________________START PROBLEMS

You need to change one of Windows screen settings, which is sometimes used to enlarge icons and typefonts on high resolution screens. The setting is usually called Large Fonts. This is how you change it:

1. Right-click anywhere on the desktop and select Properties on the pop-up menu.

2. A panel opens. Select Settings (for color and screen resolution) and then click on the button called Advanced in the lower right corner of the panel.

3. Another panel opens. Click the tab General, and change the fontsize settings from Large Fonts/125 percent to Small Fonts/ 96 ppt. Windows may warn you that you will have to restart Windows. Click OK, close the panels and restart Windows.

TIKI Navigator is not working with the regional settings for your country (Finland, Greece and some other countries). Open Windows control panel 'Regional settings' and select for instance 'English (USA)', and the problem will be solved.

This is a well known Windows problem and has nothing to do with TIKI. The GPS is being detected as a mouse, and the data from the GPS makes the mouse run wild.

The following procedure normally fixes the problem:

1. Boot the computer with the GPS receiver attached. The cursor will be jumping around and all sorts of unwanted stuff will be happening.

2. Disconnect the GPS. The computer will settle down.

3. Select Control Panel - System - Hardware - Device Manager.

4. Click on the '+' next to Mice and other pointing devices.

5. Click on 'Microsoft Serial Ball Point' - This is what Windows XP thinks that your GPS receiver is.

6. Select "actions" and then "disable".

7. Click on "OK" to close each window.

8. Reboot the computer with the GPS attached. All should be well.

The next time you boot the computer, it will tell itself to disable the "Serial Ball Point". If you boot the machine without the GPS attached, it will not even showthe disabled device.

Allmost all GPS units output NMEA 0183 data, which is the standard protocoll for marine instruments.

Garmin has however some GPS USB units that use only their own private Garmin protocoll, not NMEA. Unfortunately, you have to dig deep into the user manual to find out that the unit does not output NMEA (shame on Garmin).

So what's the solution if you have a Garmin USB GPS that doesn't output NMEA data?

Go to www.franson.com/gpsgate They have very reasonably priced software that converts Garmins protocoll to NMEA 0183: 'GpsGate Express' - $9.95 and 'GpsGate Standard' - $29.95 - both with a 14 days free trial period. (This program can even share one GPS between 2 or more programs at the same time).

You need to make the connection yourself with a 9-pin serial plug.

Most GPS models have different connectors for gaining access to their data. See the instruction manual for your GPS to identify the wires.(Your GPS data cable may have more wires than needed for communicating with TIKI Navigator.)

Unfortunately, there is no standard terminology for these wire names. The wires in your GPS cable might be called Data Out and Ground, or Data + and Data -, or NMEA Out and Return, or other similar terms.
After you have identified the wires, you can connect them.


The Data Out (or Data + or NMEA Out) transmit wire from your GPS should be connected to PIN 2 on the PC serial plug.

The Ground wire from your GPS should be connected to PIN 5 on the PC serial plug.

If you want to transfer routes and waypoints from TIKI to the GPS, the Data In (or NMEA In) receive wire from your GPS should be connected to PIN 3 on the PC serial plug.

An USB2Serial adapter will solve your problem. If you don't know where to get one, search the Internet for USB2serial.

This could be a result of several things:

1. Make sure that your GPS is setup to output NMEA 0183 1.5 or higher at 4800 baud. Refer to your GPS manual for instructions.

2. Verify also that you have selected the correct port.

3. Make sure that the wiring is correct, and that your GPS has a valid satellite fix (or is in simulator mode).

Another application may be using the COM port. This could be a FAX program, programs which interface to Palm Pilots and other PDA's, terminal type programs (e.g. Hyperterminal). If you have been using a DOS terminal program to read the output from the GPS, you must not only exit the terminal program but may also have to completely exit the DOS window to release the COM port.

If the PC has the synchronization program installed and active for a PDA (like Palmpilot) or some other CE device, it is possible that the GPS input will not get into the PC. To easily disable the synchronization program, right-click on the appropriate icon in the System Tray section of the Task Bar. Select 'Disable', 'Close', 'Shutdown' or 'Exit' according to the menu. (Note: You can later start the sync. program again via the Start button on the Task bar.)

Some IBM Thinkpad Notebook computers come from the factory with the COM1 connector port disabled. Instead, IBM uses that port for infrared devices. The process for disabling the infrared serial device and enabling the 9-pin COM1 port seems to vary from one Thinkpad model to another. Read your manual, or call IBM.

Internal Fax-Modem cards can also interfere with the COM1 connector. The Fax-Modem may have been set up to use COM1. Your choices are to set it up for COM2, or re-configure your computer so that the serial connector on the back is COM2. In some cases you have to remove the PC Card modem from the computer when you want to receive GPS data.

Your USB GPS unit came with (or should have come with) a driver. This driver installs a Virtual COM Port that appears as a regular Serial port to any Windows application (including TIKI Navigator.)
When this driver is setup, it will assign a COM port to the GPS. Select this COM port in TIKIs GPS Settings panel. Please refer to the documentation that accompanies your USB GPS for more information on its driver, and how to configure it properly.

Yes, TIKI reads any GPS that output NMEA data. However, before you can use your USB Earthmate GPS or Earthmate GPS LT-20 Receiver with a third-party application (like TIKI Navigator) you must install the USB-to-serial driver from Delorme's website. Click on this link DeLorme Serial Emulation Driver for USB Earthmate GPS and Earthmate GPS LT-20 Receiver to download the driver.

1. Right-click My computer.

2. Select Properties, the last item on the pop up menu that appears.

3. Select Hardware and then the Device manager on the next panel.

4. A Windows panel will list all hardware devices on your PC.

5. Click the + sign at Ports (COM og LTP). All your ports will be displayed. LTP is your printer port. COM is communication ports.

6. Write down all COM-Ports (i.e. COM1, COM6, COM9). If one of them is named something like USB 2 serial, this is most likely the port you want.

If this port is numbered i.e. (COM6), select port number 6 in TIKI.