[Q] built-in gps or external gps? - iPAQ rw6828, XDA Atom Accessories

anyone using an external gps with any luck? if so, what brand and model do you use? I have an Atom life and i'm debating if i should switch to a phone w/ built-in gps or stick w/ the atom life and get an external gps.
anyone have any thoughts about either direction?
thanks in advance!

slamming_sammy1 said:
anyone using an external gps with any luck? if so, what brand and model do you use? I have an Atom life and i'm debating if i should switch to a phone w/ built-in gps or stick w/ the atom life and get an external gps.
anyone have any thoughts about either direction?
thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use a HOLUX M-1000 GPS receiver with Atom Life. Works flawlessly. If you want to save the money to buy a new phone with GPS, then just buy a GPS receiver.

Yea,
I'm using Solar GPS; Model FGPSSBT02 and it is working great mith my Atom Life...

I have been using an external BT GPS reciever for the past 2 plus years with my standard ATOM and now my Atom Life. I recommend the external BT GPS reciever for one good reason.........battery life!! if you have an external unit then it has its own battery and so the usable life of the PDA is better (not great), however for serious GPS ing you need to be on an external power supply or buy the larger 3000mAh battery and battery cover.
If you want some great GPS software then try searching for Garmin "Mapsource" on any Bit Torrent search engine ;-)

thanks for you folks' suggestions. I have decided to part w/ my atom life. gps did not play a huge part in my decision. It's because the atom life (and the other atoms, except the newer atom 4) all run in only 3-band mode and I have found that reception is terrible in my home, so I've switched to a htc trinity because of its quad-band capability. and have to say that I'm very happy with it, mainly for the excellent reception. gps also works well too.

Related

Is this GPS receiver any good:

http://www.pdamods.com/products.asp?cat=18
I'm looking at the Rikaline 6010 GPS receiver which is means to be excellent, should I buy this one or the tomtom 3 GPS receiver which is under it ? They are both around the same price - anyone had any experience ?
id go for the tomtom receiver
when i had the raikaline 6010 it didnt seem to be as good signal compared to the haicom and tomtom gps
rikaline gps
Hi guys,
I've not been too kind to TomTom & their products, but with TomTom 3 BT and the latest Rikaline (6030 or something like that) running my Autoroute 2004 on my laptop at the same time, it's always the Rikaline that dies first, blurb said it performed better in tree cover & city canyons, crap! Dies as soon as there is a sniff of a tree!
TomTom need to sort out quite a few things (9 CD's for example!) and routing options, but their BT GPS is far better than the Rikaline! Hope this helps. 8)
jashry said:
http://www.pdamods.com/products.asp?cat=18
I'm looking at the Rikaline 6010 GPS receiver which is means to be excellent, should I buy this one or the tomtom 3 GPS receiver which is under it ? They are both around the same price - anyone had any experience ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go for the TomTom branded one, it's made by Leadtek and is a superb receiver.
Hi jashry,
I used the Rikaline before and all I can tell you is, that it is a real piece of ****.
Now I have EMTAC CRUX II BT and that one is perfect!
http://www.expansys.at/product.asp?code=112532
http://www.expansys.at/product.asp?code=CRUXIIBTGPS&sbadd=CRUXIIBTGPS
buzz
went for the tomtom one, excellent kit !!
i just went for this one http://store.yahoo.com/semsons-inc/itmousgpsrec.html
i got the USB version ages ago as i thought i could cut and make it work with my xda but no chance lol as i needed the serial version
but my USB version is ultra fast at getting a 3D patch
so cant wait for this to come
cost me £73 total with free pda holder
all i need to buy now is another car as my old one got smashed to bits in the crash i was in
GPS designed for XDA family
Hi jashry,
GPS kit specially designed for XDA familty phone.
http://shop.wangtao.co.uk/
cheers
Asihan
buzz_lightyear said:
I used the Rikaline before and all I can tell you is, that it is a real piece of ****.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dont agree, The 6010 was highly recomended to me, so i bought one.
At first it didnt work very well (tomtom 3.01) but now that I got tomtom5 it works like a dream.
All i need to do now is mount the PDA lower on the dash so every man and his dog doesnt see the display.

GPS receiver

I am looking into buying a good GPS receiver with a mount. I already have the tom tom 5 software. Just need the mount and GPS now.
I have been reading reviews a lot and still undecided on what to get.
Do I get a wired one? Do I get a Bluetooth one?
Which ones are best in the market. There are loads and I cant decide.
Someone recommended the TOMTOM mount with a fuzion wired receiver.
Any recommendations? Where can I buy them?
http://www.buygpsnow.com/item.aspx?itemid=404
I used them - they are great - you get a free mount too!
BT338 is an excellent receiver - I would say best on the market.
also recommend the Globalsat BT-338, forget a wired solution, that's so last year, i'd advise buying a cheap £45 bluetooth adaptor over the wired solution but if your after quality get the Globalsat BT-338 as advised above, for reviews on BT GPS adaptors check here.
also, i've got this mount which attatches to the windscreen with minimum shake...got it after 2 of them flex arm style ones broke on me.
this is the mount i use for my MDA3, it charges and connects to my GPS receiver to charge that as well although you have to order the correct lead for your adaptor to do this.
Doesnt the BT gps take time to load up on start? I heard it takes at least 5 minutes to get the lights blinking.
Furthermore, any problems with using a BT gps and a BT headset at the same time?
If I get a call on the road while using my GPS, would I be able to receive the call too ?
Anyone experience any problems with this?
hmm, i've no experience in using a bluetooth headset with a GPS receiver, i would suspect there are issues but have no experience on this...i dont even have a simcard in my MDA3, it's purely used for Satnav.
my guess is that the phone cannot make multiple Blutooth connections simultaneously but will test the theory today at some point and report back if successful.....obviously this would be a good reason to go for a wired GPS solution in which case you should get a bargain as they're bound to be cheap now.
decoy7 said:
hmm, i've no experience in using a bluetooth headset with a GPS receiver, i would suspect there are issues but have no experience on this...i dont even have a simcard in my MDA3, it's purely used for Satnav.
my guess is that the phone cannot make multiple Blutooth connections simultaneously but will test the theory today at some point and report back if successful.....obviously this would be a good reason to go for a wired GPS solution in which case you should get a bargain as they're bound to be cheap now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My XDA IIi can make simultaneous connections. I regularly use my TomTom MK2 BT Device and my Jabra BT250 headset together, getting the directions straight into the ear-piece.
coolio, good looking out on that reply MaskedMarauder.
thats solves that one then....i'd get a Bluetooth GPS unit.
Directions straight to the BT headset? Thats ****ing awesome.
How do you do it?
Can you still receive phone calls while on GPS ?
The way I see it you have one of two choices.
These are the latest GPS receivers on the market and have literally just come out in the last 3-4 weeks.
Holux GR-213 (cabled)
Holux GPSlim236 (Bluetooth)
They are both based on the newest SiRF Star III chip.
Personally I went for the cabled version as I hate batteries and having to charge the thing. Plug in a cable and go. Also excludes any bluetooth hassles. It works fine on WM5.0 on my Himalaya (SPV M1000) and TomTom 5. No problems.
Hope this is of help.
Bought mine in UK from http://www.gpsforless.co.uk/product_details.php?id=1266
I have the Hollux gpslim 236, and it's cheaper than the globalsat and works fine...
And about the 5min startup, all gps are the same, and it depends on your line of sight.. Normally a cold start take 45sec both the hollux and the globalsat use the same sirf 3 chipset..
the Holux GPS Bluetooth looks good as it has the same chipset as the Globalsat but i noticed it comes with an 850mAh battery giving 10 hours operation while the Globalsat battery is 1700mAh providing 17 hours continued use...if they're both the same device technically i would advise paying the extra couple of £'s for the almost double battery performance alone.
also, on the gpsforless site the Holux Bluetooth is advertised at £104.99 and the Globalsat @ £114.99.....however i got mine at pdamods.com where it's now priced at £99.86(a whole £15 cheaper), best thing would be to check reviews done on the devices where possible...everyone has their own experience and different requirements.
all prices quoted include VAT but not postage.
Hi alitech,
Did you purchase one in the end if so which one? Also does your bluetooth headset kit work in conjunction with the GPS so you can make or receive calls while the GPS is connected via bluetooth?
Thanks
Msuk
Hi alitech,
Did you purchase one in the end if so which one? Also does your bluetooth headset kit work in conjunction with the GPS so you can make or receive calls while the GPS is connected via bluetooth?
Thanks
Msuk

Which Bluetooth GPS receiver?

Hello all,
Which bluetooth GPS receiver works best with the Exec? I'm looking at ebay but there are so many....I just want one that doesn't cause pairing trouble.......
Cheers
HPJ
I use Globalsat BT-335 and I'm very happy with it. No problems pairing with the XDA Exec, works fine with TomTom 5.1, great battery life, leather pouch, small, auto power off, Sirf III (works pretty much anywhere - inside, under the dashboard). Available on ebay for £90 delivered in the UK.
If you do go with something else, make sure it's Sirf III and you should still get good reception indoors and anywhere in the car.
Thanks Dave, I'll certainly get a Sirf III now I know.......
C'mon the rest of you, what do you use?!
HPJ
I'm in the north, and I have yet to see a GPS unit maintain a lock more than a foot inside my windows. Simply putting a unit on the windowsill will not allow me to get a lock. I have heard this same report on each new Bluetooth GPS that comes out, I have yet to see one that it actually works on.
Perhaps it doesn't really matter, I have yet to be lost in my home.
I have used a EMTAC, CoPilot, and a Belkin F8T051. All seem to work equally well, IMHO.
daveb1976 said:
I use Globalsat BT-335 and I'm very happy with it. No problems pairing with the XDA Exec, works fine with TomTom 5.1, great battery life, leather pouch, small, auto power off, Sirf III (works pretty much anywhere - inside, under the dashboard). Available on ebay for £90 delivered in the UK.
If you do go with something else, make sure it's Sirf III and you should still get good reception indoors and anywhere in the car.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you mean BT 338 I also have one and thoroughly recommend it !! its awesome compared to the Sirf 2 receiver I had before it,
it might be because I live in norfolk (no hills yay!) but I use a GlobalSat BT338 and have it in the center console under the front of the dash and have never lost signal lock, these SIRF-III GPS devices are amazing.
Flubster
Bluetooth GPS Receiver
I use a BT-338 receiver with Destinator 3 and am extremely happy with it. It has never lost a lock and usually tracks between 10 and 12 satellites at a time. I've used it in Ireland, France, Spain and Florida and it has always performed brilliantly.
Interesting thread, so out of these contenders which should I go for to provide good reception in and outdoors?
http://www.handtec.co.uk/section.php?xSec=27&jssCart=6c3f7b52db5d6fb7599db63e12c51fe6
how about haicom-405????
Original question
The original question was which units maintain good connection with the Exec. Not having one myself makes it difficult to comment, but most current (ie Sirf III) BT units should be fine.
Personally I too recommend the GlobalSat BT-338. For excellent commentary and reviews I suggest you look at the forums over at www.gpspassion.com.
Hope this helps!
Well, I went for the Leadtek 9553 in the end, its a TINY little unit, got a spare battery free, it locks on in no time, and tracks up to 20 sources, so WELL pleased! Highly recommend.
BT GPS with BT car kit
I am thinking of getting a GPS receiver but am concerned that there will be conflict with my Sony Ericsson HCB300 (a bluetooth hands free car kit)
Does anyone have a similar set up? If so, are there conflicts?
Globalsat gps338
Sorry folks put wrong post in bluetooth headset.I have the gps338 which works well with gpstuner and teletype which is slow to update on the universal but it shows in the north west indoor nine satellites \pretty good I would say but it has the sirfIII which is best at the moment .The only problem with it is the priogram gpsinfo does not work with the universal,any one had this problem ,any fix .Thanks.
Holux GPSlim-236. Its tiny, yet boasts of SIRFstar III chipset. Works pretty well and has a good battery life. As all GPS units, comes with a car-charger, so battery life shouldn't be that much of a concern. Pretty cheap IMO too.
Another vote for the holux [edit: I mean the GPSlim 236]. As far as I could see when I bought mine, it was the cheapest SirfIII device available in the UK, as well as having good battery life etc. I got it for £65 ex VAT from a UK dealer to avoid possible warranty issues.
It's also tiny and nice to look at!
My only gripe with it is that it doesn't indicate BT 'lock' (the "I am ready to connect" and "I am connected" indication states are the same) although this is not much of an issue since it is often out sight anyway! If I leave it on my dining table on the bottom floor of a 3 storey house 2-3 meters from a window it still picks up several satellites.
@Mike,
As you mentioned the BT blinking thing really isn't an issue because you will be able to see if you are connected to the receiver or not on your PDA

External GPS Antenna

My Artemis did not come with an external GPS antenna. I've been looking online, but I can't find any sort of specification as to what kind of connector this external GPA antenna jack uses. What kind of antenna should I buy?
The Artemis has a built-in Sirf III GPS antena which work even with cars having a reflective windshield.
Yes, thank you. I would still like an external antenna just in case.
in the Premium version, I bought, there was an external GPS-antenna included.
It has a very long cable.
But sorry, I can't tell you, what kind of connector it has.
If you really think you need an external aerial for the GPS unit in your device (which I doubt to be honest) have a search for the part number 36H00352-00M it transpires that the same aerial was supplied for the I-Mate PDA-n, you can purchase one from http://www.expansys.com/p.aspx?i=129590 (at least I can improve the reception on my PDA-n now I know that! and I have found a use for the external GPS aerial that was supplied with my Arte) - Mike
... there is one also available here.
PavelR.
I was thinking of this as well.
It may be necessary to get an ext antenae, because it takes a about 1 - 5 minutes sometimes for the handset to pick up (or connect as it shows in grey) a GPS signal
AD10 said:
I was thinking of this as well.
It may be necessary to get an ext antenae, because it takes a about 1 - 5 minutes sometimes for the handset to pick up (or connect as it shows in grey) a GPS signal
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try the new update of Navigator 6 on the TomTom site before buying. Maybe there is some goodies there
I upgraded to the 6.03 and it still takes a very long time for it to get a valid signal.
I inquired about HTC P3300 external antenna GPS signal booster but they are out of stock and have no ETA when they are going to get them in.
Anybody have a source on where to get the above product from?
Ext Aerial
The HTC 3300 uses the same external aerial as i-Mate PDA-n. I got mine through Expansys. It really boosts the signal, but makes no real difference to TTFF. It is much better in the concrete jungle though.
How much from Expansys? I'm in melb too so AUD is no problem for me. My last city trip saw signal drop out nicely!
good thing i was testing and knew where i was going!
jdl1306 said:
How much from Expansys? I'm in melb too so AUD is no problem for me. My last city trip saw signal drop out nicely!
good thing i was testing and knew where i was going!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WOW - Lucky you.
Imagine nto knowing your way.
@Camstech - How long does it take before you get a valid GPS signal with the ext antenna connected ?
Rgds
O2 Orbit Aerial
Hi. Having used an Exec running the same version of CoPilot, but with a Holux GPSlim 236 BT, the Orbit is definitely slower to TTFF, and sometimes gets a little 'lost'. For a few seconds, it will jump to a street maybe a 100m away, then come back, and recalculate the route again. I feel that an aerial might just improve matters a bit. I have read the previous posts, and am still finding great difficulty in finding an external aerial to fit the Orbit. O2 have no information at all, and when I've contacted the suppliers listed above, they have all said that they don't carry aerials that fit. One suggested that they suspect that the connector for the Orbit is now actually different from the original Artemis - although that seems rather unlikely. Have now tried MMCX, MCX,and lastly SSMB - none of which fit. Any ideas? Thanks in advance.
Hiznibz54 said:
Have now tried MMCX, MCX,and lastly SSMB - none of which fit
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
According to http://www.gpsforless.co.uk/product_details.php?id=5887 it's a mini-MMCX.
Aerial
Yes, I know, but when I rang them today, they were the ones who said that it wasn't the MMCX, that the O2 may be now different from the Artemis, and they had been asked quite a few times for a suitable aerial, but they definitely didn't have anything that fitted, nor did they know what it was.. The plot thickens.. The connector looks exactly the same as in the phone socket beside it, but a few phone companies I've shown it to don't know either.
I just picked up a BT-359W Bluetooth GPS Receiver for 85- Euro new.
The only difference between the BT-359W & BT-359S is the design on the top.
I made sure the battery was 100% charged before I turned it on (old habits die hard) and after spending 5-10 minutes trying to configure the Bluetooth on the HTC P3300 - I am a newbie when it comes to this new technology - it was able to get 3 satellites while I was in the house right away.
The thing is very small also - 82 mm x 41 mm x 13.4 mm (Inches: 3.22" x 1.61" x 0.52").
I would have to say that this is a great alternative to a wired antenna.
Here is a review I read before making my final decision: GlobalSat BT-359 Bluetooth GPS receiver review
I tried my BT Holux GPSlim 236, which I'd previously used with my XDA Exec, with the Orbit. It paired up automatically in about 20 secs, and the reception, and TTFF is MUCH better. Without 236, in my office, I was struggling to get more than 4 satellites, and a fix was at least 5 mins. Admittedly this was deliberately in a poor reception area. Swapping to the 236, by the time it had registered with the Orbit - as I said, only about 20 seconds - when I checked satellite status, it had already found 11, and had a 3D fix!! I had hoped for the simple life, with just the Orbit in an active car cradle, but I think if I can't get a simple plug-in aerial, it'll have to be back to the BT 236, and its charger.

Can I access GPS location from phone over bluetooth (ex: like a Garmin)?

Hey guys,
Ok...a bit of a unique question here, and I'm praying the answer is yes . So, I have a new DSLR camera and want to geotag photos. I've been doing that for some time with my previous point-and-shoot, and this DSLR (the D300S) has a GPS interface built-in. I can go buy a GPS module and plug it into the port on the camera, but I found a couple of sites selling Bluetooth interfaces for the camera. These interfaces just pair with whatever GPS device that is nearby and receive coordinates (usually, the device is something like a Bluetooth-capable Garmin, etc.). Can I pair it with my phone and (I assume running a piece of software someone here hopefully has undertaken to write) transmit GPS info over Bluetooth? This would be awesome for a couple of reasons...
1) Don't have to buy a GPS unit
2) Don't have to carry around an extra device (phone+camera, not phone+camera+gps)
3) Since the phone uses A-GPS, the lock would be much quicker than with a standard GPS unit (at least I would assume).
Any help or pointing me in the right direction would be much appreciated guys. Thanks!
Austin519
GPSGate Sounds Like The Answer
A third-party product: http://gpsgate.com/index.php?id=73
I use this to route the GPS signal from the phone to my netbook which runs a variety of aviation moving-map displays, also Google Earth. On the ground, with the netbook tethered, I can even use Google Earth satellite view. Works well.
It is not a primary solution since the Tilt flies through battery life with the GPS on, but it is a decent backup solution. For my primary solution, I use a Garmin GPS 10, a small WAAS-capable 3"x1/2"x1.5". The Garmin lasts 6-8 hours on a charge and provides much more accurate altitude readings (fairly important in flying).
Hello,
Please have a look on this thread, i think it will help you also: Internal GPS sharing over bluetooth
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=605978
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I can't believe this was so easy, and I really appreciate you both responding so quickly. It works like a champ, and now with this program, plus this:
http://www.foolography.com/products/unleashed/
for my D300S, I have a GPS unit always on me (my phone), wireless, without having to buy an additional GPS unit. Awesome!
Austin519

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