View previous topic :: View next topic |
Author |
Message |
pwhooftman Occasional Visitor
Joined: Dec 19, 2004 Posts: 17
|
Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2004 11:01 am Post subject: Meaning of Power modes ' Trickle Power' and ' Push to Fix' ? |
|
|
Hi,
I purchased a Leadtek 9537 BT GPS Sirf/Xtrac ver2 receiver.
I'm a bit confused about which Power Modes which show in Winfast Navigator are usefull when navigating with TomTom Navigator 3.
Continuous means the chipset is powered continuous, that's obvious.
Trickle Power means that the chipset is powered down between the 1-seconds NMEA string outputs, which should save power considerably.
Push to Fix could mean that only a fix is obtained when you push (but push what, the power button?).
From these descriptions, i would say that Trickle Power is still very usable for use with car navigation, as long as NMEA string output is used. Am i right?
Furthermore, i have learned that Xtrac is enabled by firmware, and even makes receiving satelite info indoors possible through separate NMEA data strings (indeed, in the developmentwindow of Winfats Navigator, i can see data coming in when using the BT receiver indoors). But am i right that no navigation application uses these separate NMEA strings? Xtrac should make navigation possible even in park garages, but thats a bit academic if no navigation applications uses the signals.....
Thanks to anyone replying to this topic. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
DavidW Pocket GPS Moderator
Joined: 17/05/2003 02:26:21 Posts: 3747 Location: Bedfordshire, UK
|
Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2004 3:26 pm Post subject: |
|
|
XTrac firmware works through standard NMEA 0183 sentences; there's no special application support needed to take advantage of the greater XTrac sensitivity.
Indeed, you can't disable XTrac - if your GPS runs XTrac firmware it's always XTrac. The one exception is the Fortuna Clip On, which has a switch to change between standard SiRF and XTrac firmware.
I wouldn't get too bothered about the Trickle Mode stuff. Push to Fix works by sending a command to the GPS and it returns a fix. I wouldn't have thought the power savings even in standard trickle modes are going to make that much difference to a Bluetooth GPS's life between battery charges, though I must admit I haven't experimented. Further, if I remember rightly, many of the more aggressive trickle mode options don't work with XTrac firmware.
You will probably find the performance of TomTom Navigator goes downhill if you reduce the time between position updates.
The battery life of your GPS is likely to be rather longer than your Pocket PC or similar device. There's no problem wiring up a car charger for your Bluetooth GPS if you want to make sure it doesn't go flat when you're driving.
David |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Skippy Pocket GPS Verifier
Joined: 24/06/2003 00:22:12 Posts: 2946 Location: Escaped to the Antipodies! 36.83°S 174.75°E
|
Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2004 5:14 pm Post subject: |
|
|
DavidW wrote: | Push to Fix works by sending a command to the GPS and it returns a fix. |
This is an interesting one. In this mode, the GPS powers on for long enough to get the latest ephemeris and almanac data and then goes into sleep mode for about 30 minutes. After 30 minutes it powers up again to maintain it's ephemeris and almanac then powers off again.
This means that the reciever is using very little power but it can wake up and get a "hot fix" within a second or so. _________________ Gone fishing! |
|
Back to top |
|
|
DavidW Pocket GPS Moderator
Joined: 17/05/2003 02:26:21 Posts: 3747 Location: Bedfordshire, UK
|
Posted: Mon Dec 20, 2004 5:41 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Indeed - in the right application "Push To Fix" is incredibly useful. It's no use for in-car navigation, though!
David |
|
Back to top |
|
|
|
Posted: Today Post subject: Pocket GPS Advertising |
|
|
We see you’re using an ad-blocker. We’re fine with that and won’t stop you visiting the site.
Have you considered making a donation towards website running costs?. Or you could disable your ad-blocker for this site. We think you’ll find our adverts are not overbearing!
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
|