Develop Bugs

Fortuna GPSmart report

I have used the Fortuna GPSmart on xda1 using combo cable charger/data, and it is brilliant, extremely accurate, fast to lock on and very tenacious once it gets a lock, I have also tested it with xda2 on bluetooth, in fact I tested it side by side, I had the data cable connected to xda1 and the bluetooth transmitting to xda2 at the same time. I think it is a superb piece of kit, bearing in mind it can also be used standalone as well and can be had on ebay very cheaply, I paid £75 for mine and its one piece of kit that I will be keeping.

flippin hell lol how come you get these bargains mate lol. my dad paid £152 for his one works like god knows what.
picks up signal within a minute and bluetooth connection isnt one bit slow between that and his ipaq.
downside is battery life is crap but i have modified an ipaq car charger to power both things
signal is very powerful and accurate go in a tunnel and signal gone..... as soon as your out "blip" goes tomtom and abck upto 7/8 signal locks
great value gps receiver even has nice lil case and backlight
can be used on pc too via its built in usb port
worth getting imho

When working as a cabled nmea gps it runs at 38400 speed not the normal 4800 so data transfer is rapid, I bought a lead that powers both xda1 and the gps, if I am using the blutooth the cable can be used to just power the gps.

Hi
Can someone tell me where i can get a cable to power both my xda ii & the gpsmart at the same time.
Also which setting do you have your gps receiver on, it takes me a while to pick up a signal but when it kicks in it's great.
Thanks
jase

Got mine from here.
www.globalpositioningsystems.co.uk
I havent tried it with xda2 but if an xda1 charger works with xda2 then so will this.
Their product code A770
Manufacture code fort-xda-cab.
Costs £18.46 including vat and delivery.
I am not sure about the implications of having a cable system and the bluetooth connected at the same time on xda2 but as they use different com ports I dont foresee any clash.
If you are using it as a cabled system choose nmea output at 38400, if using blutooth in tomtom just choose bluetooth in the tomtom gps settings using the wizard as supplied with gps 2.09, there is no need for any bluetooth patch when using that gps version.

Hi
Sorry i don't think i explained myself. I was looking for a car charger cable that enabled me to power both my xda2 & the gpsmart at the same time.
Cheers
jase

Yes, it does exactly that, with the added bonus that you can also use it as a cable for gps connection for xda1/xda2 and the fortuna. It powers both.

if you have a look i think youll find it does poer both at the same time :|

yup

lol posting at the same time

cheers guys. I didn't see the product code at first. It's exactly what i want.
Thanks

err no looking closely at it, it won't power the GPS it uses a USB style connector for it.
I have the ClipOn Fortuna GPS Device.
Damn!

we are on about the GPS smart not the clip on thats different all together (cant be used for camping ect...)

yeah that was my fault, for some reason i thought it was the gps smart but it isn't.
Do you know of a car charger out there that can charge both my xda ii and the gps device?

JRD, the charger cable I have does in fact have a mini usb cable connecter at the gps end.

Excellent Product for XDA 2 Speaker Mount 4 tomtom sat nav

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.

XDAII powered car mount Arkon CM532

t'ello all....
I have just bought an arkon CM532 with xda2 adaptor. This seems to do the job as a hands free kit, with the usual bugs of noisy GPRS feedback etc, but I can live with that....BUT - I need a GPS ariel that will plug into the cradle and thus the xda2.....I have tomtom software ready to go, but I dont really want a bluetooth GPS, as we all know, bluetooth and xda = hell.
Any ideas?????
Would this work from ebay?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=3730&item=5134905894&rd=1

No idea where you got the idea that BlueTooth GPS and the XDA2 are incompatible - mine worked fine after the first O2 update was applied...

As long as you get the right cable it should be fine.
Bluetooth is more convenient, as you only need the adaptor for charging, and most journeys take less than the GPS battery life.
I use a Pretec Bluetooth GPS I bought from eBay,
works fine.

its not so much the bluetooth that puts me off, more the fact that the arkon has the ability to charge a gps receiver that is connected to it via the RJ11 socket, and I want to know which gps reciever has this RJ11 connector. Otherwise, if I go the bluetooth route, I will have 2 cigarette adapators, and only 1 cigrette lighter socket! Plus, ill forget to charge the receiver too.....

Are you sure you have a Arkon CM532 - mine has no RJ11 sockets anywhere!
What it does have are two power-only USB ports on the base - either side of the regular 5v input socket - and a 5v output on the side which feeds my Socket GPS.
I can also recommend sticky-backed velcro as a fastening medium for attaching the GPS to the side-arm of the Akron.
That said, I really dislike the Arkon - I'd much rather a dedicated until like the one made by CarComm. However, the only UK distributor are idiots.

xda2 cradle for sale
CMPC-15 Mobile PDA Cradle for XDA II / MDA II / Qtek 2020 / i-Mate
Cradle for the XDA II / MDA II / Qtek 2020 / i-Mate with original bottom connector and steady fitting for the XXDA II / MDA II / Qtek 2020 / i-Mate. Specially designed for mobile use.Charging pcb is build-in the cradle. RS-232 and PS/2 connections for connecting the PDA to for example an GPS Receiver. Also with power input connections.
Just got my new Imate PDA2K and it does not fit
£30+p+p

phone holder4
hi guys
i have this and its crap you cant hear on the speaker because of the interference from the phone i use it without the electrics.
regards kevin :evil:

its works fine as a holder and charger. as it was designed not a hands free kit
its works fine tomtom bluetooth gps sony ericsson headset

thanks all....ive gone for the tomtom 3 gps receiver.im assured that it has the relevant RJ11 connector...Ill let you all know how it goes!
On the side issue of the car kit thing, this arkon kit is pretty good I have to say, but I was always aware that it was not really a hands free car phone like those by nokia etc, and will probably jump the bluetooth headset way soon....any ideas which?

how to listen to all sound via a car kit

i dont know if anyone ahs noticed this before. I had a xda 1 and the o2 car kit. i fitted a switch on the radio mute, and wired the kit,s speaker jacks into my stereo,s aux input. this allowed me to listen to wmp, or any other app. Then i bought an xda2 and everything went wrong. so i decided to try sort it out.
My plan was to modify the car kit to accept the phone, and cut out a notch so that i could use the headset, and cut it up and wire it direct to my stereo,s aux input.
however, after i did the cradle mods, i had the phone sitting in, testing it. At this stage my kit was still wired as per my xda1. The phone works fine, including mute. Then, i tried wmp. As reported , there was no sound. I then plugged in my headset, whilst the xda was in the cradle, and IT WORKED!. Sound from the wmp went out via the car kit and into my aux input! I Bought a new2.5 jack, with no wires, and i just insert it, before cradling the phone and i have the exact same functionality as the xda1!...its really kool, as my Haicom gps works fine too. I havent tested Fonix, ie., does the mic work before u activate the phone, but im hopeful.
Now, my final problem is the charging issue, and id appreciate advice. My proposal is: to purchase an appropiate universal lapto car power adaptor,
To purchase a 9 pin lead, which will sit between the carkit and the cradle lead. Then all i have to do is patch the power adaptor into the 9 pin lead, deleting the original power. Will this work, and what size power adaptor will i need [v/curent], and whats the wiring mod?........id love to know if the headphone jack trick works on all kits/.....it may be posssible to buy and modify a jack plug so that it fits in wiyhout modifing the car kit....
N

re the charging issue
ok..ive read all posts concerning this issue and there appears to be some confusion....can the original xda car kit supply enough current to satisfy an xda11 and wired haicom gps. Some posts imply that there is a wiring difference which makes the unit appear to be charging whilst there not, whilst some posts say its because the original unit can only supply 1 amp.......can someone please advise?

I gues you have to get the 2.5mm plug out when you leave the car in order to use the mic/speaker?

charging issue
ive just tried the unit in the car, both with and without the haicom connected. both times it said it was charging, but both times the battery level actually fell.....this indicates that there is a wiring difference between XDA2, in the charging cct. funny thing though is that the xda2 charged using a cheap cigarette lighter type charging lead....can anyone explain this?

must be the charging circuit. I found that even a 400mA charger is enough to charge the Himalaya.

My XDA II Car kit has a jack plug on the bottom, but if I use that no sound comes out. I'm assuming this takes audio out from the 22pin connector at the bottom of the XDA II.
When you say you've plugged a 2.5mm jack into your XDA you mean the socket on the actual XDA itself right? And that enables audio through the 22pin connector or does it just output audio through the jack?
My problem is now that I'm going to have to rip my (very expensive when I bought it) XDA II Car kit to pieces to put a 2.5mm jack into the bottom of the phone when it's in the car kit!
Is there nothing at all that anyone's got to force the XDA out of in-car mode or anything or is that completely hard-wired?
God this is annoying! Why is there always something wrong, even with the coolest gadget in the world!

I have the same problem.
It used to work with rom 1.03 (as I remember) but after an upgrade, the sound from MDA2 except phone call went through the build-in speaker.
HTC knows this problem, but dont do anything about it.
A conspiracy agains carkit mod'ing.

This issue is known since approx last april.
It MUST be the carkit:
XDA2/iMate carkit only supplies in-call phone audio via the carkit speaker
MDAII/Qtek2020/Yeti carkit supplies all audio via the carkit speaker (dis-advantage: It continuously mutes the radio when ie using TomTom, but that can be fixed by using an alternative radio-mute circuit/switch)
Both carkits only use the 22-pin bottom connector of the Himalaya to accomplish this.
Until now (afaik) no one has succeeded in finding a solution for this.
I wish I bought my carkit 2 month later, at that time the MDAII carkit was sold for approx 170 euros (compared to the 140 for the XDA2 carkit). The extra functionality is really worth the extra 30 euro.

Alternative radio-mute circuit/switch
@edsub
edsub said:
(dis-advantage: It continuously mutes the radio when ie using TomTom, but that can be fixed by using an alternative radio-mute circuit/switch)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A few weeks ago I bought the MDAII-carkit and am still preparing to install it in my car. I will use it with Alturion navigation software, but expect that this will create the same proble as TomTom (constantly muting the radio).
Could you elaborate on the "alternative radio-mute circuit/switch". I.e. how to create it/where to buy it?
Thanks in advance, regards
Albondigas

You can buy an audio-mute box.
You place it between your car-speaker leads and connect the carkit audio out to it (mono or stereo).
As soon as the mute-box detects a signal on the carkit audio out, it switches the car-speaker from radio to carkit.
It seems to work quite well, but since it is based on detecting a signal an then switching, i can imaginge you lose frist 1 or 2 seconds of the carkit-out.
No idea how that works out with TomTom . . . .

XDA II Car Kit
eayuwna said:
Is there nothing at all that anyone's got to force the XDA out of in-car mode or anything or is that completely hard-wired?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check pin 19 of the plug wiring. This is the pin used to tell the XDA II it is in the car. When using the XDA II out of the car, in the Sync cradle etc... this pin is tied to ground.
I am about to experiment with making a car kit... If I have success with the audio, I will let you all know!
Recrem.

Audio mute with MDAII-Carkit
@edsub
Thanks, eDsuB, I get the principle and will look around where I could get the audio mute box.
And now I understand why Mocki in the german forum of ppc-welt inserted a one second 63 Hz tone at the beginning of the TomTom-audio files:
http://www.ppc-welt.info/community/showthread.php?t=40190&page=2&pp=50 (in german)
It would be embarrassing to miss the first three words of the message "in three kilometers turn right" :lol: .
How do you think about another solution on this forum and that is disconnecting pin 9 (orange/white) from the connector on the MDAII Carkit II. Apparantly that would also solve the problem with the permament mute of TomTom? See thread (it looks like you've been there also) http://www.ppc-welt.info/community/showthread.php?t=47131&page=1&pp=28 (in german).
Thanks very much,
Albondigas

I went in that forum a couple of times (especially when xda-developers was down), but since I have an XDAII/iMate carkit my problem is to get all audio thru the bottom connector . . . .
And even Mocki doenst have an answer . . .

Wired TOMTOM GPS receiver.

I am contemplating on getting a wired TOMTOM GPS receiver.
I read a few posts ago that a wired one would be better than bluetooth if you want to use a bleutooth headseat and a bluetooth receiver at the same time. The call disconnects?
Anyways, I just wanted to verify this before I buy the wired TOMTOM receiver from ebay.
Also, I need to know how it will connect to the XDA IIs. The websites say its SERIAL port. How do you connect a serial port to the XDA?
Also need advice on GPS as well. I have the TOMTOM 5 software and all the maps installed on the SD card. All I need is a device now.
SHould I go for bluetooth?
Should I go for wired GPS?
Which is the best brand of GPS receivers?
Would I face any problems if I operate bleutooth headseat and gps receiver at the same time?
Thank.s

No replies? Guys come on.. you must know something. TOMTOM gurus all over.

Wired GPS
Alitech
I have a wired receiver, not a TOMTOM one but one I got from Expansys. It works fine and I imagine the setup is the same as when I setup TOMTOM I had to select TOMTOM Wired receiver.
My collegue has a bluetooth receiver and I tested it outo n my phone. It worked fine but took a while to boot up (the receiver, not the phone)
The benefit that I find from the wired receiver is that it charges the phone as well. I use a bluetooth headset occasionally but due to the issues with the in-call volume going I tend to use a wired handsfree (but I'm about to upgrade the ROM to the imate one if I can find it)
Connecting to the serial port on the XDA - use the power supply port and ensure that you turn off your infrared port. this then allows you to use the COM1 port on the phone (having the IR active means that it uses the COM1 instead).
I found the receiver from Expansys fine to use and quite cheap. It has a quick warmup time and, like I said, charges the phone at the same time. My collegue with the bluetooth one can't charge the phone and the gps at the same time.
Hope this helps. My phone is the SPV M2000 btw.

So which is the best wired GPS for the XDA IIs ?

problems with wired
I have just got a wired gps for tomtom5 and i can't connect it to my spv m2000.
I have switched off ir beam done hard resets and so on but still it doesn't work. So be a little careful...other people seem to have had no trouble but something is causing trouble

Tom Tom GPS's
I bought the wired GPS with with the software from TomTom, and it works perfectly.
I also got bored and managed to wire up my XDAIIs to my Road Angel via the same RJ port as the TT wired GPS uses.
Plus, when I'm in other peoples cars, I have a generic BT GPS.
They all work as good as one another.

Ok once again, a lot of confusions.
Which is the best GPS receiver? Which one should we go for. Something that will work with the XDA IIs and fit into the charging and sync port.
Models and makes ?

Go for Wired
I currently use and XDA IIi with a wired GPS Receiver, You can purchase a good cradle at http://www.pdamods.com/products.asp?cat=23 which enables you to charge the handset and power the GPS receiver through the cradle, the GPS receiver connects via a RJ socket in the cradle. You have the option to buy the cradle and the receiver as a package for around £85 which comes complete with various mounting options. Personally i went for specialized mounting bracket called a safety clip which is completely non destructive and is available from www.brodit.com. Hope this helps.

Ok.. now I got it. So a good option would be going for a tomtom mount.
Upon research, I found this one.
http://www.pdamods.com/proddetail.asp?prod=A11XDA2SMNT&cat=23
It has the option to buy a FUZION GPS receiver with it.
I think I will go ahead and order it.
Will I need another mount of some sort? I believe the tomtom cradle is already a mount with various mounting options.

FYI: I use this:
- Rikaline GPS-6010-X5 (approx. € 70)
- Brodit active holder (approx € 60)
The holder will both charge the pda and the gps reciever. Quality of the reciever is very good.
Also FYI: I do have a bluetooth carkit from Parrot. You will find out that bluetooth on this pda means trouble, probably also with the GPS.

Can you provide any urls for these products.
cant find the broadit holder on the website.

I have the TOMTOM BT
I have no problems with my XDAIIs .... but i also dont use a BT headset ! i just use speakerphone !
I love the BT, i can take it from car to car and mountain bike
I have the xda charging on a usb car lighter socket and 1 charge of the gps lasts 4 hours - enough for my journeys ... but a car charger for this is only 6quid anyway and i can mount it in the boot!
i agree the BT is crap on this device, but i hope a rom will fix it.
Rich

I'm using a Holux GPS cradle with an Orange SPV M2000. Has some issues when you first buy it but if you look for my input on the thread you'll see how I got around it and I now use it daily in my own car and also hire cars without issue. Wouldn't say i'd recommend it wholeheartedly but if the advantages are suitable for you and you're prepared to mod it a bit it might work for you. http://www.pocketgpsworld.com/modul...opic&t=13307&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

Thanks for the comment. Seems like an interesting product.
Does anyone know where I can buy the Brodit Active Cradle For GPS for the XDA IIs?