I have a Garmin Etrex Legend GPS receiver that does not have bluetooth. It came with a serial data cable. I was wondering if I could use this GPS unit with my N800?
Would I have better luck getting a Bluetooth battery adapter (which is not clear if it works with the Legend), or getting a serial-to-usb converter and an OTG Adapter and wiring them up?

It's probably cheaper and more portable to just buy a seperate Bluetooth GPS.

Both methods you suggest should work (assuming the BT battery works with your Etrex); certainly the usb->serial option will mean you need lots of cables everywhere.

Personally I'd go with a new BT GPS.

Even though it's kind of painful not being able to re-use something you already own, I'll have to agree with lardman here. The new bluetooth GPS receivers now available are cheaper, smaller, robust, faster, with longer battery capacity and way more signal sensitivity than the old ones.

Even though my old SirfStar II-based receiver worked just fine I bought a new MTK-based receiver (for less than half the price of the old one) and I've never regretted it. The other good thing about BT vs serial is that the BT one can still be used when you get some other equipment.. unlike serial ones which are usually tied to some particular hardware.

EDIT: There's always the hack value, of course.. to get something working! That's always nice of course, so it's really a question of what appeals the most..

PC-Mobile used to sell a bluetooth adapter for older GPS units, and I have one that I used to use with my Legend. I had to make a cable with a 2.5mm stereo plug on one end, and a Garmin eTrex connector on the other. It worked, but it's a PITA, and I eventually just bought a bluetooth GPS receiver, which works much better. The Legend is rather old technology, and doesn't work nearly as well as a newer receiver. It's fine for carrying in the woods where it might get dropped in the water, but it has very low sensitivity and Garmins are a PITA to use with anything else. For about the same money you would spend to get the Legend working with the N800, you can get a much more capable bluetooth unit.

It's funny. I also have an Etrex Legend,with serial connector. I bought a serial to USB converter. Then comes the gender bener USB-OTG cable. This winds up looking like a banana coming out the side of my N800.

I ordered a bluetooth gps a couple of weeks ago from dealextreme... Keep your fingers crossed.

Nate

I'd concur with those above, though I have used a cdc_acm.ko with a serial adapter, and my BT GPS will go USB too (and shove more data across the pipe).

semsons.com or buygpsnow.com have a wide selection with various price/feature points (like my 10Hz Wintec).

But exactly how do we install cdc_acm.ko?

Try with 'insmod'.

The problem is that I do not have cdc_acm.ko anywhere on the tablet. I have searched all the forums and the internet and can't find where I can get this installed for the N800. It might be built in to the kernel, however insmod complains it can't find the file regardless of what options I use.

I can see the GPS when I use lsusb.

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