UBCD396XT - Pairing RH96 & GPS at Same Time?

[JAFO]

Hi all,

Just out of curiosity, just wondering if anyone has came across a method to connect the RH96 and a GPS to their UBCD396XT at the sane time.

One of the things I miss about upgrading from the 996T, it's ability to run connect the RH96 and GPS at the same time.

[Bigfella237]

"No answer!" came the stern reply...

It's been a long time since I've messed around with this but I seem to recall that you can also use the rear serial port on the 996T/XT for GPS and the front one for the remote head, but of course the 396 doesn't have a second serial port.

Is there such a thing as a RS232 hub or splitter? I know you can get serial to Ethernet converters which would allow you to network a couple of ports together but the question is, can a single port handle signals from two sources simultaneously?

Andrew

[astro_boy]

I was thinking about this some time ago but never got around to testing.
I think the only way for it to work will be to test what pins the Remote Head & the GPS use on the serial port of the 396.
If they are not the same its possible you could use them both at the same time by making up a custom cable, If they talk over the same pins i'm doubtful.

[Scotty]

This issue has been discussed on the web since the 396XT's were released, but I've never come across any solution. I'm guessing there is unfortunately no easy way, if any way at all, otherwise one would think someone, somewhere would have posted about it.

[JAFO]

Pity realy. Such a handy function when you travel over 700klm in a single trip, I do miss the 996t and that feature

[Scotty]

There were reports of people using a switch box, with the GPS running as the 'normal' option and switching back to the remote head when you need to view the screen or change a channel. But that is not really a solution. If you must have the GPS function AND the remote head connected then it's an option, but I'd prefer to drop the remote head and just run the GPS if you really needed it.