The Belkin F5U409 USB Serial Adapter

If you have a Belkin F5U409 USB Serial Adapter, you may experience problems getting Coastal Explorer (or anything else) to recognize the serial port it is supposed to add.

The solution is to uninstall the drivers that came with the unit and install the drivers for the model F5U109 unit instead.

The correct driver can be downloaded from Belkin's website at: http://web.belkin.com/support/download/downloaddetails.asp?download=142&lang.

Complete instructions may be found on Belkin's website at: http://web.belkin.com/support/download/files/F5U109WinXPInstallation.pdf.

Even after installing the new driver, it may be necessary to follow these steps, in order, when stating your PC:

1. Plug the GPS into the adapter and the adapter into the PC.
2. Make sure the GPS is turned off.
3. Turn on the computer and wait for it to boot completely.
4. Turn on the GPS.
5. Start Coastal Explorer.
6. Use the Tools > Instruments commands to configure the COM port. (This step is only necessary once after the COM port is working.)