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Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2005 1:30 pm Post subject: PDA with GPS reliable?
hi
Someone was telling me that using GPS receivers with software like tomtom on PDA's (e.g.) can be unreliable and sometimes it doesnt work, is this really the case?.
I was first going to buy the Acer N35 however the processor speed seems a bit too slow to run tomtom 3/5.
I'm just so confused on what to get!
Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2005 3:34 pm Post subject: Re: PDA with GPS reliable?
delboy102 wrote:
hi
Someone was telling me that using GPS receivers with software like tomtom on PDA's (e.g.) can be unreliable and sometimes it doesnt work, is this really the case?.
I was first going to buy the Acer N35 however the processor speed seems a bit too slow to run tomtom 3/5.
I'm just so confused on what to get!
Generally very reliable. I have use Tom Tom 5 in a Dell Axim 50. The only time it didnt work was when I lost the satallites due to being in a deep cutting.
I havent noticed any 'unreliability' at all. On the occasions I have needed directions because of being in 'strange territory' it has worked perfectly. I an still amaized at the accuracy and detail. Even to the extent of laybys etc
I use it all the time, even in known territory so that I get the warnings on Safety Cameras... Neat!
Thanks Donald
I'm pretty sure i'l be getting the Dell Axim X30 (with the 624Mz Intel XScale Processor)
One question, what size of SD card will I need to get to install the TomTom 5 software (with full UK maps installed), I'm thinking of getting a 1GB SD card, some hong kong ebayers (with decent feedback) are doing them, inc P&P would come up to about £45 which is not too bad, I dont know whether to get a normal SD card or one of those "high speed" SD cards, would you say it runs ok on a normal SD card?, really dont want lags .
Also can I ask which receiver your using, I will probably get wired as I want to power both GPS and receiver with my car power, hopefully will get a 16 channel one budget permitting!.
I heard SIRF2 is good so I Will try and lookout for that.
Thanks Donald
I'm pretty sure i'l be getting the Dell Axim X30 (with the 624Mz Intel XScale Processor)
One question, what size of SD card will I need to get to install the TomTom 5 software (with full UK maps installed), I'm thinking of getting a 1GB SD card, some hong kong ebayers (with decent feedback) are doing them, inc P&P would come up to about £45 which is not too bad, I dont know whether to get a normal SD card or one of those "high speed" SD cards, would you say it runs ok on a normal SD card?, really dont want lags .
Also can I ask which receiver your using, I will probably get wired as I want to power both GPS and receiver with my car power, hopefully will get a 16 channel one budget permitting!.
I heard SIRF2 is good so I Will try and lookout for that.
Thx again!
I bought a 1Gb sd card from HongKong and have had problems with TT with it - TT suddenly switches off - I have tracked the problem bein associated with the card. The same files on a 512 sd card works a treat with no hickups. I am not sure if the card is faulty or teh Axim X5 is not happy with 1Gb cards...
I'm using the Arkon CM820 powered mount that has a built in SIRF2 receiver. Works well in my Ford Focus with electrically heated screen. Itis a neat installation that can be removed easily and quickly to be locked in the boot.
I also run the system with a small 12 volt gel rechargable battery in a bum bag. Gives me portability for walk-abouts... (Never get done for speeding that way! )
oh I see, thx for the info, I'v heard good things about the toshiba cards so will get the 1GB tosh card, hopefully that will be ok, might be an idea to download the user manual for X30 and see if it supports 1GB first.
Ah so you use a 512mb card, tomtom is fully installed right?, A friend of mine was saying that his mate has an old pda and before he goes out he has to load maps from his computer first!, I just want to install tomtom 3 or 5 fully and not worry about that, 1GB or even 512mb should do the job (I hope).
I looked at the arkon range however they dont seem to do a mount with built in receiver for the X30 (I'll be getting the "X30 performance" however they do seem to have same physical size).
it does mention it comes with a "1 3' Bluetooth GPS charging cable" however I Was actually going to go with wired as I thought one less thing to go wrong but may have to reconsider.
Anyway!, Thanks for all the info donald , much appreciated
oh I see, thx for the info, I'v heard good things about the toshiba cards so will get the 1GB tosh card, hopefully that will be ok, might be an idea to download the user manual for X30 and see if it supports 1GB first.
Ah so you use a 512mb card, tomtom is fully installed right?, A friend of mine was saying that his mate has an old pda and before he goes out he has to load maps from his computer first!, I just want to install tomtom 3 or 5 fully and not worry about that, 1GB or even 512mb should do the job (I hope).
I looked at the arkon range however they dont seem to do a mount with built in receiver for the X30 (I'll be getting the "X30 performance" however they do seem to have same physical size).
it does mention it comes with a "1 3' Bluetooth GPS charging cable" however I Was actually going to go with wired as I thought one less thing to go wrong but may have to reconsider.
Anyway!, Thanks for all the info donald , much appreciated
First, I made a Mistake - I should have written that my pda is an Axim X50 (not a X5) (I do however have an X5...)
With the 512Mb card, it is a "fit and forget" system. Once loaded you don't have to frig with copying maps - I do not know what your pal was up to but it sounds as if he had a problem!
I have not detected any lags in the system. My 512 sd card is Dane-Electric. Cant remember where I got it from.
My thoughts on wired systems:
The problem that I had when I used my son's Fortuna wired receiver was the excess cables that got tangled. I did loop them up and neaten them with cable ties, but it was still a pain in the rear having all the cables when putting the kit in the boot when I had "arrived at my destination."
My choice is definately "BlueTooth" or "Built In"
All that said, DelBoy, I wish you well with whatever you choose. Once you get a system, let us know of your opinion
Cheers _________________ Axim X50 & TT5, Arkon CM820 powered mount with built in sirf2 gps
Axim 5 sans GPS Rx
Ford Focus 2L Ghia, Wife, kids, dog, cats, mortgage, bank manager & taxman to support, debts, windows need painting - (I cut the grass! - its rained - it needs
Ok donald I think I have finally found my solution
Quote:
With the 512Mb card, it is a "fit and forget" system. Once loaded you don't have to frig with copying maps - I do not know what your pal was up to but it sounds as if he had a problem!
Thats a relief :D
ok I think i have finally decided what I need, its gone over budget but oh well, I'm hoping it will last about 4 years so it'll be worth it!.
I found a good arkon mount which has a built-in SIRF 2 receiver
( http://www.handnav.co.uk/product_details.php?id=328 ), its £89.98 so the price is not TOO bad I guess, still wasnt expecting to spend that much on a mount and receiver but it does seem a fair price and also there shouldnt be many wires hanging about!.
also I can take the PDA with me and chuck the mount at the back so no one can see it.
One very last question (you seem to have a similar mount to this), when I get this mount I only need to have one car power lead going to the mount right?, I was thinking that it would power both the PDA and the GPS receiver, and also it does come with the leads required doesnt it?.
Again I Thank you for all your help, otherwise I would have been totally lost!.
Ok donald I think I have finally found my solution
Quote:
With the 512Mb card, it is a "fit and forget" system. Once loaded you don't have to frig with copying maps - I do not know what your pal was up to but it sounds as if he had a problem!
Thats a relief :D
ok I think i have finally decided what I need, its gone over budget but oh well, I'm hoping it will last about 4 years so it'll be worth it!.
I found a good arkon mount which has a built-in SIRF 2 receiver
( http://www.handnav.co.uk/product_details.php?id=328 ), its £89.98 so the price is not TOO bad I guess, still wasnt expecting to spend that much on a mount and receiver but it does seem a fair price and also there shouldnt be many wires hanging about!.
also I can take the PDA with me and chuck the mount at the back so no one can see it.
One very last question (you seem to have a similar mount to this), when I get this mount I only need to have one car power lead going to the mount right?, I was thinking that it would power both the PDA and the GPS receiver, and also it does come with the leads required doesnt it?.
Again I Thank you for all your help, otherwise I would have been totally lost!.
Ok DelBoy
That Arkon mount is the one I have (other than mine is for the X50).
Yes, you only need the one socket to power up with.
Basically, you plug the Arkon into the cigarette lighter socket. That puts the car voltage (12 vdc nominal).
The Arkon has internal voltage reducer down to the correct level for the PDA. With the Arkon, there will be a two short connectors
1) a connector from the pda to a USB type data socket under the Arkon. That one powers the PDA (and charges its battery) and takes the GPS data from the built in Rx to the PDA.
2) A short audio cable to fit into the PDA ear socket. The other end plugs into socket on top of the Arkon.
The audio amplifier in the Arkon mount really does the job - I bet you could hear it in a tank!
Finally, the Mounting body slides onto the mounting stalk. This allows you to easily slide the unit off the stalk and hide the unit away.
Finally, finally, there are two extra outlet sockets on the Arkon.
One is a blue tooth charging socket. The other is a USB type socket so that you cam power up amother "usb" powered device...
Good Luck _________________ Axim X50 & TT5, Arkon CM820 powered mount with built in sirf2 gps
Axim 5 sans GPS Rx
Ford Focus 2L Ghia, Wife, kids, dog, cats, mortgage, bank manager & taxman to support, debts, windows need painting - (I cut the grass! - its rained - it needs
Thanks Donald
One question, what size of SD card will I need to get to install the TomTom 5 software (with full UK maps installed), I'm thinking of getting a 1GB SD card, some hong kong ebayers (with decent feedback) are doing them, inc P&P would come up to about £45 which is not too bad, I dont know whether to get a normal SD card or one of those "high speed" SD cards, would you say it runs ok on a normal SD card?, really dont want lags .
Ok donald I think I have finally found my solution
Quote:
With the 512Mb card, it is a "fit and forget" system. Once loaded you don't have to frig with copying maps - I do not know what your pal was up to but it sounds as if he had a problem!
One very last question (you seem to have a similar mount to this), when I get this mount I only need to have one car power lead going to the mount right?, I was thinking that it would power both the PDA and the GPS receiver, and also it does come with the leads required doesnt it?.
Here we go, DelBoy
The following pics show the Axim X5O on the Arkon Powered GPS mount:
Pic 1 shows the unit as it would be fitted in the car - note the short cable looping under the unit - that is the power/data connection between Arkon & PDA the other cable leading down is a curly cord going the the ciggy lighter.
Next pic shows the bluetooth charger (Can be used for other accessory, i guess):
Shot #3 is a pic of under the unit and shows the data connection and the extra usb type accessory charging port:
Thats it matey... _________________ Axim X50 & TT5, Arkon CM820 powered mount with built in sirf2 gps
Axim 5 sans GPS Rx
Ford Focus 2L Ghia, Wife, kids, dog, cats, mortgage, bank manager & taxman to support, debts, windows need painting - (I cut the grass! - its rained - it needs
Thanks Donald , I see exactly what you meant now.
The Arkon mount seems ideal as it has the receiver built in, I dont think there are any other mounts avail for Axim X30 that have built-in receivers as well (was going to compare mounts to see if this was the best quality one), however this should do the job well enough!.
After reading "Retailers to buy from or avoid" in the forum a bit worried about using Handnav, hopefully will be ok.
After costing everything up (including mount and 1GB SD card) it will cost me about £330 total, however if everything works smoothly it should be worth it, Can I ask how long have you been using your current setup, I'm hoping mine will last at least 3 years to justify the expense!
I'll probably place the order tomorow for everything including PDA, just some last minute thinking to do!. :D
The seller mentions that "MOUNTS ALSO AVAILABLE FOR: DELL X3/X30", will probably end up getting better service and the same item for the same price.
Cant see a difference between the one handnav are selling and one for sale on ebay.
Hiya again DelBoy
I'm glad to have helped - I have not had mine all that long. I guess about two - three months. It started when a friend bought a second hand pda with TT N2 then he upgraded to 3.5. My son had a Kane set up for his Palm T2 and after seeing their set ups, I got TT3.5 for my Axim X5 - I then bought TT5 and put it on the X5, The mapping and every thing worked well with the exception of the audio. It soubded all broken up as if the processor was fetching part of the sound file, playing it and then getting the rest of it to play. I was so impressed with the way it got me to some nasty unmarked back roads of deepest North Devon, I decided to buy an X50 and get the Arkon CM820 for it. I got mine from Morpeth Mobiles at http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Morpeth-Mobiles
I have an idea that I may well have bought the earlier Arkon mount from Mr_Affordable. _________________ Axim X50 & TT5, Arkon CM820 powered mount with built in sirf2 gps
Axim 5 sans GPS Rx
Ford Focus 2L Ghia, Wife, kids, dog, cats, mortgage, bank manager & taxman to support, debts, windows need painting - (I cut the grass! - its rained - it needs
Ah I see
I was just about to buy everything today however I thought I better double check that my cigarette socket was working, I got my dads electric air compressor and plugged it in and... :o
the connection was very poor, i couldnt plug it in fully, I had to hold the connector to insure power was getting to the compressor, when I let go the air compressor just stopped working, not good .
I'm thinking of ordering the arkon mount only first and see how the connection is, it probably wont be good, I would of thought my 94 nissan sunny would use standard connectors!.
It appears as though the connector is too tight as the lead wont slot in fully, i have to hold it against the connector for it to work
I might phone up a mechanic or something and see if it can be replaced (great, more costs!) as I really wanted/needed to run it on car power.
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