Hi Frank, The GTRANS is a GARMIN Binary Protocol to NMEA sentence converter. It allows the NUVI350 to be connected to something that expects NMEA sentences. It talks GARMIN, to spit out NMEA sentences and visa versa. There is a processor in the cable that does the conversion. There are no FMI capabilities which would allow the NUVI350 to send/receive messages, etc. It will show a received waypoint but in a simple form. The GTRANS can be used with the OT2 and NUVI350 until you get the cable you want. It does limit the full capabilities. The OT2 port the GTRANS is plugged into must be set to AUTO. It will detect NEMA sentences this way. You may need to check the BAUD rate. It should be 4800 baud. I use the GTRANS connected my much older Garmin GPS V (speaks GARMIN rather than NEMA) to get NEMA out for the laptop which runs APRSIS32 (KISS Protocol). It is tapped into the serial data lines that go between the OT2 and GPS. With this configuration, I can plug in a NUVI350 If I pick one up. I suppose I should hurry and get one. For simplicity sake, the cable used normally to connect the NUVI350 to the OT2 is a straight through cable. It allows a NUVI350 to connect to a RS232 port. Whatever is using the serial port must speak GARMIN. Others have pointed to the correct cable to use. In our case, an OT2 is used. When this cable is plugged in, the OT2 protocol to select is GARMIN and 9600 should be the baud rate. Personally I don't choose AUTO or AUTOBAUD since I like to set it to exactly what it should be doing unless I have to. [Old dog, new trick syndrome]. Either port on the OT2 can be used for communication with the NUVI350 as long as the chosen port is set to GARMIN. Personally, I like Port B for the GPS and Port A for the PC for my TNCs that support two serial ports. I like to think of FMI as an extension to the normal GARMIN Binary Protocol. The FMI command set sits on top of the regular GARMIN Protocol. Older Garmin GPS receivers speak GARMIN but don't necessarily support FMI. It if supports FMI, the GPS supports GARMIN Protocol. That is the simple explanation for FMI. So, I would try the GTRANS again with the OT2. Check your protocol for the port it is connected to. Again, select AUTO (NMEA will be detected) and 4800 baud. I can't imagine that won't work for you. It is unlikely that you received a bad unit but it can happen, just not often. I hope this helps! Best regards, Fred, N7FMH
_____ From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Frank Christ Sent: Friday, July 16, 2010 15:09 To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [tracker2] Re: Nuvi 350 and OT2m not communicating Thought so. I'll put an order in. I just got the radio and OT2m back in the vehicle and waiting for it to beacon now. Even with the GTRANS cable I don't see anything in the favorites window. Regards, -Frank C. On Jul 16, 2010, at 12:02 PM, Randy Love wrote: way more complex that that. they are 2 completely different animals.... Randy WF5X On Fri, Jul 16, 2010 at 2:46 PM, Frank Christ <fchri...@yahoo. <mailto:[email protected]> com> wrote: While I'm waiting for a return email from Scott, Does anyone think that I could open up one of these GTRANS cables and convert into an FMI cable or is it more complex than that? Regards, -Frank C. On Jul 16, 2010, at 11:13 AM, Frank Christ wrote: Alright thanks to all! The Nuvi has plenty of power from the cradle itself, when I remove the GPS from the cradle WITHOUT the GTRANS cable attached I get the "lost power" message. So apparently I had the right cable just not the right one for FMI. Time to get in touch with Scott. Thanks again! Regards, -Frank C. On Jul 16, 2010, at 5:27 AM, Randy Love wrote: Well, the GTRANS isn't just for the D700/D710/D7 ( as Frank has proven. :) Frank, If you don't want or need the messaging capability ( only available with the FMI activated ), then you can get by nicely with the GTRANS cable and Nuvi. Main things you will be missing are 2-way messaging and commanding of the OT2m via the Nuvi. It will, however, still display received stations on the map *IF* you enable waypoints by setting them on in the OT2m config program. The only problem with this is that all objects/stations/whatever will show as an ambiguous dot on the maps, but will be tagged with the call/name received in the packets. They should show up in your Favorites list also. If you want all the goodies that the OT2m has to offer, you will need to get the other cables. The one that has 10813 in the Garmin part number. As a side note, if you decide you don't want the GTRANS cable, you shouldn't have any trouble selling them here on list or *sigh* EBay. 73, Randy WF5X On Fri, Jul 16, 2010 at 8:06 AM, Patrick <wins...@winston1. <mailto:[email protected]> net> wrote: It is.. Though with the GTRANS cable, if you put your GPS port into Auto mode (or nema mode) you will have it work.. Do note however that the gps will not go into FMI mode with a GTRANS cable. p On 7/16/2010 2:32 AM, Frank Christ wrote: I ate dinner, took the equipment out of the vehicle and hooked it up in my shack to a Pyramid PS-21KX power supply, put a fixed position on the thing and hooked up the antenna, then....Beacons away! So I have no clue what the "special" trick was to get it to work. Tomorrow I'm going to put it back in the vehicle and see if it still spits out beacons.... Meanwhile, that link I posted earlier...That is indeed the correct cable? Regards, -Frank C. On Jul 15, 2010, at 11:26 PM, k7ybz wrote: Remember, whatever you learn could help someone in the future. Please share the wealth. Larry K7YBZ --- In track...@yahoogroup <mailto:tracker2%40yahoogroups.com> s.com, "Frank C." <mailto:fchri...@...> <fchri...@...> wrote: > > Just a slight improvement tonight. The OT2m and radio finally worked and I > got myself on the map with a fixed position about 2 hours North of me. A > local ham gave me the idea. > > Now to get the Nüvi to play nice... > > Regards, > > -Frank C. > > On Jul 15, 2010, at 19:53, Randy Love <mailto:rlov...@...> <rlov...@...> > wrote: > > Well, Frank. donno what else either. > > You have tried powering the OT2m first, then the Nuvi, several times, > powering off and back on each on every attempt, correct? > I seem to remember having to do that sequence so the the OT2m would sense the > Nuvi and put it into FMI mode. > > I have 3 Nuvi/OT2m/T2-135 combos. Aside from double checking the pinouts, > don't know what else to tell you. > > Now, let's make sure of couple of things: > > 1) you are using the Garmin Data Cable for the Nuvi 350, the one with 00813 > in the part number, correct? > 2) you are using an OT2m (external to the radio), not a T2-135 placed inside > an Alinco DR-?35T, correct? > > If you answered no to 1, and you aren't using a Nuvi 350 ( or similar ), then > you possibly have the wrong FMI cable. > > If you answered no to 2, then double check the wiring on the DB9 connector. > Pins 2 and 3 are REVERSED between the T2-135 setup and the OT2m setup. In > either case, you can easily reverse the pins to see if that fixes it by > putting a null modem adapter between the OT2m and the Nuvi. If the pins are > incorrectly wired, it won't hurt anything as they are low level data signals. > > Quickly running out of suggests, but having 2 bad FMI cables is very unlikely. > > Gotta finish a couple of other items here for an MS150 Bike event this > weekend. > > 73, > Randy > WF5X > > > > On Thu, Jul 15, 2010 at 9:12 PM, Frank C. <mailto:fchri...@...> > <fchri...@...> wrote: > > Thanks. I have two cables from Scott and neither work. The radio keys up just > fine but no transmitted signal from the OT2m > > Regards, > > -Frank C. > > On Jul 15, 2010, at 16:22, "k7ybz" <mailto:k7...@...> <k7...@...> wrote: > > > Frank, > > Sorry, but I am out of idearrrsss. What I gave you is what I do to check my > setups. I have four Nuvi 350/OT2 combos plus GTRANS cables for that > occasional D710/NUVI combo, depending on what I need for those rushed support > activities, like Cycle Oregon or some other in which I have to have a quick > install in a 15 passenger rental van or the like. I am in the middle of > getting things ready for an event this weekend. > > If you know someone in your neck of the woods who has a similar setup, you > can try swapping equipment and cables until you find the answer. Otherwise > have Scott at Argent Data take a look. Scott usually chimes in when he is not > playing with ballons. > > Now that I think about it, I did have a DOA FMI cable that came from Garmin > via Argent Data. I already had a spare and put it to use immediately. I > wanted to see what the bump was all about so took the DOA one apart. That > reminds me too, I should order another one to have as a spare. > > Good luck, > > Larry > K7YBZ > > I will be flying tomorrow and have APRS in the plane. Check K7YBZ-11. > > --- In track...@yahoogroup <mailto:tracker2%40yahoogroups.com> s.com, "Frank > C." <fchrist2@> wrote: > > > > Not sure what else to do. I thought, based off reading, that this was more > > plug n play. Seems the tracker2 doesn't auto-key?... > > > > Regards, > > > > -Frank C. > > > > On Jul 15, 2010, at 14:56, "Frank C." <fchrist2@> wrote: > > > > Larry, > > > > Yes to the Nüvi being powered via the cradle and the FMI in the side. > > The Nüvi has complete coverage as far as I can tell. It gives me 26' > > accuracy. > > > > As for the OT2m the activity light is solid green. > > > > Any other ideas? > > > > Regards, > > > > -Frank C. > > > > On Jul 15, 2010, at 14:33, "k7ybz" <k7ybz@> wrote: > > > > > > Not true on the firmware. FMI was supported nearly the entire OT2 > > production and well before 54740 dated Aug 2008. However, having the latest > > firmware installed in the OT2 is still a good idea. > > > > Frank, > > > > Just to make sure.... > > > > FMI usb end plugged into the NUVI 350 SIDE connector. > > Power supplied from the cradle to the rear connector. (I know you said yes > > to this, but another confirmation) > > I concur that the NUVI should be plugged into the B side of the OT2 and > > BMODE set to Garmin. Be sure to set AMODE to AUTO or someting other than > > GARMIN otherwise it "could" have unpredictable results. > > Obiously, the OT2 needs it own power. > > > > One solution has been to power up the Nuvi first and leave the OT2 > > unpowered until the NUVI has aquired a position, then turn on the OT2. > > > > If the OT2 activity light is blinking green about one flash per second, it > > is receiving GPS data. If the activity light is red, then there are > > problems. A caveat to that is that LED will be red until a valid GPS signal > > is received but that should not last more than two or three minutes > > depending on how long the NUVI has been off (I am talking several days to > > weeks here). The NUVI has to aquire one satelite before it can update its > > database on the other satelites. > > > > There is no way to run a continuity check on the FMI cable since that bump > > near the mini-b connector end is the level shifter. You would have to take > > the DE-9 connector apart and check the wiring, at least check that the > > colored wires are going to the correct pins. Other than that, you might > > have to send everything back to Scott and have him check it out for you. > > > > Larry > > K7YBZ > > > > --- In track...@yahoogroup <mailto:tracker2%40yahoogroups.com> s.com, Randy > > Love <rlove31@> wrote: > > > > > > On Thu, Jul 15, 2010 at 4:52 PM, Frank C. <fchrist2@> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > On the Tracker2 i have firmware build 55076 and the Nüvi is version > > > > 6.20...If that helps at all. Right now I have the vehicle half torn > > > > apart so > > > > everything can be in one little area. > > > > > > > > > > I think that firmware isn't new enough to support the FMI cable. > > > Try updating to the latest firmware and try again. > > > > > > 73, > > > Randy > > > WF5X > > > > > >
