Hi The first thing you need to do is see if the PCMIA card is actually working. You should have received a disk with the card (Mobile GPS Control Panel). If not, let me know and I will email you a copy. By using the control panel you can test the functionality of the card. You will also need to make sure you have the current drivers - Win 98 should be OK, but Win 95 and NT might need updated PCMIA drivers. I tried the setup on the weekend with the Trimble Gold card and MapInfo 5 and the Blue Marble software. As I use a Macintosh G3 Powerbook I had to use Virtual PC - it worked fine - make sure you have selected TSIP as opposed to NMEA in the GPS Set receiver options. There really is no way to add real time correction to the Trimble card, and I know of no way to add it to the Blue Marble software. As you can get SDK version of the Blue Marble software maybe someone can add that functionality. So how do you get moving map system with real-time correction? You need to use a GPS that can accept real time correction. If you are on a budget then most of the Garmin, Magellan and Lowrance GPS receivers can accept real-time beacon signals with the addition of a beacon receiver. Some of the GPS's (I have used the Lowrance 212) will also accept satellite correction from a suitable receiver. The down side, as already mentioned that they are bulky. Warning: Shameless plug for Trimble products! If you have a larger budget I would have a look at the new GeoExplorer 3. You can import a MID/MIF file into the unit and use for navigation or updating the files. More importantly you can use BOB, which is a wireless beacon receiver, that clips onto your belt - no wires to connect to the GPS. It great for checking files. If the screen on the Geo 3 is too small you can have a NMEA string going out to a laptop with Blue Marble/MapInfo on it. See http://www.trimble.com/cgi/giprod.cgi/geoexplore.htm for more info on the Geo 3 Hope the above helps Cheers Greg Greg Lauer Asia Pacific Support Group, Trimble Navigation New Zealand Limited, 11 Birmingham Drive, PO BOX 8729, Riccarton, Christchurch, New Zealand. +64 3 339-1502 Phone +64 3 339-1417 Fax http://www.trimble.com > >Users: Can anyone assist us with this question? Do you know anyone who is > >using GPS with MapInfo 5.5 using the Blue Marble software? I can not get > >the software to recognize my Trimble Gold Card. Also, is there an > >interface for real time differential correction input into the GPS portion > >of MapInfo? > >For fieldwork we use MapInfo Pro v5.5 running on a Toshiba Libretto 110CT. >We use a Magellan ProMark X for our GPS, and a Magellan DBR2 for >differential correction, using the US Coast Guard RTCM104 broadcasts. We've >also successfully used a Magellan Nav 5000 and a Magellan Nav DLX10. We use >the (US market) supplied Blue Marble GeoTracker for GPS input into MapInfo. > >The biggest hassles I experience are with the Magellan GPS receiver, as you >have to go through layers of menuing to get to several different obtuse >screens to send data to the laptop. Every time you turn the Magellan off >you have to go through and tell it send data. The Nav DLX10 was better at >that and easier. > >We had always found Trimble a bit gold-plated and a bit proprietary - but >perhaps you can get some payback by getting good customer service from them >in solving your problem. > >We use the NMEA0183 option for 'GPS Message Type' but you would probably >need to use the 'Trimble TSIP' option (that's under SET GPS RECEIVER >OPTIONS under OPTIONS on 'The Geographic Tracker' window, activated when >you choose Geo Tracker from your Tools Menu. > >For differential correction we have the DBR2 receiver (basically a >12v-powered radio receiver) plugged into the GPS unit, and everything set >up there to receiver RTCM104. When everything works, the DBR2 picks up the >continually-broadcast Coast Guard signal, sends it to the GPS which then >processes that signal against the satellites it's receiving, corrects those >satellite signals then displays the corrected Lat/Lon location on screen - >and sends it to the Libretto via the serial port, where the Geo Tracker MBX >receives the signal and displays your location in MapInfo, updated once a >second (or however often you choose). Thus, 'real-time differential >correction'. > >This can be excellent when we're out in the woods, tromping around trying >to locate approximate property boundaries - with the GPS and the Libretto, >we can see exactly where we are with a backdrop of a 1m orthophoto, with >property lines overlaid. It's quite amazing, really. > >The fly(s) in the soup include: the fact that the DBR (Differential Beacon >Receiver) was designed for marine use and to be permanently mounted and >hooked up to a 12v power source - so you have to lug a small (but heavy) >gel cell; the DBR also needs to have it's antenna mounted to something, so >we need to combine the two elements with a frame backpack (bulky); the >screen on the Libretto is almost impossible to see in sunlight; both GPS >and differential signals are weak and easily lost under forest canopy; it's >a lot of junk to carry around. > >But it's almost a miracle when it works! > >I would begin my troubleshooting with Trimble, perhaps with a call to Blue >Marble (they're quite informative). Good luck! > >Tom > > >* - * - * - * - * >Tom Curley >Suquamish Tribe GIS Program Manager >[EMAIL PROTECTED] > >"Today is yesterday's future." > >---------------------------------------------------------------------- >To unsubscribe from this list, send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and put >"unsubscribe MAPINFO-L" in the message body, or contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe from this list, send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and put "unsubscribe MAPINFO-L" in the message body, or contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
