Scott, I currently don't have a Tracker2 or a Nuvi, still using a TinyTrak3 and waiting for Garmin to get off dead center. This news of FMI version 2.5 sounds good and a thought came to mind regarding getting rid of a displayed waypoint. I don't pretend to know the code of either unit but in order to keep the Nuvi screens uncluttered, couldn't you do the following. Let's say you receive a packet and you want to display N1VG. Even if it is or isn't currently on the Nuvi display, couldn't you just send the new delete command and then send the command to display N1VG. If there is no waypoint to delete the Nuvi probably would generate a error but just ignore it. Just a thought. 73 W8JBD
--- In [email protected], Scott Miller <sc...@...> wrote: > > Bob Bruninga wrote: > > While I thoroughly love my NUVI350 with Argent Systems interface cable for > > Mobile APRS applications, I saw this rant about the NUVI 500 from a highly > > respected hacker over on the Electric Vehicle sig. > > > > He laments the overall DECLINE in usefulness of GPS units (NUVI as an > > example) as they are dumbed down to one-app fits all mentality. He > > mentions the same useless attempts at Garmin customer service that Scott > > frquently mentinos. THey are just too big to listen anymore to cusomers.. > > Don't give up on Garmin just yet. It took a long time, but apparently > someone's listening after all - the beta FMI 2.5 software just released > for the nuvi 1200/1300/1400 series has some features that are exactly > what I asked for. Not quite implemented perfectly yet, which is why I > haven't said anything, but there's still hope. > > FMI 2.5 explicitly includes a waypoint creation protocol - it's not an > accidental leftover like on the nuvi 350. Also, for the first time ever > in any Garmin product (to my knowledge) it's got a waypoint delete message. > > Ideally I'd have liked the ability to have waypoints expire > automatically, since the T2 doesn't have enough memory to keep track of > every received station - and it'd need to be nonvolatile memory, too. > But that's a little too APRS specific, so I suggested another solution. > Either they took that suggestion, or someone there came up with the > same thing independently, but in any case it's there - when you create a > waypoint it can be assigned to any combination of up to 16 categories, > represented by a bitmap. Those categories can optionally be assigned > labels that'll show up in the favorites menu - this part's not done yet. > > Aside from the obvious use of keeping APRS waypoints separate, it also > lets me expire old waypoints by using a 'delete waypoints by category' > command. The T2 uses a number of hidden categories, and every waypoint > created or updated for the first n minutes of the day goes into one > category. The next n minutes go into the next category. When it rolls > over to the next category, it sends a delete command. The result is > that every waypoint older than n*c, where c is the number of categories, > gets deleted. > > The bad news is that so far, waypoints don't get automatically updated > on the map and they don't show labels. You've got to exit back to the > menu and then select the map again to see where everyone is. They DO > display a name, and a link taking you to the waypoint detail screen > (comments aren't working yet) when you tap them. > > If you have a Tracker2 and a nuvi 1200/1300/1400 series and want to try > it out, get the FMI 2.5 update here: > > http://developer.garmin.com/download/FMI_v2-5_beta.zip > > You'll also need the latest T2 development build - just click the 'web' > button in the config program, I think it's at the very bottom of the > list. Hookup requires a Garmin 010-11232-00 (FMI 10) cable or > equivalent (there's one that includes a traffic receiver) that I'm out > of for a few days. I'd ramped up my stock of them in anticipation of > the FMI 2.5 software, and some commercial AVL company bought up every > one I had. > > CC'ing this to the Tracker2 group because I haven't announced it there yet. > > Scott > N1VG >
