Need help with a simple GPS unit.

Background:
I've only dabbled in electronics, I love the subject but have never carried it very far so please go a little easy on me here at first. I've installed the EM408 GPS engines into a few laptops with RIM boards with success. I currently work with Java and C++ (I prefer Java) if that helps me at all.

Project:
I'm currently looking into building and installing a very simple GPS unit, probably taking the EM408 with a Sarantel Geohelix-S Active GPS Antenna, running everything through a PIC and displaying it on a small LCD board. All I want is a display where I can cycle through my altitude, speed, and list the number of satellites I've connected to.

Issues:
Although I have worked with PICs in the past, I really am not too familiar with how they work, what they require, how to send and receive information from them. I'm wondering if anybody can supply me with information on how to get me started in the right direction such as reading in how I can control the PIC, what do I need for it to properly understand the data I'm sending to it.

Just truly basic stuff for somebody who has no clue what they're talking about. I'm more than willing to sit down and read any books or links you may have in regards to this.

Thanks in advance!

Would it not be easier to buy a little hand held navigator, and more than likely cost less than all the bits needed to construct what you want.

The last one i bought was about $150.00 off ebay and works a treat.

Pete.

Around here, used hiking GPSs sell for ~$50. Look here.

I doubt if you could build it yourself for $50??

Pete.

Yeah, I realize I could just buy an old GPS and use something like that, I just figured this would be a fun project and learning experience.

It's a good project to work on serial communication.

The EM408 GPS has a NMEA serial output at 3 V levels, which can connect straight into the RX input of any PIC with a USART. Look up the GPS NMEA strings to see what you are expecting to receive.

Get a PIC with enough register memory so that you can load in the whole of a GPS string into the registers, and then have a programme that works thought that and pulls out the data that you want. That way, the receive program only has to receive a byte and stick it into the next space in the register memory. The decode programme can run when a CR (carriage return) is detected. You can debug all of the the complicated part, the decode programme, on a simulator without having to worry about any timing issues.

You probably want an 18F or 24F pic for ease of handling a block of data that big.

Find yourself an LCD with an I2C connection. I think that some of the Nokia LCD screens work like that. Search this forum for details. Start with sending fixed characters until you are happy working with it.