Best SiRF II receiver?

[sk]

Hello,

Sorry if this belongs in the beginners section. Is it true that all SiRF II receivers have identical TTFFs and performance? (If so, why then does the RoyalTek Saphire perform so poorly in TTFF)

So what is the best SiRF II out there? I'm looking at the Holux 210, the Haicom 204S and the Leadtek 9532. They all seem to have the same TTFF (assuming the data in the TTFF list is a typo - I've addressed this in the comparison forum) so what is the difference? The Haicom looks cheap and is also XTrac. Some places refer to it as SiRF II as well. So is it both? Is this a good or a bad thing? (I've skimmed through the sticky XTrac review but am still unsure) Can I switch it off? Furthermore I *think* it's WAAS/EGNOS enabled but not sure (again, addressed in other forum)... does this matter?

Can someone please help as I wish to get the Holux or Haicom instead of the Leadtek (they have cheaper offers) but am worried they are in some way inferior as in you get what you pay for...

Any help would be really appreciated.

Thanks!

[Dave]

No, SiRF II won't have identical TTFF's. There's no such thing as an identical TTFF. Most GPS Receivers now do carry the SiRF II chips and chipset, but TTFF's are variable and it all depends on how good a view of the sky you have, when you hit the download transmission cycle for data, and where any data gets discarded. All of this can be affected by the quality of the antenna and also how the chipset is implemented and whether there's any firmware bugs.

XTrac is a different kind of chipset which allows you to use a GPS not in direct line of sight, but it does have side effects. Take a look at the XTrac Article. You can't turn XTrac off on regular GPS's that just use the XTrac chipset.

Regarding the best GPS, it really depends on what you are looking for in a GPS, some have better antennas than others, the Holux GM-210 has a good antenna followed by a Leadtek and then a RoyalTek I would say.

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