Enhancing your GPS Display using GPSout and MS St. and ...

[Guest LarryJ_KMSO]

If you enjoy VFR flying and like the new FS2004 GPS, here's a way of enhancing the display. With a little work, you can have the location of your airplane displayed by MS Streets and Trips. Here's two screen shots showing the display near Haines, Alaska from the FS2004 GPS and a shot from roughtly the same location showing MS St. and Trips display. MS St. and Trips is much more detailed than the GPS down to city streets, rivers, prominant land features, labeled geo-political boundaries, etc. Required is a second computer (can be an old one), a copy of Microsoft Streets and Trips, a null modem Com port to Com port cable, and a copy of Pete Dowson's GPSout and FSUIPC. FSUIPC.DLL and GPSOut.DLL reside in your FS2004 modules folder, the null modem cable connects your "main" computer to your "old" where MS St. and Trips is installed But as you might expect MS St. and Trips doesn't have aeronautical information (but it does show most runways in detail) and North is always at the top, and your location is shown as a minature auto symbol. Also default update interval in MS St. and Trips is a long 15 seconds. This is easily changed to what ever interval you desire by a patch.I'll post the GPSout.ini settings I use and a link to the patching instructions if anyone is interested.Larry JonesFlorence, MThttp://forums.avsim.net/user_files/29975.jpghttp://forums.avsim.net/user_files/29976.jpg

[macwino 14]

Yes, Larry, I'd like to get your ini info and the patch. I didn't like the 15 second delay and went with DeLorme's TopoUSA instead of the MS product. Considerably more expensive, but lot's of other features besides instantaneous feedback.I'm still looking for a European solution, and MS has a mapping program for Europe that I've been considering but haven't done anything about because I assumed it had the same 15 second delay as the US program. If your patch will work with the European version of Streets and Trips, and I don't see why it shouldn't, then I might give it a try. So please post the info. Thanks.

[Guest LarryJ_KMSO]

Note: I used Ultra Edit 32 a programmers/hex editor to make the changes hex changes shown below, not the XVI32 referenced below. Ultra Edit is available at www.ultraedit.com. Hope this works for you. Sorry I didn't mention that Streets and Trips is mostly a USA product. It does have limited coverage in Canada and northern Mexico. I got this info from a Google search.LarryHere's the patch to change the update internval in MS Streets and Trips: ----------------------------------------------------------------------Streets & Trips GPS Mod.> Software editing skills are not required. Here is what to do Use a hex editor such as XVI32.>> 1. XVI32 can be downloaded from:> http://www.chmaas.handshake.de/delphi/free...xvi32/xvi32.htm>> 2. Once downloaded, unzip the "XVI32.ZIP" and put the 10 files into a folder> (such as C:Program FilesXVI32) per the instructions on the above page.>> 3. Make a backup copy of the Streets & Trips executable file "STREETS.EXE">> 4. Run XVI32.EXE and open up STREETS.EXE for hex editing from within XVI32.>> 5. Go to XVI32 menu item "Search > Find" and enter the following into the> "Hex String" box:> 98 3A 00 00 53 57 6A>> 6. Click OK and see if it finds the starting point for that hex string> ("98") is found and highlighted. If so you are in luck.>> 7. Change the two hex words "98 3A" to "E8 03" by typing E8 and then 03.>> 8. Save the changes to file STREETS.EXE and close XVI32. Then run Streets &> Trips and check to see if you get the 1 second update.>> Note:> The "E8 03" is word reversed hex value "03E8" which is decimal value "1000"> (1000 milliseconds). The "98 3A" is word reversed for hex value "3A98"> which is decimal value "15000" (15000 milliseconds). If you want something> more than 1 second, then use the applicable hex value of milliseconds in> byte reversed orderjust search for 98 3A or 3A 98 VALUE GPS UPDATES EVERY...E8 03 1 SecondD0 07 2 SecondsB8 0B 3 SecondsA0 0F 4 Seconds88 13 5 Seconds70 17 6 Seconds58 1B 7 Seconds40 1F 8 Seconds28 23 9 Seconds10 27 10 SecondsCheck the GPS Device in HyperTerminal Start HyperTerminal. On the "Make new connection" screen, type 'test' into the field name and click OK. On the next screen, in the connect using box, select Direct to Com X where X is either 1 or 2. Click OK. On the Port Setting screen, change Bits per second to 4800 and flow control to none. Click OK. At this point you should start seeing a continual stream of data, which looks something like this:$GPRMB,A,,,,,,,,,,,,V*71 $GPGGA,225224,3400.000,N,06854.375,E,1,07,2.0,638.3,M,-37.5,M,,*6D $GPGSA,A,3,06,10,17,,22,23,,26,30,,,,4.3,2.0,3.0*33 $GPGSV,3,1,09,06,86,096,51,10,18,043,40,17,49,307,47,21,04,225,00*74 $GPGSV,3,2,09,22,14,310,39,23,40,223,46,24,04,081,00,26,37,119,45*7B $GPGSV,3,3,09,30,24,202,42,,,,,,,,,*43 $PGRME,15.0,M,22..5,M,15.0,M*1B $PGRMM,WGS 84*06If the data is obviously garbled, as in the followinglkdxflkhglkjhflkllkj^%^%#$*(%)%)()($)()(___$%()*)#$%___%(*)#(*()* #*#$(*)(*$^________$^( *($*$(^________$#*^%)$ #$*(!%*($_^++$+OI{*U{NE(R(){E09[b*%}*$#+NB*6NB8646n__*^4n0b5e796n3876 __%*($N+BW)$_^N^N0964w--___#(*^%NB+W{$=6n0BW(*n4){)(Wu6nthere is probably a communication problem between the GPS and the computer.Occasionally, problems such as these can be resolved by modifying the settings of the GPS or the serial port. If this does not resolve the issue, contact your GPS manufacturer.-------------------------------------------------------------------Here's the contenst of my GPSOut.ini file (which works with Streets and Trips Version 10.00.09.1306):--------------------------------------------------; GPSout version 2.41 by Pete Dowson 31st October 2001; email: pete@millhays.demon.co.uk; ======================================================[GPSout];Sentences=RMC,GPRMZ OriginalSentences=GGA; This parameter selects the NMEA standard sentences to be sent by the; GPSout module. Currently the following are supported:;; RMC -- best for FliteMap, provides course and ground speed, but no altitude; RMA -- similar; PGRMZ -- Garmin NMEA 0183 extension for Altitude only: use with RMC; GLL -- used by Microsoft Autoroute 2001 but GGA works better; VTG -- usually used with GLL to provide course and ground speed data; GGA -- also works with FliteMap and others, and provides altitude,; but not course and speed. Some need this for the number of satellites.; GSA -- provides no useful information from GPSout, but appears to be needed; by some applications (such as "Anywhere") in order for it to be ; able to use the altitude in the GGA sentence.;; To send more than one merely list them here separated by commas, with; no spaces. For example: ;; Sentences=RMA,RMC,GLL,GGA;; will make GPSout send these four formats every time (not very efficient,; but useful to determine whether the target program supports any of these).;; GPSout has only been thoroughly tested only with FliteMap. With version; 7 of that program, in the LORAN/Gps connection, select "NMEA 0183 RMC; (9600)", or find a Garmin NMEA setting. Then the default settings in this; .ini file should work okay (but possibly the Garmin setting will need; the Speed setting to 4800) -- excepting for the Port which you'll need; to set yourself (the default is COM2).;; In version 8 of Flitemap there are far more options, under "Connections-; External Device Setup". Those I now find work best are the Garmin NMEA; settings. All the values are recognised if you send RMC and PGRMZ; sentences, or RMC, GGA and GSA, and you can choose a really decent; speed like 19200 as well.Interval=3000; This specifies the interval, in milliseconds, at which the GPS message; is to be sent. The minimum is 100 msecs, but bear in mind that the; serial port is being asked to send around 65 characters at each interval.; At the default port speed of 9600, this requires about 70 milliseconds; in any case. The default interval of 1000 seems good for most purposes.; I currently use 1500, as shown here.Port=COM1; The port to be used on the FS98/2K PC.Speed=4800; Streets and Trips requires 4800; The speed to use. This must, of course, match the speed expected by the; moving map program. most GPS's output at 4800 or 9600. Recent versions; of FliteMap support 19200. Use the highest speed you can, for efficiency.

[Guest Jack172]

Great tip!I found that FSUIPC.dll was not needed, just gpsout. Using FS2004 and WinXP.Also, it works with just 1 PC, if you have 2 serial ports. I hooked up the null modem cable between them and set Streets and Trips to Com1 and gpsout.ini to com 2.

[Guest]

Fantastic info Larry! - Much appreciated! I am going to give it a try but I don't know if anyone's told you yet but your aircraft looks just like a Toyota on the screenie from MS Streets & Trips :-lol. What version of Streets & Trips are you using? It would be nice if we could replace the icon with a plane one?Also thanks Jack for the info on not needing FSUIPC!

[Guest]

I've been doing something similar, but using a Ipaq PocketPC. I'm using the program PocketFMS ( http://www.pocketfms.com ). I also use this program for my real flying. I is real nice and a lot cheaper learning the software using MSFS instead of in the air. The software also runs on a regular PC so should work in your one or two PC setups.--Michael

[Guest LarryJ_KMSO]

That's interesting that FSUIPC.dll isn't needed. That implies that GPSout isn't reading Lat. Long. information from Pete's FSUIPC IPC program. It must be reading that directly from Flight Simulator's heap.This also explains why I couldn't get GPSout on my second computer to function. Right now I have a null modem cable from the Primary (FS2004) computer to the secondary (M$ Streets and Trips). When I put GPSout on the secondary computer connecting it's COM1 to COM2 via the null modem cable, M$ streets and trips (and Hyper Terminal tty program) didn't show any data. Now I realize why!Maybe it's time to update GPSout.dll. Pete Dowson is fairly busy now so may be I'll wait a month or two and ask if he can revise the program to read data from FSUIPC or WideFS. Or maybe if he's willing, he'll sign me up with a non-disclosure agreement and I'll do the revision myself.Larry

[Guest LarryJ_KMSO]

My version of M$ Streets and Trips is 10.00.09.1300. It has a 2002 copyright.Your right about the icon. Worse yet it looks like the A__ End of a Toyota just to add injury to insult. I haven't looked into hacking the symbol. It would be nice to have your course "drawn" on screen as well has having the airplane symbol pointed correctly showing your current true course.I wonder if DeLorme or someother PC mapping software draws the GPS path/route on screen? Larry