Related
I came across this product and had to order one for my tomtom kit, it is the loudest speaker moutn I have ever heard, and the XDA 2 fits in the mount perfectly:
http://www.pdamods.com/products.asp?cat=78
I used to have a ipaq 1910 and the speaker on that was rubbish, then upgraded to an XDA 2 and thought it was better than the 1910 but could not hear the voice directions if the radio was loud, however this mount is seriously amazing, it has its own built in amplifier with full volume control.
I have got this holder for the car, unfortunately the TomTom GPS receiver has a RJ11 connector and the holder has a mini USB port, so therefore i can not use it.
It came with a PS2 to mini USB connector and thats it.
Very sad if you ask me
I'm now waiting for a lead connector from TomTom RJ11 to Mini USB
Sorry to hear that they may have made a mistake cos I chose tomtom cable and they sent me the RJ11 cable - believe me when you get the right cable you will love this device !!
On ebay is sold a little rechargeable device called car baby, it clips over the speaker and then you get the audio from the xda or any other device through your car speakers.
Arkon PDA Mount
Hi guys,
I'll let you know my experience with the Arkon car mount kit.
First what I have?
1) O2 XDAII
2) Arkon car mount kit for Vent and Windshield mount.
3) Arkon cables for XDAII
4) Emtac CRUXII/BTGPS
What you gain?
1) A complete car kit that charge both devices (XDA and BT Gps)
2) A handsfree car kit with a good speaker
3) A handsfree Navigation system
Hope this helps a choice.
All these powered mounts are great (i've got the Arkon PDA Mount) except that they all pick up the background radio signels that the phone transmits when it is active or syncing with the network and that's really annoying if you're driving along trying to listen to anything else.
I've had the same problem as you jashry but I've found a little S.P. (Service pack) to that.
Just turn the 3,5 mm cable so that it touches the Arkon device on the backside. And you'll hear less noise due to GSM signal.
Hope it helps!
Arkon 700 car mount for XDA2
I called a well known supplier of kit based in Manchester and asked for a car mount for the XDA2, to run with (and charge) a Bluetooth Tom Tom headset.
The first set came without an audio lead - so rendered the XDA2 useless for receiving calls.
I called and was rudely told of the company's arcane returns policy which made me see red (working in the legal profession) as the kit was clearly defective. To save time, I bought another one subject to some concessions re postage and return of the original etc.
The second kit arrived - complete with a 3.5mm audio lead. The XDA2, which I specified, has a (standard for mobile phones) 2.5mm audio socket. So, it is still useless.
Tried it with a jack adapter (3.5 to 2.5mm) - sound is barely audible, even with everything turned up and "loud' selected on the Ultra Profiler. So, both are now going back with a terse note regarding the Sale of Goods Act.
Can anyone recommend a good car kit (and where to get one from, ideally quickly). Basically, I need something loud and reliable, that will charge a TomTom bluetooth GPS. Ideally, I would like something that can be vent mounted (neater, less 'shake') tha can be hard wired (neater).
I am afraid that finding a jack adapter was at the limit of my technical abilities - suggesting that I splice this and patch in that is akin to suggesting that I learn to fly or communicate by ESP. I wish...
Thanks
PDAMOD Speaker mount for Qtek
Bought one of these mounts that Jashry recommended, but I'm having all kinds of problems with it!
To use the amplifierfacility I have to use the audiosocket in the corner of the Qtek, and they do indeed supply a small cable for that.
But when this cable is mounted, the Qtek barely touches the bottomsocket of the mount, and the connection is lousy!
Actually I HAVE heard the voice, because I can "rock" the Qtek to the side a little, and then I can test the TOMTOM voice, and it sounds great, problem is this prohibits the connection to the GPS, so at the moment it is useless.
On their homepage I can find pics of a Qtek in the mount, but without the little cable in the corner....!
Wonder if anyone uses this device, and if they have had the same problems and maybe somehow solved them?
/HM
angusmcintyre said:
All these powered mounts are great (i've got the Arkon PDA Mount) except that they all pick up the background radio signels that the phone transmits when it is active or syncing with the network and that's really annoying if you're driving along trying to listen to anything else.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry I'm a bit late on this thread, but have you tried using an external antenna lead on your device? This should direct all of that radiation where it belongs.
I have to add that I haven't chosen my amplifier cradle yet because of this issue, but I am eager to know whether the antenna theory does work.
I too tried the mount recommended (after the Arkons which went back) and the loudest sound I have ever heard is interference from the radio signal of the 'phone.
Anyone want one? At the moment it is just an overpriced charging cradle.
I now have a 'Silver Shield' mount, and yes it does sqawk when the phone transitter is operative. However, it also does that when I hold it near my nokia, but not when the nokia is in its car-kit. I should be receiving an external antenna tomorrow, so I'll let you know whether the theory works in practise. In the meantime Dr. Fresh, I'll take any unwanted goods!
I tried the Arkon mount, it landed somewhere near the service station at Bristol on the M5 when I launched it out the window, interference was so loud, it should have been returned to the designer and inserted up his ass....sideways.
It works!!!!
Just got my external antenna and adaptor; plugged it into the XDAII, inserted this into the amplified mount and hey-presto, you can hardly hear the interference, whilst the audio signal is strong enough that you could leave the whole lot at home and hear it on a trip to France! (Well, almost!)
My only problem now is that the Antenna adaptor is a bit bulky, sticking out of the back (about 11mm or so), which makes it a little lop-sided in the holder. I now have to take a look at modifying the mount to fit the connector in. Will let you know how I get on
Inspecta. I am interested to know if using an external antenna fixed the problem. I think it will probably make it worse, it is direct rf breakthrough from the phones radio causing the problem and I think the antenna lead is just another place for it to splash its unwanted interference over.
Interference
Hiya Cruisin,
absolutely, it is the external antenna which rectifies the problem.
When using the internal antenna, all of the r.f. energy is in close proximity to the speaker and amplifier. By using an external antenna, you have the same amount of energy, but it is radiated from the antenna located on (in this case) the windscreen. Energy is radiated in all 3 planes, so the interference reduces by the CUBE of the distance, therefore, by doubling the distance from the speaker/amplifier, the amount of interference reduces by eight times. You can verify this effect by placing any mobile up to your car radio; it will eventually pick up the noise, no matter how good the radio.
........ sorry about going off on one! Yes it does work; I removed the external antenna, and the set-up went back to its bad old ways, replaced it and everything is great!
(Now got to get some shares in external antennas!)
And now I will admit my stupidity by telling you I was pretty stoned when I wrote that reply and for some reason i thought you were referring to an external gps antenna, now I cant blame the dope so i will accept all responsibility, thanks for the lowdown on the rf.
or you couyld get a holux like received this morning just tried it and its great amplified speaker and built in gps receiver worked with my xda2 no problem
Must have missed something here.
I've got an arkon powered mount CM532 with built in speaker and gps connection but the voice prompts from the nav software only come thru the internal speaker on my XDA2. I can't get them thru the mounts speaker.
Any suggestions?
ROM 1.60.00WWE
ExtROM 1.60.50
Radio 1.10.00
Did you get a cable to plug into the handsfree socket and into the amplified mount? You need this for all of the mounts that I looked at. If you ordered the mount specifically for the XDA, you should have received a cable to go with it.
Hi all
Has anyone any experience of the O2 Car Kit like this one
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=57252&item=6382293875
I'm well past the stage where I should have installed and be using one, (the car is a Diesel L/R Disovery Tdi, and not exactly quiet), but I'd like any opinions on the best to use, or any problems that might arise.
Althogh I have a BT GPS Unit, I dont use any Route Planning S'Ware, cause few have any usefull maps of Northern Ireland, so its the call audio I'm really interested in.
TIA for any opinions
Based on the pictures this carkit is the same as the QTek2020 / T-Mobile MDAII carkit.
It is said to be of very good quality.
BUT: It is also said that when using ie TomTom Navigator (or the like) your car-audio will be muted permanently.
This carkit was sold in Germany for approx 170 euro (about 110 gbp). So I would say the current auction price is rather high . . . .
I was not aware that O2 sold this carkit. I am using the XDAII carkit that is/was sold by ie. Expansys. The quality of that thing is not as good. Especially the mic sound is horrible for 'the other side'
BTW there are many threads on this (all approx 1 yr old)
Car Kit Query
Hi Ed
>>Based on the pictures this carkit is the same as the QTek2020 / T-Mobile MDAII carkit. It is said to be of very good quality.
Yes I agree, part of what drew me towards this one is the look of it.
>>BUT: It is also said that when using ie TomTom Navigator (or the like) your car-audio will be muted permanently.
I have considered this, and I'm not sure when or if I would use anything other than 'Pocket Streets', (and its maps of this area aren't that good either).
Most of the mapping I have been able to view provide street level detail, only in Larger Built up areas, and main routes connecting these.
Fortunately I already know my way between Belfast and other towns, As a result I dont know if TT or indeed any of the others would be of any real use. As a result, I really am more curious about the Call audio from the Speaker and Mic, during calls.
>>This carkit was sold in Germany for approx 170 euro (about 110 gbp). So I would say the current auction price is rather high . . . .
yes I found it on the T'mobile (D) site still on sale,
fully agree re the price but .... if it works ... then ... maybe ..
>>BTW there are many threads on this (all approx 1 yr old)
Yes and I think I managed to read most of them, I was sorta looking to see if someone else has lived with one of these for while, and have a experienced opinion on the it, any Rom Upgrades needed etc ...
I'm not sure how much more stress I am prepared to endure to get various aspects of this great unit to work as I hoped it would, (can't afford to be pulling on my hair much more these days)
I have yesterday just bought this car kit from the company advertising it on ebay, first of all the compnay are absolutly brilliant to deal with and would recommend them highly.
As for the car kit i have found three little niggles:
1) it isn't as easy as other car phone kits to place the xda2 into the holder, this is probably the case for most xda2 car kits due to the body of the xda2 itself.
2) any sound from the pda will mute the car radio, this so far hasn't been too much of an issue, but you can always just disconnect the car radio mute lead, but side effect of course is that you would have to turn the radio down when you recieve a call, however it is nice that the tomtom directions etc come out the car phone speaker loud and clear.
3) now this one may not be the car kit itself and maybe just that i haven't managed to find optimal settings or have missed a setting up procedure (if there is one). Basically there is a lot of background noise through the microphone, speech can be heard ok but i haven't experienced this amount of noise from any other kit, however i am going to try and relocate the mic to the middle of the car instead of up the windscreen frame near the driver door, this may solve this.
Apart from that it is a very easy kit to install (would recommend a professional install due to problems of bodged installs and car air bags!), it is of a very good physical quality and have seen it advertised for over £150 in the UK.
O2 car kit query
see now thats what I was hoping for.
thanks macca
I'm just about convinced
now just need to know where my wife hid my c'card ???
macca: Just a tip for the mic: Make sure the airstream from then vents does not reach the mic. I read several threads on background noise and most of them appeared to be created by the airstream blowing over the mic.
thanks edsub, i'll investigate that furthur, i maybe moving over to a orange m2000 soon as i have been offered an upgrade, unfortunatly it won't fit in my car kit, so i may have to sell it and get a xda2i instead. xda2 is great, i just miss the wlan.
david young, glad to have helped.
Brodit kits
I wonder if anyone has any experience of these Brodit Car Kits at pdahut? I do like the idea of ProClip Brodit have so you don't have to drill holes anywhere in your car. Any other suggestion?
http://www.pdahut.com/store/home.php?cat=378
I have Brodit and Carcomm cradles installed and they are both excellent. At the moment I have my XDAII in a Carcomm cradle which is powered and has a serial input cable to which you can connect a GPS Mouse or charge a BT GPS.
The Brodit cradles also have the option of an amplified speaker, in the photos you'll see my 2210 on the right of the steering wheel is connected to this type.
In the UK TotalPDA sell Carcomm and Handnav are the appointed Brodit resellers.
See here for images of the cradles in my car.
I too liked the idea of not drilling in my (leasecar) dashboard.
Afaik there are two options then:
Brodit Procip (plastic)
MTU dashmount (metal)
I opted for the MTU and decided to imitate it myself from a metal plate strip. Its quite easy from the MTU specifications:
http://www.mtu.no/english/DashMount/DM_pdf/70224.pdf
I managed the get the cables through the airvent that is now blocked by the carkit.
Now did I get a bargain or did I get a bargain.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5196552992&rd=1&sspagename=STRK:MEWN:IT&rd=1
So long as you want it for an XDA rather than an XDAII then yes.
I have my 2i in a Brodit kit connected to the cigarette lighter and then a bluetooth Motorola HS810...works a treat. Luckily the 2i fits perfect as I got the cradle originally for the XDA2.
I've also got my TomTom wireless BT receiver on the dash...all work nicely (other than ongoing issues with phone mast transfers causing TT lockups)
Aww hell, I'll just take a picture and show you...my only wish is that on the Mini the holder was locked in a bit higher to show off when people drive past
A
PS - yes that IS a Care Bear...that my girlfriend puts there to "watch over me". I have one of those little dog things that Clintons Cards do (the ones with the big heads and little bodies) in the other cup holder. Thought I'd get that in now to avoid the "errr....is that a care bear?" questions!!
griffog said:
See here for images of the cradles in my car.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Errr....just how many PDAs and phones do you want in your car?? Hehe...
They're not all used all of the time but I need them when performin comparison testing
Actually I tend to use TT Mobile 5 on a C500 most of the time now!
Griffog, yes it is for xda however I had an official car kit, the original I think for xda in the past and that would take an xda 2 quite happily although I never tried it out in the car it charged the xda 2 on the bench ok, what are the issues, is there a wiring difference preventing it working?
Had the XDA exec for a few weeks now and generally very pleased except for getting a car cradle/mount with charge, speaker & GPS.
I have 6 vehicles at work to fit them into and change the cars every now and then so hard wired full kit (e.g. parrot 3300) appears expensive when having to move kits to new cars etc.
Idealy don't want a cigarette charger for each item - speaker, charge and gps etc. - more of a combined system.
Any suggestions?
Considering brodit active mount for mount and charge, but cant find a solution for calls and satnav instructions.
the Brodit Active Mount is superb Have mine installed with the Brodit ProClip.
just found this
http://www.mobilefun.co.uk/product/8917.htm
and then maybe get something like
http://www.alk.eu.com/copilot/pocketpc.asp
which has vehicle/fleet tracking
then obviously a dual cigarette plug.
only problem I foresee is if you get a vehicle with dual din stereo, then you'll need to purchase a fascia for it.
this looks viable too
https://www.blueunplugged.com/Produ...oth_Car_Kit_with_Integrated_GPS.aspx#moreinfo
The way I am going to do it is
Brodit Active Mount + Pro Clip
Sony Ericsson HBH-662 BT Headset + car charger
ALK CoPilot Live 6 GPS unit
and some random 4 way cig plug from maplins
currently have an ipaq4150 tomtom mount in car, does the job perfectly, it feeds the tomtom bt gps with power, is very steady on the windshield, and powers the ipaq (via cigarette lighter), slotting it and out with ease.
I am about to recieve an xda exec, and I am wanting a similarly neat solution.
I want it powered, off the windshield, and able to power the bt. I dont want a generic one size fits all, they are messy, and dont hold the phones very well.....
Is there a holder that will do this for me?
If not, is there a one that can be clipped into the air vents (mk2 mondeo) to do the same thing?
thanx
I know it would become cable central, but why not invest in a splitter for your 12v supply - one feeds the receiver and the other feeds the mount.
I just bought a gooseneck brodit cradle from bryson (www.dsldevelopments.co.uk) and i'm really happy with it.
I dont need the bluetooth power as I've got a parrot gps bluetooth carkit.
Suggest that you consider the Brodit mount, it comes in 2 parts, 1 that fits the specific car & 1 that fits the specific PDA, you can also get a suction mount.
Looks neet & PDA very secure.
I purchased mine on e-bay along with a Y cable to power my Jasjar & BT GPS unit.
Mike
I got this one, simply perfetct
http://www.pdamods.com/proddetail.asp?prod=A111U2CRIJASMNT
FYI
I am after a XDA Orbit Brodit Active Mount, I spoke to the helpful chap at www.dsldevelopments.com he explained the HTC P3300 active brodit mount does not fit the Orbit as the usb port is about 3mm offset compared to the HTC P3300. He said Brodit are addressing this and may have the Orbit Bodit Active mounts available in a few weeks.
Nick
I spoke to Dave at DSL Developments on 7th January. He said that Brodit currently had an Orbit, were now designing a holder, and hoped to get one into test by end of January, possibly to market in February. He said he'd get back to me by email when it's available (he's developing an email list of people awaiting one!).
I would love to see their Molex adapter to use for something USEFUL like AUDIO OUT. So everybody could use the Orbit/Artemis for connecting to car stereo AUX IN.
Sorry but I have to disagree with the assumption that this mount will not work with the orbit as I am using it on my Orbit.
Yes at first it did not work so I used a bit of gentle pressure to align it and it works really well.
Not really an issue in my opinion.
Brodit orbit active holder finally here
Just for information noticed this morning that the orbit active holder has finally appeared on the brodit website!
Does anyone know any uk based shops where these will be available soon?
Joel_Croft said:
Just for information noticed this morning that the orbit active holder has finally appeared on the brodit website!
Does anyone know any uk based shops where these will be available soon?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
We are please to announce that the holder range for the XDA Orbit has just been released, stock is due into the UK in 5-7 working days so to order and get one allocated to you, please follow the link,
If you have any questions do please get in touch,
Many Thanks,
Bryson
http://www.dsldevelopments.com/brodit/new_holder/o2+XDA Orbit-Brodit-Holder.asp
Can anyone tell me how to mount the brodit holder for Artemis in your car?
There are 3 holes for screws, but I don't want to damage my car interior when installing the PocketPC car holder.
The documentation included does not say anything about how to install it
You will need a Pro-Clip to suit your vehicle, the holder will attach to that via screws, or Brodit Move-it Clip (which is a better solution as it makes it easier to remove from the vehicle) it also leaves less evidence of a mount in the car when removed - Mike
Thanks for the quick reply! I didn't knew that
Brodit Mount
Have at long last received my XDA Orbit mount from Brodit courtesy of DslDevelopments, its a peice of cake to install (you need car specific proclip to mount it onto!) the Orbit fits nicely and feels very secure, I got the active version so phone is always being charged in the car - recommended even if it did take brodit 2 months to produce it!
Philby
esackbauer said:
I would love to see their Molex adapter to use for something USEFUL like AUDIO OUT. So everybody could use the Orbit/Artemis for connecting to car stereo AUX IN.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
is there any solution for this issue by now?
i fancy that brodit active holder but it would have to be capable of connecting the device to the power supply as well as my car stereo AUX IN.
could get this sorted out with a self-built solution but i prefer having just one single cable visible in my car....
...any suggestions?
You will need to use the Passive (non powered mount) and a 3 in 1 addapter like this one http://www.easydevices.co.uk/pp/HTC_Accessories/HTC_P3300/HTC_P3300_3_IN_1_USB_ADAPTER.html
It does work very well and allows you to charge the device up, use the supplied ear phones and use the 3,5MM socket to feed the Aux input on the car.
It does not pass the earphones through as an aerial though, so you cannot use the Artemis radio when using the addapter, I have one and use it in this exact same way in the car, your other alternative is to change the stereo to one that supports Bluetooth and stream the audio to the car deck using A2DP - this works very well, but it is also very costly for a stereo that can do this - Mike
bluetooth is no good to me as i dont wanna change my car deck due to design reasons
reckon i'll actually get this sorted exactly the way you described it as brodit's active holder concept seems to be no good for audio throughput, which is a shame if you ask me
anyways, cheers for your replay mate..
My solutions
I bought a Sony MEX-BT2500 for £90 on ebay - bluetooth streaming, brilliant!
However, there are other things I've done too...
Got the standard universal PDA holder that O2 ship sometimes, or for a fiver on ebay... it's one with sliding 'feet' at the bottom of it... then put your usb connector (either straight power or a 3-way if needed,) into your device,and slide the feet to hold it tight. With this done, gently remove the device, holding the connector in place, and stategically place a couple of drops of superglue to hold the usb connector to the feet... job done.
I then fastened my holder to a bolt-free bracket for my Passatt (another ebay find) for a perfect solution...
NickR said:
FYI
I am after a XDA Orbit Brodit Active Mount, I spoke to the helpful chap at www.dsldevelopments.com he explained the HTC P3300 active brodit mount does not fit the Orbit as the usb port is about 3mm offset compared to the HTC P3300. He said Brodit are addressing this and may have the Orbit Bodit Active mounts available in a few weeks.
Nick
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Look here for active holders for XDA:
Brodit XDA Orbit Car Holders.
Cheap prices and good service.