Global Sat BR-355 User manual

Serial
GPS
User’s Guide (Mac)
BR
-
355
GPS Receiver
B
R
-
35
5

DOCUMENT REVISIONS
REV NO.
DATE
DESCRIPTION
APPROVED
1.0
02
-
28
-
2003
Initialdocument
BRF
1.2
0
6
-
08
-
2005
Newdocument format
NRG
2.0
04
-
07
-
2006
Revision of embedded web inks
AAK
© 200
6
Globalsat Technology Corporation/USGlobalsat,Inc. Allrights reserved. The Globalsat logois atrademark
of Globalsat Corporation
. Windows is a register trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Acrobat is a registered
tra
demark of Adobe Systems Incorporated.
Mac is a registered trademark of the Apple Corporation.
All other
trademarks or registered trademarks are acknowledged as the exclusive property of their respective owners.
All rights reserved. No part of this manua
l may be reproduced, transmitted, copied, or stored in any storage
medium, for any purpose, without prior written consent from Globalsat Technology Corporation or USGlobalsat, Inc.
Globalsat/USGlobalsat hereby grants the right to download one (1) copy of
this manual onto a hard drive for
personal use. This manual is copyrighted and may contain proprietary information that is subject to change without
notice.

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USB_GPS_MAC_ v2.0
USB GPS (Mac)
Table of Contents
PACKAGE CONTEN
TS
................................
................................
................................
..
3
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
................................
................................
............................
3
WELCOME
................................
................................
................................
......................
3
1. GETTING STARTED
................................
................................
................................
..
4
2. INSTALLING THE USB DRIVER
TO YOUR LAPTOP
................................
..............
4
3. VALIDATE USB DRIVER INSTALLATION
................................
................................
7
4. UN
-
INSTALL THE USB DRIVER
................................
................................
................
7
5. INITIALIZING YOUR GPS RECEIVER
................................
................................
......
8
6. USING YOURGPS RECEIVER
................................
................................
.................
8
7. FAQ’s
................................
................................
................................
..........................
8
8. CONTACT INFORMATION
................................
................................
......................
10
9. SAFETY AND LEGAL NOTICES
................................
................................
.............
10
10. LIMITEDWARRANTY
................................
................................
............................
12
11. BU
-
303 SPECIFICATIONS
................................
................................
....................
13
12. BU
-
353 SPE
CIFICATIONS
................................
................................
....................
14

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USB_GPS_MAC_ v2.0
USB GPS (Mac)
PACKAGE CONTENTS
-
USB
GPS Receiver
-
Driver CD
-
ROM with User’s Guide
and test utility forWIN and Mac O/S
*

Mac
Users
please refer to the Mac directory on the included CD
-
ROM for inst
allation instructions
and drivers
x
:
\
Mac
(The letter “
x
” represents your CD
-
ROM drive).
NOTE:
Y
our
can also d
ownload Mac driver andInstallation Guide
s
at:
www.usglobalsat.com/mac
SYSTEM REQUIREMEN
TS
The
Globalsat
USB GPS
receivers
requires a Windows, or Macintosh laptop computer, with a CD
-
ROM*, USB port, and NMEA compatible navigation software. The 3
rd
party mapping/navigation
softwaremay have its own system requirements, please check with softwa
revendor for details.
*CD
-
ROM is required for USB driver installation and access to the User’s Guide. If no CD
-
ROM drive is available,
files can bedownloaded fromthe Internet at
:
www.usglobalsat.com/mac
WELCOME
Thank you for
purchasing a
Globalsat
USB GPS
receiver!
Globalsat
U
SB GPS receivers
allow for real
-
time street
navigationbyusingyourlaptop for graphical plotting andpositioning of your route. Simply load theGPS driver, plug
the GPS
receiver into your computer’s USB port and install your own personal mapping software to begin to view
your positioninreal
-
timeinrelation to the surrounding streetsin your travel area.
You’ll find that almost any NMEA compliant mapping/charting sof
tware will be compatible with
your
USB GPS
receiver
.
Visit our web
-
sitefor recommended mapping programsthat you can use.
http://www.usglobalsat.com/faq_details/Mapchart.asp
.

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USB_GPS_MAC_ v2.0
USB GPS (Mac)
1.
GETTING STARTED
Theseare only afew simplestepsthat youneed tofollow beforeusing your
USB
GPSreceiver:

Install the USB driver and onto your laptop from theincluded CD
-
ROM or download thefiles from our web
-
site
www.usglobalsat.com/mac

Plug
-
in the GPS receiver intoyour laptop.
NOTE:
From within your mapping, or navigation software (including the supplied GPS Information utility), you will
need to manually configure theselection
of the COMport to what was assigned to the GPS receiver so that proper
communication between the GPS receiver and mapping program can occur. Most all software requires that you
manually configure the COMport settingfor anyGPS deviceyouuse.
IMPORTANT
:
1.
You must change the default rate setting of your mapping software to 4800 if this is not
currently set as such
otherwise GPSdatacannot bereceived.
2.
Port: /dev/cu.usbserial
3.
Set
Baud
Rate: 4800
2
. INSTALLING THE USB DRIVER
IN
TO YOUR LAPTOP
STEP
1.
Expand the archive fileandthenrun theinstallationby double clicking onthe
PL2303_1.0.966
.pkg
icon.
STEP 2.
Next, a series of installation stepsand screens will be provided for completingthe driver installation process.

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USB_GPS_MAC_ v2.0
USB GPS (Mac)

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USB_GPS_MAC_ v2.0
USB GPS (Mac)
When installation is complete, reboot your Mac and connect your USB GPS receiver at this stage for device
detection.

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USB_GPS_MAC_ v2.0
USB GPS (Mac)
NOTE:
After completing driver installation under Mac OS 10.2.X, a warning may appear stating
that “Prolific
USBSerial.kext” has encountered problems. This is due to driver being compiled under OS 10.1.X. Three options
will be provided for you to select one; however selecting the
“Fix and Use”
optionwill eliminate this conflict.
3
. VALIDAT
E
USB DRIVER INSTALLATION
To verify that your deviceis recognized by theOperating System you canopen theSystem Profiler.
To access System Profiler perform thefollowing.
First, place mouse pointer and select the blue apple icon on the top left hand
side of the Apple menu. Then, select
the following “About ThisMac”
-
>”MoreInfo…”
-
>Hardware
-
>USBtodisplay device’s detection.
Under USBDeviceTree, you will view “USB Device” this pertains to your GPS USBreceiver. Driver info
rmationcan
befound under USBDevice window.
4. UN
-
INSTALL THE USB DRIVER
To uninstall the Prolific USBdriver, followthesesteps:
1.
Open "Applications
-
> Utilities
-
> Terminal". You need to create ID& password first on NetInfo Manager.
2.
Logintoroot
user and type"su" and enter password.
3.
Type"cd/System/Library/Extensions" togotothe"Extensions"folder.
4.
Unload the driver (if it had been loaded) by typing "kextunload PL2303.kext" or "kextunload
ProlificUsbSerial.kext"
5.
Removethe driver bytyping "
rm
-
r PL2303.kext" or "rm
-
r ProlificUsbSerial.kext".
See FAQ below formore on “root users”

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USB_GPS_MAC_ v2.0
USB GPS (Mac)
5. INITIALIZING YOUR GPS RECEIVER
Before using your U
SB G
PS
receiver
for navigation (especially for the first time), the receiver must
obtain a local GPS fix
(coordinates) of the current position. To do this, take your laptop (with your USB
driver and the mapping software loaded and configured) to an open area that has a clear view to the
sky (such as a park or empty field). Start your software (or the includ
ed Mac_GPSutility program) and
wait for initialization of the GPS to complete. This may take a few minutes depending on various
factors such as the distance of the current coordinates from the last time the GPS receiver was
activated, GPS signal strength
and surrounding terrain (tall trees and buildings can block the satellite
signals). Once the RAW GPS data is displayed onto the screen, if applicable for your software, a fix
has been initialized (red LED on the GPS will also start to flash). In some cas
es initialization can take
up to several minutes depending on the conditions mentioned above before complete GPS data will be
displayed on the screen.
Coordinates scrolling with zero’s means that the port connection is cor
mplete
but the satellite data is
not beingreceivedyet (possibly still initializing or ina bad areafor satellite reception).
6. USING
YOUR
GPS RECEIVER
Once the
USB GPS receiver’s
driver and your personal mapping software have been installed and
configured properly, you can begin
to use
y
our navigation system by plugging the U
SB GPS
into your
laptop’s USB port and launching your mapping software. If you don’t have a mapping, or navigation
software
, we’ve included a GPS test utility c
alled
“GPS Utility
” so that you can test the fu
nction of your
U
SB GPS receiver
. This utility is located within the
Mac
directory on the CD
-
ROM or can be download
from our web
-
site
www.usglobalsat.com/mac
.
GPS LED Status indicator:
LED OFF:
GPS receiver
is off (no power).
LED ON
(solid): No fix, searching for GPS signals.
LED FLASHING:
Position fix established and GPS signals are being received.
Always select an area in the vehicle where the GPS unit will be secure and not obstruct normal driving,
visib
ility and safety, but still maintaining a “view tothe sky” in ordertoreceivesatellite data.
7. FAQ’s
How Do I Enable a Root Account
?
The "root" user (also known as the super user) is the most powerful UNIX account. The root account
can do anything
to any file or folder, anywhere on the system. For that reason, Globalsat/USGlobalsat
cannot recommend, nor support users who attempt modifications of the ‘root user” as it's considered
quite dangerous, and only needsto be used (occasionally) by advanced
users.
Because of the dangers of operating as root, Apple has chosen to hide the root account in OS X Final.
However, there are a number of ways to enable it. The easiest is to boot off the install CD, and look
under the Install menu for the "Password R
eset" option. You can use this to change your own
password if you forget it, and to enable the root account. This utility will
not
run if you copy it to your
hard drive! It only works when bootingfrom the CD.

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USB_GPS_MAC_ v2.0
USB GPS (Mac)
Read the rest if you'dlike to know how to
do thisfrom within OS X, and skip the CD
-
based reboot.
The second easiest way to enable root isto starta terminal session, and type:
sudo passwdroot
You will be prompted for a new password to enable root access. Many find this easier than rebooting,
b
ut sinceitinvolvesthe commandline,newcomersmayfind it a bitmore intimidating.
The hardest way to enable root is to use the NetInfo Manager application (in Applications/Utilities).
Here's what you do,courtesy of "anonymous":
1)
Open NetInfoMa
nager
2)
Select "Users"from the second list.
3)
Select a user you created and knowthe password for!
4)
Double
-
click onthe valueacross from "passwd" andcopyit. It is the encodedform of thepassword for that user.
5)
Select "root" from the lis
t of users. Find the "passwd"value (default is"*") and paste over it.
6)
Exit NetInfo Manager.
7)
Open the Terminal and type "suroot".
8)
Enter the passwordfor the user chosen above.
Will the U
SB GPS
work with other Street Mapping software?
Gl
obalsat
U
SB GPS receivers
providesstandard NMEAdataformappingsoftware to use and convert
to coordinates and should work well with
most
any NMEA compliant software on the market today.
How accurate is the GPS?
The U
SB GPS
is
WAAS
/EGNOS capable, and
forunits sold in North America through authorized
resellers, these units are WAAS/EGNOS
enabled
unless otherwise stated.
Accuracycan be up to 5
meters 3
D RMS withWAAS enabled and 10
-
15 meters 2D RMS WAAS disabled
What is ideal GPS environment?
The GPS
requiresan open,clearview of the sky. Buildings, covered parking areas, tunnels and dense
foliage cancause the GPS receiver to be unableto get alocationfix.
If you are parked ina covered parking lot or near atall building, it is recommendedtha
t you drive away
until you have a clearview of the skybefore using the BU
-
303. You may needto give the GPS a few
minutes tofind or get afix its location.
How do I know if the GPS is ON?
Your USB GPS
must be plugged into your laptop’s USB port to get
power. If your PCis on and the
COM port was configured properly, theGPS receiveris on and receiving the streaming GPS data. This
can be verified by opening your mapping software program. In addition, the
Globalsat USB GPS
has a
built
-
in LED
status
i
ndicator that s
hows
the
follow
ing
:
LED OFF:
GPS receiver is off (no power).
LED ON
(solid): No fix, searching for GPS signals.
LED FLASHING:
Position fix established and GPS signals are being received.
Why does theGPS not work near buildings and other t
all objects?
The GPS usessatellitesin thespace to find out where it is. Thereforeit needs a clearviewof the sky.
Tall buildingsand other objectsthatblock thereceiver’sview to the sky makeit infeasibleto determine
your location. Sometimes the
satellites are not overhead but near the horizon. Inthese cases the GPS
must have a clearview of the horizon.
What driver is needed for Virtual PC?
For Macintosh Virtual PC applications, you do not need any additional drivers thanthose already being
us
ed for your Mac OS X applications. It is, however recommended that 1
-
Gigabyte of memory is
available to runVirtual PC applications efficiently.