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Satmap Motherboard Replacement anyone?

 
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gregmarshall
Occasional Visitor


Joined: Aug 12, 2008
Posts: 5
Location: Darlington

PostPosted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 7:11 pm    Post subject: Satmap Motherboard Replacement anyone? Reply with quote

OK - so I rvd my free Satmap 1.4 software u/grade - Platform(9.2.21) SD card as I am a Mac User.

It doesn't work - why ? - Because I have one of the first units purchased and it wont run that platform.

Satmap said my only option was to return it and get a motherboard and antenna upgrade for £35. Also if I want postcode look up that would be another £10...

My question is - Has anyone availed themselves of this 'service' - what are the benefits? etc... I just feel I need advice...

I feel annoyed (and penalised) as I bought the Active 10 when it originally came out it was said by their MD that it would be Mac compatible - now almost 2 years later we are told that there may be a Mac Beta by Xmas... it almost feels that as an early adopter I'm being penalised for supporting the company based on vapourware... rant over.
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lucevans
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Joined: Mar 21, 2007
Posts: 261
Location: Cambridgeshire, UK

PostPosted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 8:30 pm    Post subject: Re: Satmap Motherboard Replacement anyone? Reply with quote

gregmarshall wrote:
OK - so I rvd my free Satmap 1.4 software u/grade - Platform(9.2.21) SD card as I am a Mac User.

It doesn't work - why ? - Because I have one of the first units purchased and it wont run that platform.

Satmap said my only option was to return it and get a motherboard and antenna upgrade for £35. Also if I want postcode look up that would be another £10...

My question is - Has anyone availed themselves of this 'service' - what are the benefits? etc... I just feel I need advice...

I feel annoyed (and penalised) as I bought the Active 10 when it originally came out it was said by their MD that it would be Mac compatible - now almost 2 years later we are told that there may be a Mac Beta by Xmas... it almost feels that as an early adopter I'm being penalised for supporting the company based on vapourware... rant over.


Mine came back in the post this afternoon - I'll check it out and let you know how it compares with the old hardware Wink
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lucevans
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Joined: Mar 21, 2007
Posts: 261
Location: Cambridgeshire, UK

PostPosted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 10:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

First impressions of the new hardware:

1. Boot screen is different - boot time is approximately the same as the old motherboard

2. Response time to key presses seems noticeably quicker

3. For it's initial fix, I left it switched on in the conservatory at the back of our house; when I returned about an hour later, it was tracking 12 satellites, including an EGNOS bird, giving an accuracy of 3m. No complaints there!

4. Sensitivity of the new motherboard/aerial combination is MUCH better than the old kit: I walked through the house and upstairs to the room where I am typing this now, and the unit has maintained a solid lock on 8 satellites, and maintained an accuracy of 6m (no EGNOS though). This is a huge improvement over the old motherboard, which rarely got a fix at all inside the house.

5. I noted that Satmap have installed all the custom POI icons for me into internal memory

6. Orientating the map ahead using the electronic compass seems much smoother now: on the old motherboard, it jumped around so much when stationary, that this mode was practically unusable. I don't know whether the compass is embedded on the motherboard (and therefore changed when the motherboard was changed) but it seems much more stable now.

7. I can finally use all the functionality of SatSync! With the new motherboard and latest platform software (09.02.21) none of the options are greyed-out any more, and I don't need to reboot the Active 10 after copying files to it for them to show up on the unit.

8. A small detail: They've glued the USB port cover onto the case! Mine was one of the early ones where the cover was completely removable, and they have super-glued the flat edge of the cover to the case so it sort-of hinges now - but getting the USB mini connector into the socket is a bit of a struggle. I'm worried that with repeated use the cover will tear off, leaving a rough glue patch on the case, making it impossible to form a good water seal with one of the spare covers I've got.

Whether you really need these improvements or are happy with your unit the way it is is a personal choice: I was fairly satisfied with the performance of my unit before the upgrade, but was tempted by the prospect of a faster, more sensitive GPS with more features- which is exactly what I got by paying £35. Personally speaking, I think the improvements are well worth the money. It may be that not all users would feel the same way.


Last edited by lucevans on Tue Dec 08, 2009 11:19 pm; edited 1 time in total
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RavingDave
Lifetime Member


Joined: Oct 14, 2006
Posts: 111

PostPosted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 10:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I got mine back last Friday after Motherboard replacement. I decided to go ahead in order to get the hibernate feature. The main difference I have noticed is that whatever they replaced it with (motherboard / antenna) is much more sensitive. I can now pick up satellite lock whilst sitting indoors, not even near a window. Before the upgrade it would not pick up a thing unless it was outdoors.

Pricing seems a bit random. Was originally told £35 over the phone, then I received an email to say it would be £45 (£35 for the motherboard and £10 for the platform upgrade), then when I took it to their offices to get it done was charged £40! No mention of an extra £10 for postcode search, although I did get the world basemap upgrade at the same time (for an extra £40), and this seems to have also included postcode search.

PS World Basemap upgrade service is on special offer today via the Advent Calendar on the Satmap website. So if you buy in the next 2.5 hours you can get it for £19.99. You lose the street level map, but then I never found that particularly useful as it didn't have street name or postcode lookup. Now I've got postcode lookup, but no street level mapping!
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