advice on GPS equipment for courier use

mjolnir · Occasional Visitor Joined: Mar 29, 2004 Posts: 14

hi all. a big plea to everone for some (actually, a LOT) of advice regarding courier work.

i'm in the process of setting myself up as a courier, and therefore i'll need some advice on the kind of setup i'll need (car/navigation-wise). i was planning on getting a latop in the first place, but a friend suggested that this is impractical, since i wouldnt want to be lugging that around while delivering (nor would i leave it in the car for obvious reasons!). but i also need to phone/fax/send emails on the road as well (plus speed camera alert, i assume). after a brief look on the net, it seems the XDA 2 would solve most of my problems, but is there anything more... economical on the market?

can anyone help? is there anything i need to look out for? etc... thanks in advance

PS - if there are any advice on courier insurance, that would aslo be much appreciated!

mjolnir · Occasional Visitor Joined: Mar 29, 2004 Posts: 14

sorry, forgot to mention that i'm based in the UK

Rogerfrit · Posted: Tue Mar 30, 2004 6:51 am Post subject:

I was a courier a few lifetimes ago.
There wasn't GPS then - just dog-eared and scribbled-on road atlases.
I would have loved the set-up I have now.
HP2210 in Covertec case
TomTom 2
Neils Thomsen's excellent Postcode program (Essential!)
Globalsat BT380 Blueooth GPS.
Car charger for both.
Coupled with a Bluetooth phone you can do E-Mail and internet.
I also have a WiFi card that is OK, but a bit temperamental (perhaps it is just me?)
For an in-car mount, I fold the Covertec cover right back, fasten the clip, and hang it from the rearview mirror. This still leaves half the mirror free and has the advantage of easy transferability from vehicle to vehicle. The GPS sits on a small bit of BluTak to stop it sliding about too much.
HTH
Roger
p.s. - Take your atlas with you - electronic thingies can go wrong!

Dave · Posted: Tue Mar 30, 2004 9:18 am Post subject:

For ease of use I would personally suggest a Garmin Street Pilot or Navman iCN630. These will get you from A to B via several locations and give you most of what you want.

They won't do emails, fax or phone, the SPIII Deluxe comes in at around £629 and the Navman around £899. You can get the newer Street Pilot 2610 for just under £1000 with IR remote control and touch screen.

You could do all of this on a PDA, but you are restricted to a small screen and you will be restricted to tapping in mostly n the screen letter by letter, not great for long emails. There are keyboards available but some will stop you using the bottom sync port which in some cases will be needed to power the Pocket PC or give a GPS feed. Combining all of this technology into one device could leave you up the creek without a paddle if things start to go wrong, and if you're relying on it for business then I'd say go for a SPIII Deluxe and a cheap PDA like an iPAQ 2210 (providing you have a Bluetooth mobile phone).

alix776 · Posted: Tue Mar 30, 2004 11:09 am Post subject:

just a note onthe xda2 you can use a bt gps with it but were still waiting for the sorry a first rom update frfom o2
_________________
currently using aponia truck navigation on windows phone. Good bye IOS don't let the door hit you on the way out .

Oh the joys of being a courier.
device Lumia 950 xl

mjolnir · Occasional Visitor Joined: Mar 29, 2004 Posts: 14

can ne1 recommend a bluetooth phone then?

mires · Occasional Visitor Joined: Mar 19, 2004 Posts: 13

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