Setup A Wired GPS On A Windows Device
Problem: Browser security prevents any web page from communicating with a Windows com port.
Work Around: So in order for the Diamond Maps web page to communicate with your GPS on a Windows computer, you will need to install our Bridge application that will act as a middle man by reading the com port and constantly writing the location to a file on your computer. Diamond maps can then be configured to read this file to get your location. Here is how to do that.
- Download Go to https://diamondmaps.com/downloads/gnssbridge.exe and download our GNSS Bridge application to your desktop. This is a self contained program and you do not need to run an installer. Your security software will probably complain about it so make sure to allow the program to run despite any warnings you are prompted with. The program might download to your computer's downloads folder. You can leave it in that location or move it to your desktop to make it easier to find.
- Connect GPS Make sure your GPS is connected to your computer's com port and that you know which com port that is (ie COM1, COM2, etc). If your GPS comes with a setup program you can run it to confirm the GPS is working but you will need to shut down the GPS setup program before proceeding because only one application can talk to the com port at a time.
- Run the bridge program. The first time you run it you may have to tell windows that you trust this application when prompted. Select the COM port that your GPS is connected to. Make note of the output file shown on the screen because you will need that information in a later step. Click Start
- Confirm It is running. If successfully connected, the bridge program will report that it is writing information to a file.
- Use Firefox. You will need to run Diamond Maps in either a Firefox , Edge, or Opera browser. The popular Chrome browser will not communicate with the bridge program. Login to your map in this browser.
- Connect to Bridge File: From your map click Menu then GPS Status. Change mode to ON. Then select "NMEA Bridge File" as the source. Click the button to select a file and then browse to and select the output file noted in step 3 above. The GPS status screen should start showing your location.