I want to rig a PLGR to a Tough book and use a RAMS mount to create a moving map....

[Wile E. Coyote]

Sigo said everything I was going to say. Tons of DAGRs came out. Mike Murphy was selling them on his website for about a year - not even an EUC requirement. They list regularly on Ebay (very regularly...maybe even now at decent prices, though conditions and revisions are all over the map. Basically with a shift from Red Key to Black Key architecture for the crypto loads...nobody's going to be doing anything with them remotely harmful to national security anyway...which is probably why the alphabet agencies have unofficially backed off in terms of calling up Ebay and Craigslist vendors.

On Blue Force Tracker - a number of functioning MT2011 antenna/transceiver units were sold on Ebay, and a collection of demilled ones (connectors punched in - one was intact) were recently on G503. Austin *regularly* has the power supply cables, transceiver cables and switching boxes for them in addition to the different styles of mounts (HT rear sponson; HT or other variants front windshield.) Just about all of the various interface cables for FBCB2-BFT and FBCB2-EPLRS were listed at Austin's Ebay store - but it's a matter of going through the installation guides etc. to work out which ones you need if you're trying to go full FBCB2. Everyone thinks the FBCB2 computer setup is the same as 'Blue Force Tracker', but it isn't, really. In early days they just had the BFT version of FBCB2 using the MT2011 satellite transceiver for data connectivity, but later they also had the EPLRS version which used the UHF EPLRS transceiver in place of the BFT's MT2011 sat transceiver. Austin had cables for both setups...just about all of them, as I recall. I'm sure there were other variations, but those are the ones I know of. I think it all worked only with x-version or newer of the VAAs too, so while that museum setup of the RT-1439s pictured is really awesome (salutes) - FBCB2 wouldn't have been in a vehicle with a single-mount RT-1439, or to my knowledge any vehicle installation this side of at least a SIP SINCGARS - but subject to correction - and anyway, it looks cool for the public who won't really know of or care for the minutiae.

You can configure the serial port output of both PLGR and DAGR to output only the needed NMEA 'sentences' used by external map-on-the-move programs like Google Earth etc., which is covered in manuals readily available online, and I think in the Google Earth documentation as respects what's needed. Sometimes PLGR returns the wrong date for some reason when used in conjunction with Google Earth, but I've never bothered to determine why as the rest of it works perfectly. You can experiment with what the various NMEA sentences do when hooked up to the mapping programs and work it out for yourself in the absence of any documentation. I can't readily recall which ones I use for my own setup.

Not to hijack the thread here, but if anyone's got a CPU for FBCB2 (doesn't have to be JV5), I could use it - as I've pretty much got the rest of it

 

[Wile E. Coyote]

As to the warnings etc. tim292stro was talking about...initially PM GPS put out a ton of articles in their 'Pathfinder' magazine which seemed to classify PLGR and DAGR as CCI, and then only some models as CCI, and later still downgraded in status to "high value, pilferable items" - roughly about the same time Ebay vendors started to get given some slack. And different pubs, directives and memos out there all argue with each other...and not necessarily drawn along date lines either. One of my favourites listed DEMIL classifications for this and that and had AN/PSN-10 (just an old-school, Trimble Pathfinder in a green case which can't even take a crypto load) as CCI/ DEMIL D...roughly the same time Government Liquidation listed (and sold!) a large quantity of black PLGR II which DID have pre-SAASM cryptoload capabilities, and were purchased specially for use with laser rangefinders. Ultimately I think common sense prevailed because there's nothing you can really *do* with a 2 lb 15 yr old GPS, though you're not going to be buying DAGR at GovLiquidation anytime soon. I think of it now along the lines of the same thing as those of us driving military vehicles around that still say 'US PROPERTY' on the data plate. Sure, you can get pulled over by a well-meaning yet over-eager LEO pointing at that US PROPERTY and assuming you stole it...but it's a bit unlikely...and there's no overall profit or security enhancement gained by doing it. Common sense.

 

[EwaMarine]

Installed the CF-19 toughbook on a ebay LEDCO docking port/ mount. Now the fun part....trying to figure out how to get a PLGR to talk to it....and show that map. For fun I have some screensaves of a BFT on slideshow...lol..Also picked up a LED flex light from GOAL ZERO at Costco....

 

[Wile E. Coyote]

That looks really cool.

PLGR has a serial port on the back - DB9 type connector. Basically there's a cable that goes from the serial port of the PLGR (DAGR same) to the serial port on your Toughbook. They show up on Ebay from time-to-time but you can make one if you're handy with that sort of stuff - wiring diagram in the back of the PLGR manual, I believe, and/or maybe on Brooke's site at prc68.com. Unfortunately it's not very plug-and-play, though I think both Google Earth and Microsoft Streets and Trips will scan for the serial port you've got the PLGR connected to more or less automatically (assuming the data rate is the same - 4800-N-1 I think is the default - and the PLGR is outputting NMEA 0183 information as per the -10 manual.)

Wish I had my stuff in front of me to get rid of all the "I thinks" but most is in storage at the moment.

 

[Bradyrw625]

I understand you wanting a PLGR or DAGR but another option I've used is to hook up a Garmin GPS (60 series or and one with a serial port) to a tough book or laptop via the serial port. We then used NMEA to talk to the computer. We used a satellite imagery program on the laptop and got really time movement on the laptop. I think Google would support it. It's just another option is the PLGR / DAGR route becomes too complicated.

 

[ke5eua]

I understand you wanting a PLGR or DAGR but another option I've used is to hook up a Garmin GPS (60 series or and one with a serial port) to a tough book or laptop via the serial port. We then used NMEA to talk to the computer. We used a satellite imagery program on the laptop and got really time movement on the laptop. I think Google would support it. It's just another option is the PLGR / DAGR route becomes too complicated.

See post 27, it's actually pretty easy.