Connecting Garmin Geko to Mio 168

[Ski_Logger]

Hi,

What I want to be able to do:
1. Record tracklogs when skiing and download to pc after a week’s holiday to show/analyse/print.
2. Use more regularly for planning/reviewing walks& hikes using routes, waypoints etc


What I’ve got: Geko 201, Memory Map 1:50k and IGN 1:25k maps.

Issues:
I think when on a skiing holiday I will need to download track logs to a pda each day as I don’t want to lose trackpoints/time stamps which I gather is the case if I save the tracks to the Geko memory.


I think a second-hand mio 168 with gps built in could be great when used in conjunction with the geko – using it as a general/car satnav and then occasionally to display current position on a rastor map while hiking/skiing. I can then use the mio to display and store daily tracks until uploading everything to a pc at the end of a trip.

I've seen cables to connect the Geko to a pda - but apparently the pda needs to have a serial/rs232 port. Does anybody know if the Mio 168 has a serial capability within its sync connector port?


Many thanks for your help!

[philpugh]

Yes - it has a serial port (COM1). So you should be able to do what you want.

2 suggestions...

When saving your tracklogs - move them to a storage card as you can't rely on your PDA retaining power - they always run out at the most inconvenient times.

Resist the temptation to take the PDA skiing :D It would only take a small fall to damage it - even with some of the rugged protection boxes as they still allow access to the touch screen - which means they are protected from the elements, but not from cracking the screen.

[Ski_Logger]

Thanks Phil

I've now got hold of a Mio 168 (brand new & boxed) with MioMap v2.

I loaded MioMap, which worked fine, then loaded MemoryMap, which also worked fine. Then I went to bed very happy. So near and yet so so far......

Next am MioMap wouldn't work - kept saying there was no GPS receiver connected, although Memory Map was still OK. Since then I've tried changing everything. I've left it outside for hours

Have relaoded and deleted both programs many times separately, together, in different orders and on separate SD cards. Each time, I open MioMap or Mem Map I stop all other running programs before running the program.

In essence I can only get one program to work following a hard reset. If I use Mio Map it runs OK. But as soon as I install Memory Map and use it for the first time, MioMap no longer works until I do a hard reboot and start from scratch. Each progam works fine when it is the only one installed after a hard reboot, when all traces of the other have been removed.

The basic problem seems to be that Memory Map will only work when the GPS settings are set to SiRF on Com2 (I can't get Memory Map to work when it is set to NMEA). In MioMap, there doesn't seem to be any way to change these settings and I guess something is causing a conflict somewhere.

Help needed please as I can't spend another night working until dawn trying to sort it!

Many thanks!

[philpugh]

Are you fully closing down the first app before starting the second?

using the X in the top right corner won't hack it - you need to explicity EXIT or CLOSE your app - more than likely an option off the apps toolbar.

If all else fails try SETTINGS/MEMORY/Running Programs and then stop all!

Phil

[mikealder]

What have you got the Geko set to output?
Go to Set-up/ Interface and select NMEA then try the Memory Map set to NMEA (Look at page 30 of the instructions) - Mike

[Ski_Logger]

Ooops, not sure if I explained properly as I posted under my original subject.

I haven't got the cable to connect the geko to the pda yet - the issue at the moment is just with the Mio 168 running memory map and miomap v2.

I have definitely been closing each program properly and have been checking in the memory/running programs hat nothing is still open/running. I think that because memory map will only operaste when it is set to was using the SiRF settings, when I close this and then open Mio Map, the setting for the gps reciever is still set to output SiRF, rather than NMEA which I presume is needed by Mio Map.

Does this sound plausible?

[mikealder]

Sorry, if you are feeding the GPS from the MIO it is quite possible it is set to use SiRF rather than NMEA, have a read through my post HERE which details how to switch the output mode between SiRF and NMEA - Mike

[Ski_Logger]

Mike, Phil,

Thanks for your help - I think I've cracked it - and think your advice, which I hadn't seen until now, would have delivered the same outcome!

While looking for info on SiRF protocol I stumbled across SiRFDemo on the SiRF website. Reading the operating manual it seemed like it might give me a bit more info re my settings etc so I downloaded to the PDA.

It allowed me to change receiver output to NMEA, which I have done. I now have a successful signal in both Mem Map & Miop Map.

What I find strange though is why this situation occurred in the first place! On original instalation and following all the hard reboots I did MioMAp was working and was therefore receiving an NMEA input from the receiver. Then when I installed and ran Memory Map this ran fine as well. However when closing Memory MAp and reopening MioMAp the signal had obviously reverted to the (default?) SiRF protocol!

Whilst having now sorted this, it leaves me bewildered how complicated these things can be, and what a time consuming process it can be when you want to do something just a little bit outside the norm. (And to think I was going to advise my parents (60+) to get one of these)!!

Once again though, above all else it reminds me how fantastic forums such as this are - stumbled upon by chance when there's a problem, but added to favourites and visited time and time again for evermore!

Thanks again for the help!












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