Database Info

XDA2 TomTom

Hi....new user
Just got XDA2 set in post as a company phone...great.
Acouple of things:
Can I use TomTom3 via the Bluetooth link...Ive been told its "iffY"?
Im using a Motorola BT car kit at the moment, will the XDA pair with it. Reason I ask is that my brother is a SKY engineer and they all have the above but they refuse to pair automatically.
Finally, is there a cradle especially for the XDA2 with a wired charger?
Ta
Graham

Hello Graham
I'm a newbie myself but trying to learn fast, I don't think the xda will pair-up with the motorola. Have a look at this website, I think its a great website they really help me when I first had my xda. The address is www.eXpansys.com. You will fine everything you need for your xda II
Thx
M8.

As long as you're XDAII is running the v1.60 ROM or later it'll work fine with a BT GPS. If it's running an older ROM you can d/l the update from www.my-xda.com and flash it to improve the BT Stack.
The best cradle IMHO is the Carcomm CDAII Cradle, see here. They're available in the UK from TotalPDA.

TT3 and XDA2 work faultlessley for me

Xda II & gps kit
can someone reccommend some mapping software which offers some decent & relatively detailed coverage of Northern Ireland.
Nothing I have looked at so far, inc "pocket streets" has even A class roads included outside Belfast city centre.
not a lot of use to me and many other people like me.
Thats what is holding my gps purchase back. well that and finding a good reason to justify my buying one.

TOMTOM works fine for me too. The only problem is that it doesnt show the names of the streets you are driving past. A car navigatin system does do that.

tomtom bluetooth
I've had my xdaII and tomtom 3 with Blue tooth reciever for 6months.. NO problems. works fine.

TomTom & GPS
Just thought I would add my thoughts as I have been a user of GPS and PDA's for sometime now.
I currently use a Garmin Etrex Vista connected via a cable to an Ipaq (This will be changing to my new XDA2 as soon as the lead arrives).
I have no real problems using Tom Tom software (but it does require a soft reset occasionally). You can view streetnames whilst driving if you go to the map view (not the navigator view).
This setup option is the most expensive using a PDA but gives the most versatility if you want to use your GPS to do other activities using the equipment ie boating, biking, or walking, when talking the PDA may not be suitable.
Consider the kits available on Ebay for around £125 that include a suction mount (vent mounts break your car) the power and connection cable and the software.
I also use Memory Map Navigator which is very detailed Mapping Software using Ordnance Survey Maps. The software is expensive, but if you really do have a use for it (or just love digital maps) it is very good.

GPS extension antennas

Hi guys
Does anyone know where I can find antennas to fit my TomTom & Rikaline 6030 BT receivers? I've looked everywhere with no luck, only found the re-radiating type. Both seem to have the same connector, tried Maplins etc. Any ideas? :roll:
Thanks!

http://www.globalpositioningsystems...66&PHPSESSID=6caf78405a8bd59ea55c4e7117127019
try this. Also on the page you will see "online buying advice", they will sort it for you I am sure.

And for the TOMTOM Bluetooth try here but why do you need an external antenna, can't you locate the receiver where it can get reception?

Diolch! (Thanks)
Cruisin' & Griffog,
Thanks guys, marvellous. the reason I need to, at least, try one of these is that I drive a double-decker sleeper bus. I run 2 systems, my XDA II with BT TomTom3 (or TomTom Routeplanner in E.Europe) with receiver in top window, and my laptop running Autoroute 2004 (or Autoroute 2001 in E. Europe) using a Rikaline 6030 BT receiver (also in top window).
But there are frequently times when I lose signal due to tree cover & in urban canyons. as both units appear to have the same connector, I want to get an extension to try it out on both units. The other alternative is a re-radiating antenna. Not sure what would happen if a re-radiating antenna was beaming to two seperate GPS systems simultaneously though. What do you reckon?

Ah, I see your problem now. A re-rad will happily drive two receivers, it does exactly as it suggests and re-radiates the GPS signal so there is no problem in your set-up.
I'd go for one of the high power versions given you'll be using it in a commercial vehicle, e.g. the RRAD-46 as this should provide you with better results and will drive the two systems.
Oh and I hail from Llandudno so LlanfairPG isn't too far away!!

Diolch eto! (thanks again)
Sut mae Griffog
Yep! that seems the perfect solution, unfortunately can't get delivery other than to my address on my card (same with expansys) and I won't be there to receive it. i.e. they won't allow a different shipping address.
Dyna fel y mae e! :? Do you know of another firm?

GloPos (Global Positioning Systems) have the same unit in stock, no idea if they have the same conditions for sale though, see here.
Pob lwc

I have a brand new quality re-radiating system here, its brand new and consists of SM-66 gps antenna, ra-46 re-radiating antenna and cigarette lighter plug power adaptor, I want £40 for it (saves you £15) if anybody interested. Made by San Jose systems. It will feed unlimited systems as the signal is usable by all receivers in vicinity.

I was on a motorway in wales and kept seeing signposts giving miles to this certain place, I was a little puzzled when it changed from 1 mile to destination to 30 miles to destination, this happened more than once, it wasnt until I was told the meaning of the word that I realised that it wasnt a welsh village that kept moving...its name....Gwasenathu (spelling?)

Close, it's 'Gwasanaethau' and to the uninititated that means 'Services'! Much the same as 'Ausfahrt' on German autobahns

Gwasaneuthau
Yup!
Correct on the translation of motorway services in Welsh, but, incorrect on the German Autobahn bit,
Ausfahrt means exit.
Rasthof is services
Autohof is a truckstop (usually just off the Autobahn and with better facilities and cheaper more substantial meals than in the Rasthofs)
Now what's the Welsh & German for GPS antennas?............ 8)

Re: Gwasaneuthau
Chop! said:
Yup!
Correct on the translation of motorway services in Welsh, but, incorrect on the German Autobahn bit,
Ausfahrt means exit.
Rasthof is services
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, didn't explain myself very well there, I didn't mean that Ausfahrt was German for Services, I was referring to the post about there being lost of signs to 'Gwasanaethau' and the old joke about a tourist driving along the German Autobahn and saying 'that Ausfahrt place is big, been signs for it for the last 100 miles!' :wink:

Ah ah alles clar!
Sorry Griffog ychan!
Didn't twig to that train of thought! Duh! :wink: I've sent for the re-rad that you suggested. Did a post in Welsh thanking you but I was either too pissed or it got zapped! Considering that these XDA IIs have been around a while it is unbelievable that you can't even get a std battery for one, just wasted a few days chasing a second hand one on e-bay which went for more than new price! And as usual with O2 they are a light year behind our European friends where accessories are available from virtually day one! :twisted: Oops ranting again, sorry!

Recommendation for GPS Receiver for a complete noob

Hi, first post here, though I have lurked for a bit.
I must confess that I'm a complete noob at this, I've had an XDA IIi for over 6 months and done absolutely nothing to it, it's as virgin as the day it came out of the box. Also, I've never had a GPS Receiver before, nor SatNav.
Anyway, I've ordered TomTom software and need a GPS Receiver, but I have no idea on what basis to compare the miriad of different GPS Receivers out there, so am humbly asking for your recommendation. If you could also point me at a noobie guide on all terms regarding GPS, or explain what they mean, that would be great.
99% of usage will be in the car with my XDA in a cradle, though I'm guessing I will have to swap over the 2 charger cables, however occassionally I'd like to roam on foot with Sat Nav (usually in London). So I'm guessing I would like a BlueTooth GPS Receiver that comes with a car charger and main charger.
I have no idea what Cold Start, Warm Start, or Hot Start mean, nor what Update time is for or what's good or bad for these values. Why is Baud rate or NMEA output protocol important? What are the pro's / cons of internal or external Antenna's and wtf does an external Antenna look like and how does it work, hang out the window?? How many "channels" should I have, and what difference does it make anyway?
Sorry for all the questions, but none of the purchase sites seem to do a noobie guide aimed at my level, they all assume you know what they're talking about! :roll:
Thanks in advance.

Can no one even point me at a decent online guide that explains what all these things mean?

GuiltyCol said:
Hi, first post here, though I have lurked for a bit.
I must confess that I'm a complete noob at this, I've had an XDA IIi for over 6 months and done absolutely nothing to it, it's as virgin as the day it came out of the box. Also, I've never had a GPS Receiver before, nor SatNav.
Anyway, I've ordered TomTom software and need a GPS Receiver, but I have no idea on what basis to compare the miriad of different GPS Receivers out there, so am humbly asking for your recommendation. If you could also point me at a noobie guide on all terms regarding GPS, or explain what they mean, that would be great.
99% of usage will be in the car with my XDA in a cradle, though I'm guessing I will have to swap over the 2 charger cables, however occassionally I'd like to roam on foot with Sat Nav (usually in London). So I'm guessing I would like a BlueTooth GPS Receiver that comes with a car charger and main charger.
I have no idea what Cold Start, Warm Start, or Hot Start mean, nor what Update time is for or what's good or bad for these values. Why is Baud rate or NMEA output protocol important? What are the pro's / cons of internal or external Antenna's and wtf does an external Antenna look like and how does it work, hang out the window?? How many "channels" should I have, and what difference does it make anyway?
Sorry for all the questions, but none of the purchase sites seem to do a noobie guide aimed at my level, they all assume you know what they're talking about! :roll:
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK basic reccomendation. Get a Globalsat BT-338. A popular and well liked high performing device at a reasonable cost.
What you need to look for in a receiver is the chipset. You want one with a SIRF III chipset because it will provide the best reception in heavily built up areas. You want to avoid X-TRAC because it's laggy.
With regards to charging, you probably won't need to be continuously charging, (look for battery life on the device specs. You want around 20 hours per charge). However you could get a cradle which charges both, or a Y-Cable which will also charge both the xda and the receiver if need be.
Cold start refers to how long the receiver takes to get a fix from the very first time it is used, or after it has had no battery, it needs to work out where you are on the planet and can take up to 5 mins. After this you will be more likely to just do warm starts, by which the receiver uses your last known location to get a rough guide of where you are, this should take less than a minute. A Hot start means you havent moved from your last know location, theis should take 30 seconds to get a fix. These times are measured as TTF- Time to Fix, ands should also be on the device specs.
The Protocol is the format that the data is passed onto the xda software. Most software expects NMEA data, as this is the most commonly used. The baud rate is just how fast the device can communicate with the xda and dosn't make a lot of difference the BT-338 has a baud rate of 38400, but I've used a device with a baud rate of 9600 and can't say I noticed a difference. A SIRF III device is unlikely to need an external arial, unless you have heat reflective windows all round your car, and even then unlikely. A good SIRF III receiver will work from inside a closed glove box. An older SIRF II chipset may need an external antenna. These are usually little magnetic squares that you stick to the roof of the car, with a cable that connects to the receiver inside. Buy a SIRF III and forget about those.
Channels, most SIRF III receivers are 16- 20 channels, this is how many simultaneous satellites the device can track at once. Anything over 16 is pure bonus as you are probably unlikely to get more than 12 satellites in your line of sight anyway.
That seems to cover everything except cost. Expect to pay between £50 and £80.
and check out www.pocketgps.co.uk

Thanks Gajet, that was everything I wanted in an answer. Much obliged.

My Globalsat BT-338 arrived yesterday. Had a few problems working out which serial port it was using but got there in the end. Also the middle LED seems to flash or hold solid with a mind of it's own. But apart from that, works like a treat, and as the review said, works fine in my glovebox too, which is nice.
Thanks again.

The middle LED just tells you if you are getting a good satellite lock. If it stays steady then you are not getting enough satellite signal for a lock. There is a program on the CD that can tell you the satellite signal strength. Most nav programs have that feature as well.
I've been playing with mine for a few days and I am amazed by how fast it can lock onto satellite signal. If you compare with other non-SirfIII chipped GPS the difference is almost night and day.
I did have some BT/COM port issue if I run an alternate nav program. It wouldn't connect BT anymore until I rediscover it. But staying with one program (iGuidance) it works perfectly.

> I did have some BT/COM port issue if I run an alternate nav program.
I had this problem too. If I ran up the GPSInfo program, then TomTom would fail to find the GPS Receiver.

Who brought a 2006 thread back to life...Thread closed, Thank you.

New Orbit tt can't find gps receiver

I have a registered tt6 which I bought for £70 odd. It worked fine in my old orbit. Then that one broke, what happens is it doesn't respond to screen touch, fortunately as I have the rollerball set as a pointer I can actually use it though slow. The reason for saying this is that I haven't yet sent it back because tt works on it, whereas the new phone using the exact same memory card and set exactly the same as the other phone, tt doesn't find the gps device.
I am using 9600 baud com 9.
Phoning 02 results in lots of baming i.e. ring tom tom, or ring the number on your bill, or go into an o2 shop.
I have spent much money on these premium rate options (except going into a store as yet) but non of them want to own the problem suggesting I phone (at premium rate) yet another number.
The reason I haven't yet gone into an 02 shop is mainly because last time I went in to ask an orbit question I knew about four times as much about the darned thing than the spotty herbert who is wanting to be the next millionaire by selling phones for company's who don't know how to provide an after sales service.
I note that the operating system for the latest orbit is most certainly better than the old one, and it occurs to me the problem might be a hardware one.
Is there a cluster of this problem or am I just unlucky?

Took it into o2 shop this morning, forst he tried to say it was tomtom then I showed it working on the other orbit I have, then he tried to say we have had a lot of trouble with tomtom that is why we use palm pilot, so I said, have you got a demo copy? Yes, right put it in here. Sure enough it didn't find the gps receiver either.
So reluctantly he agreed to send my new phone for repair.

Hmm, you spoke to a muppet, the config is Com 4 at 9600 Baud, or if you have TT 6,020 or 6,030 installed (which you should have) just select the inbuilt GPS receiver option when configuring the GPS within the TomTom application - DO NOT mess around with the GPS applet on the device as this can screw things up unless you know what you want from it - it is best left alone for this very reason - Mike

GPS Band-Aid

This post got lost in a locked thread, figured I would repost it.
It's a real big band-aid, but it works fine for the car and is easier than rolling the dice and getting a new phone.
I spent 20 bucks and got a tom tom bluetooth GPS receiver, combined with a free up on the market called "Bluetooth GPS Provider" and I get 1M accuracy in Maps/Nav. Since I primarily only use the GPS in the car, it's not that big of a deal to leave an accessory in there.
If you need good in car nav, and are tired of waiting for a fix, something like this is the way to go. Tested for over 400 miles of driving, never lost a fix or lost track.
http://www.amazon.com/TomTom-Blueto...I2YY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1292625649&sr=8-1
Edit: Link fixed, thanks.

Whole link did not copy ...
http://www.amazon.com/TomTom-Blueto...I2YY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1292625649&sr=8-1

Thats what Samsung should do to resolve the issue, they need to release the Galaxy S GPS Repair Kit. It comes with one of these GPS Receivers and a piece of double-sided sticky tape...EPIC!

Yeah, it's kludgy, but it works great for the car. Only thing that really sucks is that the tomtom doesn't charge from USB, means having to carry another charger too. Oh well, battery last a good long time at least.

Holy markdown batman! $149.99 marked down to $18.99? How could that thing ever be worth $150?!
That's actually kinda tempting.

polarbee said:
Holy markdown batman! $149.99 marked down to $18.99? How could that thing ever be worth $150?!
That's actually kinda tempting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That receiver is old school. It's from the pre-smartphone days when everybody rocked iPAQs. The $150 MSRP was normal back then.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

It's still a sirf-star and better than what's working on the captivate right now!

I decided to go the same route as you. Although, I wish I did earlier because that TomTom receiver is longer available for $20 on Amazon. I ended up getting a Globalsat BT-359 for $40.95 instead.
I have to say, while not the ideal solution, it's by far the best one yet. GPS now works perfectly. Fast locks, pinpoint accuracy, no lag, and never loses its lock. It basically works how you expect a GPS to work. While it does suck that I had to spend extra money on the receiver, and that I now have the extra steps of connecting/disconnecting the receiver whenever I need to use it, it's a small price to pay to eliminate the frustration induced when using the poor excuse of a built-in GPS.
I don't know about you guys, but I always had a bit of anxiety when using the built-in GPS. Cuz at every point, I was worrying about something. At the beginning, I'd worry about how long it'd take to obtain a lock. Then once I get the lock, I worry about how accurate it will be, how long I'll keep that lock, and whether or not the GPS will lag behind. It felt like a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders when I was able to drive without having to worry about how the GPS was going to behave.
Although, this still doesn't change my attitude towards Samsung Mobile (I specify Mobile because I've had no issues with their TVs). As soon as AT&T releases a high-end Android phone that doesn't have a deal breaking issue, I'm buying it outright and selling my Captivate on craigslist.

I have a question about this thing: I use BT stereo to play music in the car. Can I use both devices at once?

Me too
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

ScottyNuttz said:
I have a question about this thing: I use BT stereo to play music in the car. Can I use both devices at once?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm able to use my bluetooth headset at the same time, so probably.

Donatron said:
I decided to go the same route as you. Although, I wish I did earlier because that TomTom receiver is longer available for $20 on Amazon. I ended up getting a Globalsat BT-359 for $40.95 instead.
I have to say, while not the ideal solution, it's by far the best one yet. GPS now works perfectly. Fast locks, pinpoint accuracy, no lag, and never loses its lock. It basically works how you expect a GPS to work. While it does suck that I had to spend extra money on the receiver, and that I now have the extra steps of connecting/disconnecting the receiver whenever I need to use it, it's a small price to pay to eliminate the frustration induced when using the poor excuse of a built-in GPS.
I don't know about you guys, but I always had a bit of anxiety when using the built-in GPS. Cuz at every point, I was worrying about something. At the beginning, I'd worry about how long it'd take to obtain a lock. Then once I get the lock, I worry about how accurate it will be, how long I'll keep that lock, and whether or not the GPS will lag behind. It felt like a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders when I was able to drive without having to worry about how the GPS was going to behave.
Although, this still doesn't change my attitude towards Samsung Mobile (I specify Mobile because I've had no issues with their TVs). As soon as AT&T releases a high-end Android phone that doesn't have a deal breaking issue, I'm buying it outright and selling my Captivate on craigslist.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you running Eclair or Froyo on your Captivate?

Found it here...
hxxp://dealsproshop.auctivacommerce.com/TomTom-Bluetooth-GPS-Receiver-for-USA-and-Canada-P1259994.aspx#

This is a great idea. Also, if anybody has an older android phone with working gps that they no longer use, the same outcome can be achieved with a couple simple apps. I'm using my lg eve to send the gps signal to my captivate via bluetooth and it works flawlessly.

GPS on Captivate is already fixed, it works great on latest versions of Axura/Phoenix, but for 20 bucks it's good purchase anyway
Too bad that shipping to Europe costs more than reciever itself.

joedoe said:
Are you running Eclair or Froyo on your Captivate?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Froyo. I'm currently running Cog 2.3b8.

TheNaturat said:
GPS on Captivate is already fixed, it works great on latest versions of Axura/Phoenix, but for 20 bucks it's good purchase anyway
Too bad that shipping to Europe costs more than reciever itself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't tried Phoenix yet, just Axura before it died. When you say "fixed", do you mean significantly improved, or legitimately fixed. Like if you were to do a head-to-head comparison with a Captivate paired with a bluetooth GPS receiver, would you be able to tell the difference? Cuz with the receiver, it's pretty much perfect performance.

Donatron said:
Froyo. I'm currently running Cog 2.3b8.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried to attach a MTK v2 based i-Blue 737A+ Bluetooth GPS Receiver to Eclair, but it says
paired but not connected. However it works great with Galaxy Pad with less then 1 meter accuracy

There seem to be some limitations on the bluetooth. Im able to use any 2 of the gps, my bt headset or my bt obdii scanner, but all three at once and one of em wont work.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

Donatron said:
I haven't tried Phoenix yet, just Axura before it died. When you say "fixed", do you mean significantly improved, or legitimately fixed. Like if you were to do a head-to-head comparison with a Captivate paired with a bluetooth GPS receiver, would you be able to tell the difference? Cuz with the receiver, it's pretty much perfect performance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's fully working, reliable GPS device. I don't have Bluetooth reciever, but in comparision to my dedicated Garmin navigation based on legendary SiRFstar III chipset there is no real diffrence, maybe it takes few seconds more to lock, but it's diffrence between like 5 and 10 seconds, so rather negligible in real use.