SoarPilot with a Bluetooth (BT) GPS is a very nice combination because there is no need for a cable between the GPS and the Palm. Of course not all Palm devices support BT, but if yours does, then this may be a possible solution.

Pro

• No cables
• Fully supported in SP 1)
• GPS can be placed anywhere in the cockpit, unlike IR there is no need for line of sight.

Cons

• BT GPS cost more then a GPS with serial cable, but prices are dropping
• Not supported by all Palm PDA‘s
• BT GPS usually requires seperate batteries, make sure to verify battery lifetime

A review of an example setup using Bluetooth can be found here.

Establishing a Connection

When you start SoarPilot with a Bluetooth connected selected on the NMEA/Port Settings screen, the program will search for Bluetooth devices, and allow you to select the Bluetooth GPS. ( Not your phone )

See also Tips & Tricks - Bluetooth.

• Here’s a pretty good site which has reviews of MANY BT GPS’- http://www.aximsite.com/articles/index.php?action=displaycat&catid=22
• http://www.semsons.com/ sells solutions to turn your old Garmin or mouse GPS into one that supports BT.