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This was submitted by a reader... thanks!

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With laptop manufacturers phasing out Serial (9-pin) connectors on Laptops, it would seem this would be an important topic to MS. BTW, this is a surprise to most consumers. They order or buy one, get it home and alas, no serial port. Something they were taking for granted, is gone. Would not be surprised to see Parallel ports go next.

I went to Tech Support on MS. This is their reply:
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According to your case log, I understand you would like to know if Streets & Trips 2004 works with the DeLorme USB Earthmate GPS receiver. If I have misunderstood the issue, please feel free to let me know.

Unfortunately, Streets & Trips doesn't support USB GPS devices directly. It is designed for the serial GPS devices which are connected via COM ports. However, based on the information from the DeLorme Web site and feedback from our customers, we may be able to use a DeLorme USB Earthmate GPS with Streets & Trips using one of the following methods:

I. Install the USB-to-Serial driver
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DeLorme has published an USB-to-Serial driver to emulate an USB port to a COM port so that the device can work with non-DeLorme software. With this driver, when we connect a GPS receiver to an USB port, it will be emulated to a COM port and be recognized by non-DeLorme software, such as Streets & Trips. In many cases, this can enable the GPS receiver to work with Streets & Trips. For detailed information, please refer to the following articles from DeLorme:

GPS Update and USB-to-Serial Drivers for the USB Earthmate GPS Receiver
http://www.delorme.com/support/gps/uemate005.asp

Using the USB Earthmate GPS Receiver With Third-Party Software
http://www.delorme.com/support/gps/u...=&P=17111&C=28

II. Use a converter to connect the USB GPS to a physical COM port
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DeLorme provides a converter to connect USB GPS receivers to COM ports. Normally, with proper configuration, the device should work with non-DeLorme software via a COM port. For detailed information about the convertor, please refer to the following article from DeLorme:

USB to Serial Adapter Drivers for Microsoft Windows
http://www.delorme.com/support/usb/usb004.asp

Please note:
1. Since your GPS receiver is manufactured by a third-party vendor and is an older model, Microsoft may not have the detailed technical information about the device. We cannot guarantee that the device works with the drivers mentioned above. I feel it would be better if you would contact DeLorme directly to confirm if the device supports the drivers. For your reference, I have included the link for DeLorme's contact information below. I believe they are the best resources for this issue:
http://www.delorme.com/companyinfo/contact.htm

2. The third-party product included here is manufactured by vendors independent of Microsoft; we make no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding the product's performance or reliability.
Microsoft provides third-party contact information to help you find technical support. This contact information may change without notice. Microsoft does not guarantee the accuracy of this third-party contact information.
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Here is the link to the DeLorme Driver - http://www.delorme.com/support/gps/uemate005.asp

Best Regards,
Richard

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