Hi
I'm having problems with my XDAII and TomTom Navigator 2. I'm using a Leadtek GPS receiver but it's taking ages to fix a position - if at all. The GPS monitor displays the time (in little writing) within seconds, which tells me that it's made contact (I reckon!) but sometimes a fix can take 30 minutes. Am I missing something? Another problem is that I'm getting the sound that is played when you disconnect from Active Sync when I load up TomTom. I don't know if this is because there is no GPS connected at the time or some other reason.
Thanks for reading this!
It looks to me that you only have one problem, and that problem is slow fix. (TomTom plays a short sound normally when it RECEIVES the fix. Or finds that the fix was already obtained.)
Normally it's unlucky receiver position that is guilty of your slow fix. Or there is not enough sensitivity in your unit.
Open locations like big car parks, with clear sky & no trees or leaves overhead, normally guarantee a fix within 1 minute (in fact my current unit fixes sometimes in 10 seconds on these locations). Once the fix has been obtained the first time, subsequent fixing is way faster (I think it happens because the GPS receiver roughly knows where to start searching for satellites and so it takes less time). It makes sense to wait a bit before starting moving (1 minute or so) so the fix is more stable.
Your GPS receiver might also support an add-on antenna, which with my old Compact Flash format receiver looked like a rhombic piece about ¾ x ¾" with a lead, - you plug it into your receiver and it dramatically improves the reception quality and therefore shortens the fix time.
When I sit in my car, I just put the unit on the dashboard, while I'm buckling the seatbelts and preparing to move it usually gets the fix. I wait for some time if it wasn't quick enough, letting it "remember" where the satellites are, and then drop it down into cup holder where it fits snuggly and continues the reception during the trip.
Thanks
Thanks for your reply. I'm new to GPS! This morning it took 25 minutes to get a fix. I was on the M6, in the open country, and my receiver is positioned right at the front of my car at the bottom of my sloping windscreen. I don't understand why it takes so long. DOes it take longer if you're on the move, as opposed to stationary?
Do you think the 'disconnecting' sound is normal? Does your setup do the same?
Cheers.
Couple of quick things spring to mind.
Check your car hasn't got a reflective windscreen. some of the newer cars do have, if yours does you'll have to get an external antenna or pop the receiver on the roof.
Also check in TomTom GPS that you have the right kkind of recever selected?
The way to find out if your screen is blocking signal is to put the gps outside the car then see if the signal is required quicker, some gps can take an inordinately long time for first fix but then retains the data to enable quick fix next time, if the windscreen isnt the problem it maybe that your gps has a problem with retaining this info.
Related
:?: Do I need a seperate device (i.e. gps reciever?) to run Navigation software such as Tom Tom Navigator or Route 66 on my XDAII? If I need a gps transmitter reciever, where can I get one from and can I buy one that I can permenantly install in my car?
:?
You will allways need a GPS receiver with (almost) any PocketPC based navigation solution.
From personal experience I would recommend a Bluetooth receiver. Make sure you have a 1.72 ROM version for good Bluetooth operation. There are many threads on that on the forum.
You will also need a power supply (to XDAII and to Bluetooth GPS for uninterrupted operation and quick GPS fixes)
And you would need a car cradle or 'real' carkit in oder to be able to have a good view on the screen
If you dont like to be bother by the limited storage amount a SD memory card is ver advisable, beware of the bad performing ones
Good software is TomTom Navigator 3
Like I said: This forum has lots of threads on this subject. Alternatively check out www.pocketgpsworld.co.uk
Thanx for the advice I'm still a newbe to this phone I haven't even had it a week yet. but already it looks like lots of fun 8)
Check this out:
http://www.totalpda.com/Holux-Powered-GPS-PDA-Mount-for-XDA-Series-I-Mate-Q-Tec-2020.aspx
It's a Car cradle / GPS / powered / loud speaker etc etc....all you need next is Tomtom or simular.
My mate has one and it's great. Removes the need for a seperate GPS receiver, which would need power itself. Don't know if you can get in Canada but probably.
HPJ
heck this out:
http://www.totalpda.com/Holux-Powered-GPS-PDA-Mount-for-XDA-Series-I-Mate-Q-Tec-2020.aspx
It's a Car cradle / GPS / powered / loud speaker etc etc....all you need next is Tomtom or simular.
My mate has one and it's great. Removes the need for a seperate GPS receiver, which would need power itself. Don't know if you can get in Canada but probably.
HPJ
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks looks like a Phatt product. Unfortuntely I've already bought the cradle and gps seperate.
Beware: The product looks nice BUT: It's probably useless when your car has a heat-resistant windscreen.
These windscreens have a metal-like foil in it which does not let radio (GPS are radio signals) signals thru. These windscreen however always have 1 or 2 spots (most likely next to the mirror) where the foil is absent. Meant for toll cards, but also useable to stick a GPS mouse to it. For that you do need a GPS that can be placed (I glueed a plastic box with double-sided tape to the windscreen foil-free spot in which my BT (permanently powered) GPS is sitting).
Works like a charm.
Edsud - wow, seems logical. Guess many have bought the product and spent ages trying to get it to work, without any luck. Thanks for the warning.
How good are the Bluetooth receivers? ie does the Bluetooth stay 'well connected'? What about if you want to use a BT headset as well, can you run 2 BT devices at the same time?
Cheers
HPJ
I have found BT to be VERY stable (using the 1.72 rom & standard Bt stack), also when I use both GPS & Headset at the same time.
I have fitted the BT GPS with a constant 12V wire resulting in continuous power. Which results in a permanent fix (BT GPS's seem to keep working even when there is no device connected). When I start TomTom I never have to wait for a fix, it;s there when I start TomTom.
When you do not do this you will notice a delay to get a first fix. This delay is relatively short when the GPS has not realy moved since it was last switched on. The delay also depends on the type of GPS. I know of a Holux CF GPS (wichs gets switched off when you take it out of the PocketPC) on a Dell Axim that takes about 1 minute to get its first fix again. Imagine how long that takes when you have to wait for it . . .
im using the same as ed and it runs like a dream scary i know
I use Tom Tom 3 BT with XDA II. Works great.
No BT headset yet byt it's coming soon.
Rgds
Andrew
I have installed it on 2 different XDA2's and it works brialliantly.
Basically I have an XDA2, and I'd like to get a GPS for it, but I have no car. Does sat nav provide any benefits for people walking the streets?
I was thinking maybe something along the lines of city maps with pubs marked on, or maps of popular holiday destination with points of interest highlighted, that kind of thing.
Is there anyting like this?
TomTom 5 has route planning options for *on foot* but if you are in town areas on foot walking on the pavement the satellite signal won't be as good, and you might find out it drops the line of sight quite often.
Gaz, as the man said, tomtom 5 has the pedestrian option when planning routes and will choose the shortest route by foot. You will need a bluetooth gps which you can strap to your arm with an armband or maybe on your head/hat. You could use an sd gps but then you wouldnt be able to use tomtom 5 because of memory restraints. It maybe that you can download smaller maps for sepcific areas, in which case the sd card method would be the tidiest and least cumbersome. Do not buy a cabled gps as this will be unusable in the pedestrian situation. The other option would be purchase of the backpack for xda 2, this gives you an option to use cf card gps while leaving the sd card slot free for your maps and tomtom. Having said all that, it might be cheaper and make more sense to buy a standalone gps which will allow downloading of street level maps plus poi's and maybe autorouting feature. Some of the cheaper ones allow planning a route on the pc which is then downloaded to gps as a series of waypoints, others allow full autorouting on pc or gps. Make sure you do your research and that the kit you buy actually achieves what you want. I would go for the bluetooth option with tomtom, there are a huge amount of third party points of interest freely downloadable and you can even make your own and share them on the web. Just do a search for tomtom poi.
The TomTom mk2 bluetooth GPS device that comes with TomTom 5 for PDA's has a hole through it so you can attact it to a lanyard or something.
Most rucksacks and backpacks have a pocket at the top of the bag, so of you carry one of these, it would be fine in there.
Except that Rucksacs are soon to become a banned item in the UK.
Yes, and dont wear a heavy coat either.
Hi there,
I use an app called "gps sport tracker". The HD2 has damn fast a gps fix to work with. Ok, I wan't to record a track with that tracker and put the hd2 in my backpack. the recorded data is fault caouse the hd2 looses gps signal ......
I do the same with my touch pro 2 and this works alwasy when I put the TP2 in my small backpack.
Has the HD2 a problem with the gps antenna ?
When I hold the device in my hand, it's no problem with gps.
DJChriZZ said:
Hi there,
I use an app called "gps sport tracker". The HD2 has damn fast a gps fix to work with. Ok, I wan't to record a track with that tracker and put the hd2 in my backpack. the recorded data is fault caouse the hd2 looses gps signal ......
I do the same with my touch pro 2 and this works alwasy when I put the TP2 in my small backpack.
Has the HD2 a problem with the gps antenna ?
When I hold the device in my hand, it's no problem with gps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have no problem with mine logging from my jacket pocket or top pocket on my backpack. Make sure the phone isn't going to sleep - this shuts down the GPS is you haven't set the app to stay awake. I don't use GPS Sport Tacker any more but I'm sure you can set it to stay awake. Also usual stuff - make sure phone is not sheilded by anything metal or magnetic in your pack and no other electronic equipment as this can also affect it.
If GPS ST doesn't have a stay awake function you can search on XDA for KeepAwake (I think) or try GPS Trackah from Marketplace as that's what I use and it definitely does have this feature.
Hope some of this helps!
Ahh ok, I will test some other stuff. I switch my HD2 off while tracking, perhaps he turns off the gps !! yeah that's a solution. On the touch pro 2 (win 6.1) the tracker was working with gps while the device was turning off.
the gps of my hd2 is by far the best gps i've every experienced. i get a fix within seconds, and do receive a signal even in buildings (a few meters away from a window).
so i think it might be point that the device switches off, like dunc001 already said.
yes, the gps fix is so fast on the Leo. Yesterday I checked the "gps sports tracker" again and I start to record the track ... lock the keys and don't switch the Leo off. So it works fine the leo switches off by itself after a short time but gps is working and working
thanx for the help guys
Many people are having problems with GPS. This thread is intended to discuss the different possibilities using an external bluetooth GPS.
I have just bought a Copilot GlobalSat BT359. I have tested it with Bluetooth GPS Provider V1.2.5 from the market.
I am very please to report this works very well. Got a fix in seconds and is very accurate. Need to test it on a long run.
Can people please post any info on bluetooth GPS's and any results they get.
The Copilot GlobalSat BT359 cost just £14 from eBay.
cool downloaded the program works fine with my bluetooth gps(holux) thnx very much! nice to have a backup! my internal gps works fine too!
Try oruxmap from the market. It supports external bluetooth gps. And working great.
I use a Nokia LD-3W bluetooth GPS module. It's nice and small and it works an absolute treat and locks on to satellites instantly. The battery lasts for ever and it also has the in car charger just in case lol. I use the copilot sat nav app as it has built in maps so I don't need to worry about data useage and it is available to buy from the market.
Edit: loads for sale on ebay HERE
symanuk said:
Many people are having problems with GPS. This thread is intended to discuss the different possibilities using an external bluetooth GPS.
I have just bought a Copilot GlobalSat BT359. I have tested it with Bluetooth GPS Provider V1.2.5 from the market.
I am very please to report this works very well. Got a fix in seconds and is very accurate. Need to test it on a long run.
Can people please post any info on bluetooth GPS's and any results they get.
The Copilot GlobalSat BT359 cost just £14 from eBay.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just tested Copilot GlobalSat BT359 and it works great. Did have some phone crash problems. Fixed it i hope...
I've ordered a keyring gps:
http://www.handtec.co.uk/product.ph...gps-receiver/63a0c4b6f743d7f3f396c7497be2aa58
Testing with my Nokia phone as the gps device I found making the bluetooth connection was difficult. Once connected it worked great. Hopefully the Nokia was at fault there and not Android and the keyring device will connect every time.
snaff said:
I've ordered a keyring gps:
http://www.handtec.co.uk/product.ph...gps-receiver/63a0c4b6f743d7f3f396c7497be2aa58
Testing with my Nokia phone as the gps device I found making the bluetooth connection was difficult. Once connected it worked great. Hopefully the Nokia was at fault there and not Android and the keyring device will connect every time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats a neat little device and handy it can clip on to your trouser belt or jacket etc. I notice that the website has some mark up on the Copilot UK maps! Its only about £27 from the Market!
Got the BlueNEXT BN-902MM today and took it for a short walk with My Tracks. All seems good. Look forward to running with it on Monday.
Importantly, the routine each time I want to use it is no more than 10 seconds:
* switch on the keyring
on the sgs:
* disable internal gps from the icon on the dropdown menu
* tap the Bluetooth GPS widget
and it's ready to go within a few seconds with no more fuss. Same in reverse to disconnect and go back to using the internal GPS.
I wanted to clarify that as if the connection is more like 30 seconds+ or is unreliable then you don't want to be doing that every day.
Does this work with all aplications, like Google Maps, trapster or Sportypal or only specific apps?
Thanks
t1mman said:
Does this work with all aplications, like Google Maps, trapster or Sportypal or only specific apps?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In theory with all apps. The data is passed to the Android OS so any apps using the standard Android interface for reading positional data will get that which comes through the bluetooth link.
The only difference I've seen is in the GPS Status app which gets the positional data but not the debug data with regard to each satellite and its signal level, etc. I don't think any normal apps would need that sort of detail.
Here is my modded armband. It's an iphone band so I'd already butchered it to fit the SGS in and felt I had nothing to lose. First I made a hole to attach the keychain to, then unpicked the thread on part of the velcro strap so the GPS could slot behind that. Then I did a bit of sewing (no homo) to tidy it up.
snaff said:
In theory with all apps. The data is passed to the Android OS so any apps using the standard Android interface for reading positional data will get that which comes through the bluetooth link.
The only difference I've seen is in the GPS Status app which gets the positional data but not the debug data with regard to each satellite and its signal level, etc. I don't think any normal apps would need that sort of detail.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good! So it's definitively my planB if it's not fix by next spring (I probably won't run outside that much in winter in Canada eh!)
Here is the Nokia LD 3W in action:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BM2gm5DAOjM
But since I started working with the "gps status"app., the internal
gps is doing quite well as well....but I dont know if it's related,
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I'm overall happy with the external Bluetooth GPS.
I've used this app with many other gps apps. Like Google earth, maps, Cell mapper 2, c:geo, DRoute, G-Mon, GeoRecorder, GPS Status,Maps(-), My Tracks, Speedview and more. Only one states that gps is turned off but works anyway which is Waze and iGo won't start because it can't find a GPS-signal.
Accuracy with internal varies between 100m and 10m and external GPS between 10m and 1m.
For navigation in cities I use the external GPS and for rural navigation I use the internal GPS receiver.
Does this prove that the internal gps on the sgs has a hardware issue? Or there other factors involved?
I am just wondering if the issues can really be solved, by software updates?
householddog said:
Does this prove that the internal gps on the sgs has a hardware issue? Or there other factors involved?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It doesn't, because the drivers may be buggy, and external receivers do most the processing, so it isn't a timesensitive operation really.
householddog said:
Does this prove that the internal gps on the sgs has a hardware issue? Or there other factors involved?
I am just wondering if the issues can really be solved, by software updates?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bluetooth gps navigation works very well on the sgs as you can see on video.
It is a hardware issue in the sense that most standalone gps receivers or external bluetooth gps receivers got more capable gps chipsets (like sirfstar chipsets) than most smartphones nowadays, so it is not an exclusive sgs's problem
It could be an antenna issue as well so a less serious hardeware problem...
Anyway I dont think this thread is the right one for that kind of discussion.
This thread I think is to show if bluetooth gps is working on the sgs and how.
Or why it is an option for some users and for others not...
Bluetooth gps works on my sgs and that's a fact.
For the other gps issues there are already enough threads with speculations, assumptions and facts like:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=821863
And more:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=732030
And so much more...
Let's keep this thread just to the point and that's bluetooth gps navigation.....
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sean2476 said:
I use a Nokia LD-3W bluetooth GPS module. It's nice and small and it works an absolute treat and locks on to satellites instantly. The battery lasts for ever and it also has the in car charger just in case lol. I use the copilot sat nav app as it has built in maps so I don't need to worry about data useage and it is available to buy from the market.
Edit: loads for sale on ebay HERE
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, that's interesting how long that battery goes without recharging!! How is that possible?
The specs say 3 days stand-by and 4 hours active...well on stand-by it lasts forever and during navigation is so many hours I dont even know exactly!!!
If its a software issue, I guess 6 months is not even close enough to fix it. Im already convinced that this is a hardware issue since my 5800 seems to have a very accurate GPS
hmm i want free GPS(w/o trial).. and also i want cheap bluetooth GPS with good quality
..
just tell me if you know any product
I've got a new Honor 8 with the latest updates and one glaring issue. The bluetooth audio skips with my Kenwood KDC-X701 head unit, sometimes a whole song plays, sometimes I get a lot of random skips and pauses in the music like it's dropping connection. The phone is within 2 feet of the head unit so distance isn't an issue. I tried it key on engine off with everything else in the car turned off to rule out interference from anything else in the car like headlights, tail lights, alternator noise, etc. I connected it via the 3.5mm jack and had smooth playback without skipping so it's not an audio source issue. And just to rule out a BT issue with the phone, I connected to and had smooth audio with a generic Chinese BT puck in my home. This same head unit has had no issues streaming BT audio from an iPod Touch 5th gen so it's not simply a head unit with bad bluetooth, it's some kind of issue between the Honor 8 and the head unit. What I want to know is how to determine what BT protocol is in use between the Honor 8 and the head unit and then determine what BT protocol the iPod Touch used and see if there's some way to manually set how the Honor 8 connects via BT to the head unit.
Or is there something more simple I'm missing here? Some kind of power saving I need to turn off, some menu option I'm missing, I hope so.
I'm going to make sure the head unit is on the latest firmware, I believe it is but I'll check and report back if there was an update and if it did anything for the issue.
Ok so during a 5 minute call through the head unit tonight there were not any BT issues, so this must be a music specific BT protocol issue, I'm slowly getting closer to the root of it.
Seems putting it in the dash pocket directly below the head unit works better which is unnecessarily close (less than 4 inches away) and many times closer than the iPod Touch ever needed to be. So there's still some kind of issue but seems like I might have a work around, it only skipped twice in a 30 minute drive which is the best it's been.
8 hour drive today with only 5-7 drops an hour. Seems worse when I'm around a lot of traffic, sometimes or that could just be coincidence.
Sometimes it's also partly dropping, music keeps playing but other Bluetooth features aren't working like Google voice commands or making/taking calls. Weird!
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