Global Mapper v25.0

Compatibility Question - Garmin

carlmc
carlmc Global Mapper User
edited May 2013 in Technical Support
I am considering buying a Global Mapper license but their technical support team doesn't appear to know what their software works with. They referred me to their forum.. Hopefully someone here can help.

I want to buy Global Mapper Energy and also a GPS unit. I would like to buy a Garmin Nuvi 50 but neither Garmin or Global Mapper can offer any assistance on whether this will be compatible with connecting my computer on the USB.

when you look at the Global Mapper manual it says it can accept either Garmin format or NMEA. When I talk to their alleged technical support they don't respond to the question about whether they can accept Garmin. They indicate that I need NMEA.

The problem is that most Garmins with NMEA are super expensive for marine purposes or they are a simple antennae without any screen.

Has anyone successfully used a regular Garmin Nuvi 50 LM with Global Mapper?

Thanks for your help.

Best, Carl

Comments

  • global_mapper
    global_mapper Administrator
    edited May 2013
    Carl,

    In the olden days all of the Garmin units could communicate their location in real-time to a connected PC either via a serial or USB connection and either in Garmin native or NMEA-0183 mode (both of which Global Mapper supports). Nowadays most of the Garmin units connect over USB as a mass storage device and don't allow real-time tracking of any kind other than on the GPS device itself.

    Because there are so many GPS devices with different capabilities, the best source of information is from the GPS manufacturer just to see what devices support real-time tracking on a connected PC. Global Mapper (and other GPS-enabled software) should support any of those. For tracking on a PC without needing a display I would recommend the Garmin GPS 18 "puck" GPS as it is designed specifically for tracking on a connected PC. I don't believe any of the nuvi devices allow external tracking, but I'm not 100% sure.

    Thanks,

    Mike
    Global Mapper Guru
    geohelp@bluemarblegeo.com
    Blue Marble Geographics for Coordinate Conversion, Image Reprojection and Vector Translation