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Bluetooth GPS - Very Poor Performance!?

Is it just me/my hardware or is GPS over Bluetooth absolutely rubbish!?
I tried a Holux GR-230 unit first but had the usual problems in getting it connected. When I finally did, I was apalled by it's performance, usually failing to get a gps lock at all.
So I ditched it in favour of a Rikaline GPS-6031-X7. It picked up far mor signals and usually obtained a lock almost instantly. However, it's accuracy is very disappointing. Positional accuracy - it's usually ok on a motorway or dual carriageway but at slower speeds, it jumps all over the place, forwards, backwards, in the middle of fields hundreds of yards away - and that's the worst time for it to happen 'cos it's when you slow down for a junction that you actually need it. The second issue is directional accuracy - it often shows me driving sideways as it's so sloooooow to update/recalc the direction.
If this was my first experience of gps, I might be able to forgive it without a benchmark to judge it against. But I've used Navman with an iPaq, a LAM1 unit with my Nokia 9210 and a (cheap) CF device with my Dell Axim and they all performed far, far better! I know that TomTom Navigator 2 isn't the problem as it performed flawlessly on my Axim (PXA255).
So what's going wrong? Is it the bluetooth devices, or the bluetooth technology, or the XDA II? Will O2's bluetooth update improve matters?
I can no longer rely on this and I'm going to have to start taking map backups - something I've never had to do before and really defeats the object.
Any thoughts, experiences, comments, answers?????
Ged.

I think your problem could be the gps receiver.
I am using the Navman 4400 with my XDAII. It took some time and a couple of patches (from this site, thanks guys) to get it to bond via bluetooth, but now it's setup, it works great. It seems to be very accurate and tells me to exit roundabouts just at the correct time.
It's a bit slow to get the initial fix when first switched on (about 2 minutes) but once connected I have no problems.
Is the gps receiver positioned by a heated screen? If so, this will block the signal and produce the problems you describe.

Have you changed your car? Some newer cars have reflective windshields that can cause problems.
Cheers

Thanks guys. I know of both of the issues you describe but I drive a 3 year old clio 172 - no heated/reflective screen. The receiver usually sits on the dash and receives a very strong signal from upwards of 6 sats.
I've now emailed Rikaline too so we'll see what they come up with (if anything).

I am using the Holux GR-230 and it works flawlessly with towas latest patch 1.0.1.2, a very accurate gps based on my own observations with tomtom2.

Hi guys
I have recently received my new XDA II from Orange (know as SPV M1000)
I am using it with the Fortuna Clip On GPS, Tom Tom Navigator and a Jabra 250 headset.
So far I have had no problems with the GPS, it works every time. On a rare ocasion I have to reset the phone to get the head set to work but this is very rare.
Not sure if orange have modified the software but it all seems to work.

I'm beginning to think that it's the XDA that's at fault. I know TTN2 is ok, you guys aren't having any probs with bluetooth gps devices in general, and I'd have to be extremely unlucky to have TWO faulty gps receivers from different manufacturers!
Persuading O2 that it's faulty is another matter though.

i work in the in car navi business and a 3 year old cleo does have a metalic winscreen apart from the hatched area around the rear view mirror (for use with toll tags and other antennas).You will nead a re-radateing antenna mounted externally to get propper reception as the cleo also has a faradays cage effect making radio reception within the cab area very difficult.(they are a ***** to work on)

pinkslayer, shove it in somebody elses car, or slap it on the roof of yours and see how it go's in that location.

Should know my car a bit better really!
I had tried mounting the Holux in front of the rear view mirror but this didn't help so I didn't bother trying the Rikaline. And my wife has a clio too so no point trying it in hers.
So even though I'm locking on to 5-6 sats, it's still not sufficient!? Or is the metallic screen just causing additional latency?

Its not the number of sats, its the strength of the signal received, I have seen 8 sats showing but tomtom wont attempt a route until the signals are strong enough for a lock,

Rikaline GPS-6031-X7
hi all
i use a Rikaline -x7 with TomTom Navigator 2 on my xda ll with the bluetooth pach from
http://bluetooth.i-networx.de/index_e.html
and the update is slow when taking corners (ie the map is slow to turn to the heads up position) or if you come of a motorway/ dual carriageway thats not on the calulated route it will take some time to acknowledge this
but i do not have the problem of it at slower speeds it jumps all over the place
As for accuracy my old tomtom wired gps was better
but the Rikaline-x7 is usable

Thanks peops. I've now tried mounting it on the rear parcel shelf and also stuck it to the shaded area above the rvm but to no avail (even when it was back on the dash this morning, it took 11 minutes to get a fix and another 5 before it could calc direction - cloudy day!). As soon as it's dry enough, I'll mount it outside the car and see how it is.
I don't really want to do down the re-radateing antenna route as the whole point of having portable equipment is that you can use it anywhere and in any vehicle.

Im using the Rikaline GPS 6031-X7 and Im really happy with, no problems at all in fact I think its brilliant............

I'm using the fortuna clipon in a landy with heated windscreen. It doesn't seem to affect the signal (with or without the screen on) and I have to say i was expecting problems with it. It has been the only thing about the whole BT GPS/XDAII setup that I haven't had problems with..
Technology eh!

[Q] GTab is Picking Up Air Traffic Frequencies

Anybody else having this problem? If a plane gets into range--and no I don't live near an airport. Flight patterns causes them to come by sometimes. I get a radio frequency noise even if I turn off my wifi and turn down my speakers.
Any suggestions on how to prevent it from occurring? Not a major issue or deal breaker just want to know what I can modify to stop it from happening.
Thanks!

That's pretty wild. I live on an Air Force base and have never had any issues like that, even while using my tab in a hangar within 200 feet of operating aircraft. My guess would be that there is something nearby that is picking up those freqs, modifying them, and retransmitting them to interfere. Large metal objects of some kind? UFOs? Lol. If it only happens in one location building/room then move elsewhere to isolate.

do you happen to have your cellphone near your g-tab when this happens? What your picking up is the electromagnetic radiation from your phone receiving an increased amount of such. usually happens just before you will get a phone call or txt. sometimes happens when the phone updates with the tower. When unshielded speakers are near such sources of radiation especially within cell phone frequency and power the waves are powering the speakers themselves and the frequency produced from the speakers is within our range of hearing frequencies. I have heard this sound many times, you can try holding your phone close to the speakers and putting it on silent and listen for the sound as it probably you will hear it just before it notifies you of the call, and just before each ring should produce the sound. This will not work on shielded speakers though only unshielded which are found in most laptop speakers. let me know if this helps solve your mystery.

External antenna/signal boost?

Hello! I'm looking for a way to boost my signal. I've noticed that when I have under 3 bars (and even if it bounces up to 3 and back down) my battery drains quicker than it can charge. At work as long as I have 3+ it will charge faster but if I'm at a different spot and its under 3 it drains. Also, it heats up (usually hangs out around 98.6 degrees but sometimes it'll go 105+). My main reason for wanting a boost at home is because I tether to play games when my sisters hog the house connection. So I'm looking for a cheap way to boost my signal. Small repeater sort of thing or something. To my understanding the little spots under the cover allow you to plug in external antennas, so where can I find everything for that? (And yes I saw that people can't get signal back after)
THANK YOU

Mechachu said:
Hello! I'm looking for a way to boost my signal. I've noticed that when I have under 3 bars (and even if it bounces up to 3 and back down) my battery drains quicker than it can charge. At work as long as I have 3+ it will charge faster but if I'm at a different spot and its under 3 it drains. Also, it heats up (usually hangs out around 98.6 degrees but sometimes it'll go 105+). My main reason for wanting a boost at home is because I tether to play games when my sisters hog the house connection. So I'm looking for a cheap way to boost my signal. Small repeater sort of thing or something. To my understanding the little spots under the cover allow you to plug in external antennas, so where can I find everything for that? (And yes I saw that people can't get signal back after)
THANK YOU
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Click to collapse
We used to live in an AT&T dead spot (yeah, yeah, who doesn't?) and ended up putting a powered wireless repeater in the house with an external antenna on the roof. I believe the manufacturer was Digital Antenna. They're not cheap, but the wired versions (if you can live with that) are a bit cheaper.

As long as you have high speed internet at home get an Airave. It puts up a tower in your house and processes everything over your home internet connection. 5 bucks a month i believe.
http://support.sprint.com/support/device/Sprint/AIRAVE_by_Sprint-dvc1230001prd/?id16=airave
Problem solved.

I thought about airwave but people ten to not pay the internet from time to time xD and does the signal crap out if people use the internet? Its only a 768 connection (country ftl) and people tend to netflix and cam -_-

Mechachu said:
I thought about airwave but people ten to not pay the internet from time to time xD and does the signal crap out if people use the internet? Its only a 768 connection (country ftl) and people tend to netflix and cam -_-
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The airrave uses your internet connection for 3G data and voice calls. If your internet is slow to begin with and ppl are hammering it all day long the airrave won't work well for you. Also, it doesn't hand calls off to the real cell network, so if you're on the phone and you leave your house the call will drop. If you have good signal outside and bad signal inside, one of those repeaters is the way to go - but it ain't cheap.

Dang ok. What about something like the Wilson Magnet Mount Cellular Antenna at Radioshack? (Its on the site. Id link it but you need 8+ posts >.<)

I'd just limit your sisters ip address/mac address with a QOS policy, so that she can't hog all the bandwidth. (would be done at your router)
I've heard and seen on this board some nasty results from connecting external antennas to the connection point behind the battery cover. Do a search in the forums to see, I can't remember exactly off the top of my head.

Ya I only saw a couple people mention problems and it seemed to be things that they had only heard

Whatever you do DO NOT CONNECT an EXTERNAL ANTENNA to the CONNECTION POINT.
So far, everyone on this forum who has tried so with a Galaxy S has ended up with some permanent baseband (or whatever is responsible for the gsm/cdma part) corruption. What ended up happening was that the internal antenna would turn off. In some cases it meant that they could only call with the external antenna plugged in, and in other cases is meant that neither the external or internal antenna would work. (note: This has happened only on captivate and vibrant so far, so I am not sure what will happen on CDMA but.... Better safe than sorry right!?).
oh and sorry for the large font.... It catches your eye... ~_~

krackers said:
Whatever you do DO NOT CONNECT an EXTERNAL ANTENNAto the CONNECTION POINT.
So far, everyone on this forum who has tried so with a Galaxy S has ended up with some permanent baseband (or whatever is responsible for the gsm/cdma part) corruption. What ended up happening was that the internal antenna would turn off. In some cases it meant that they could only call with the external antenna plugged in, and in other cases is meant that neither the external or internal antenna would work. (note: This has happened only on captivate and vibrant so far, so I am not sure what will happen on CDMA but.... Better safe than sorry right!?).
oh and sorry for the large font.... It catches your eye... ~_~
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Click to collapse
lol I did that when i got my first smart phone, the htc touch. Thankfully back in those days sprint would fix any problem or give you a new phone no questions asked for 55 dollars. ( I used to find inventive ways to break my phone. Like the mentioned external antenna, or a homemade battery back)

I'm interested in a solution to this as well, preferably something that doesnt have a monthly fee attached.
In my basement, I get about 1-2 bars of service, and sometimes nothing at all. Is very frustrating to receive texts up to an hour late.

talk about ad placement
This came up right under the latest post in this thread:
Tri Band Yagi 700Mhz - 2500Mhz 9dBi
Our highest gain directional tri/multi antenna - for 700-2500mhz networks (including Verizon LTE, Sprint/Verizon/AT&T/Alltel 3G, and more).
LINK
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Thank jebus for adfree android and adblockplus for firefox...
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

[Q] Bluetooth On Aircraft

Hello,
Flying from London to Baltimore in a couple of weeks and looking forward to some quality gaming time with my xoom . Wanting to use my ps3 pad with sixaxis app but unsure what rules are regarding bluetooth during a flight. Had a google search and read mixed reports on using bluetooth. Any advice?

Just use it nothing is going to happen its all bull**** the plane is gonna have interference or and all have a safe journey mate cheers
Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk

To be honest, radio frequencies do not interfere with aviation equipment outside of their operational range. It is the same concept as your phone, do you randomly pick up another persons call while you are talking on the phone.
We are bombarded with astronomical amounts of radio frequencies every day, the only thing that changes is how strong each one is. Phones, bluetooth, these devices can not physically put out enough power through their radios to cause a problem. Besides, bluetooth signals start to drop off by 20ft out usually, and most of the time cut out by 30. Bluetooth, and NFC are the weakest everyday radios in mass use.
I say go for it, and if they bring it up, just put it away, or argue that its infrared. That one has saved me once before.

Most airline policies say no to BT. In reality, that's silly. Many airlines now sell WiFi on some flights - and that's far stronger than BT.

I seem to recall seeing an FCC stamp on... oh, pretty much everything I own. Something about the device being tested not to cause any unwanted interference. Could just be my imagination, though.
Silly airlines.

Mythbuster actually did an episode on this topic and did find that Cell Signals can affect navigation but I forget what the power level was that made it happen.
BT should not be a problem with it's limited range and low power, and the truth is they only really care about it on Takeoff and landing where the instruments are the most important to the operation.

Long range WiFi, discussion

Hi All,
I work long hours about two miles from home, the data signal there is terrible (because I work in a reinforced steel box), I've been looking into long range WiFi, what I'd like to do is mount some kind of repeater/router or the like on the roof of my house and use that to connect to my home WiFi from work and also when I'm out around town.
I'll be using (mostly) an Xperia T as the mobile device, I know I can probably transmit a signal two miles with no issue, but the Xperia's TX power is probably extremely low, so I might be looking at two antennas, or a home set up and some kind of AP at work with a good antenna (which limits this to use at just work which is not ideal but more than acceptable).
Is this kind of thing possible without breaking the bank?
In summary:
Need a device to mount on the roof of my house and possibly another device/AP for work for long range omnidirectional (directional if I have to) WiFi access, has this been done before?
Edit: Please feel free to move this post to the appropriate section, I had no idea where to post it.

Do you have line of sight from your house (or roof) to your workplace? If not, you might be out of luck.
Anything in your building that screens your phone signal is likely to screen 802.11 too.
You're likely to have the best results with a decent AP at each end, each with a directional antenna.