GPS / PDA advice please

[CakeMan]

I’m a newcomer to PDAs and GPS, but thanks to these excellent pages am about ready to buy my first setup. I’m looking at either:
1. HP2210 + Fortuna GPSmart BT
2. Any CF PDA + Garmin Geko 201 + connection cable.

I already have TTN2. Use will mainly be in car, but also do a bit of hiking, hence choice of standalone. I much prefer the Garmin over the Fortuna, (if only Garmin would make a BT version!) but I’m worried about reception through my heat reflecting windscreen, and the problem of connecting/buying cables etc.
Any comments or helpful suggestions?

[HielandLad]

I am sure that others here will know the particular kit you are talking about and so be able to give you more definite information.

However, I have a 2210 and am using a Syson Chip BT GPS receiver with it (it came as part of the Ipaq Navigation System 3 from HP). I also have a Garmin Streetpilot III colormap and have had great difficuties getting a signal through my heat refelctive and heated windscreen. The GPS signals were attenuated so much that the unit was unusable. I had to run an external receiver outside the car (a Jaguar S Type).

I thought that I wod have the same problem with the Sysonchip. However, I have been very impressed with the quality fo the unit. I get a very good signal just sitting it on the dash - 8 or 9 satellites all the time. It never misses a beat.

The biggest issue I have with it is that you get no warning that batteries are running low. My expereince to date is that it just stops working. I wish that it cold feed back a battery warning to the 2210 so that at least I could make some decisions.

The unit came with a car adaptor and plitter which can charge botht he 2210 and the Sysoinchip at the same time. Even though cable lengths are tight in my setup, and the receiver is sitting right on the interior edge of the dashboard whilst charging, it still works perfectly. It is a boon not having cables running to the receiver normally.

Hope this helps a little until others reply.

Alastair

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