Does the GPS unit require power for up & down loading?

Does the antenna cable connector require a 50 ohm

Mark, >I am interested in being able to up and download waypoint >and route data from my Garmin 120XL GPS to my Mac. I've used MacGPS Pro (by Larry James lwjames@sni.net) for about 4 years for the functions you mention. The master database of waypoints lives on my desktop Mac G3. Not as many bells & whistles as Cap'n or Nobeltec, but very well done - really does everything one needs for onboard electronic charting. I suggest buying (only about $30) at least as supplement to such as MaxSea, because you can digitize your own charts where there are no quality echarts available. Other echart/GPS possibilites: 1. MaxSea, used to be the King of electronic charting, weather routing - has been used for years by many of top Whitbread boats. Used to be mac only, now cross platform - but 70% of customer base (about 4000 ships) are Mac. http://www.maxsea.com/ Developer is French. Cost similar to Nobeltec, Cap'n. 2. NaviMaQ, http://www.quintessencedesigns.com/. Haven't used this one myself, but some folks like it. 3. GPSy, same comment as #2. http://www.gpsy.com/gpsinfo/software.html. I just orderd the prerelease PRO version to give it a whirl. Karen's web page is superb resource site. Both versions are US waters only for now. If you need weatherfax, 5. WeatherMaQ, same source as #2. 6. Radfax, written by Juri Munkki (Finland), 6. Radfax, written by Juri Munkki (Finland), jmunkki@hut.fi. He has a website, search for URL. I've used this one for years, works fine. And for Celestial, general nav calculations, 7. MacNavigator, 1993 MetaFormal Systems. Don't know if still sold, it's a Hypercard application. Works great. > Does the GPS unit require power for up & down loading? My handheld doesn't require external power, but it is convenient. The Garmin data cable (which just plugs into a Mac serial port) has 12V power leads also. > Does the antenna cable connector require a 50 ohm >terminator when not connected? Not sure about this one - I've been using a Garmin handheld, leaving flipup antenna in place. Cheers, Steve ------------------------------------------------ Stephen C. Darden Email: darden@xtra.co.nz Adagio Marine Ltd. Fax: 649/4037-213 P.O. Box 161 Voice: 649/4037-801 Russell NEW ZEALAND