TomTom Nav. 2 +Wired GPS

Henrik · Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2003 10:04 am Post subject: TomTom Nav. 2 +Wired GPS

Good Morning :D

Im thinking of buying the package with Tomtom Navigator 2 and the wired GPS receiver.

Is the GPS receiver DGPS compatible?

Can I use the stuff when im walking as well or does it have to be in a car?

BR
Henrik

Dave · Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2003 10:23 am Post subject:

The chipset of the receiver itself (SiRF IIe/LP) is SBAS (WAAS/DGPS) supported but Leadtek don't have any tools to enable/disable this. I suppose you could use SiRFDemo for this.

You will not want to use a cabled GPS Receiver out walking, the main reason is it needs permanent power from the car battery. Unless you want to lug a car battery around with you, or a customised power pack solution, you would seriously be better off getting a Bluetooth Receiver if your Pocket PC supports Bluetooth, or a Compact Flash GPS Receiver.

You also really won't see much enhancement using WAAS in-car because the faster you travel the more inaccurate your position becomes and although WAAS will give you increased accuracy, it's much better at low speeds, e.g. walking.

Henrik · Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2003 11:25 am Post subject:

ok, maybe I should look for a Compact Flash GPS receiver then? (and buy the navigator 2 s/w separately)

I read about the Haicom 302 here (good review!). How well would that perform in-car without external antenna? Or maybe I should use an external antenna, would that setup be performing like the Tomtom package?

I think the Tomtom package seems good with all you need in the box but i think i would want to use it when out walking as well... Maybe I could make an external battery pack to the Tomtom receiver...

Dave · Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2003 1:02 pm Post subject:

A CF GPS Card may not receive the best signal in-car, mainly due to the antenna facing back at you whilst you're driving, compared to a Bluetooth or GPS Mouse where the antenna automatically points upwards.

Saying that, CF GPS cards are still okay in car, but you may not see as strong a fix as you would with other types of cards.

Haicom do the 303MMF which is a good combination of Mouse and CF card. The 302 worked quite well, but make sure you don't get the LP version, or (E)vermore versions. You can always boost the signal in-car by using a Re-radiating antenna http://www.pocketgpsworld.com/menu_rerads.php or an external plug-in antenna to the CF card.

Currently there are no external battery packs for the TomTom or other receivers, but you can make your own. Take a look at the following review http://www.pocketgpsworld.com/batterypack1.php

Henrik · Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2003 10:09 pm Post subject:

Alright, now I have been reading more about these CF GPS modules. I think i will skip the Haicom products since the only ones available in Sweden is the "E" models...

I will probably go for the Holux GM-270, since it comes with external antenna. This setup will probably be the best (?) for my needs, it will work in-car with the ext. ant. and alot easier to carry when out walking.

So, when having the Holux 270 with the external antenna (in car), would that be performing as good as the Tomtom receiver?

Dave · Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2003 10:22 pm Post subject:

It would, basically you would put the external patch antenna on the dashboard, or out the window onto the roof of the car, and it would receive signals just as good as a Cabled GPS Mouse or Bluetooth GPS. Some people get on okay with CF GPS cards in-car without an external antenna, but some do have problems, and it's good that Holux do ship a free antenna with it as many don't and charge you extra for this.

DavidW · Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2003 6:35 pm Post subject: SBAS switching on a Pocket PC

For those who really want to switch SBAS (WAAS / EGNOS) mode on and off on a SiRF receiver using a Pocket PC, GPS Tweak will do the job.

Get your copy here. You need to copy the .exe file appropriate to your Pocket PC - for most it's the ARM one - to somewhere you can run it from on the Pocket PC. \Windows\Start Menu\Programs is a good location!

David
(who, as always, advises caution when reconfiguring any GPS)

Dave · Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2003 8:19 pm Post subject:

Also be careful as there is still a major bug in SiRFTweak when switching to NMEA the settings are not correctly sent to the receiver. Some settings are swapped.

DavidW · Posted: Sat Dec 20, 2003 12:38 am Post subject:

Maybe one day that bug will get fixed. I only use it for SBAS switching - Winfast Navigator is used for everything else.

David

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