Microsoft streets and trips with GPS

**cdm** · 03-31-2005, 09:31 PM

I use mappoint and/or streets; both are installed. The latest version of each has the option to track your location and point the map accordingly. 2003 and below didn't rotate the map neither did they move it as you travelled around.

I wouldnt recommend the package... The software is not good for in car use and the GPS mouse is not efficient with its long warm up period and poor connection.

Hit and miss. Warm up time is no better no worse than others ( ~ 2 seconds). It is the best map to look at and see where you are and plan. Frankly you do not really need voice if you have a decent screen and can put a lot of info at one time on the screen.

Yes problem is it is not efficient and requires a keyboard (which i have so that's ok).

One thing i totally agree with is the connection. Not sure whether it is my hacked up garmin cable running all over the undercarpet or what but sometimes streets would freeze like 3 times in a row. It is GPS related because it never happens when you are not tracking it. Then other times, it would track for 6+ hours without a glitch.

weird.

**poseur** · 04-14-2005, 11:35 PM

Originally Posted by Sonicxtacy02

Ok, you need a copy of the latest SirfDemo.exe. Open the program and its gonna ask you to select your com port and baud rate. Your defaults should be already listed so just hit ok. Then you'll have to hit the connect button ( little button that looks like two wires unplugged). From there go to Action/Synchronize protocol and baud rate . After you hit that look on the title bar and it should do some testing with various baud rates. It should stop on 4800 (the only one that works with our GPS). Click save. Click ok.. exit program. On the way home from work (before i did this) the most sats i had was 3. On the way to work today (after) i averaged 9. Also seemed to speed up the time it took to display to iguidance. Hope it works for you!

excuse my ignorance, but where do you get SirfDemo.exe form? microsoft?

**Sonicxtacy02** · 04-15-2005, 09:43 AM

www.sirf.com is where i got it.. just google sirfdemo.exe and it'll show up. its free.

**Mattkins99** · 04-15-2005, 12:35 PM

I guess I'm fortunate I only paid $60 for the MS Trips & Maps with the GPS mouse. It does work well, but for in car use, it's not that good.

I don't have any connection issues with the GPS mouse, except when I start it up in a parking garage. Once I'd on the road so far it's worked flawless... however, I've only had my carputer setup for about 3 days now.

The software does have the main problem of not not being small touch screen friendly. The zoom buttons are way to small and clustered with a bunch of other buttons. Also you really don't want to try to turn on GPS (with all the options down the creating a trail) while driving... because you'll end up hitting a tree.

I'm looking into other sofware now.

**poseur** · 04-15-2005, 05:15 PM

cool, thanks I guess I could've found that myself, was just wondering if perhaps there were different proprietary versions for S&T orwhatever...

A friend of mine's letting me borrow his S&T setup, and I was noticing the antenna delay quite a bit, also, I've got the antenna just sitting ontop of the rear shelf inside the hatch of mycar and it occasionally has problems finding sattelites from there. Going on a roadtrip this weekend, I'll post up results.

Thanks again!

**poseur** · 04-15-2005, 10:33 PM

okay I JUST now set this up. things went alright, but for me I had to pick action, then switch to NEMA protocol. The syncronise protocol and baud rate setme up at a higher baud rate that wasn't compatible. Sofar it seems to have recognised much faster, but I'd moved my antenea to the base of my windshield due to lack of signal in the hatch, I'm gonnatry putting it back there again and see if it'll pull any signal now. I'll mess with things some more as well. thanks again, this seems to have helped already.

**okay** · 04-25-2005, 08:13 PM

duhh... mine isn't working. i downloaded sirfdemo and tried the above, but i'm getting weird results? When i opened the program it did not have my default settings chosen (COM1 mine is connected on COM3) and when i hit the button at the top left with the wires connecting a bunch of stuff pops up on the "Debug View" window and it doesn't seem to stop.

This is what I see now and it stops at 38400 baud rate?
helpp!

**okay** · 04-26-2005, 04:08 PM

does anybody know what is wrong? now when i plug in my gps receiver i don't get any signal in S&T or SA??

**HyperSprite** · 04-26-2005, 08:25 PM

Originally Posted by okay

does anybody know what is wrong? now when i plug in my gps receiver i don't get any signal in S&T or SA??

I had this happen to me today, turned out my app wanted NMEA and not Sirf communications. Open Sirfdemo back up, do the connect, the synchronize thing as before. Then select "Switch to NMEA" suddenly all the cool stuff stops but the GPS will work with your NMEA applications again.

Then you'll wonder why you did it all in the first place (like I did).

Chris