Newbie needs GPS advice, please help - General Accessories

Hi All,
I have a dell axim x51v and was looking for a suitable GPS system for it and have a few queries, would much appreciate some "education" if someone would be so kind.
The primary use for the GPS would be for memory map Ordinance survey so obviously a concern is battery life. I have three (yes three!) spare batteries for the axim so I was leaning towards CF rather than Bluetooth however im not fixed on this. Obviously another point with Bluetooth is that it would need to work if it was at the bottom of a bag, most say they work under car seats so doubt that would be an issue. Memory map has settings for navman, nmea, garmin, magellan and sirf so it would also need to be compatible with one of these.
My questions are,
1) Are any brands better than others and will they all be compatible with my axm?
2) Should I go for any particular chipset, most seem to use the sirf III chipset, is this superior?
3) The bluetooth adaptors usually state long battery life but not how long. What are we talking here roughly?
Ive had a look round on ebay and theres loads of different models to choose from, also ive seen this,
http://safecom.cn/code/sub/category.asp?prdid=265&subcatid=36
which has great reviews and I can get one for about £35, also a reviewer has said it works with memorymap fine. Having said that it is the sirf II/LP chipset so maybe its a bit aged. Im looking to spend around £40 tops.
Thanks very much in advance for any replies/tips etc.

I use memory map on my hermes, and I have tried a few different bluetooth gps recievers. The one I have stuck with using though is a holux 240, as it is nice and small, is kept on my keys, and charges with the same mini usb charger as my phone.
Saying that, I have not had any problems with any receiver I have tried, But sirfstar 3 do seem to be the best at keeping lock under trees.
All of them have connected fine and memory map reads the nmea data just fine.
As for batterylife, my hermes will happily receive the data via bluetooth for a good 15 hours, and it is looking at the screen which wears the battery - but my gps has an 8 hour battery life which is good for a days walking, and I can make the hermes last that long easily enough. You just find that as the battery gets lower, you try to refer to the screen less and less.

Related

Bluetooth GPS

hey can anyone recomend a cheap GPS bluetooth unit for use with a Magician and Tomtom.
cheap and nasty will do,
Look on ebay, there are loads to choose from
Yes check eBay but try to get the TomTom one as it works out of the box. TomTom can be a real pain to get working with other receivers.
ta yeah i was watchin a few on ebay,
was hopefull someone might have suggested a place to get them from cheap or something lmao
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230047740000
ive just got one of these. if you get one go to the web site on the instructions. there is a little gps test program which when you run will find which com port the gps is on (close the prog fully).
When i tried to get it to work on tomtom i couldnt. so after a search on the tomtom site they say to set tomtom gps settings as 'another nmea wired gps with 4800 speed' use the com port found in the test prog for the gps
Works fine so far. only had it 5 days.
thanks yeah i got one last nite, similar to that (16 channels and such)
yep already seen some threads about special patches and stuff.
cant wait to try the Yoda voice that i picked up for tom tom.
"Turn left you must"
i just bought the qstars btq815 from ebay32 channel with solar panel.....got tom tom 6 on the spvm3100, only had phone a week so am real novice but i managed to get it up and running fairly easily only made a short journey to test but all seemed ok
32 Channel? Why?
There's only 24 GPS Satellites and only 12 can be visible at any one time.
Do you know if the receiver will also work with Gallileo when that comes on line? Then 32 channels might make sense....
need bluetooth GPS reciever
can anyone help to find a bluetooth gps reciever that works with XDA ATOM
thank you
well ive been playing with the qstarz bt-q800 for 3 days solid... gps on the window ledge in the house, xda 2i has run flat so many times that it on the psu now im still waiting for the gps to go flat... im really impressed with the battery usage on the gps.
I took the pair of them out for a walk round town yesterday. had tomtom running, walked down to the bus, go on into town. realised i was killing the battery on the xda so left tomtom running, turned the xda off with the pwr button on top. the gps went into standby mode. 30mins later turned on the xda, tomtom reported no gps, the gps then woke up within 20 seconds, and with in a further 40seconds had found my new location. quite impressed.
the bt-q800 also has an external aerial connector too. might think about getting one to fit on the landrover. GPS always has a bit of a problem in it because the front window is almost vertical so the roof covers the dash.
TheBrit said:
32 Channel? Why?
There's only 24 GPS Satellites and only 12 can be visible at any one time.
Do you know if the receiver will also work with Gallileo when that comes on line? Then 32 channels might make sense....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah tomtom standards are about 20, i got a 16.
even the navman will only have 3 active at any one time.
well i finaly got the qstarz to go flat... it was connected and tracking for 18hrs solid on top of being switched on for 4 days and doing several hours a day of tracking in that time,
. Im impressed just at the battery..
Only 3? - that's not good for accuracy and calculating your heading etc - you should connect to 4 at least to get the best accuracy.
yay 2 more days and i git it,
got the phone ready to go,
TOMTOM with aussie maps
including all POI's (speed cameras etc)
6 celeb voices (go yoda and john Cleese)

Impressions of the Artemis (MDA Compact 3)

Hi,
It has been a few days since I got my MDAC3 so I thought I would share my impressions.
I have been using a JAMin for the last year so can use it for comparison.
Firstly my main reasons for changing to the MDAC3 were to get built in GPS and FM radio. Otherwise there is not really any great advantage over the JAMin.
The first thing I noticed is that it does feel smaller. I know it more or less the same size as the JAMin but it just feels less bulky. Down to it slightly slimmer profile.
Externally it feels on a par with the JAMin for build quality with all the buttons etc well fitted. The extra buttons are a bonus too.
I would have to say the JAMin screen has slightly better contrast but not by much. I am not sure about not having a separate headphone jack, time will tell if this is pain or not.
Of course the Rollr and wheel are a big deal breaker for some with this phone. I did have some reservations but having used it now I am happy to say they have been misplaced. For me the Rollr does work well and is a good replacement for the dpad. I would not go so far as to say it is better, just different. It can be a bit inprecise sometimes but not so that it is annoying.
I have hard wired the WnW button to switch between mouse mode. I find this additional function really handy in some apps. It assists in making one hand operation easier.
I am not quite so sold on the wheel. It is occaisionally faster for lists than the Rollr but not hugely so. A wheel on the side would have been better.
The lack of Wifi in the MDA3 over the JAMin is another contenious point for some. For me the only time I used Wifi was to surf using my broadband connection in the house. I can get this through bluetooth and with the WnW option on my contract it is not really an issue for me.
Software wise the MDA3 runs faster than the JAMin did. I am assuming this is probably more due to it running the latest version of Windows. Also by not installing the Ext ROM I have gained quite a lot of storage and program memory over my JAMin.
Finally the inbuilt GPS performance is very good. It connects far faster than my BT GPS ever did and holds the signal much better. From brief tests it should run for 4 to 5 hours without charge in Tom Tom which is more than enough for my uses.
So the MDA3 has been a worthwhile change for me. Coupled with my Flext 20 Contract and WnW I am paying 50p less a month than I was with O2 but getting unlimited web time and more effective usage of my free text/calls allowance. The phone is not a huge leap from the JAMin but it is a more polished a performer. None of the big omissions affect me personally (3G, Wifi, keyboard) so until the next big thing I am happy (for 18 months anyway)!!
Regards
You have probably hit it on the head!
I am moving from a HP iPAQ 2210 and SE K750i. I did use an iMate Jam for a while through my previous employer and found it to be a very useful tool, but had to return it when I left their employ. I have now decided on a XDA Orbit after much deliberation (ETEN X500, ASUS 535, Gigabyte i300 and HTC P3300) for the ability to dump my BT GPS reciever and combine my phone and PDA. The HTC suffered when you looked at the stats (200MHz processor, no 3G etc), but in reality that doesn't matter. If I can keep my diary up to date, access my contacts, email, SMS, Messenger and use Tom Tom then that is all I need. I will shut down programmes if it causes others to run slow, I will get used to a new method of navigating around the screen and put up with little foibles for the advantages in weight and size that the Orbit offers. If I waited for the perfect device then I would never move forward as every few months a new service or add-on becomes available and the manufacturers have to scramble to catch up.

My P3300 Rocks for Golf GPS. Awesome!

Just for the guys and gals that love golf. I moved from my old Audiovox PPC6601 pocket pc (with a separate BT GPS dongle) to this device.
But, after first plugging it into the USB sync it died on me only for the mainboard to be replaced.
That's not such a bad thing since now it is stable as rocks and my IntelliGolf GPS application worked flawlessly. QuickGPS helps a lot to sync and at one point I remember taking my eyes off the golf ball and seeing 10 satellites synced.
That means, a much more accurate reading and if I haven't already mentioned it the fix on the course is very fast.
But, here's why this device really rocks for Golf. The extended battery I ordered from Hong Kong (2 just as a back up) can easily handle 1 round of 18 hole golf and it only used up less than half the battery!!! That suggests the device could handle 2 rounds of 18 hole golf (for 3 players).
Show me any other device that has integrated SIRF GPS that can do that and I will be impressed.
Happy Golfing.
twiga said:
Just for the guys and gals that love golf. I moved from my old Audiovox PPC6601 pocket pc (with a separate BT GPS dongle) to this device.
But, after first plugging it into the USB sync it died on me only for the mainboard to be replaced.
That's not such a bad thing since now it is stable as rocks and my IntelliGolf GPS application worked flawlessly. QuickGPS helps a lot to sync and at one point I remember taking my eyes off the golf ball and seeing 10 satellites synced.
That means, a much more accurate reading and if I haven't already mentioned it the fix on the course is very fast.
But, here's why this device really rocks for Golf. The extended battery I ordered from Hong Kong (2 just as a back up) can easily handle 1 round of 18 hole golf and it only used up less than half the battery!!! That suggests the device could handle 2 rounds of 18 hole golf (for 3 players).
Show me any other device that has integrated SIRF GPS that can do that and I will be impressed.
Happy Golfing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
its nice to see someone having so much fun with there device, and it bein very usefull too.
And what about the accuracy? There is famous static navigation thing, and maybe driving a cart with my XDA would be cool, but for walking i have such a mess in readings that it's almost unusable...
Cheers!

Good GPS-BT for Hermes WM6.1?

I was wondering if anyone knew a good GPS-BT thingy for the Hermes, one which has good battery and is somewhat portible to carry around..and connects nicely with say CRCs stable ROMs..
Any experience, tips&tricks out there? found nothing in the hermes forum for WM6.1..
I'm not running WM6.1, but I am running WM6 (K's rom). And I am using a G-sat BT-359. I'm assuming to would pair just the same, and work with google maps or MS live search just like it does on WM6.
It is small and stylish, fits nicely in a pocket. It makes it through a day of work for me, no problems (they claim it will get 11 hours on a charge, and it seems it will, but I haven't tried it on a long trip yet). It also paired nicely with my laptop and Street Atlas '05 played quite nice with it.
And the sensitivity is nice, much better than my old usb gps from my laptop, the BT-359 will receive satellites while inside my house, and have my location correct. It also works while in a pocket.
Hope this helps!
http://www.globalsat.com.tw/eng/product_detail_00000076.htm
I just picked up the Garmin 10x. It was 120 bucks, but came with the map software for both my phone and my laptop. Works great, pairs easy. I'm using Pays v3(6.1) and no problems. The reciever gets about 22 hours on a charge.
emugpp said:
I was wondering if anyone knew a good GPS-BT thingy for the Hermes, one which has good battery and is somewhat portible to carry around..and connects nicely with say CRCs stable ROMs..
Any experience, tips&tricks out there? found nothing in the hermes forum for WM6.1..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use the Garmin GPS 10x. It's small, rechargeable using the same cable / plug as the Hermes, has excellent battery life, and great satellite reception. I've had it for a little over a year and used it with Google Maps, MS Live, Garmin map software for Windows Mobile, and iNav software. Works well with any of them.
ebay
I got a gtop gps off of ebay 6 months ago for less than 40.00 and i am very happy with it. I have never run out of the battery on the gps. Navizon has paid it off and then some.
I have used a Deluo GPS unit that I picked up for $80 (USD).
It's nice that it uses a Nokia BLS-5 battery, so I don't have to rip the unit apart when the battery craps out.
GlobalSat BT-359
gets a fix in 20 seconds, SirfSTAR III chipset, replacable battery, $60
cant go wrong with this one, it got 5/5 in most reviews
I'm using the GlobalSAT BT-338
About 17 hours runtime on a full battery. Great signal recieving.
You can't go wrong with this one.
I've bought my second GPS receiver for it's size:
www.keychaingps.com
Link is for info only not price- I forget where I bought mine from but was £37 (GBP) inc delivery. Cold sat fix is excellent; always get a good signal. And best of all, put it on your keyring so it's always with you!
I'm using it with TomTom 6 on Hermes Schaps ROM and works great.
thanks for the many options, the hermes seems to work good with an external GPS-module, it's safe to buy one
I might get the keychain one, I only hope that it has a long standby time, I'm sure to forget to charge it and then suddenly need it..
emugpp said:
thanks for the many options, the hermes seems to work good with an external GPS-module, it's safe to buy one
I might get the keychain one, I only hope that it has a long standby time, I'm sure to forget to charge it and then suddenly need it..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My one seems to last weeks on standby- i tend to just 'top-up' the charge every now again just to make sure.
I also just bought the keychain, very good reception in Japan which is known to be a difficult area for gps, very fast, very small, and use time is 9 hour, very good time if you compare with the size.
Bought on ebay for 35£ + 10£ shipping. Best price possible.
And it's not sirf chipset but mtk 51 channels, compatible with 5 Hz information refreshing rate (still to be implemented in softwares...).
Nothing more to say... Enjoy!
(and perfect compatibility with Hermes+Schaps)
keychain seems the way to go for me too
so does it work when walking around with the chain in your pocket or rucksack? when you go tracking for example, or strawling through city streets..I've heard from a friend that his Orbit 2 (touch-cruise) GPS-function is useless for walking around..
I keep it in my pocket or in the backpack, so the bluetooth has a very good range I think. The only thing I noticed was that it needs to be in a very well-spaced area (sorry I don't know how to say it better, I mean you need to see the sky...) to get the primary signal, so I keep it in my hand during the 20 first seconds of switch on. But I think it's the same for every gps receiver.
Besides this, it this perfect. By the way I use it with Garmin Mobile XT.
Toni
Yep, agree with tonidekohlanta, you need to have it out for the initial signal then it can indeed be in your pocket or where ever (within reason of course!) and the signal is still strong.
Auto Powering on GPS
I do like the idea of a keychain for general usage but I would love that I could wire one into my car and as soon as it gets power it would switch on. I have BT3341 which is awesome but I cant mount it on my parcel shelf or anything as I have to switch it on whenever I want to use it. Anyone know of one that will power up as soon as it gets power?
angrypeanut said:
I do like the idea of a keychain for general usage but I would love that I could wire one into my car and as soon as it gets power it would switch on. I have BT3341 which is awesome but I cant mount it on my parcel shelf or anything as I have to switch it on whenever I want to use it. Anyone know of one that will power up as soon as it gets power?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
aren't there devices which stay on standby bluetooth-on until the battery drains out? if so, just connect it to your cig-lighter in your car and let it run, forever!
The keychain as a energy save system : it goes on stand by when there is no bluetooth signal (generally when you close the gps software on your device). I didn't really tested the battery life in this case but one time I forgot to switch it off, anf when I realized it three days after, it was still working (but not for long maybe...). Also I heard that when the battery is low, the reception gets weaker.
By the way, keychain is delivered with cig lighter adapter (and the seller on ebay added a normal adapter which works also to charge the phone - very convenient!).
And also I heard somewhere that the holux gps receptor was nice, but I choose the keychain so I cannot say more.
I bought Holux M1200 for me and my wife. Works perfectly with TyTN and Touch. I keep it attached to the sun visor and it has great reception.
emugpp said:
thanks for the many options, the hermes seems to work good with an external GPS-module, it's safe to buy one
...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you can run into ports detection problems (in software like iGo) in some roms with htc home plugin. But it works fine if U reset software and turn off htc home from todays screen.

Best Bluetooth GPS Receiver ??

Hi all..
I am trying to but an external gps bluetooth receiver for vox via a friend in the US . . can you please tell me which is THE BEST model~make within 100$ .. i dunno much about the latest technology in receivers... if u can please leave some information as to wat all to look for in a bluetooth gps reciever... thanks ...waiting for replies....
Well, I dunno if it's the "best" one, but as you can see in my sig, I use a Holux M-1200, quite small, about the size of a USB flash drive. Seems very sensitive and accurate. I can even get a fix on 10 sats from inside some buildings, like at work and at home, without being near a window (about 50 feet from a window).
I've used it a couple of times travelling out of my city and it works like a charm, has never dropped a signal or anything like that. Also claims to have 20 hours of battery life. I've never really timed the battery life, but 20 hours seems to make sense, I rarely have to charge it. All in all, I think it's a very good unit, payed about 90$ CAD for it (and I'm sure you can find it cheaper if you look around).
Good luck!

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