GPS dongle for laptop

[ewishki]

What do you guys recommend? I am assuming they need line of site, so waterproof? Are there any good bluetooth ones?

Thanks in advance

[Hakan]

ewishki..
There are a lot of different active GNSS receivers out there. (GNSS is a common designation for devices achieving position from different satellite system around the world. Not only the US GPS net.)

Yes, they need a free sky sight. So dependent on your boat's type and material it may need to be mounted outside. I'd say preferable with a reliable wire connection. And for a easy handling with OpenCPN it should communicate according to the NMEA0183 protocol.
Read more here, although slightly dated the general info is valid.

https://opencpn.org/wiki/dokuwiki/do...rted:gps_setup

[chrisr]

sorry to disagree but it is my understanding that GNSS antenna does NOT require free sky sight and will in fact work perfectly well indoors

see eg ra2007_puricer.pdf

btw your mobile phone has a perfectly good GNSS receiver built-in which can be used instead of seperate dongle

cheers,

[Yellowtulip]

I think that's a variable. My iPad receives perfectly indoors and everywhere on my boat, but another, cheap, Android tablet I have doesn't receive in the house but is ok below on the boat.
Also there are VHFs advertised which include an internal GPS but have the disclaimer that an external antenna may be required.
So shop carefully for a dongle.

[ewishki]

Originally Posted by chrisr

sorry to disagree but it is my understanding that GNSS antenna does NOT require free sky sight and will in fact work perfectly well indoors

see eg Attachment 229366

btw your mobile phone has a perfectly good GNSS receiver built-in which can be used instead of seperate dongle

cheers,

Makes sense and I would agree if that is the case. All my mobile devices work fine indoors and inside my car (Google Maps) without sky line of site.

I am getting a dongle for the PC though, so yeah I will get a GNSS one. Thanks, I never realized that is why the phones/tablets worked without line of site.

[thomm225]

I use this USB GPS Hockey Puck style dongle in (inside) my apartment or home with my Laptop running Windows 10 (and OpenCPN) or on my Raspberry Pi running Linux at home or on the boat.

The input from the dongle gets top priority on OpenCPN with my SH GX2200 VHF, GPS, AIS as backup.

The debug screen shows them coming in.

https://www.amazon.com/Navigation-Ex...NsaWNrPXRydWU=

[ewishki]

Originally Posted by thomm225

I use this use this USB GPS Hockey Puck style dongle in (inside) my apartment with my Laptop running Windows 10 (and OpenCPN) or on my Raspberry Pi running Linux at home or on the boat.



https://www.amazon.com/Navigation-Ex...NsaWNrPXRydWU=

haha so after more research and input from a local pro and long time sailor we have here locally I went and bought one on Amazon.

Then I come here and low and behold, you basically recommended the same one. He said to get one that supports both GPS and GLONASS and is U blox, whatever that means. Here is the one I got. Might be same as the one you just linked, they look the same.

https://www.amazon.com/Waterproof-Re...71XY4R26&psc=1

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by ewishki

haha so after more research and input from a local pro and long time sailor we have here locally I went and bought one on Amazon.

Then I come here and low and behold, you basically recommended the same one. He said to get one that supports both GPS and GLONASS and is U blox, whatever that means. Here is the one I got. Might be same as the one you just linked, they look the same.

https://www.amazon.com/Waterproof-Re...71XY4R26&psc=1

Great!

It sure looks the same or very similar, but yours came with software (driver) which is nice.

[yachtvalhalla]

Originally Posted by thomm225

Great!

It sure looks the same or very similar, but yours came with software (driver) which is nice.

If you need the drivers you can download them here.


Terry