CF GPS with Ipaq or Leadtek unit

[drfelch]

Hi, I already have the TomTom Nav 2 software and am looking for the GPS hardware for my ipaq 3800. I would like to use it on my motorbike too if possible. I already have a PCMCIA sleeve + 128MB SD card.

Questions are :



1. Will the Pretech CF unit (£140) be much worse in terms of performance (without the aerial) than the Leadtek 9532 that comes with TT Nav 2 ?

2. Can the leadtek unit be used standalone (or does the GPS unit itself require power ?)



Thanks

[Dave]

The Pretec CF is good, and good enough to use in most cars, some people prefer using the external antenna. If it's just an in-car receiver you're looking for then I'd personally go for the 9532.



The Leadtek can be used standalone, but you'd have to purchase another cable set and make up your own battery pack. Check out Peter's DIY Battery Pack.

[drfelch]

Hi Dave, thanks for that, its much appreciated. Looks as though for the Motorbike, the CF is the only way to go. I was just worried about the TTFF times..



Ebay seem to have 100's of brand new 'unbadged' CF GPS units for approx £75. The Pretec brand new is twice that. Do you think they are any good ?



Thanks

[Dave]

I haven't tried any of the unbadged versions, so I'm not sure if there's any difference. Possibly they've fallen off a back of a lorry ? Not sure.



There are other alternatives, if you have a 3870 then Bluetooth receivers would be an option on a bike, the other alternative is to do away with the PCMCIA sleeve for a Navman sleeve or Emtac Sleeve ?

[DavidW]

For a CF GPS, what about the Haicom HI-303MMF? They're available for just under GBP130 including VAT and shipping from globalpositioningsystems.co.uk. I've got one of these - and so far the antenna seems pretty sensitive, it seems to be running very recent SiRF firmware, and you have the option of using a cable if you want to run the thing in mouse mode.



The only snag is that there's seemingly no serial input in mouse mode, so you can't carry out configuration changes like switching the GPS from SiRF binary to NMEA and back again in mouse mode.



I've also had the thing working with differential corrections from ESTB - the test EGNOS signal.





Sounds like it's around ten pounds cheaper than the Pretec, too. I don't know about the specifications and performance of the ordinary Haicom CF GPS cards.







Another often recommended CF GPS is the Holux GM-270 - though I don't know a UK source of that or the rebadged Deluo version apart from lpgmap.co.uk, who want more for the Holux than the arguably more fully featured Haicom.





Both these GPSes are SiRFstar IIe/LP based - the latest SiRF chipset that gets such good reviews in various devices like the Emtac Bluetooth GPS.







If I have the time, I wonder if I could write a review of the Haicom for this site. There are just so many other things demanding my attention, that's all, also I don't have any other GPS receivers to compare it to.









David

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