Question on testing GPS Output

[Kameroo]

I have an older Apelco GPS 182 hooked up to a Raychart 600xx Chartplotter. The chartplotter will not power-up.

So here's the question: I've been thinking of getting a new VHF radio that has position request/position report technology. What would be the best way to test the NMEA output of the GPS to see if it is working? I have a Palm Tungsten, for example, that I was thinking of rigging up. Suggestions?

Eventually, I plan to get a new chartplotter, but that's further down the list.

 

[fc3]

Connect the NMEA data out terminals to pins 2 and 5 of a 9 pin RS-232 port or 3 and 7 of a 25 pin port on a computer. Set to 2400 baud, 8 data bits, no parity, 1 stop bit. You should see the sentences on the port. Might have to force no hardware flow control. You need a serial cable for the palm to connect it to the GPS. I've not seen one of those floating around in a while. I have a palm serial cable, but it's for my old (two Palms ago) Vx. The Tungsten models (T and T3) have USB cables.

Best regards,
Frank C

 

[Kameroo]

Wow--exactly the type of information I was looking for! Thanks.

 

[Kameroo]

Followup:

Frank, hard to believe, but I have a custom-made serial adapter for the Tungsten. Several years ago I used it to hook up a Garmin eMap to the Tungsten as a GPS Flight Data Recorder. There was a website I could go to that would convert the output to a track with altitude changes in color and overlayed over city map data. I just have to dig that stuff out again--2003 seems so long ago!