How to install and use an EverMore USB GPS receiver with Autoroute 2010 on Windows 7.

This blogpost may be of use to some people. A few years a go I bought a cheap GPS Receiver off Ebay so I could use it on a laptop with AutoRoute.
Here are details on how to connect, install and get it running on Windows 7 with Microsoft Autoroute 2010.

Here is a photograph of the EverMore GM-R700 GPS Receiver, as you can see it consists of a small unit (4cm x 5cm) that houses the GPS receiver and an RS232 to USB convertor with a flying USB lead on it.

EverMore GM-R700 GPS Receiver.

When you plug in the USB connection from the EverMore GPS Receiver into a laptop running Windows7 it will show this error.

You need to get the correct driver for this so visit the Silicon Labs website and download the latest driver from their driver page here:

Silicon Labs UART Driver website

Click the link in the first section "XP/Server 2003/Vista/7" - VCP Driver Kit.

As I am using Windows7 I downloaded the file "CP210x_VCP_Win_XP_S2K3_Vista_7.exe"

Install this driver software and then you should get this message above the status bar :

Make a note of the COM port that has been allocated to the GPS, in this example its COM4

You can now Run Microsoft AutoRoute 2010.

Click on the "GPS Task Pane" icon at the top (the red compass)

On the GPS pane panel thats now appeared on the left side, click on the "Configure GPS..." button and select COM4 and click the OK button.

Now click the Green play button, If you have ticked the "Provide navigation" box then it will show a safety warning screen just click on "I agree".

In the bottom left of the AutoRoute screen it will show

"GPS [Status: Searching for satellites Sats:0]"

Allow a few minutes for the unit to update its Almanac and Ephemeris data.

After a while the number of Sats should increase. As you can see in my example below (marked with a big red arrow) I can see 8 Satellites parked up here on Vernon Street in Derby.

You need to be able to see 3 sats before it can locate your position..

Screengrab of AutoRoute 2010 in use with my GPS.

For comparison here is a screen grab of the location map app on my iPhone 3GS, as you can see it maches up with where AutoRoute thinks I am parked. Of course its nice on the iPhone as you get a real satellite image of where you are.

iPhone Mapping App location.

One point worth noting is that make sure you fully boot Windows7 before you connect the GPS to the laptop otherwise Windows will misidentify the GPS as a Mouse and install a mouse driver for it causing the mouse pointer to fly around the screen out of control!

Hope someone out there finds this blogpost of use.

For reference :

The EverMore GM-R700 is a 16 Channel GPS unit with Standard NMEA-0183 at 4800 baud.

Andy

o2 surprises, Have YOU ever won anything in the hook a duck game on pay as you go or are they unobtainable?

If you are on a o2 Pay as you go phone then you will be familiar with the "Hook a Duck" game known as o2 surprises. When you top up your phone with £10 or more they send you a text message with a special code that you type in to the o2 suprises website and it gives you two chances (three chances for £15 top up) to try and win a prize. BUT without fail the prizes you win are never anything like the ones it taunts you with at the top. Never won a Plasma Television, have you?

o2 Surprises website.

As you can see her in my example.

About to try and catch myself a good prize in the o2 Surprises game.

After my three goes I have won nothing of any use at all !

I am on o2 unlimited yet I often seem to win free text messeging or somthing as pointless.




If you play the damn Hook a duck game then have you ever won anything of use or are the good prizes unobtainable?. Post a reply if you have won a good prize.

Andy

Video of Lara Croft Way, Derby Inner Ring Road and new road layouts.

This is the latest video in my “Derby Streets by car in HD” series, this one is a short car journey that encompasses all of the latest new roads and road changes relating to the Connecting Derby project on Derby Inner Ring Road.
These Roads are either newly opened or one way roads that have become two way.
Lara Croft Way is a newly constructed road where as the parts of Normanton Road and Burton Road were previously one way roads, these are now two way roads.

Lara Croft Way opened in two stages one direction on 11th May 2010 and the other way on 27th July 2010.

Because these are new roads they are not on Google Maps or Google Streetview.

However I have generated a detailed map showing the new roads and how they connect to form the new Derby inner ring road. I have also made a 360 degree interactive panoramic photograph near the traffic island at Lara Croft Way (a-la Google Streetview).

Also the driving video I have made here will allow you to see how it all connects together. This video was filmed at 7am on Wednesday 28th July 2010 which is why there is little traffic on the roads, giving a better view than queuing traffic!

Lara Croft Way Driving video

If you have a fast broadband connection and high-end PC then best to view in 720p HD and fullscreen.
The driving Video Route Details.
The drive starts on Burton Road (A5250) heading into Derby. On the right side you can see Mount Street which is where (up until 27/07/2010) you would rejoin the inner ring road in the clockwise direction. As you can see this section of Burton Road is now two way.

On the right we pass The Duke of York Pub.

We now arrive at the new Round-a-bout, this connects the following roads.

Burton Road (two way)
Mercian Way (not yet open), the next section of the inner ring road.
Green Lane (one way)
Babington Lane (one way)
Lara Croft Way (two way)
Normanton Road (two way)
At this round-a-bout I take the 4th exit onto Lara Croft Way, This is a brand new road which forms part of the final link of Derby Inner Ring Road. Lara Croft Way cuts through former streets such as Sacheverel Street and Wilmot Street. Lara Croft Way then connects to the existing round-a-bout on Osmaston Road.

The Osmaston Road round-a-bout connects the following roads:
Lara Croft Way (two way)
Osmaston Road A514 towards the Spot (two way)
Bradshaw Way A601, (two way) Existing inner ring road.
Osmaston Road A514 (two way) towards Allenton.
Charnwood Street (one way) now closed off.
Leopold Street (one way) now closed off.
Lara Croft Way

At the Osmaston Road round-a-bout I take the 4th exit which takes me back up Lara Croft Way in the other direction. At this round-a-bout I take left into Normanton Road. This section of Normanton Road used to be one way, as you can see its now two way. On the left is Leopold Street which is the way you used to go to get onto the inner ring road, Leopold Street was closed off on Tuesday 11th May 2010 when Lara Croft Way opened up in one direction only.

At the Charnwood Street junction you would normally see inner ring road traffic coming from the left but Charnwood Street is now blocked off at the Osmaston Road end.

Here on Normanton Road I turn right into Southgate Retail Park (Lidl) and do a u-turn in the entrance and head back onto Normanton Road towards Derby centre.

Notice here on the left that the slip road leading to Mill Hill Lane has been closed off, instead Normanton Road has become two way. So as of July 27th the Mill Hill Lane/Mount Street/Burton Road/Normanton Road loop part of the Old Inner Ring road is now no longer needed.

You are now allowed to drive Down Normanton Road in the other direction.

At the round-a-bout I turn left onto Burton Road which is now two way. It feels very strange being able to drive down this bit of Burton Road in this direction after all the years of it being one way.
Here we rejoin Burton Road where Mount Street used to join with it.

Detailed Driving Route Map:

View Lara Croft Way, Derby Inner Ring Road Driving video Route in a larger map

On the first day of these new roads opening I was stuck in horrendous queues of traffic but I think once the Derby City council have adjusted the traffic light sequences at Lara Croft Way then this new section of the inner ring road will help a lot. I look forward to seeing the remaining section of the inner ring road opening between Lara Croft Way and Ford Street, this will complete Derby Inner Ring Road

Hope you enjoyed this little trip.
Andy