Anyone have any luck with BRB GPS with Windows 8.1 ?

I'm having trouble getting the bee line communicator to talk with the Bee GPS 70cm

The first time I plugged in the charger/usb interface Windows gave me an error about getting a "digitally signed driver for my FTDI device" and blocked it. Now when I plug in the device I see or hear nothing. I used the link from BRB.

https://www.ftdichip.com/FTDrivers.htm

but cannot seem to locate what this device needs. Any help?

btw I hate windows 8.1 lol bloody laptop. I can't wait for 10

73

Chris

I have connected the BRB Tx under 8.1, but not the GPS one.

Try this one:
https://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/CDM/CDM v2.12.00 WHQL Certified.exe

Reinhard

It is either what Reinhard said, or you need to change the system to allow unsigned drivers.

I'm using BRB900 & WIN 8.1. Took a while to get it to communicate but it was mostly operator error. Had to reread instructions many times.

Reinhard said:

Try this one:
https://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/CDM/CDM v2.12.00 WHQL Certified.exe

Reinhard

Click to expand...

Thanks Reinhard (and others)

This link worked for me. I had it working on the Windows 7 machine (which is not portable) but my Win 8.1 machine refused to play until I loaded that driver.

Cheers

73

Chris

Yeah, it's a knack to get some of the older BRB 70cm GPS units to connect. Have to power up, count to 5 or 7 and then hit return on the program. Works with WINE in Linux or Windows client in Vbox. I know some fliers who order the unit with their callsign and don't touch it thereafter. Not interested in .kml files and don't care about the icon. Also the older units have limited memory and if one used the G-switch option, jiggle the rocket a little too much, it started recording. At some launches, by the time the rocket was launched, unless the memory was set as circular write, the thing would run out of memory and not write the flight. If you didn't get to the rocket right away and you had it set to circular write, if you didn't get it shut off in time, the flight was overwritten. I've heard where this characteristic thwarted some record attempts. The current BRB GPS units have a much larger memory and a G-switch isn't needed anymore. More likely to capture the flight if that is what one wants to do.
The bottom line is that the units transmit position over Rf no matter what the state of the memory is so they can always be located. Kurt