Hi
Those who recognise my name will know I recently got a fantastic Brodit holder and charger for my XDA2, but now I'm looking for GPS stuff too.
Does anyone have any suggestions on which is the best (and more importantly value for money) GPS receiver, and also what is the best software? Not that I would encourage such things, but are the "evaluation" versions you can "acquire" off the net any good, do they show you how it works before you then go and buy the real software?
I'm interested in the smaller gps units as I do not like the look of bulky ones.
Cheers
Anthony
Hi
I use the Fortuna Clipon Bluetooth. it is portable and has an 8 hour battery life. The software i use is TomTom 3.
There are plenty of reviews at www.pocketgps.co.uk .
Regards
The Pilgrim
I would definitely recommend any Bluetooth GPS receiver.
Plusses:
- Own power supply (rechargeable battery)
- Less wires inside car (no "Y-cable", but if you want it permanently powered you still need it wired to +12V)
- Can be used outside of car (bevause of battery)
- When constantly powered keeps its fix (this is the best plus for me)
Minus:
- Price
On eBay you might get lucky in buying a cheap one. I bought my DCONNEX DC230, rebadged Holux GR-230, for about 100euro incl shipping there.
I used Belkin BT GPS...
edsub said:
I would definitely recommend any Bluetooth GPS receiver.
Plusses:
- Own power supply (rechargeable battery)
- Less wires inside car (no "Y-cable", but if you want it permanently powered you still need it wired to +12V)
- Can be used outside of car (bevause of battery)
- When constantly powered keeps its fix (this is the best plus for me)
Minus:
- Price
On eBay you might get lucky in buying a cheap one. I bought my DCONNEX DC230, rebadged Holux GR-230, for about 100euro incl shipping there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with "edsub", bluetooth GPS gives you more freedom to move it around. Here in the United States I bought Belkin BT GPS (its a Fortuna Clip-on rebadge) the navigation software is included ((iNav/iGuidance) Version 1.0 US and Canada) very cheap too $170 including shipping. Usually cost $399.99 but when you using coupon 82242, you will get only $140+S/H=$170.00 here in the US. Buy directly from Belkin website (brand new).
For US resident this is a good opportunity to buy BT GPS. I am not sure if Belkin deliver overseas.
If the gps is for car use only I would suggest a cheap wired version such as Haicom hi-203e. Even if you have charged your bluetooth gps in the house you have to remember to take it to the car, if you get it to the car you have to be confident that the battery will last for the duration of the journey, your xda will need to be on charge all the time in the car so I dont see the problem with having a y cable that works off one cigarette socket. The only drawback I can see is when the car has a windscreen that will not allow gps signal through, the length of lead on wired gps wont allow you to place gps in rear window. I have used and tested dozens of different gps/pda combos and that is my 2 pennies worth of advice.
TomTom 3 and a BT Receiver. Couple that with our Safety Camera database and Digitools superb UKPostCode Plug-In and you have a system way better than any other.
And as you have an XDAII you can subscribe to the Traffic Service and have live updates overlayed on your map via GPRS
I hafta agree with Griffog. i have everything he says and i would (excuse the pun) be lost without all that :wink:
I have the Leadtek 9537 BT Receiver and regularly travel round with between 7 - 9 sats.
Bluetooth
I use a TOMTOM BT GPS purchased from ebay £70 and it is fantastic. Absolutely no probs whotsoever. No spaghetti junction on the dashboard and alot can be said for that.
cruisin-thru said:
If the gps is for car use only I would suggest a cheap wired version such as Haicom hi-203e.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a wired GPS antenna and have never tried a BT one, for I have and XDA1 only, but agree with the principle that since you will probably want your XDA powered, a wired solution is fully acceptable.
The model Haicom 203 has been replaced with Haicom 204.
BIG plus for the BT option is to always have a fix, independent whether the MDAII is connected or not. I heard of cases where it can take up to one minute before a GPS mouse has found a new fix.
I solved the battery issue by hooking the BT GPS to a permanent power lead that is put behind the roof-fabric of the car (GPS is located in a bllack box next to the mirror because that is the nly place where there is no heat-resistant layer on the windscreen).
edsub said:
BIG plus for the BT option is to always have a fix, independent whether the MDAII is connected or not. I heard of cases where it can take up to one minute before a GPS mouse has found a new fix.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is correct.
It will matter in the case of a car which will cut power to the cigar plug when the key is off.
It's not the case any more in most of recent cars. It was the case for my previous car where locallisation would take from 20 seconds (normally) to 3-4 minutes in the worth cases (unsure what the reason why but it did some days)!
I have wired the power cable that came with the TOMTOM gps to a USB connector. I then plug this in to my cigarette lighter which has a female connector on it. I also use this to plug my XDA charging cable into should I need it
I got the information I needed to solder all the connections etc from the web! a great little experiment that I helped to teach my son the art of soldering, a couple of sore little blisters later all works perfect.
Bluetooth's certainly good. But if you're a complete cheapskate, I guess the cheapest option is the RadioShack Digitraveler. It's out of production now, but on eBay you can get it for $40 thereabouts if you watch. Comes with its own software, but Mapopolis is so much better that I would advocate getting it. Cheapest software I think is MS ActiveStreets or MapPoint or something. But it too doesn't match up to Mapopolis. My GPS setup is a total of $50.
gps
hi guys
i have been looking for a gps system for ages and i have currently got a global sat sd501. i am running this in partnership with mapopolis and i find its great not too sure on the navigation side yet. but it is really accutate and i think its great with the xda2 you can find a review at the site below
regards kevin beecher
http://www.pocketgps.co.uk/globalsat-sdio-gps-sd501.php
Whilst the GlobaSat SD GPS is superb and very sensitive the big issue with all SD GPS is where do you store the maps?
If you only have the SD slot then you have no other option and if you have a PDa with both CF and SD, why pay the premium for an SD GPS when you can use a CF?
I'm very satisfied with the BT Rikaline 6030 (it is technically the same as the Leadtek 9537, I believe) together with Alturion Pro 5.3 navigation software. The main reason for choosing Bluetooth is that I want to be able to walk around with it, using GPS-supported map-software. With a (replacable) battery with a battery life that lasts for 10-12 hours, the Rikaline suits me fine.
One thing, though. If you regularly are confronted with traffic jams or other traffic nuisances, it might be worth considering to use a GPS device in combination with TMC/RDS and of course the appropriate navigation software (Alturion Pro supports this, I don't know about TomTom). Right now I use the TMC information (via GPRS) that is supplied by Alturion's TMC-server. But that is only limited to the Netherlands & Belgium.
With the combination GPS and TMC/RDS it is possible to avoid traffic jams in all areas where radio stations broadcast traffic info. Up to a few months ago there were only wired and no BT receivers that offered the combination GPS+TMC/RDS, but recently I saw an offer for navigation software (don't recall the name but is was not TomTom or Alturion) including a Bluetooth GPS as well as TMC/RDS receiver.
TomTom also offer a TMC service via GPRS. The BT GPS with TMC you saw was part of the Navigon bundle which we are testing currently.
Dont know if its the same Bt GPS, but Engin (www.engin.nl, Navigation solution by ANWB, the dutch AA) also offers a BT GPS/TMC receiver now. They even claim its modular (so you can buy with or without the TMC module).
Yes that's the same one and the screen shots are identical to Navigon, perhaps this is a rebadged version?
Related
Hi!
I have browsed through the board and some websites concering GPS kits for the XDAII and I am even more confused than before.
Can anybody give me a suggestion about which GPS Device works good with the XDAII and which card software is to be preferred?
I want to use my XDAII as a navigation system in my car and I am from germany (if that does matter somehow).
Thanks alot!
Dominik
Hi,
I would say: Emtac Bluetooth GPS Receiver...
http://www.emtac.com/
This one is really great!
Combine this with XDA II + Bluetooth Tools + Emtac BTGPS is the best solution for GPS...
Greetings,
Sam
Navman 4410
navman 4410 with bluetooth gps receiver, works perfect,
BUT if you go for the fixed version, go for the t-mobile carkit for €199,- to get from the german t-mobie stores, this is the BEST DEAL arround. you get the carkit, plus the sat-nav software, plus the gps receiver.
OK its build in, but a very strong deal
If you have a BT gps do you still not have to plug it in to the car cigar lighter so to some extent is it not still hardwired?
Or
Do you just use alot of batteries
Navman 4410
My navman BT Gps has batteries which are good for 30 hours, but can still plug it in the cigarete lighter if I am in the car. so multiple options
The good thing of this one is, when I am in town by foot or train, I can still use the gps.
That is so perfect
Is the Emtec BT GPS the same one as made by Socket comms but just with a different badge, because i know this as a GPS is probley the most sensitive GPS i have ever used and its excellent where other GPS dont see any or only a few sats, this one still works fine
John
That is rubbish
My navman, sees in the UK at least 8 sats
Hi!
I am still unsure if I should get a bluetooth GPS or a wired one.
The wired ones are about half the price of the bluetooth at the moment.
I wonder how the USB GPS are powered? Do they need a seperate battery or do they get their power from the XDA over USB?
Can I put my XDA in the cig-lighter for power and the GPS in the XDA without needing any additional batteries?
Thanks for help!
Dominik
You cant use a usb gps with your xda, you will need a serial gps, I have been involved with gps navigation for pda's for some time now. I cannot see that a bluetooth gps has any advantage over a wired system if it is for use only in the car, the xda needs to be powered for anything other than short journeys so it is still wired even if you use bluetooth. I am about to sell my xda2 as bluetooth was the main reason for getting it however I think my xda1 with 64 meg ram and 256 sd card does all I want it to, I will be using a dirt cheap digitraveler gps which I can also use with any other computer with a serial port, if no serial exists on the laptop I can use a usb to serial adaptor. Having said all that, if the person uses the gps away from the car then bluetooth is a bonus as the gps is self powered, but so is the digitraveler, though larger and heavier it runs on 3 x aaa batteries and could be used away from the vehicle. Its different strokes for different folks so buy what suits your needs. By the way the Fortuna GPSmart and the Holux gr-230 can be used as a wired gps using a cheap optional cable/charger, or as a wireless bluetooth gps, both run at a fast 38400 and are very good at the task of locking to gps.
GPS
Hi!
I have an XDAII. Do I need a serial or USB GPS for it?
So, with that wired GPS, is the setup stated above possible? Like no batteries in the GPS, connected to the XDAII being charged by the cig-lighter itself?
If not, I would have to charge two devices at the same time during long travels....
Thx
Dominik
You could buy a cheap haicom gps, with all the serial gps kits you get a lead with a lighter plug connected, the same lead powers the gps and the xda/pda. Have a look here and use the drop down box on the haicom ad, choose xda, very cheap, very effective and powers both xda and gps. This is for use in car only. For less than £50. Also you can obtain various leads for it that will allow you to use it with another pda/laptop/pc etc.
http://www.globalpositioningsystems.co.uk/allprods.php?category_id=14
Will it power and work on the XDA II.
Yes, make sure beams in unchecked under settings/connections, in tomtom choose tomtom gps then choose com1.
I have recently bought a XDA2 copy (SPV-M1000), Have Sat Nav working perfectly and would like to fit a full car kit...
From what I can see on the forums - none seem to work well..
I do not need to power the BT GPS as I have wired that already and it works fine.
At the moment I have a full Sony Ericsson P900 kit installed, can it be modified ie cable from cradle unplugged and a new cradle with xda2 lead plugged in ???
Anyway, I need a good working kit if one is available, I have looked at one supposedly an O2 original kit at £145 plus Delivery & VAT... but I think I have seen on here that it either echoes or blows the radio...
Please HELP
regards Alan - ps great forum, best i've seen so far.......
So far the BEST car kit I've found is from Yeti. See the other thread regarding car kits for details. It is not cheap, around 250 Euros. I have one on the way.
Here's the description from their e-mail:
The carkit you seem to be looking for desperately really does exist! In fact, we’ve already sold large amounts of it, also to overseas customers… The specs listed on the forum by a Dutch contributor are right, only the connection to the carstereo doesn’t come standardly: if your carstereo has a line-in, then a special cable is required (ˆ 40,- ex VAT). If your carstereo has no line-in, then a special connection box (ˆ 55,- ex VAT) is required in addition to the cable.
Once having made the connection with your carstereo, you can listen to the Music files on your PDA in stereo over the carstereo and control the volume on the carstereo as well. As soonj as you answer the phone or place a call yourself, the PDA will mute the music and your voice-call will then sound over the carstereo. Should you be using navigation software on your PDA (the carkit has a connector for a GPSmouse), then all navigation instructions will sound over the music files you’re playing, without muting your carstereo (since that would soon be very annoying when navigating in town!). And ofcourse the PDA will be charged in the carkit.
As you may have seen on our website, the carkit comes standardly with a microphone, external speaker, junction box, connection cables, firm PDA holder and small installation materials. A GSM-antennae (with standard connector) is required, because the PDA’s internal antennae will be switched off in the carkit. Given the fact that quite a few cars already nowadays already have such an antennae, we’ve decide to not include the antennae in the standard package, but sell an inside-on-glass antennae as a ˆ 25,- (ex VAT) option, thus keeping the standard price of the carkit as low as possible.
Do you want the full hands free functionality or would a BT Headset suffice? If it would then the Carcomm XDAII Cradle works well www.carcomm.nl .
I've just bought a Brodit holder and mount for my Beemer Mini and I plan on getting a BT headset sometime in the near future. That's pretty much all I could ask for. Sure I could get one that has the stuff Carlos described, but I will probably be moving on with the XDA products as and when they come out and don't want to have to buy more again and again...or at least not at so hefty a price.
Anthony
Hi was looking on ebay for a gps craddle and receiver. Is any make better than the next, or is there a better place to spend my money?
I am after a receiver to run Tom Tom5 I don't mind if I need to permently wire it into my car. With the cradle just want it to charge my phone and have a speaker output for tom tom/handsfree would be nice.
Too many to choose from.
Do you mean an integrated cradle/gps receiver? Personally I would only ever buy a bluetooth receiver as it means it will be compatible with more that one device, and means I can get any PDA I like that GPS software will work on.
If you just want a bt receiver, and a suitable cradle, then look at the Arkon mounts. They make everything from cheap vent clip units, ro tripple mount window hanging units, to permanent screw fixed units, both with, and without powered speakers.
I find the speakers on my Wizard, and Universal, and my previous Magician & Alpine loud enough that I didn't really need the added powered speaker with the additional cabling going everywhere.
it depend on what device you are using for somthing like the universal tytyn oe kjam then you wont be able to use a a gps cradle you ca only use a bluetooth gps for these devices.
have a look at the holux cr100 the connector at the bottom of th cradle can be changed to suit a number of pocketpc's
i would also search brodit. they do wired cradles. Still think a separate cps reciever is the better way to go with a cradle for the pda.
Hello to all around here,
has anyboy a hardware solution to add the TMC signal to the advice without buying a new gps receiver?
tmc adapter
there are "GNS FM TMC Transmitter" avaiable
just look at ebay and ask the seller
if they´re compatibel with the mini usb connection of the wonderful
trinity.
cost are about 40-60 €
have not tried for myself, but heared that it should work
greetings
Hi span_od,
If you ask for a "TMC upgrade" for a wired external GPS, just look at the device from AVANTEQ. You find it at http://www.avanteq.de/eng/beat-the-traffic-with-vio-tmc-receiver.html.
This device is just plugged into the cable between PDA and GPS and adds TMC-information to the GPS data. It is compatible to various navigation systems like NAVIGON, iGO, Destinator and fits with all external GPS having RJ11 or PS2connector.
I am using it with my HP2210 as well as my LOOX N500 since three months and it works really fine . Have encountered nearly any traffic problem since then. It is really worth the 79EUR I paid for.
Is this what you were looking for?
Best Regards
Jakob