What GPS unit should I get with IIi and TomTom 5 - Upgrading, Modifying and Unlocking

Scuse the Noobie question!
Quite like the idea of the solar powered GPS units, as I will be moving the setup from car to car, are these just a gimmick though?

GPS unit
High I have the Global sat 338 sirf star it's been great fast response and very long battery life, It works anywhere glove box pocket, even in my house 30' from the nearest window, heres a link to one on ebay for all the details

i have to say i completely agree my globalsat bt338 is orgasmic, nuff said

Related

Fortuna GPSmart report

I have used the Fortuna GPSmart on xda1 using combo cable charger/data, and it is brilliant, extremely accurate, fast to lock on and very tenacious once it gets a lock, I have also tested it with xda2 on bluetooth, in fact I tested it side by side, I had the data cable connected to xda1 and the bluetooth transmitting to xda2 at the same time. I think it is a superb piece of kit, bearing in mind it can also be used standalone as well and can be had on ebay very cheaply, I paid £75 for mine and its one piece of kit that I will be keeping.
flippin hell lol how come you get these bargains mate lol. my dad paid £152 for his one works like god knows what.
picks up signal within a minute and bluetooth connection isnt one bit slow between that and his ipaq.
downside is battery life is crap but i have modified an ipaq car charger to power both things
signal is very powerful and accurate go in a tunnel and signal gone..... as soon as your out "blip" goes tomtom and abck upto 7/8 signal locks
great value gps receiver even has nice lil case and backlight
can be used on pc too via its built in usb port
worth getting imho
When working as a cabled nmea gps it runs at 38400 speed not the normal 4800 so data transfer is rapid, I bought a lead that powers both xda1 and the gps, if I am using the blutooth the cable can be used to just power the gps.
Hi
Can someone tell me where i can get a cable to power both my xda ii & the gpsmart at the same time.
Also which setting do you have your gps receiver on, it takes me a while to pick up a signal but when it kicks in it's great.
Thanks
jase
Got mine from here.
www.globalpositioningsystems.co.uk
I havent tried it with xda2 but if an xda1 charger works with xda2 then so will this.
Their product code A770
Manufacture code fort-xda-cab.
Costs £18.46 including vat and delivery.
I am not sure about the implications of having a cable system and the bluetooth connected at the same time on xda2 but as they use different com ports I dont foresee any clash.
If you are using it as a cabled system choose nmea output at 38400, if using blutooth in tomtom just choose bluetooth in the tomtom gps settings using the wizard as supplied with gps 2.09, there is no need for any bluetooth patch when using that gps version.
Hi
Sorry i don't think i explained myself. I was looking for a car charger cable that enabled me to power both my xda2 & the gpsmart at the same time.
Cheers
jase
Yes, it does exactly that, with the added bonus that you can also use it as a cable for gps connection for xda1/xda2 and the fortuna. It powers both.
if you have a look i think youll find it does poer both at the same time :|
yup
lol posting at the same time
cheers guys. I didn't see the product code at first. It's exactly what i want.
Thanks
err no looking closely at it, it won't power the GPS it uses a USB style connector for it.
I have the ClipOn Fortuna GPS Device.
Damn!
we are on about the GPS smart not the clip on thats different all together (cant be used for camping ect...)
yeah that was my fault, for some reason i thought it was the gps smart but it isn't.
Do you know of a car charger out there that can charge both my xda ii and the gps device?
JRD, the charger cable I have does in fact have a mini usb cable connecter at the gps end.

Is this GPS receiver any good:

http://www.pdamods.com/products.asp?cat=18
I'm looking at the Rikaline 6010 GPS receiver which is means to be excellent, should I buy this one or the tomtom 3 GPS receiver which is under it ? They are both around the same price - anyone had any experience ?
id go for the tomtom receiver
when i had the raikaline 6010 it didnt seem to be as good signal compared to the haicom and tomtom gps
rikaline gps
Hi guys,
I've not been too kind to TomTom & their products, but with TomTom 3 BT and the latest Rikaline (6030 or something like that) running my Autoroute 2004 on my laptop at the same time, it's always the Rikaline that dies first, blurb said it performed better in tree cover & city canyons, crap! Dies as soon as there is a sniff of a tree!
TomTom need to sort out quite a few things (9 CD's for example!) and routing options, but their BT GPS is far better than the Rikaline! Hope this helps. 8)
jashry said:
http://www.pdamods.com/products.asp?cat=18
I'm looking at the Rikaline 6010 GPS receiver which is means to be excellent, should I buy this one or the tomtom 3 GPS receiver which is under it ? They are both around the same price - anyone had any experience ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go for the TomTom branded one, it's made by Leadtek and is a superb receiver.
Hi jashry,
I used the Rikaline before and all I can tell you is, that it is a real piece of ****.
Now I have EMTAC CRUX II BT and that one is perfect!
http://www.expansys.at/product.asp?code=112532
http://www.expansys.at/product.asp?code=CRUXIIBTGPS&sbadd=CRUXIIBTGPS
buzz
went for the tomtom one, excellent kit !!
i just went for this one http://store.yahoo.com/semsons-inc/itmousgpsrec.html
i got the USB version ages ago as i thought i could cut and make it work with my xda but no chance lol as i needed the serial version
but my USB version is ultra fast at getting a 3D patch
so cant wait for this to come
cost me £73 total with free pda holder
all i need to buy now is another car as my old one got smashed to bits in the crash i was in
GPS designed for XDA family
Hi jashry,
GPS kit specially designed for XDA familty phone.
http://shop.wangtao.co.uk/
cheers
Asihan
buzz_lightyear said:
I used the Rikaline before and all I can tell you is, that it is a real piece of ****.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dont agree, The 6010 was highly recomended to me, so i bought one.
At first it didnt work very well (tomtom 3.01) but now that I got tomtom5 it works like a dream.
All i need to do now is mount the PDA lower on the dash so every man and his dog doesnt see the display.

Which Bluetooth GPS receiver?

Hello all,
Which bluetooth GPS receiver works best with the Exec? I'm looking at ebay but there are so many....I just want one that doesn't cause pairing trouble.......
Cheers
HPJ
I use Globalsat BT-335 and I'm very happy with it. No problems pairing with the XDA Exec, works fine with TomTom 5.1, great battery life, leather pouch, small, auto power off, Sirf III (works pretty much anywhere - inside, under the dashboard). Available on ebay for £90 delivered in the UK.
If you do go with something else, make sure it's Sirf III and you should still get good reception indoors and anywhere in the car.
Thanks Dave, I'll certainly get a Sirf III now I know.......
C'mon the rest of you, what do you use?!
HPJ
I'm in the north, and I have yet to see a GPS unit maintain a lock more than a foot inside my windows. Simply putting a unit on the windowsill will not allow me to get a lock. I have heard this same report on each new Bluetooth GPS that comes out, I have yet to see one that it actually works on.
Perhaps it doesn't really matter, I have yet to be lost in my home.
I have used a EMTAC, CoPilot, and a Belkin F8T051. All seem to work equally well, IMHO.
daveb1976 said:
I use Globalsat BT-335 and I'm very happy with it. No problems pairing with the XDA Exec, works fine with TomTom 5.1, great battery life, leather pouch, small, auto power off, Sirf III (works pretty much anywhere - inside, under the dashboard). Available on ebay for £90 delivered in the UK.
If you do go with something else, make sure it's Sirf III and you should still get good reception indoors and anywhere in the car.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you mean BT 338 I also have one and thoroughly recommend it !! its awesome compared to the Sirf 2 receiver I had before it,
it might be because I live in norfolk (no hills yay!) but I use a GlobalSat BT338 and have it in the center console under the front of the dash and have never lost signal lock, these SIRF-III GPS devices are amazing.
Flubster
Bluetooth GPS Receiver
I use a BT-338 receiver with Destinator 3 and am extremely happy with it. It has never lost a lock and usually tracks between 10 and 12 satellites at a time. I've used it in Ireland, France, Spain and Florida and it has always performed brilliantly.
Interesting thread, so out of these contenders which should I go for to provide good reception in and outdoors?
http://www.handtec.co.uk/section.php?xSec=27&jssCart=6c3f7b52db5d6fb7599db63e12c51fe6
how about haicom-405????
Original question
The original question was which units maintain good connection with the Exec. Not having one myself makes it difficult to comment, but most current (ie Sirf III) BT units should be fine.
Personally I too recommend the GlobalSat BT-338. For excellent commentary and reviews I suggest you look at the forums over at www.gpspassion.com.
Hope this helps!
Well, I went for the Leadtek 9553 in the end, its a TINY little unit, got a spare battery free, it locks on in no time, and tracks up to 20 sources, so WELL pleased! Highly recommend.
BT GPS with BT car kit
I am thinking of getting a GPS receiver but am concerned that there will be conflict with my Sony Ericsson HCB300 (a bluetooth hands free car kit)
Does anyone have a similar set up? If so, are there conflicts?
Globalsat gps338
Sorry folks put wrong post in bluetooth headset.I have the gps338 which works well with gpstuner and teletype which is slow to update on the universal but it shows in the north west indoor nine satellites \pretty good I would say but it has the sirfIII which is best at the moment .The only problem with it is the priogram gpsinfo does not work with the universal,any one had this problem ,any fix .Thanks.
Holux GPSlim-236. Its tiny, yet boasts of SIRFstar III chipset. Works pretty well and has a good battery life. As all GPS units, comes with a car-charger, so battery life shouldn't be that much of a concern. Pretty cheap IMO too.
Another vote for the holux [edit: I mean the GPSlim 236]. As far as I could see when I bought mine, it was the cheapest SirfIII device available in the UK, as well as having good battery life etc. I got it for £65 ex VAT from a UK dealer to avoid possible warranty issues.
It's also tiny and nice to look at!
My only gripe with it is that it doesn't indicate BT 'lock' (the "I am ready to connect" and "I am connected" indication states are the same) although this is not much of an issue since it is often out sight anyway! If I leave it on my dining table on the bottom floor of a 3 storey house 2-3 meters from a window it still picks up several satellites.
@Mike,
As you mentioned the BT blinking thing really isn't an issue because you will be able to see if you are connected to the receiver or not on your PDA

External GPS Antenna

My Artemis did not come with an external GPS antenna. I've been looking online, but I can't find any sort of specification as to what kind of connector this external GPA antenna jack uses. What kind of antenna should I buy?
The Artemis has a built-in Sirf III GPS antena which work even with cars having a reflective windshield.
Yes, thank you. I would still like an external antenna just in case.
in the Premium version, I bought, there was an external GPS-antenna included.
It has a very long cable.
But sorry, I can't tell you, what kind of connector it has.
If you really think you need an external aerial for the GPS unit in your device (which I doubt to be honest) have a search for the part number 36H00352-00M it transpires that the same aerial was supplied for the I-Mate PDA-n, you can purchase one from http://www.expansys.com/p.aspx?i=129590 (at least I can improve the reception on my PDA-n now I know that! and I have found a use for the external GPS aerial that was supplied with my Arte) - Mike
... there is one also available here.
PavelR.
I was thinking of this as well.
It may be necessary to get an ext antenae, because it takes a about 1 - 5 minutes sometimes for the handset to pick up (or connect as it shows in grey) a GPS signal
AD10 said:
I was thinking of this as well.
It may be necessary to get an ext antenae, because it takes a about 1 - 5 minutes sometimes for the handset to pick up (or connect as it shows in grey) a GPS signal
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try the new update of Navigator 6 on the TomTom site before buying. Maybe there is some goodies there
I upgraded to the 6.03 and it still takes a very long time for it to get a valid signal.
I inquired about HTC P3300 external antenna GPS signal booster but they are out of stock and have no ETA when they are going to get them in.
Anybody have a source on where to get the above product from?
Ext Aerial
The HTC 3300 uses the same external aerial as i-Mate PDA-n. I got mine through Expansys. It really boosts the signal, but makes no real difference to TTFF. It is much better in the concrete jungle though.
How much from Expansys? I'm in melb too so AUD is no problem for me. My last city trip saw signal drop out nicely!
good thing i was testing and knew where i was going!
jdl1306 said:
How much from Expansys? I'm in melb too so AUD is no problem for me. My last city trip saw signal drop out nicely!
good thing i was testing and knew where i was going!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WOW - Lucky you.
Imagine nto knowing your way.
@Camstech - How long does it take before you get a valid GPS signal with the ext antenna connected ?
Rgds
O2 Orbit Aerial
Hi. Having used an Exec running the same version of CoPilot, but with a Holux GPSlim 236 BT, the Orbit is definitely slower to TTFF, and sometimes gets a little 'lost'. For a few seconds, it will jump to a street maybe a 100m away, then come back, and recalculate the route again. I feel that an aerial might just improve matters a bit. I have read the previous posts, and am still finding great difficulty in finding an external aerial to fit the Orbit. O2 have no information at all, and when I've contacted the suppliers listed above, they have all said that they don't carry aerials that fit. One suggested that they suspect that the connector for the Orbit is now actually different from the original Artemis - although that seems rather unlikely. Have now tried MMCX, MCX,and lastly SSMB - none of which fit. Any ideas? Thanks in advance.
Hiznibz54 said:
Have now tried MMCX, MCX,and lastly SSMB - none of which fit
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
According to http://www.gpsforless.co.uk/product_details.php?id=5887 it's a mini-MMCX.
Aerial
Yes, I know, but when I rang them today, they were the ones who said that it wasn't the MMCX, that the O2 may be now different from the Artemis, and they had been asked quite a few times for a suitable aerial, but they definitely didn't have anything that fitted, nor did they know what it was.. The plot thickens.. The connector looks exactly the same as in the phone socket beside it, but a few phone companies I've shown it to don't know either.
I just picked up a BT-359W Bluetooth GPS Receiver for 85- Euro new.
The only difference between the BT-359W & BT-359S is the design on the top.
I made sure the battery was 100% charged before I turned it on (old habits die hard) and after spending 5-10 minutes trying to configure the Bluetooth on the HTC P3300 - I am a newbie when it comes to this new technology - it was able to get 3 satellites while I was in the house right away.
The thing is very small also - 82 mm x 41 mm x 13.4 mm (Inches: 3.22" x 1.61" x 0.52").
I would have to say that this is a great alternative to a wired antenna.
Here is a review I read before making my final decision: GlobalSat BT-359 Bluetooth GPS receiver review
I tried my BT Holux GPSlim 236, which I'd previously used with my XDA Exec, with the Orbit. It paired up automatically in about 20 secs, and the reception, and TTFF is MUCH better. Without 236, in my office, I was struggling to get more than 4 satellites, and a fix was at least 5 mins. Admittedly this was deliberately in a poor reception area. Swapping to the 236, by the time it had registered with the Orbit - as I said, only about 20 seconds - when I checked satellite status, it had already found 11, and had a 3D fix!! I had hoped for the simple life, with just the Orbit in an active car cradle, but I think if I can't get a simple plug-in aerial, it'll have to be back to the BT 236, and its charger.

Not Another GPS Question...

2 Actually...
Question 1:
My wife currently has the Nokia N80 and is drooling (and I thought only guys did that) over the new N95 that is due to come out soon.
At the same time, she was looking for a Parrot Car kit because she needs a hands free kit in the car.
I was looking on line and seen the Parrot 3400 LS-GPS - Colour
Now since her next phone will have GPS in in and mine (HTC P3300) already has it, I thought it would be a good thing to get.
Anybody have any experience with the Parrot 3400 LS-GPS - Colour
---
Question 2:
When I outside walking around, it takes me a very long time to get a lock on a GPS satellite - anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes.
Now when I am in the car, I get one within 2 minutes.
- Yes I use Quick GPS -
Since I ride a motorcycle and have a hard time getting a connection when I am not in a car, I have come to the conclusion that I need to get an external antenna for it.
What would be a good, external antenna to get with the HTC P3300?
i might be completely wrong (my head is exploding cause of stupid co-workers), but isnt this parrot for PDAs/phones without GPS receiver? if both yours and your wife's phones have a GPS receiver, why would you need another one?
i think the Parrot 3400 LS-GPS - Colour is a GPS receiver for PDAs/phones which can run a map software but dont have a built-in GPS receiver. basically, it seems to be a standard bluetooth gps adapter (with additional handsfree functions).
or maybe i just completely misunderstood what you are telling us
That's what i understood from the description. As a GPS Antenna and Hands Free Kit it provides PDAs/Smartphones with GPS Data and a hands-free service. I agree with soardiac and would say, that this is just a bluetooth Hands-Free Kit with built-in GPS Receiver and a fancy display which shows phonebook and Call ID Pictures. I would suggest you to save your money and get a normal Parrot Car-Kit, just used mine again today and it's working flawlessy and with high quality

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