I want a new laptop to use on the boat with "whatever" navigation  software.

My current XP laptop uses a serial to USB converter cable because the
boat's two built in GPS's are year 2000 vintage and have serial output. I bought
the  conversion cable five years ago when I bought this computer. Sea
Level  Technologies sold me the cable. I had to have their tech help to get the
computer to find the GPS. All has gone well since.

Now I am considering buying a laptop with Windows 7 and am wondering if
that operating system will be "smart" enough to find the GPS without a lot of
hassle?

Is anyone using Windows 7 with a serial to USB cable?

Thanks

RC
NT 42
Punta Gorda

RC,

I use a SeaLevel serial/USB cable too.  As long as you visit the SeaLevel
web site, download the Win7 driver and install it you shouldn't have a
problem.  I have swapped back and forth between an XP machine and a Win7
machine without a hitch.

Ed, N7NVP
PT-38 Sedan  "Makin Do"
Brownsville, WA

-----Original Message-----
On Behalf Of Seasalt007@aol.com

Is anyone using Windows 7 with a serial to USB cable?

RC wrote:

"Now I am considering buying a laptop with Windows 7 and am wondering if
that operating system will be "smart" enough to find the GPS without a lot
of hassle?

Is anyone using Windows 7 with a serial to USB cable?"

I have not used this combination on the water, yet, but I took a ride along
the coast in my truck with my new laptop running Windows 7 and Coastal
Explorer with an old GPS hockey puck with a serial to USB adapter on the end
of the cable from the hockey puck (which also has a cigarette lighter plug
for power).  The computer took a few minutes to pick up the GPS input then
it seemed to track my route with no problems other than a lot of warnings
about approaching shore and shoreline obstructions, which were appropriate
under the circumstances.

I thought it was off a few feet when I parked at the seawall and the chart
showed me hanging over into the water quite a bit, then I realized that I
had given CE a boat length of 42' and my truck is probably only 16'.

Dick Allen

Sunday, September 26, 2010, 12:30:27 PM, Seasalt007 wrote:

Sac> I want a new laptop to use on the boat with "whatever" navigation
software.
Sac>
Sac> My current XP laptop uses a serial to USB converter cable because the
Sac> boat's two built in GPS's are year 2000 vintage and have serial output.

I prefer GPS receivers with serial output, because I can connect that
serial output to my DSC-capable VHF radio, and to my autopilot and
chart plotter.

Sac> I bought
Sac>  the  conversion cable five years ago when I bought this computer. Sea
Sac> Level  Technologies sold me the cable. I had to have their tech help to
get the
Sac> computer to find the GPS. All has gone well since.
Sac>
Sac> Now I am considering buying a laptop with Windows 7 and am wondering if
Sac> that operating system will be "smart" enough to find the GPS without a
lot of
Sac> hassle?

The operating system (XP, Vista, or Win7) should find the USB <->
serial adaptor with no problems, but you may have to go into the
Device Manager to find what serial port the OS assigned to the
adaptor (and that port may depend on which USB port you plug the
adaptor into).

Sac>
Sac> Is anyone using Windows 7 with a serial to USB cable?

Yes, on an HP Netbook.  I'm using Coastal Explorer, which will search
all serial ports, whether real, bluetooth or USB adaptor, looking for
NMEA data, so I just let CE find the appropriate port.  Other nav
programs may not be so helpful.

Rose Point recommends a Keyspan USB<->serial adaptor, which works fine
for me on both my XP notebook and Win7 netbook.  I initially used
"Prolific" serial adaptors which seemed to make Coastal Explorer very
sluggish at times.

Sac>
Sac> Thanks
Sac>
Sac> RC
Sac> NT 42
Sac> Punta Gorda

--
Peter Bennett, VE7CEI    Vancouver, B.C., Canada
Ennos 31 "Honeycomb"
GPS and NMEA info: http://vancouver-webpages.com/peter
Vancouver Power Squadron: http://vancouver.powersquadron.ca