Am I expecting too much from my HI-302LP

chris593 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jun 20, 2004 Posts: 3

I've just bought a Haicom 302LP compact flash GPS receiver to use with my Ipaq both in the car and on foot and have been slightly disapointed with the senstitivity using the internal antenna.

In the car, on a vent mount, it immediately loses fixa nd never really recovers: with the supplied patch antenna located on the top of the dash it works fine. I was hoping it would work ok, but I can understand why it doesn't and can live with plugging the external antenna in.

On foot,I went out for a short walk today and it worked ok provided I held it in horiaontally front of me (3 to 5 satellites found). As soon as I put it in either my trouser or shirt pocket again it lost fix.

Inside buidlings, I do not receive any satellites and although I was not expecting it to work inside, reading these forums I have seen reports of people being able to receive indoors.

As this is my experience with any form of GPS receiver I'm wondering if I am just being over-optmisitc in what to expect or whether maybe my receiver has a problem.

If not, any advice on whether the 303-MMF with its swivel head, or any other receiver would work better in the situations I have described.

DavidW · Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2004 12:24 am Post subject:

My HI-303MMF works fine in the kind of location you describe without an external antenna - though my car is different to your car.

How well does your GPS work in open space outside without the antenna? Does the angle of the antenna to the sky make that much of a difference?

David

chris593 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jun 20, 2004 Posts: 3

wow thanks for the quick reply!

The orientation doesn't seem to make much difference, just when i put it close to my body, whcihc obviously will have some shielding effect, but I am surprised at how much difference it is making.

In open space without the antenna I usually get 3-5satellites green on winfast navigator. I have read posts with people claimng they are getting 8-10 satellites, so thats why i wondered if anytohng was wrong with mine.

DavidW · Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2004 1:18 am Post subject:

Your GPS does sound to be performing particularly badly on the internal antenna. It may be worth seeing if you can return it for another.

David

iancjc · Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2004 9:42 am Post subject:

The first haicom 303e I had would work like this - great with the external antenna and then next to nothing without. Globalpositioningsystms replaced it and the 2nd one has worked perfectly ever since - managed to get upto 8 when wlaking and using it as a cf receiver and have seen 12 sats when used with the bt slipper and external antenna in the car.

Also bear in mind that depending on the model of your car it is possible that you wouldn't get to great a reception from a vent mount as this could put the reciever effectively under the roof of the car.
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TyTn II (WM6.1) / tomtom one v2
TTN6.03 tomtom 7.xx (one)

iancjc · Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2004 9:43 am Post subject:

The first haicom 303e I had would work like this - great with the external antenna and then next to nothing without. Globalpositioningsystms replaced it and the 2nd one has worked perfectly ever since - managed to get upto 8 when wlaking and using it as a cf receiver and have seen 12 sats when used with the bt slipper and external antenna in the car.

Also bear in mind that depending on the model of your car it is possible that you wouldn't get to great a reception from a vent mount as this could put the reciever effectively under the roof of the car.
_________________
-----------------------------------------------------------
TyTn II (WM6.1) / tomtom one v2
TTN6.03 tomtom 7.xx (one)

chris593 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jun 20, 2004 Posts: 3

Once again, thanks for the quick replies. It is primarily the out of car performance that has disappointed me: in-car I could live with using the external antenna.

I have spoken to globalpositioningsystems who are fine about me returning it. The guy I spoke to suggested getting the Sysyonchip Compact Flash card instead. I had looked at this, but originally discounted this one due to the lag problems people had encountered due to the Sirf Xtrac chipset.

Further googling on the Xtrac V2 version seems to show the lag problem much improved compared with the original Xtrac, but I am still unsure!

Does anyone have any experience with the sysonchip card (although this post is probably now in the wrong forum!

thanks

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