Thread: Hema Explorer and USB GPS dongles

I'm pretty sure that you can't use the Hema Explorer software on a laptop.

It's Android and iOS compatible only.

If there is any PC software to run Hema Explorer, could you give a link to it, I can't find any.

I am using Hema Navigator Explorer 2016 Ver 1.08 on a 2 year old Toshiba Satellite AMD laptop.
It has all the same maps that are on my HN7 unit and it is part of the software provided when I bought the HN7 and can be used to add waypoints and tracks to the GPS unit.
As the software on the laptop already has all the Maps installed I am hoping that with the addition of the GPS hardware I will be able to use the computer as a GPS device with the benefit of the larger screen on the laptop when off road in unfamiliar territory.

Originally Posted by trout1105

I am using Hema Navigator Explorer 2016 Ver 1.08 on a 2 year old Toshiba Satellite AMD laptop...

Thanks for that. I didn't know that Hema had the navigator program for Windows.

I don't have a Hema device of any description, have been an OziExplorer man for years on end. PC, Windows Mobile(gone) and now an Android tablet.
That's my area of knowledge.

Have been thinking of getting a new GPS/Mapping device, but I don't see the Hema Android devices as good value for money. (note that's good value for money, as opposed to a good device).
For 1/7th of the price I can get a great tablet, as big or small as I like and run Ozi .. but it's hard to get all the really good maps(eg. topo SA) for Ozi, and so forth.
So the value in the Hema(for me) would be for it's mapping only.
I have Hema maps for Ozi of many descriptions, most of the ones I need for Vic, but nothing really detailed for anywhere else.

The other system I'm looking into is Memory Map, they seem to have really good mapping as well.

Going back to the Hema Navigator Explorer software, my reading up of it leads me to believe that it's a stripped down version of OziExplorer(for windows).
(remember I have no Hema product to test with) but my understanding of it is that you use the Hema Navigator Explorer software to help manage POIs and other data for the Hema Navigator itself.

So in theory, if you have a copy of Ozi Explorer instead you could just run that as your laptop GPS.

I'm going to assume that the Hema version of OziExplorer won't have the ability to connect to the USB GPS(ie. that's part of the stripping out process of the software).

I have a Holux GPS that I use for my camera, that has a USB connection. I connect it to the PC and Ozi works as a GPS device. It's generally easy. Ozi make it easy to get it to work, not all GPSs are easy(I have many to test/play with).
Some require getting into depth with serial port configurations(not hard, just not easy to find in the background).

Do you have a USB GPS device to connect with, or are you looking into it as an option?

Looking through the Hema help files for Hema Navigator Explorer if you go into: File->Configuration in the config box you see options to choose your map paths and some map specific viewing options only.
In that same config are in Ozi, you have many more options(ie. the options boxes) one for the type of GPS you use, another is labelled COM.
That COM option are is where you configure the GPS device to work in OziExplorer.

So the chances of using Hema Navigator Explorer(HNE) for GPS tracking(or as OziExplorer calls it, Moving Map) is unlikely.

BUT!! What I'm thinking(for 'ya) is that if you purchase OziExplorer for windows(about $35-ish or so), maybe you could get it to operate as your alternative to Hema Navigator Explorer.
That is, install OziExplorer, and set it up to work in moving map mode with connection to the USB GPS.

From Hema's help site:

* If you currently own the full version of OziExplorer, and are familiar with it, and you buy a Hema Navigator, you can use the full version to do the things which you can do in the Hema Navigator Explorer software.


* The single stand-out feature which Hema Navigator Explorer has which OziExplorer does not, is the ability to directly transfer data to and from the Hema Navigators.

I think tho that if you sync the data locations between Ozi and HNE which should be easy to do, then you could work with both OziExplorer(full version) and just use HNE as the easy way to sync your data between the PC and the HX7 navigator device.

ie. what I'm thinking you could do is: Use OziExplorer on the whole on the laptop for navigating, saving waypoints, etc, etc. and or use the HX7 when that dev is more useful.
As long as the the two laptop software(HNE and Ozi) are using the same data source(ie. the location of all the saved data you have) you won't have any issues of mismatched synced data between the two laptop softwares. All you'd want HNE for is to easily sync the data on the laptop to the HX7.

Ozi for Android uses a different format for some of it's data(eg. waypoints). Both Ozi(windows and android) use the .wpt format for waypoints, but you can't interchange them.
When I make waypoints in one, I have to import them into the other software. Not hard, but not seameless either.
Same will be for your HX7. they'll use different data types, so it'll be easier to transfer/sync data from PC to HX7.

I doubt very much that there will be any differences between OziExplorer(full) and Hema's version of it in HNE. All data types should work between both programs.
I'd suggest if you do try this method, that you make specific directories for all the data you end up maintaining.
That is, make a GPS specific folder, transfer all data into this folder, and create new subfolders for all sub data types; waypoints, tracks, maps, etc ... Ozi wants to use it's specific folders for all it's data, but they're annoying when trying to locate them.
I use a GPS folder directly on the root of a drive I have for it. On my PC, it's on another drive. on my PC tablet, I have to use the C: drive, so I have a folder on the C drive called GPS, then in there are /Maps, /tracks, /waypoints .. etc.
it's quite easy to lose track of all this stuff when it gets to many hundreds of megabytes.

Then set both HNE and Ozi on the laptop to use that data in those directories.
In Ozi, you can set the location of any and all data to wherever you like, If you can't change any of the directories for any data type in HNE, then set Ozi to use the location of the directory that HNE has to use.

Locate the OziExplorer website and download a trial version of Oziexplorer for PC. There is a trial version with some limitations, but shouldn't affect if the data types are compatible between Ozi and HNE.
I think the Ozi trial limitations may be something to do with the maps you can display.

Do you have a USB GPS device to connect with, or are you looking into it as an option?

I don't have a device yet But they are easily available quite cheaply on eBay.
When I "Sync" the HN7 unit with the laptop it is really easy and all I need is the USB cable from the Hema to the lappy to do it.
This is why I am thinking that a USB GPS dongle should give me my position on the laptop using the Hema software and Maps.

Originally Posted by trout1105

....
This is why I am thinking that a USB GPS dongle should give me my position on the laptop using the Hema software and Maps.

Many years ago Magellan (GPS maker) had a PC software called Discover Aus.
Nice software to help configure stuff on a Magellan GPS unit, easy to download/upload maps to the GPS on an as needed basis.

It allowed the same feature where you tethered the Magellan GPS unit to a PC of whatever type, and it allowed the moving map mode on the PC's DiscoverAus software.
The dinky little screens on those early GPS units were a major limitation, and having the maps zoomed out or zoomed in to see much more detail on a laptop was a huge bonus.

But, it couldn't connect to any other GPS device at all, USB serial or whatever!

Unless you're into program hacking to find the source of the data transmission that the HNE software uses, it'll be hard to achieve the goal stated.
Reason is, you need to be able to set COM port transmission settings, which seem to be hard set into the HNE software.
You need to know which COM port number it's using, and what baud rate.
All of these are(or should be configurable) on a USB dongle, but without knowing what the HNE software requires, any setting would be a random guess.
Then there's the (almost certain) situation that Hema would have programmed some lines of code in the transmission for the PC software to only accept data from their products.

Many GPS makers do this with their products.
My Holux data logger GPS uses a GPS chip model called the MTK3339. Lots of those types of GPS devices use(used) this same GPS chip within.
The Holux PC software reads it, but no other GPS software from other GPS manufacturers does.
I have many and multiple GPS software to manage the GPS(es) and the generic type software(used to communicate with many brands/types) of GPSes can tho.
So the manufacturers code their software in a way to only communciate with their own products.

So you need to capture the raw data off the Hema going to the laptop, to make sense of what it's outputting. Work out what the data is, and you could then try to find software to reconfigure the data from a USB GPS device, translated into that Hema data .. then it could(should!) work.

if you were curious to see what happens between your Hema HX7 and the PC/software, you could try a program called BT747.
You need to have Java installed for BT747 to run.
This BT747 allows you to configure GPSes in ways that the manufacturer doesn't allow(or offer)
BT747 can read firmware version and data transmission in many types of GPSes(or more accurately the chip within)
eg. the Holux uses that MTK3339 chip, I have to know this to get BT747 to work. if I don't know it, then I have to guess what GPS chip is used, and not only that, I have to then guess what port, and what baud rate it's also set too.

An alternative to this could be for you to use OziExplorer's GPS Port Checker utility. This program does all the permutations and combinations for you automagically.
You set it to run using the Other GPS type and just let it do it's thing.

Hope that helps in some way.

It all sounds like I will have to put this in the "Too Hard" basket But hay if you don't ask you will never know.
Thanks for the technical advice AK83, Much appreciated Mate

Originally Posted by trout1105

It all sounds like I will have to put this in the "Too Hard" basket But hay if you don't ask you will never know.
....

Too hard to do it the way you wanted too, but not too hard overall.

If you do want to use the lappy as a navigator, it's still easy enough to get OziExplorer and a USB GPS and use the maps you already have on the lappy.

I just had a look at the website and $130 for the oziexplore software is a bit steep .