Is the Delorme Earthmate better than the Ebay "GPS mouse"?

**mykolJay** · 06-24-2004, 02:00 PM

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...706117694&rd=1

Just do a search in ebay for 'gps mouse'.

They are going for $45-50USD +$19 shippg. I don't know whether $70 is that great of a deal, considering that I would have to wait a bit for it to come from asia, plus if it broke i would be screwed.

Does anyone know any US distributors?

**GScherler** · 06-26-2004, 11:30 PM

fashion1658 is the guy I got my BU-303 from on Ebay. He's from California. It's been awhile but I think it took 3 days to get it. Here's a link to the stuff he sells: http://tinyurl.com/ypnmg I got the one with the red light on the side and it is the USB model. It has a magnetic bottom and I attach it out the back door of my SUV, on top, in the middle of the roof. It has been out in rain, snow, sleet, etc. I used it to go from Seattle, where I live to Va. and back in winter. It continues to work very well in all the weather it has been in. And in Seattle it always is raining and again I have had no problems with the BU-303. The only time I remove it is when I take it through a car wash... except the 3 times I forgot and 2 times it didn't even move, the other time it moved about an inch. It also is WAAS compatible. Click on the link and it will take you to an explanation of what WAAS is. You can read all about it at the Ebay website that this guy has. I would recommend it to anyone and everyone!
Gary

**GruvThang** · 07-07-2004, 08:25 PM

Rando, can you post a link for the pinout?

**carpcnoobie** · 07-08-2004, 04:46 AM

Originally Posted by mykolJay

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...706117694&rd=1

Just do a search in ebay for 'gps mouse'.

They are going for $45-50USD +$19 shippg. I don't know whether $70 is that great of a deal, considering that I would have to wait a bit for it to come from asia, plus if it broke i would be screwed.

Does anyone know any US distributors?

Actually, I bought mine over ebay from Asia. Surprisingly it came in about a weeks time to the states. Not bad. But I also had a lot of time on my hands.

**Supermike** · 07-10-2004, 04:18 AM

GruvThang - if you are looking for how to convert the Earthmate USB to serial, here is the link - look for Rando's post. I did this and it works great - you can pull 5v off the USB port to power it.

Earthmate USB to Serial cable

**GruvThang** · 07-10-2004, 04:32 AM

Originally Posted by Supermike

GruvThang - if you are looking for how to convert the Earthmate USB to serial, here is the link - look for Rando's post. I did this and it works great - you can pull 5v off the USB port to power it.

Earthmate USB to Serial cable

THANKS!

**kiztope** · 07-10-2004, 07:15 PM

I've been using the Ebay GPS Mouse for a few weeks now... I almost always start destinator right after ME initializes... Every time I have done it, it has found me almost instantly. This is from a complete shutdown-startup.... I haven't tested from a hibernate status yet....

**lazarus** · 07-10-2004, 08:20 PM

i use the gps mouse, its never had any trouble locking on (longest it ever took was about a minute, usually its closer to 25 seconds) the magnet is strong so i can stick it to the roof of the hire cars a some times have to drive that have a metal film as part od the windscreen laminate. seems to be fairly weather proof. i always hibernate my car pc and it has never had any problems recovering. also i split the data feed out to 3 virtual com ports (mappoint, destinator and net stumbler) and can run all 3 applications at the same time and gave gps info in all of them from a single reciever. also minewas shipped from singapore, and took about a week to get to me in the uk.

**channo21** · 07-13-2004, 10:18 AM

I have the ebay mouse too, but it's the PS2 version, the one that plugs into your keyboard/mouse port. The only thing is when I plug it in the port my computer doesn't notice the hardware change, in fact it doesn't even know it's there. Do I need a special cable adapter, or does it use the ps2 port for power and information? Or do I need a new mouse? Any help is greatly appreciated.

**jdaniels** · 07-13-2004, 10:53 AM

I'm glad to see you guys used my experimental Plasti-Dip Earthmate trick.

When I first posted about it, people seemed to be uneasy... but I will tell you, since the day I posted that, my GPS has worked flawless and it's been on my roof since that day.

To anyone that needs details on it, just buy the Plasti-Dip can of your choice (comes in red, yellow, blue, white, black, and clear) and securely snap the USB cord into the Earthmate unit. Remove the rubber skid from the bottom of the Earthmate, as it will slide off after a few minutes in the Plasti-Dip solution --Slowly lower the Earthmate, holding it by the cord, at a rate of 1" per second into the can of thoroughly stirred Plasti-Dip, and then back out at the same rate. When I dipped mine, I went up to about 2" onto the cord, to ensure a tight seal. Hang it up in a dry place. Come back after 30 minutes or so to re-dip the unit, same rate as before.

Hang it to dry for atleast 4 hours. Check it for holes, if there is any, dip it again!!!

Mine was good after the 2nd coat, and was ready after the first 4 hours of drying.

Have fun guys!!!