Macheads: Anyone try GRLevel III using a PC emulator?

Chris Kridler

Chris Kridler

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Hello, fellow Mac users, the few, the proud ...
Last year I finally entered the 20th century and rented a cellular data card for chasing, which I used with a cheap PC laptop. I tried GR Level III, running Delorme's Street Atlas at the same time, and I loved it, though it choked the slow PC computer. I was wondering if anyone had tried running any of these on a Mac laptop via a PC emulator? I have a MacBook Pro running System 10.4.11 ... a few years old, but still game.
Thanks,
Chris
 
Chris Kridler said:
Hello, fellow Mac users, the few, the proud ...
Last year I finally entered the 20th century and rented a cellular data card for chasing, which I used with a cheap PC laptop. I tried GR Level III, running Delorme's Street Atlas at the same time, and I loved it, though it choked the slow PC computer. I was wondering if anyone had tried running any of these on a Mac laptop via a PC emulator? I have a MacBook Pro running System 10.4.11 ... a few years old, but still game.
Thanks,
Chris
Click to expand...

Chris,

I run Windows in Emulation all the time (Both Parallels and Fusion). The speed tends to dwell on the amount of memory in your system however. Memory is pretty darn cheap right now so it might be a good investment?

Are you on a G4 processor or Intel? G4 works but it's very slow. If you have an Intel based machine, I recommend you use Boot Camp and just run Windows natively when you chase rather than virtualizing it. By adding an emulator then Windows then a software package, you're adding a lot of complexity to the situation and if there's a problem, you've having diagnose it on several levels.

At least that's my two cents...
 
I would use Bootcamp, like Jerry said. That is if you have an Intel chip. Right now I still chase with my Dell, but hopefully soon I can get a new Macbook Pro.
 
It'll never work in emulation. In virtualization though, such as Parallels or Fusion, it works great. You just need an intel Mac. Parallels 5 will run in 10.4.11. As a note though, you'll want a bunch of memory in there, and I'm guessing that if you have 10.4.11, your memory will be capped at 3GB on that hardware, which will work with virtualization, but you won't break any speed records... You'll need to upgrade to Leopard or Snow Leopard to Boot Camp as Tiger doesn't have boot camp as a standard option. They only demoed it there and that ran out shortly after Leopard came out.
 
John Wetter said:
It'll never work in emulation. In virtualization though, such as Parallels or Fusion, it works great. You just need an intel Mac. Parallels 5 will run in 10.4.11. As a note though, you'll want a bunch of memory in there, and I'm guessing that if you have 10.4.11, your memory will be capped at 3GB on that hardware, which will work with virtualization, but you won't break any speed records... You'll need to upgrade to Leopard or Snow Leopard to Boot Camp as Tiger doesn't have boot camp as a standard option. They only demoed it there and that ran out shortly after Leopard came out.
Click to expand...

...And Mac OS X.6 in upgrade form is only $30 right now. Just ignore them if they ask if you're already running 10.5. The upgrade works just fine from 10.4.
 
Jerry Prsha said:
Chris,

I run Windows in Emulation all the time (Both Parallels and Fusion). The speed tends to dwell on the amount of memory in your system however. Memory is pretty darn cheap right now so it might be a good investment?

Are you on a G4 processor or Intel? G4 works but it's very slow. If you have an Intel based machine, I recommend you use Boot Camp and just run Windows natively when you chase rather than virtualizing it. By adding an emulator then Windows then a software package, you're adding a lot of complexity to the situation and if there's a problem, you've having diagnose it on several levels.

At least that's my two cents...
Click to expand...
This is what I do as well. And I have just a regular Macbook, not a Pro and I've had no issues. I am still just running XP though, haven't tried Vista or W7. Don't fix what ain't broke!
 
I have this setup:

macbookpro (2008?) or whatever.
OSX 10.6
Parallels ummm 5.x for Mac.

I have a blackberry on verizon.
I have the tether program from "www.tether.com" odd huh?

Well that setup worked flawlessly yesterday on our chase.

I have not setup the GPS yet but I have to research this and that about it. If i get it going I will post the exact things I did for the rest of the mac folks here.

My only complaint was my laptop got stupid hot on my lap.
 
I use a MacBook and my iMac with vmware fusion as well as bootcamp.

You can run GRLevel3 with vmware fusion, but you can't use the smoothing function.

I also have a partition set up with bootcamp and that's what I really use when I want to use GRLevel3, Delorme StreetAtlas, my GPS, and my GPS com port emulator. Both XP and Windows7 will run flawlessly off a bootcamp partition.

But.... I use my old Dell D610 Laptop running XP for my chase computer mounted in the car and have my MacBook along for backup. Nothing else is loaded on the laptop buy my chase computer.
 
Maybe this is a silly question (admittedly I am a "PC") but why would you want to take something that is not originally suited for the task on a chase, when it seems to cost more than an entry-level PC-based laptop which would work without all the messing around?

I swear I'm not trying to do a Mac vs PC ... it just seems like trying to drive a square peg in a round hole (or like wearing a suit to dig a ditch, your choice of metaphor).
 
David Douglas said:
You can run GRLevel3 with vmware fusion, but you can't use the smoothing function.
Click to expand...

Oh me oh my I'm glad I stuck with Parallels, It allows smoothing with grlevel3.

Will it run in coherence mode for you? I have not messed with fusion but I've heard some good things about it.
 
Lee C. Bussy said:
Maybe this is a silly question (admittedly I am a "PC") but why would you want to take something that is not originally suited for the task on a chase, when it seems to cost more than an entry-level PC-based laptop which would work without all the messing around?

I swear I'm not trying to do a Mac vs PC ... it just seems like trying to drive a square peg in a round hole (or like wearing a suit to dig a ditch, your choice of metaphor).
Click to expand...


Thats okay Lee. I honestly could not stand windows up until windows 7. So for storm chases this was the cheaper way to do since I have a mac already. I only need one or two apps on windows as is so it didn't seem like a good idea to buy a pc for it but I am going to now that windows 7 is around and I actually kinda like it!

I would get a mac air or something and continue to use parallel's but thats well out of my price range and patience for something new and shiney :)

currently I can't even tell im am using windows when using grlevel3 it looks like a mac, and so does the start button in the dock and the windows and all that stuff. it's all integrated. It's really slick!
 
swilson said:
Oh me oh my I'm glad I stuck with Parallels, It allows smoothing with grlevel3.

Will it run in coherence mode for you? I have not messed with fusion but I've heard some good things about it.
Click to expand...
Yeah it works in coherence but was a bit laggy/slow (well the VM over all is for me, with XP).

The best option really if possible just boot-camp it. IIRC smoothing also isn't an option (and I have a 512MB Gforce 8800 in my imac, maybe the newer models can).

@Lee, depending on what the people are doing a entry market PC may not be able to handle what they need sure a midrange one should work but for the most part I have had way less problems on my Mac then I ever had with Windows (even windows in bootcamp seems to work nicer, but I have wi-fi issues on it some times). Also the hardware is suited it's just the operating system just doesn't have that many options out there for good radar problems like Grlevel3 I know of a FLOSS program but I never was able to get it to work. :/
 
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