Can I use my Mapsource maps with any BT receiver...

[damdifino]

...paired with my laptop? Or do I need to stick with a Garmin device, say an eTrex Venture HC?

Ideally, I would like to get a BT GPS receiver that will drive my US Topo and US Metroguide maps when I want to use my laptop. Will I have to get another set of maps if I want to use the receiver with my PDA also?

[philpugh]

What are you trying to do here?...

You can't see your current position on MapSource - ay GPS connection is used for transferring map set data to a Garmin GPS and receiving track/route/waypoint data from a GPS. (Someone correct me if I am wrong here please!)

What you need is nRoute from Garmin which will allow unlocked maps to be use with a GPS on your laptop in navigation mode, getting position updates from the GPS. I don't know but I suspect any GPS (including BT connected GPS) will work in this mode.
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Phil

[damdifino]

I currently have an old eTrex Legend that I jury-rigged to pass position data through a serial-to-USB converter to my laptop. I prefer to use an older version of Mapsource (I can't remember the number) because it does allow you to track position in real time. The most recent Mapsource has split off this capability and put it in nRoute. I'm not fond of nRoute.

I would like to upgrade my eTrex to a bluetooth GPS receiver with a newer chipset. My question is, will just about any bluetooth receiver interface with Mapsource on a laptop, or is the Mapsource interface proprietary to Garmin devices only.

From time to time I'd also like to use my PDA rather than a laptop, especially for short trips around town. I realize that Mapsource is out of the question on a PDA (I think) but I would like to use the same receiver with a compatible set of PDA maps.

I hope I'm making myself clear. I'm really a newbie at this and I more or less stumbled by trial and error on the setup I'm now using with the eTrex Legend. It has served me well for 5 years. However, my eTrex is dying a slow, horrible death. It's screen is developing horizontal line artifacts, it responds very slowly to the button controls, and it frequently loses the satellite signal for 20-30 seconds at a time. And yes, I'm using fresh batteries.

Maybe there's an overall better solution than Mapsource? I've noticed over the years that the map database is getting more and more out of date.

Thanks for your time and advice. I really appreciate it.

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