Ian Reekie wrote:

The DB9 port is the correct port for a PDA as it can provide File
communications and also output full NMEA data, but only if requested by
the PDA.
To output NMEA the PDA has to first send the initialisation command word
"NMEA" to the DB9 port. Therefore the PDA software has to have been
written to specifically support the GPSNAV and have a GPSNAV connection
mode.
In for example Seeyou Mobile when you set the Hardware setting to GPSNAV,
Seeyou Mobile sends this command to the GPSNAV at startup and the NMEA
stream commences.
Almost certainly the reason you could not get your PDA Software working on
the DB9 port was either;
1)The PDA software does not specifically support the GPSNAV, and does not
send the NMEA command word at startup.
2) You have not set the software to be configured for a GPSNAV.
3) You connect/start up your Cambridge and PDA in an order that does not
allow the GPSNAV to receive the NMEA initialisation command. Eg Start the
PDA program first then power on the GPSNAV or start the PDA software then
plug it into the cradle.

Ian,

I am using SoarPilot on a Palm PDA. It never occurred to me that there
might be a need to tell SoarPilot that it is connected to a flight
computer. I checked the settings for SP and sure enough, there is a
checkbox for GPSNAV. I won't be able to verify if this works for a
couple of days as the glider is 2 hours away. But what you say makes a
lot of sense because everything else is working fine. I'll let you know.

Thanks!

-Doug