You could try GPSBabel to decipher those strings. It's a free, open source program. A list of formats it can translate are at
GPSBabel: file format capabilities
But like a lot of open source programs, it's not particularly user friendly, and the documentation is lacking. Probably the easiest thing is do like PBzeer says and get a hockey puck for $40.
Scott
Gemini Catamaran Split Decision