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Help need with XDA II and GPS

I will soon have my hands a nice new XDA II and I want to use it with a GPS system because I do quite a bit of travelling, UK, Europe, USA and the Middle East, my 1st question is
Should I go with blueTooth, Bearing mind the problems that have been reported with Bluetooth and XDA II???
What is the best system to buy to use with the XDA II, Bluetooth, car powered mouse or CP type????
The only limitations are the following
what ever system I use must be able to be powered from the cigerette lighter as some of my car trips could be up to eight hours, this includes the XDA so twin leads are a must so that I'm able to trickle charge both at the same time
Lastly, I've seen maps available for UK, Europe, USA but not the Middle East, am I missing something, like the GPS systems available here in UK don't work in the Middle East or are no maps are available
Any comments much appreciated by a newbe to XDA II & GPS
Best Regards 2

Go for Bluetooth
I have a bluetooth GPS, and they are better tested then the wired ones, If you buy the software, you get a limited number of maps, if you go to the sellers website, you can download the rest (ofcourse you have to pay a small fee, but they are there), If you find the test, (link somewhere on this forum) you will see that about 95% of them are based on batteries and a wire to the sigarete lighter (so you can choose)
Secondly there are no longer problems with bluetooth, if you download the patch, or have a newer rom version, then everything goes as smooth as a baby
I myself have the NAVMAN, bluetooth, and very happy, but the best tested was the fortuna (i think). actually there was not really a bad one
I would say have fun

Re: Go for Bluetooth
lummac said:
I have a bluetooth GPS, and they are better tested then the wired ones, If you buy the software, you get a limited number of maps, if you go to the sellers website, you can download the rest (ofcourse you have to pay a small fee, but they are there), If you find the test, (link somewhere on this forum) you will see that about 95% of them are based on batteries and a wire to the sigarete lighter (so you can choose)
Secondly there are no longer problems with bluetooth, if you download the patch, or have a newer rom version, then everything goes as smooth as a baby
I myself have the NAVMAN, bluetooth, and very happy, but the best tested was the fortuna (i think). actually there was not really a bad one
I would say have fun
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for info lummac, can you advise what 'Navman' version you are using as I've visited there web site and there's couple of GPS's I like but there is no reference to being able to use with the XDA, I've emailed navman tech support, but no reply.
Best Regards
I would say have fun[/quote]

Dont. worry
I still bought the navman 4410, and received the patch from them to get it to work on my MDAII , and gues what, IT WAS TOWAS patch, plus reference to this forum for help. :wink:
So that was their official patch. but I had already downloaded the patch before i bought it, works very very good constantly about 7 to 8 satalite connections
And yes at navman they relpy very slow, I only reveived a reply after about 2 weeks.
But If you bought it, and need to have the "official patch" from them, just e-mail me, and I will be more than willing to forward it

If you are using the gps in car only, save money and get a wired system, you still need to power the xda so I see no advantage in having "wireless2 bluetooth.

lummac, Thanks for info about the patch, I might take you up your offer as the one you mention is one of the NAVMAN's I was considering getting, do you know where I can get street maps for the middle east, I only really interested in the UAE.
cruisin-thru, You mention going the wire route, what one do you recommend so I can find more about it,
The main reason for going blue tooth not for wireless but for the fact I don't have to loose one of sockets in the XDA.

Help I've found a Naman 4400
I just located a NAVMAN 4400 all the bits and software, very good price, can I use this one with a XDA II with the Patch?????

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.

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

geocaching?

what is geocaching, and how can that have a positive effect on our GPS?

Geocaching
Geocaching is like a global treasure hunt where you use your GPS to find hidden containers. Inside the containers will be items people have left which you can trade for and usually a notebook to leave the record of you visiting the cache.
It has no effect on your GPS but you can download GPS software to list and locate these caches. I've thought about trying it myself.
try visiting geocaching.com

I actually went this weekend with my kaiser and bluetooth gps. i use beeline gps software. anyway from this weekends experience i found out that the phone is not really what you want to use for geocacheing; the distance to the way point jumps around a ton, i am not really sure if that has to do with the actual gps (telenav bluetooth)or the software that i am useing. eather way i was able to find one geocache out of 2.

Not too accurate then?

count0zero said:
Not too accurate then?
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Click to collapse
not sure what was the problem. the waypoint was just jumping around though.

hmm, maybe I'll give it a shot.. not sure I'll have a lot of time to do this, I've got a wife n kid and we just bought a house, so I have large honeydo list.

I haven't done too well geocaching with my Kaiser or Raphael.
I gave up using them and stick with my Garmins...

My brother does the Geocaching thing. If I remember correctly, he has to use WAAS mode (http://www8.garmin.com/aboutGPS/waas.html) on his Garmin in order to gain enough accuracy to make it worthwhile. not sure which phones support WAAS GPS, though.