 Review by Dave Burrows
Introduction
Haicom have released the new 204 series of Haicom GPS Mouse. The GPS we are reviewing here is the new Haicom 204S with cable support for a HP iPAQ 2210.
The Haicom 204S carries the SiRF IIe/LP chipset as denoted by 204S, supports 12 satellites all-in-view, supports NMEA 0183 v2.20 and is waterproof. Haicom say they have designed the 204S to withstand harsh operating environments, so having this on the outside of a vehicle whether travelling in the town or off road should perform well.
Box Contents
- HI-204S GPS Receiver
- PDA Cable / Auto-charger
- Warranty Information Sheet
- *buyGPSnow exclusive Destinator 3.0 North America 30-Day Trial
* When purchased through buyGPSnow.com.
 Design
Anyone that reads PocketGPSWorld.com regularly will know I am still a fan of the Leadtek GPS Mouse, and I do still carry two on the dashboard of my car partially for everyday use and also for backup when I'm using Bluetooth, but the Haicom 204S does appeal to me. Partly because it's waterproof, but also because of it's solid design. It's a completely sealed, no screws and it feels like it's properly built (unlike the earlier 203's).
Like previous Haicom's it has a translucent case so you can see the internals of the GPS, the square you see is the internal patch antenna. The Haicom 204S also comes in a variety of different cable sets.
Supported Cable Sets:-
- USB Cable
- RS232
- Dell Axim X3
- Dell Axim X5
- iPAQ 36xx/37xx Series
- iPAQ 38xx/39xx/54xx Series
-
 HP Jornada 54x/56x
- Palm V Series
- Palm m100/m500 Series
- Palm Tungsten T Series, C/W/Zire71
- Casio E125/EM500
- Casio E125
- Sony CLIE T/NR/NX/NZ/SL/SJ Series
- Sony Clie N Series
- Handspring Treo 180/270/600
- XDA/XDAII, AT&T, T-Mobile, Q-Tek, Siemens SX56
- Toshiba e330/335/e355/740/750 Series
- Toshiba e400/4800 Series
- Siemens Pocket Loox
- Mitac Mio 528/Viewsonic V37
- Asus A620
- Asus A600
- Acer n20
GPS Base
The base of the Haicom 204S is magnetised so you can place this on top of a car and not have to worry about it letting in water due to it's waterproof design. It also has a rubbery base so it shouldn't slip too much when placed on a dashboard.
Technical Specification
| GPS Technology: |
SiRF Star IIe chip set |
| Interface: |
Mini-DIN PS/II to PDA plug |
| Output: |
NMEA-0183 v2.20 protocol @ 4800/9600 baud rate, 8-None-1, and supports command: GGA,GSA,GSV,RMC,VTG,GLL |
| Hot Start: |
Less than 8 sec. |
| Warm Start: |
Less than 38 sec. average |
| Cold Start: |
Less than 48 sec. average |
| Reacquisition: |
< 100msec |
| Acceleration Limit: |
Less than 18,000m |
| Altitude Limit: |
100ms |
| Accuracy: |
Position: 25m CEP without SA, Velocity: 0.1/sec without SA |
| Dimension: |
69mm x 73mm x 20mm (W x L x H) |
| Power Consumption: |
80 mA @ 3.3V, Trickle power: 27mA |
| Storage Temperature: |
-55°~90°C |
| Operation Temperature: |
-20°~75°C |
| Humidity: |
Up to 95% non-Condensing |
| Channels: |
12 channel |
| Sensitivity: |
-165 dBW minimum |
| Update Rate |
1 Hz |
| Antenna |
On-Board Patch Antenna |
Performance
Conclusion
The Haicom 204S is a good all-round GPS Mouse. It's fully waterproof, has the tried and trusted SiRF IIe/LP chipset that most people prefer, and uses the standard Haicom cables.
|
