Develop Bugs

XDA II for in-car SatNav?

Can anybody recommend what I would need in order to use my XDA-II as a satellite navigation system for my car? I believe I would need a GPS receiver, but unsure of which are the better options. I would be hoping to do this for under £100 if possible. Can anybody recommend anything or give me a link to some reviews?
Thanks,
Allan

PLEASE do a search around this forum before asking such a question.
YES we're ere to help each other
BUT
YES there is load of info allready available.

I have had a search through the forum but all the relevant posts are over 6 months old, and there are no indication of price.
Does anybody have any advice?
Thanks
Allan

I dont think last months discusions on carkits are > 6 months old.
The pricing info is still valid.
Carkits were introduced between may and july this year.
Good carkits are from Expansys (iMate / XDAII carkit), T-Mobile (MDA II carkit), Qtek (Qtek2020 carkit), Yeti.
All have specific (dis)advantages.
Decent cradle is from Carcomm and maybe Seidio.
If i say more, I can just as weel copy the other threads in.

allanmb
I'm new to this too, so I researched the subject as well as I could and this is what I've found since I unwrapped my 'surprise' (!) GPS package at Christmas...
First of all, the package itself. I (sorry, Santa) went for a PDAMods bundle (sixth one down on http://www.pdamods.com/products.asp?cat=104) of Rikaline X7 Bluetooth GPS, TomTom 3 and the Silver Shield powered mount with built-in speaker. Let's look at these one at a time.
Rikaline X7 I was attracted to this model by its replaceable battery, long battery life and no on/off switch. I upgraded my O2 XdaII to the 1.72 ROM from the O2 website before trying to bond it (so cannot comment on different brands or earlier ROMs), but when I did so it bonded immediately. You simply hold a button down for 5 seconds + to activate Bluetooth discoverable mode, pair with the XdaII in the normal manner and that's it. I also use a Jabra BT250 headset in the car, and have tested it with an incoming call whilst in TomTom nav mode - whilst admittedly I don't yet know whether the voice prompts still work during a call (because I was on a straight when the call came in), all that was necessary after hanging up was to close the phone app and there was the map again, bang on as usual. Accuracy is - well, phenomenal, I would guess within 5 metres most of the time, and I see little or no lag, except (slightly) on the heading in turns at junctions. All that is necessary to activate the Rikaline is to start TomTom on the XdaII; likewise, it reverts to 'sleep' mode when you exit TomTom at the end of the journey. There is really no need to turn off Bluetooth on the XdaII, so no chance of you missing calls on your headset because you forgot to turn it back on later.
TomTom 3 My software is v.3.03. I have downloaded the upgrade to v 3.07 to my home PC, but I have not yet installed it on the XdaII because I haven't yet encountered any problems - call it 'on-condition maintenance', or 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'. There are some new roads in my area that are not shown, and some of the TomTom-provided POIs are slightly misplaced - although if you were really in the middle of nowhere and looking to fill up a petrol can I can't see you going too far wrong! Personally I find the 3D map presentation very useful - tried the 2D version today and didn't find it anywhere near as intuitive.
Silver Shield Mount The XdaII really needs to be powered whilst you nav. Obviously, the Rikaline looks after itself (I'm already convinced that only on really long runs or stints away from home would the in-car charging lead need to be taken along), but you'll flatten the battery on the XdaII much earlier then your GPS dies if you set it to keep the screen backlight on all the time on the internal battery. The Silver Shield mount also includes a built-in speaker, but as you will know from your searches on these fora the XdaII can only pump out phone audio through the bottom connector - so this enhanced audio facility requires a silly little coiled lead to be connected from the XdaII's headphone socket (bottom right) to the appropriate socket on the mount (top left). I have found that the right-angled jack plug on the provided lead prevents a snug fit on the mount and can cause an intermittent connection which can lose you your backlighting/charging at critical moments. For the mean time, I have stopped using the external speaker, and have found the volume on the XdaII speaker to be adequate for speeds up to 60mph; I will be trying motorway speeds tomorrow on a long run (Oxford - Kent). I think that the problem might well be solved anyway by shaving the offending corner off the moulded jack plug.
All in all, I'm very impressed and enjoying using my new system. I recommend it.
Cheers
Gadget :roll:

I would suggest going to www.ebay.co.uk and search either xda or navigation. There are many low priced systems on offer.

Silly little coiled lead
Hi all
Did Oxfordshire - Bluewater and back yesterday, including a full circuit of the M25, and found the Xda II's built-in speaker quite adequate in my convertible (roof up). Have now decided that I don't really need the silly little coiled lead, although I'm still going to trim the corner off for use in the summer when the roof is down.
Still b****y impressed.
Gadget :roll:

Allanmb
I have gps working on my Jam. If you need further help please E mail me.
Feel free to ask what you like if you can't find what you want in SEARCH, I don't mind helping out!!!

I'm loving destinator 3 on the xda II never crashes and has been updated some 50 times since it had an algorithm problem,
you can take calls and flick back to another screen with no problem. I got the Destinator whole of europe a XDA2 power supply / serial GPS 256MB Ram all for 160 + VAT and very happy since I got badly lost just before it arrived.
have fun

Hi, i have a question for y'all that have GPS working on your xdaII. I have a Bluetooth GPS receiver that does not "communicate" the position to my Qtek 2020 (it seems like it does not find any satellite)! Could it be because of the software i use (Mapsonic)? The receiver uses the NMEA standard 2.2, while the software requires a receiver that requires 2.0 (it's more advanced the one of the receiver...so why should i have problems...?)! Do you think i should find another software? Which one? My receiver is this:
http://www.acte.no/techstuff/gps/BT-R500.htm
In case anybody has this receiver, plesae tell me what software you are using.
thanks in advance

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

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

Non BT gps receiver & mount

Hi After searching for days now I've finally succumbed to asking for help! I'm looking for a non-bluetooth (the bt ones give me a headache) gps reciever to connect to an XDA2 running Tomtom nav 6. I'd like to use it in the car so a powered mount would be great, but I also want to use it out of the car with Memory Map so it has to work without power too! Am I looking for something that just doesn't exist? What do people think is the best quality/ value car mount? I bougt a powered gps mount from PDAMods, but its crap, the speaker is quieter than the XDAs!, the mount falls off etc.
Thanks for any help, SM

Dude, I feel you're pain. However I don't think you're going to manage it. If you had a CF slot you could have a CF GPS unit.
I use MM too, and what I've found is by using a HolOx BT321 (the copy, not the infamous one) it has an aerial socket so you can use it out walking or in the car.
In the car you attach it to the aerial and out walking or whatever then have it in your backpack top pocket or something. I'm sure you can be resourceful
It doesn't need to be in the open, it can "see" the satellites through plastic. It manages through my works file and a thick wad of tachographs' on my dash so should be ok
Good luck

As for the mount, I went and got a Brodit one. GPS for less, I think, in Wolverhampton did a decent deal. It's lasted me for over 6 months now which on my ardous lifestyle is quite long

Cheers for that.

Right, well, I've had a chance to test this theory. If you mount the GPS or aerial high up, ie on the top of your backpack or something then it will get enough coverage.
However, to be honest, it might be worth waiting until you can upgrade to a PDA with built in GPS, such as the Tytn 2. But that's not always feasible, so we'll try and help you in whatever path you choose.
Are you in the UK? I am, and use software such as Navigon Navigator 5, Memory Map and GPS Dash on the PDA, and it works quite well. I am sure there is other software, but for the time being this seems to cope with me quite well.
If you have any other issues, then you know we'll try and help if we can
Cheers, Elwyn

Recommendations for Bluetooth GPS receivers (or where to buy one)?

I'm kind of big into bicycling these days, and I've found the GPS receiver in my Nexus S to be quite prone to erroneous and inaccurate location fixes. I'm investigating the idea of getting a Bluetooth GPS receiver to augment the Nexus' internal receiver for use with RunKeeper. I'm not enven sure where to begin looking for these, because I've got a collection of features I'd like to investigate having as part of potential units (like WAAS, GLONASS, etc.).
Are there particularly good athletic units? I remember there was a store online that used to sell nothing but different kinds of GPS receivers (USB, Serial, bluetooth, navigators, ones for GIS usage, every kind imaginable), but I can't seem to find it any more. Any idea of where I ought to be looking?