How to configure a GPS receiver and troubleshoot problems that you may experience when you use a GPS receiver together with Streets and Trips (918804)

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Configure a GPS receiver

To configure the GPS receiver, you must already have the GPS receiver connected to the computer. To configure a GPS receiver, follow these steps:

1. On the Tools menu in Streets and Trips, point to GPS, and then click Configure GPS Receiver.
2. Click Scan to have Streets and Trips find the port that has the GPS receiver connected.
3. When the correct port is highlighted in the Available ports box, click OK.

Notes

• To configure the GPS receiver for use together with Streets and Trips, the receiver's input format and output format must be set to support the National Marine Electronic Association (NMEA) 0183 version 2.0 or a later format. If you do not know if the GPS receiver supports this format, see the documentation for the GPS receiver.
• To use a GPS receiver together with Streets and Trips, you must have the device driver for the GPS receiver that is installed on the computer. If you are using a Microsoft GPS receiver, the driver was installed when you installed Streets and Trips. If you are using any other GPS receiver, see the documentation for the receiver.
• The GPS receiver must be configured to use a COM port below 20. Ports above 20 are not recognized.

Work with the GPS task pane

The GPS task pane displays current information from the GPS device. This information includes the following:

• The speed at which you are traveling
• Your latitude and longitude coordinates
• The last time that your position was updated
• Your compass heading
• A bar graph that indicates the strength of the signals from the GPS satellites
  
  Note When you see four bars, you are receiving the strongest signal. When you see no bars, no satellite information is being received.

You can also use the GPS task pane to set GPS options, to provide input to the Driving Guidance feature, and to calculate routes from your current position.

Use GPS to see your current location

Use the check boxes and option buttons that are located in the GPS task pane to set the following GPS options:

• Start GPS tracking
  Click to select this check box to start to receive a location from your GPS receiver and to make all other GPS options available.
• Track current position
  By default, this option is active when you start GPS tracking. When this option is active, your location appears on the map. As your location is updated, the map is refreshed to show your most recent position. Streets and Trips marks your location on the map by using the GPS icon. When you start to move, the center of the icon changes to an arrow that points in the direction in which you are traveling. To use the Track current position option, click to select the Start GPS tracking check box.
• Provide Driving Guidance
  Click to select this option to start Driving Guidance. The Driving Guidance pane opens at the bottom of the Streets and Trips window. To use the Provide Driving Guidance option, click to select the Start GPS tracking check box. If the Driving Guidance feature is not available with your version of Streets and Trips, this option remains dimmed. The option remains dimmed even if you click to select the Start GPS tracking check box and then create a route.
• Arrange map view
  Click to select this check box to select the way that the map is updated as you change location.
  • Keep position centered
    Click to select this check box if you want to use your location as the center point of the map. To use this option, click to select the Start GPS tracking check box and the Arrange map view check box.
  • Use Dynamic Turn View
    Select this option if you want Streets and Trips to change the map view as you travel to best show both your current location and the next instruction point on your route. To use this option, click to select the following check boxes:
    • Start GPS tracking
    • Provide Driving Guidance
    • Arrange map view
  • Rotate map to follow travel direction
    Click to select this check box if you want the map to rotate as you travel. This option points your direction of travel toward the top of the map regardless of your actual direction. To use this option, click to select the Start GPS tracking check box and the Arrange map view check box.
• Create GPS trail
  Click to select this check box if you want Streets and Trips to mark your route on the map as you travel. If you use this option, you can save the map with the GPS trail that shows the route that you took. You can see the trail on the map until you delete it. To delete the trail, select the trail, and then press DELETE. To use this option, click to select the Start GPS tracking check box.
• Change task panes
  To change from one task pane to any one of the other task panes, click the name of the pane that is currently open. Then click the task pane that you want to switch to on the drop-down menu list. You can select from the following task panes:
  • GPS
  • Find Nearby Places
  • Route Planner
  • Legend and Overview
  Note The Options dialog box contains a Show GPS sensor when pane is closed check box. You can click to select this check box when you are using a GPS device. In this case, the GPS Sensor appears in the lower-right corner of the map when a task pane other than the GPS task pane is open.
• See your current location by using GPS
  To see and to track your current location by using GPS, you must have already installed and configured your GPS receiver. On the Tools menu in Streets and Trips, point to GPS, and then click Start GPS tracking.

Alternatively, you can use one of the following methods to see your current location:

• You can select a map view to use when you are tracking your location or when you are using the Driving Guidance feature. To do this, point to GPS on the Tools menu, and then click Arrange map view. The default Arrange map view option keeps your position centered on the map as you travel. If you prefer to have the map dynamically zoom to the best view as you approach turns, click Use Dynamic Turn View. The Use Dynamic Turn View option is available only if you are using the Driving Guidance feature. The Driving Guidance feature is not available with some versions of Streets and Trips.
• To configure the map to rotate to follow your travel direction, point to GPS on the Tools menu, and then click Allow Map to Rotate.
• To create a trail of your GPS positions as you travel, point to GPS on the Tools menu, and then click Create GPS Trail. Alternatively, click GPS Task Pane on the Standard toolbar, and then click to select the Create GPS trail check box. You can see the trail on the map until you delete it. To delete the trail, select the trail, and then press DELETE.
• To view the latitude and the longitude coordinates of your current location, click GPS Task Pane on the Tools menu.
  
  Note You can also use a GPS receiver with Microsoft Pocket Streets to see your current location.
  
  To learn how to use Pocket Streets on your Pocket PC, open Pocket Streets Help.
  
  To learn how to use Pocket Streets for Smartphone, open the Help file that was installed on your computer when you installed Pocket Streets.

Recalculate a route from your current location

If you are using a GPS receiver together with Streets and Trips, you can recalculate your route from your GPS-supplied location. You can do this to return to a route from which you have deviated or to re-create your route after a detour. For your current location to be available to Streets and Trips, your GPS receiver must be receiving a satellite signal. Tall buildings, overpasses, and tunnels, among other things, may block your GPS receiver.

To recalculate a route from your current location, follow these steps:

1. When the GPS task pane is open, and when the GPS receiver is receiving a signal, type the place or the address where you want to go.
   
   Tip You can choose from a list of places and addresses that you have recently typed. To do this, click the down arrow at the right side of the Recalculate route from current location to text box.
2. Click Go.

Streets and Trips updates the map to include your current location as a numbered waypoint and to show the new route. If the Directions pane is open, the changes are also reflected in the step-by-step directions.

How to troubleshoot problems that may occur when you use a GPS receiver together with Streets and Trips

This topic contains information about how to troubleshoot problems that may occur when you configure and use a GPS receiver together with Streets and Trips.

Configure a GPS receiver

When you connect a GPS device to a computer, the New Hardware Wizard prompts you to provide the location of the device driver. If you are using Microsoft Streets and Trips 2006 with GPS Locator and connect the GPS device to the computer before you install Streets and Trips 2006 with GPS Locator, you must provide the location of the device driver.

To find the device driver for the Microsoft GPS device, follow these steps:

1. Insert the Microsoft Streets and Trips 2006 with GPS Locator Setup disc in the CD or DVD drive on the desktop computer.
2. If you receive the following message, click No:Would you like to reinstall or remove Microsoft Streets & Trips 2006 with GPS Locator?
3. Locate the following folder:

   drive:\GPSDrvrs

   Note In this example, drive is the letter of the CD or DVD drive.
4. If the computer is running Microsoft Windows 98 or Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition, open the 98_ME folder. If the computer is running Microsoft Windows NT or Microsoft Windows XP, open the NT_XP folder. The device driver has a file name extension of .inf.

Configure Streets and Trips to recognize the GPS device

When you use your GPS device together with Streets and Trips, it must be configured to use a COM port below 100. Devices that are assigned to COM ports above 100 are not recognized as GPS devices by Streets and Trips.

To make sure that you have selected the correct port, follow these steps:

1. Connect a GPS device to the computer.
2. In the GPS task pane, click Configure GPS to open the GPS Receiver Settings window.
3. Click Scan to scan the ports on the computer for available GPS devices. When the process is complete, you receive the following message next to the name of the port where the GPS device is connected: GPS device found.
4. Select the port where the GPS device is connected from the list, and then click OK.

Display all the parameters in the GPS Sensor window

You can configure some GPS receivers to transmit only part of the information that is available. Data is transmitted from the GPS device to the computer or to the mobile device in the National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) 0183 output format. This is referred to as an NMEA sentence. Generally, a particular NMEA sentence equates to a particular parameter, such as altitude. Check your GPS receiver to see whether any NMEA sentences are turned off.

For more information, see the documentation that came with your GPS receiver.

Troubleshoot problems that you may experience when you use your GPS receiver and Streets and Trips

You receive an error message when you try to track your position by using a GPS receiver. To troubleshoot this problem, use the following methods:

• Make sure that your GPS receiver is turned on.
• Make sure that the GPS cable is plugged into the communications (COM) port on the computer and that it is working correctly.
• Make sure that the input/output format (interface) on your GPS receiver is set to support the NMEA 0183 version 2.0 or a later format. For more information, see the documentation that came with your GPS receiver.
• Make sure that you have the device driver installed for the GPS receiver on the computer. For more information, see the documentation that came with your GPS receiver. If you are using a Microsoft GPS receiver, the driver is installed when you install Streets and Trips.
• Make sure that the COM port is set to the same speed as the GPS device. For most devices, 4,800 bits per second (BPS) is the correct speed. For more information, see the documentation that came with your GPS receiver.
• Make sure that the COM port that was selected during configuration is the same port that your GPS receiver is connected to. To do this, point to GPS on the Tools menu in Streets and Trips, and then click Configure GPS Receiver. Or, click Configure GPS in the GPS task pane. In the GPS Receiver Settings dialog box, click Scan to scan the ports for a GPS device. When Streets and Trips locates the device, click OK. Close other programs that use the same COM port, or change the program settings so that the programs use a different COM port from the one that you configured for the GPS receiver.
• Make sure that the GPS device does not require a specific mapping program to work correctly. Some GPS receivers can be used only with specific software packages.
• Make sure that the device is configured to use a COM port below 20. A device that is attached to a COM port above 20 is not recognized as a GPS device by Streets and Trips.
  
  Note Advanced users can use HyperTerminal to investigate the problem. For more information, see the online Help for the operating system that you are using. Click Start, and then click Help or Help and Support, depending on the operating system that you are using.

If the problems continue, contact the manufacturer of the device.

Help Streets and Trips receive signals from GPS satellites

• Make sure that the GPS receiver is installed correctly and that you are using the correct COM port.
• Make sure that your GPS receiver is turned on, connected to the computer, and running for several minutes. Many GPS receivers must do an initial "sky search." During a sky search, the GPS receiver identifies satellite signals and starts to receive data. A sky search may take 14 minutes.
• Make sure that your GPS receiver is correctly attached to the computer. Also, if the receiver has an antenna, make sure that the antenna is tightly connected to the GPS receiver.
• Make sure that there are no obstructions between your GPS receiver and the sky. Your GPS receiver may be unable to receive clear signals if you are in locations that resemble the following:
  • You are inside a building.
  • You are surrounded by tall buildings.
  • You are in a tunnel.
  Because the GPS receiver requires signals from at least three satellites, even partial obstruction, such as very tall buildings, can prevent your GPS receiver from functioning correctly.

Determine your exact location when the GPS icon appears off the road or in water on the map

Frequently, your GPS receiver accurately reports your position. However, dilution of precision, ghosting, and other factors may decrease accuracy. Streets and Trips displays the position that the GPS receiver reports and does not try to adjust it on the map to match roads, land, or bodies of water. The GPS icon may not indicate your exact location, but you can expect the GPS icon to appear near your location.

Accurately display your location on the map

Streets & Trips maps are based on the World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS 84) map datum. Because of the methods that Streets & Trips uses to display map information, you may notice a difference in the position of a point on the map and the actual latitude and longitude of the point based on the WGS 84 map datum. You can configure some GPS receivers to use different map data for their basic map functions. To receive the best results with Microsoft programs that support GPS input, configure your GPS receiver to use the WGS 84 map datum.

Receive a more accurate altitude

Most commercial GPS receivers report altitude accurately to within 50 feet. When there are obstructions between the GPS receiver and the sky, even a clear obstruction such as a windshield, there is likely to be more variance. Most GPS units use a mathematical model to approximate the geodetic model of the earth. The GPS device uses the approximate mathematical model to calculate an altitude. Because the earth has an irregular surface that creates a complex shape, some margin of error is likely.
For more information about altitude measurement, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: