Develop Bugs

TomTom Car kit for ppc and extension antenna for TomTom gps

Happy New Year everyone! Has anyone tried the carkit which is available from TomTom (€69.00)? http://www.tomtom.nl/products/products.php?ID=214&Language=1 It doesn't specify any particular model, it also says it can charge the gps too.
I drive a double-decker Rock & Roll sleeper bus, my XDA II is working fine in my car with both TomTom bt gps And my Jabra 200 but even if I mount & power the gps receiver in the upstairs window of my bus I'm not convinced that it will perform well in the narrow streets with tall buildings. TomTom say that there is an optional extension antenna, but where can I find one? :wink:
Thanks

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.

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?

What GPS unit should I get with IIi and TomTom 5

Scuse the Noobie question!
Quite like the idea of the solar powered GPS units, as I will be moving the setup from car to car, are these just a gimmick though?

I've got a TomTom 5 Bluetooth GPS which I bought for £105 from eBay. It works, but at times can be tempremental, and sometimes it doesn't work at all.

Globalsat BT-338 SiRF star III Bluetooth GPS Receiver
http://www.buygpsnow.com/item.aspx?itemid=428

Any standard wired gps receiver will have a built in charger for phone and gps, easily transferred as long as you have a mount in each car, look at Haicom or tomtom wired gps.

Thanks for the replies!
Can I ask a couple more mega newbie questions?
Do I need a unit with a speaker built in or can the XDA have a speaker built in?
Do international purchases work with UK bluetooth?
I need to get a memory card to download TomTom onto, what is the best type to get and a reasonably priced place to get them from?
Also wanted to use my XDA IIi as an MP3 player, am I right in presuming once connected to the GPS, I couldn't connect it to the radio for playing tracks?

GPS Receiver

All,
I have a MDA III and considering to purchase a Bluetooth GPS receiver and have narrowed it down to two devices
1)Holux 236
2)Rikaline 6033
Does anyone have experience of using any of these devices and how well do they work?
Thanks
Msuk

any reason why the BT 338 isn't on that list?
IIRC, the Holux will not be able to connect serially to the BA for lack of a proper cable.....
and the BT 338 is amazing,has great battery life and it works quite well with the BA. I have been using it with TomTom and so far,its been great!
Kaz

Either of those two are good solutions. My favourite is the Holux GPSLim236, as it has a hardware ON/OFF switch.
It's a better performer than the Globalsat BT338, more sensitive.
The USB-Serial Cable is available from HoluxUK should you ever want to use it as a GPS Mouse although why you'd want to I don't know!

comment +
kazmi said:
any reason why the BT 338 isn't on that list?
IIRC, the Holux will not be able to connect serially to the BA for lack of a proper cable.....
and the BT 338 is amazing,has great battery life and it works quite well with the BA. I have been using it with TomTom and so far,its been great!
Kaz
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep! My pda2k work just fine together with BT-338! Very good device!

I have just received a Qstarz BT 8080 (rebadged Rikalin 6033 I think) and it works flawlessly with my TT5 and only took a couple of goes to set up as "other Bluetooth device". The reason I changed from the supplied tomtom GPS unit is that the Qstarz automatically detects 12v line in and powers up; and then powers-off when the voltage drops. I can now hard-wire the GPS into my car ignition circuit and not have to press any buttons, so can hide it.

I've just bought an APOSsite Solutions GPS626 wireless receiver.
You can see it here: http://www.apos-tec.com
I was gonna get a Holux but the man in the shop warned me that he has had several faulty ones returned. He could have said nothing and made more money off me (because the Holux costs more than the APOS one) but the fact that he didn't spoke volumes to me!
I'm using it with Tomtom 3 (until I get a copy of Tomtom 5) and it all seems fine. Nice and quick to start up, too.

I have the BT338 and it is awesome.

I have a Holux GPSLim236, I've owned a couple of different bluetooth recievers and the holux is just ace, hard to think how you would improve on it.
I you can afford it ,it really is the best.