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Does TTN3 Bluetooth need to be in clear site of sky?

 
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Jammer
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Joined: Aug 09, 2004
Posts: 100
Location: London

PostPosted: Wed Aug 18, 2004 11:55 pm    Post subject: Does TTN3 Bluetooth need to be in clear site of sky? Reply with quote

Can someone tell me if the Tomtom Navigator 3 Bluetooth needs to be in clear site of the sky?

I've been having a few problems.
The manual says you should have it on the dashboard or something in clear view.

Does it matter if I have it hidden away in the glove box or something?

AND can I get an extra external antenna?
Would this be on any use?

Let me know.

Thanks.


Jam
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MrT
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 19, 2004 6:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The receiver needs to be able to see a good proportion of the sky, the more the better. On the dash is usually a good position as it can see roughly half of the available sky.

GPS signals can travel with only a little attenuation through many objects such as glass and plastics but not through conductive material such as metal. If you glove box is plastic and is below the windscreen without any metal above it you should get a reasonable signal. Some windscreen heat reflective coatings (Renault for one) are conductive and stop the GPS signals. Windscreen heater elements such as in Ford's have virtually no effect on the signal

I have my TT BT unit in the glove box in my car and it gets a reasonable signal. However I have added a re-radiating antenna which has a receiver outside the car (on the middle of my roof) and effectively a transmitter inside the car which is near the TT BT unit. This gives a major increase in performance as it usually picks up around 7-10 satellites as compared to 4-7 without it. Of the stronger satellite signals there is a slight increase in signal strength. This reflects the re-radiating antenna having a better view of the sky.

The advantage of a re-radiating antenna over a fixed passive antenna is that it is not connected to the TT BT unit and if you have any other GPS equipment in the car at the same time, it will also feed it.
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HairlessHeart
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Joined: Jun 16, 2004
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 19, 2004 8:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi

I've managed to use my TomTom bluetooth receiver successfully when it'd been in a rucksack in the boot of my car! Admittedly, the number and strength of satellites received is slightly lower than when used in the door pocket, for example, but it still works. :D

Doug
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digitalbullet
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Joined: May 08, 2004
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 19, 2004 2:23 pm    Post subject: glove box Reply with quote

my BT GPS receiver is always in my glovebox and i get about 6 satellites constantly.
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Jammer
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Location: London

PostPosted: Thu Aug 19, 2004 2:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

thanks for all the replies.
but can someone alos tell me where i get an external antenna from?
thanks.
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dodgydodgy
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Joined: Jul 22, 2004
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 19, 2004 3:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

http://www.expansys.com/product.asp?code=114519

Just as an example. Check the thread here
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dodgydodgy
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Joined: Jul 22, 2004
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Location: UK

PostPosted: Thu Aug 19, 2004 3:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Or http://www.mobiledatadirect.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=34_101&products_id=1475 as someone suggested (slightly cheaper, but check postage costs)
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dlegros
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Joined: Aug 03, 2004
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PostPosted: Fri Aug 20, 2004 3:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Except both of those are the propietary external antenna for TT-Go
Dom
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MrT
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Joined: Nov 14, 2003
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PostPosted: Sat Aug 21, 2004 6:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

These are both suitable. The more expensive one has the advantage that all the bits are detachable so it is easier to thread through small holes. The power of either is more than sufficient.

http://www.globalpositioningsystems.co.uk/search.php?search=re-radiating&x=17&y=10

Handnav sell the same models but I seem to remember they give them slightly different names
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Mr-B
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Joined: May 20, 2004
Posts: 60
Location: UK

PostPosted: Sun Aug 22, 2004 6:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

MrT wrote:
The receiver needs to be able to see a good proportion of the sky, the more the better. On the dash is usually a good position as it can see roughly half of the available sky.

GPS signals can travel with only a little attenuation through many objects such as glass and plastics but not through conductive material such as metal. If you glove box is plastic and is below the windscreen without any metal above it you should get a reasonable signal. Some windscreen heat reflective coatings (Renault for one) are conductive and stop the GPS signals. Windscreen heater elements such as in Ford's have virtually no effect on the signal


Is there any more info on which windscreens are problematic?

On holiday recently, I drove a Renault Megane hire car and I was tearing my hair out trying to get a satellite fix on my TomTom BT GPS receiver. I thought at first that it had gone faulty - but eventually discovered a point on the dash in front of the steering wheel where it could get a fix fairly reliably. Before it would fix for a few minutes and then lose it just as I was needing it the most!
I wish I'd known about this issue beforehand as I would have selected another car ... Sad
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