~Toughbooktalk~

Instead of tacking onto a four page thread mostly concerning Navit (which I still want to learn) found here:
http://www.toughbooktalk.com/viewtopic. ... ams#p21011
I stumbled upon several interesting links for map people wanting to use their toughbooks with Linux.
I downloaded US maps from here: http://www.openmapchest.org/instructions/
and followed the directions. I used the bit torrent download using Transmission, which is found in Mint and also the repositories. That saved a zipped file in my downloads, which I extracted to a new folder on the desktop named Maps. You will have a file called gmapsupp.img.
Next I searched for Applications for GPS: http://tuxmobil.org/linux_gps_navigatio ... tions.html
This is full of different applications.
I stumbled upon a program named QMapShack: https://bitbucket.org/maproom/qmapshack/wiki/DocMain
Which I installed using Synaptic Manager, along with Navit, GPSD, and several other programs to try out.
I loaded the QMapShack program from my menu, and fumbled through pointing it to the US maps image in the folder I had extracted the maps to. It's time to crash but the file loaded, it's just a matter of learning another program now. What I like about the openmapchest maps download, is you can download Canadian or US maps (images), and put them on an SD card. I'm going to try playing with a hand held Garmin also. I found one review that said this has "breathed new life into an old NUVI", which might be on the right track for using with Linux as others have been looking into.

I am about 5 minutes away from bailing on Linux completely.. This whole GPS and serial port issues are enough for me.
No good navigation programs for Linux amazes me..Garmins are all based on LINUX.....I imagine so are Tom Toms...
Spent the entire weekend fighting gps in linux....

Wine does not support serial or usb ports....version 1.8 is supposed to support usb.

Just too many hoops for me to jump through....The need to text edit several files just to get software or hardware to run seems prehistoric..........

This weekend, I met with GPS-FAIL on Zorin, Mint 17.2, and Makulu Aero 10. it took hours just to get it to recognize the factory GPS module.

I did figure out how to customize Makulu Aero 10 to look really nice.

Oh..plugged in the Win7 caddy and recognized the GPS in under 5 minutes..5 minutes because I had to install Winfast....
Linux is secure but it's useless if it won't perform with common hardware...

Rant Over....

from here
http://kde-apps.org/content/show.php/QM ... ent=166972

Description:
QMapShack is a consumer grade software to work with data aquired by GPS devices. The data can be displayed on a variety of maps and stored in a database. Additionally new data can be created to plan tours.

Maps:
* Garmin vector maps and *.jnx raster maps
* Raster maps supported by GDAL
* Online maps (TMS and WTMS (partially))
* Display multiple maps in one view
* Reproject maps on-the-fly to view's projection
* Digital elevation model independent from maps
* Hillshading and slope coloring

GIS Data:
* 100% project oriented data handling
* Summarize project by a diary
* Support for tracks, routes, waypoints and areas
* Simple geocache support
* Store projects in a database
* Support for multiple databases

Planning:
* Undo/redo history for all items
* Track point edit mode to create/change tracks and routes
* Cut/copy/combine/reverse tracks
* Various filter to enhance tracks

GPS Devices:
* Support for newer Garmin devices
* Support for TwoNav devices
* Project oriented data organization on devices
* Synchronize your project with several devices attached

System:
* License GPL3+
* Runs on all *nix systems as well as on Windows
Probably on OS X, too, but so far no one volunteers to
maintain a binary.
* GUI has been translated to Czech, French, German and Spanish
* Wiki dokumentation is English
* Needs Qt5, GDAL, Proj4 installed
* For device support on Linux DBus and UDisk2 must be installed

Here is a bunch of info

http://tuxmobil.org/gps_linux_survey.html

Please Don't bail yet. We can work it out, however I am buying a house in upstate Ny, and my wife is have surgery that will put her out of work for 3 months. I can send you a hand held Garmin to tide you over that should suit your needs. This will allow you follow where you are, where you are going, and find locate waypoints. You can mark them and download into your computer. I even have the Garmin Maps somehwere that work well. you will have to dabble in "geocaching" and read a little, but should be able to do what you need. PM me your mailing address

Thanks Cleve..
I have a handheld Garmin....And a fully working Windows 7 based CF19 with Garmin Mobile PC on it..
I wanted to setup this CF31 with all Linux. Makulu Aero 10 preferably..I want to run the Garmin Mobile PC on Wine. Software works fine in Wine....except Wine refuses to see the serial port.....

Read a blurb about Mint 8 having serial port stuff built in. Serial GPS worked easily in Mint 8..It was removed in later editions...
Read it here.. http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=141&t=65004

from above linked page.
Some earlier versions must have recognized com1 on RS232 by default. For other versions and USB to serial adapters find the appropriate port in /dev and make a symbolic link to it as per the handbook. E.g. in ~/.wine/dosdevices
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This gives a lot of reading.

https://www.google.com/search?q=gps+ser ... rt=20&sa=N
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for a cf29, but it may help...I dunno.

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2127750&page=2

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Shawn,
I'll read up your links and also have a look. Here's one link that is older but might be a start:
https://www.winehq.org/pipermail/wine-u ... 27522.html
Cut and paste for those not interested:
"Because your "USB" device don't require high bandwidth it is possible that
your USB device is usb-tty converter. If so then I will explain how to use it
with WINE and what should be done to make it work. If not then you cannot use
it with WINE.
See configuration settings in the software, do you need to choose COM port
there? In Windows usb-tty converters are represented as COM-ports. So if your
program have such setting then there is good chanced it will work with WINE.
But if your program don't using usb-tty converter and work with "true" USB
device directly - this will not work under WINE yet; in this case you need
something like QEmu (free) or VMWare (not-free) to use your software under
Linux."

Interesting....The laptop may not have a real com port. I may have to look at some schematics and see what I can figure out...

Here are instructions how some guys got it to work in 2009...I cut/paste the main details..First guy installs GPSD..Others in thread do not. They seem to be using USB gps though...

http://www.mp3car.com/linux/128951-garm ... -good.html..


The linux distribution used was Mepis 8, which is based on Debian Lenny.
I used wine 1.1.25, and winetricks for dotnet22 and wininet (only these two). It did not install on ubuntu 9.04, but it did on 8.04 (on another computer with wine 1.0.0). I applied the update, then I just copied the files over to my eeepc with ubuntu 9.04.

Requirements:
Linux based operating system with recent kernel (I used Mepis
Globalsat-BU-353 GPS sensor (others may work- this is what I have)
Garmin Mobile PC
Working internet connection

The steps are outlined below, with further notes afterwards.

1) Install wine, preferably 1.1.15 or later (http://www.winehq.org/)
2) Get winetricks- http://wiki.winehq.org/winetricks - and install the following:
dotnet11
dotnet20
fakeie6
wininet
3) install and configure gpsd (http://gpsd.berlios.de/)
4) Create wine dosdevice symlink to gps device
5) Add serial ports to .wine/system.reg
6) Install Mobile PC
7) Update Mobile PC (http://www8.garmin.com/support/downl...ls.jsp?id=4049)
Navigate!

MX-14 is from the Mepis Symbiosis Group (mepis from above).
http://www.mepiscommunity.org/mx/
They have a forum and some good tutorials on their site.
There is even a video on Virtual Machine (VM):
http://www.mepiscommunity.org/videos/mx14?page=1
Possibly using VM instead of Wine, or a combination of the two