than they are for other
devices (although this is not always the case).
In this chapter, we will examine how GPS receivers are connected to PCs
and other devices and how you can troubleshoot problems that you are likely
to come across.
Unless you have a receiver-only GPS device, you are not required
to connect the GPS to any device — but there are a lot of compelling
reasons to do so.
chapter
in this chapter
˛ Looking at the PC —
GPS relationship
˛ Serial connections
˛ USB connections
˛ Wireless connections
˛ Troubleshooting
connections
˛ Common
connection issues