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GPS Connect

A Freeware Garmin GPS Connection Tool for Mac OS X

GPS Connect is a freeware program for Mac OS X which offers waypoint transfer with serial based Garmin GPS receivers which are hooked up to your Mac with a serial to usb converter. The intended use is to backup waypoints from the GPS to your computer. Downloaded waypoints may be saved in the standard GPX Format (the GPS eXchange Format) or exported to a variety of other formats such as tab delimited and comma separated. The program also supports upload of waypoints to the GPS receiver.

The NMEA protocol is also supported and allows the user to view real time data from the GPS including latitude, longitude, elevation, direction of travel, and speed. The travel direction is shown on a compass rose and the program will optionally use Text-to-Speech to update you on your progress. This protocol is a standard that most GPS receivers support, so it should work with Garmin, Magellan, Lowrance, etc.

If you like this software, check out Terrabrowser which allows you to display your waypoints on a satellite or topo map from the USGS.

Downloads

OS	CPU	Languages	Version	Date	Size	Download
10.0 or higher		English	0.2	7/13/2004	1.2 M

For now, the current version is offered as is and current outstanding bugs will not be fixed until the new Cocoa based program is available. Thanks for your donations, and sorry for the inconvenience. You may want to try out Mac GPS Babel or Terrabrowser for now.

Features

• NMEA protocol support.
  • speech support
  • compass rose displays current direction of travel
• Garmin protocol support.
  • waypoint upload and download
  • PVT mode which allows real time data
  • ability to fetch the current time from the GPS
• Support for GPX: the GPS eXchange Format.
  • this is now the default for GPS Connect.
  • this is a standard file format which is compatible with many GPS programs.
• Import and export of waypoints..
  • GPX Format
  • tab delimited
  • comma separated
  • Terrabrowser format.
• Waypoint editing window..
  • edit any field
  • add or delete waypoints
  • sort by any column
  • find waypoints
  • copy waypoints and paste them into another window
  • drag and drop of waypoints
• Printing support.

Known Issues

• Coordinates with commas as the decimal separator don't work correctly.
• May not work with USB GPS Receivers - it was designed for serial connections only (although via a USB to Serial converter is fine).
• May not work with all GPS receivers listed above. If you need another option, take a look at the free MacGPSBabel which will save waypoints, routes, and tracklogs in GPX format for you. You can then open these files with Terrabrowser to view on a map.

Ideas for Future Enhancements

• Improved support for other Garmin GPS receivers.
  • support for additional models and data fields.
  • additional waypoint icon support.
• Support for Magellan GPS receivers?
• Allow user to choose new waypoint icons within the program.
• An icon! If anyone feels like designing one, please email it to us (128x128 pixels). We now have a document icon but we're still in need of an Application icon.
• A choice of units (metric or english) and choice of lat/lon formats.

(If you have a suggestion which doesn't appear above, send us an email.)

Where to Buy Cables?

To use GPS Connect (or any other GPS program) with your modern Mac, you will need two cables. A serial cable which plugs into your GPS receiver, and a Serial-to-USB adapter which plugs into your computer.

Testing for GPS Connect was done with the Keyspan USA-19QW USB Serial Adapter which costs about $40 US. Some users have had success with adapters using the "Prolific PL-2303 USB to Serial Bridge Controller" which you can get from this page. However, it sounds like the Mac OS X drivers for this adapter are not as good as the Keyspan drivers. We also have received reports that the Aten UC-232A serial to USB converter works. This adapter is cheaper than the keyspan and can be had for around $20 US.

You will also need a serial cable for your GPS (if it didn't come with one). One of the cheapest places to buy one is Blue Hills Innovations, for about $15.

Reviews

(from Versiontracker.com)

For now, the current version is offered as is and current outstanding bugs will not be fixed until the new Cocoa based program is available. Thanks for your donations, and sorry for the inconvenience. You may want to try out Mac GPS Babel or Terrabrowser for now.