Using a GPS phone with Water Explorer's Navvygator/Blog Widget

[Black Ibis]

Duplicates merged.

Edited August 20, 2013 by NB Alnwick

[Black Ibis]

Has anyone had any luck? I know I can buy a GPS device which will work with it but it seems silly when I have a perfectly good GPS device in the form of my Samsung Galaxy S3. The problem seems to be that these Android devices don't use "COM" ports.

 

Additionally, even if I have to log the route manually, I'd like to get the Water Explorer widget on my blog, which I have seen on others' - but I can't see an obvious way to do this.

 

Can anyone help with either?

 

P.S I've done a search and whilst there's lots about GPS devices, phones and Water Explorer's Navvygator I can't find anything linking these all together.

[andy3196]

If your computer has Bluetooth, you could try an app like extGPS https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.extgpsforandroid&hl=en

 

This should then be recognised as a COM port on your computer and thus stream the NMEA data to waterexplorer. I say should, as I can't get my computer & horrible android tablet to pair, but my 808pv will pair with the horrible thing, and I've been using the Symbian version of extGPS since the first beta, many years ago.

 

Also I have never used waterexplorer, so can't give too much advice on how to get it to see the incoming data.

 

One thing that may need attention is that windows can assign quite a high number to the COM port, which may be outside the range that waterexplorer expects to use. Can't quite remember how I sorted but think it involved deleting com ports in "my computer" properties, and then reassigning the com port in the Bluetooth settings utility.

 

Of course, with android there is always the chance that this particular app won't work on your device, but there are probably dozens of others available that may or may not work.

[Black Ibis]

Thank you! will try that.

[andy3196]

Hope it works.

[Kiwidad]

We use an app called GPS logger, have an S3, so I know it works. This is a free app, and does the job well. Look on the water explorer website, and you will find the HTML code to copy and paste into your blog, as it is in ours.

[Black Ibis]

We use an app called GPS logger, have an S3, so I know it works. This is a free app, and does the job well. Look on the water explorer website, and you will find the HTML code to copy and paste into your blog, as it is in ours.

Thanks!

 

And the problem is I've searched the Water Explorer website and can't find the HTML code! Am I blind? Which page is it on?

Edited August 21, 2013 by Black Ibis

[lostnortherner]

Hi,

 

The HTML badges etc. are all in Members/My Links once you have logged in.

 

I use Navvygator when we're out - I've never tried using GPS Bluetooth-ed off a phone, but I did some an 'other' type of GPS device that I already had before I plumped and bought the one Stuart recommends - and it works much better with that device. It wasn't too expensive, but I did have to invest in a USB extension lead!

 

One little quirk, is that Windows assigns the GPS a different COM port depending on which USB port you use on the laptop, so I have to remember to use the same port - or update the settings all the time.