New 9537 - Cannot get GPS signal, I think! - Only solid blue

davidpfitz · Occasional Visitor Joined: Mar 23, 2005 Posts: 6

I'm trying to set up TomTOm mobile with my Leadatek 9537 GPS. I've managed to pair the GPS unit with the C500, did all the serial port config etc. The blue light is solid - I think this means they are connected properly.

However, the green light on the unit does nothing (except flash once when I turn it on). This happens whether I am inside or stnading on the footpath.

TomTom say "The GPS signal was lost x:xx min ago".

Am I doing something wrong? How can I get this working?

Thanks for any help you can give!

David.

lbendlin · Posted: Thu Mar 24, 2005 4:06 am Post subject:

sounds like you do everything right. The green light will start to flash once it has a fix.

Does TomTom tell you if there any sats in view ? If so then you just need to be more patiently wait for the first fix. If not then you will have to verify if the receiver sends any NMEA sequences or not (maybe it's accidentially set to SiRF)
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davidpfitz · Occasional Visitor Joined: Mar 23, 2005 Posts: 6

Where would TomTom tell me if satellites are in view? (TomTom Mobile 4)

I tried walking up and down the road with the phone and the GPS unit to see if I could get a signal. Took me about 3 or 4 minutes. There are buildings either side of the road, but I can't imagine that's a problem. The green light doesn't blink, stay solid or do anything beyond flash once when I hold the power button.

How do I check it it in SiRF mode, or NMEA? I only have bluetooth on my smartphone!

Is there a way to factory reset it to be sure it's in NMEA mode?

David.

hanoudi · Occasional Visitor Joined: Mar 03, 2005 Posts: 11

I hate to say that but your GPS is defective...... i have one that used to work...the grean light should always blink.......mine died after 2 months of use and i started getting exactly what you are getting with your GPS.

check this thread>> http://www.pocketgpsworld.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=17472

I really hope you live in Europe as leadtek warranty in north america sucks big time. check this>>>>> http://www.pocketgpsworld.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=17504

davidpfitz · Occasional Visitor Joined: Mar 23, 2005 Posts: 6

Damn, that is so annoying. So, it shoud blink green all the time? Even if it is not paired with the C500 phone? The green light never does anything at all, paired or not. (Except flash once briefly when I turn it on or off).

I am in Europe ... but they'll just want to send it back to Taiwan I imagine - it was shipped from there when I purchased it.

FrenchDude · Occasional Visitor Joined: Mar 25, 2005 Posts: 1

Hello everyone,

I had exactly the same problem until this morning when I finally solved it.

I did receive my Leadtek 9537 yesterday, and while I was able to establish the Bluetooth connection, the GPS was not able to inialize correctly.

I resolved the problem when I paired the PDA and the GPS. Basically, in the Bluetooth manager, the device was showing correctly and I was able to connect to it.

But I believe that, because I did not pair them with the 0000 pin code, the GPS was ignoring the Reset commands I was sending to it.

So, in the Blutooth Manager, I used Tools then Associated Devices (not sure of the translation: my PDA is in French). Then, I click on add. The new dialog box shows Device and Keypass. To select the device, I click on the magnifier, then I select the "Leadtek Bluetooth GPS" item (which by the way does not have the red check mark on its icon). Then, I used the 0000 keypass.

Then, I switch to the WinFast Navigator and sent a "Cold start" command.

And suddenly it started working fine.

Basically, it behaved as if it was ignoring the reset commands until the pairing was establish.

ANyway, I hope this will help you guys.

hanoudi · Occasional Visitor Joined: Mar 03, 2005 Posts: 11

hanoudi · Occasional Visitor Joined: Mar 03, 2005 Posts: 11

davidpfitz · Occasional Visitor Joined: Mar 23, 2005 Posts: 6

. it's clearly knackered then. last time i buy a leadtek product. warrany fiasco begins ... it sounds that this is not that uncommon - shoddy quality produce.

Thanks for all your help - I couldn't have worked it without you all.

D.

Vic · Posted: Sat Mar 26, 2005 6:40 pm Post subject: Steer clear of the Leadtek 9537!

David, it sounds like it's another case (4 in 2 weeks on here) of exactly the same fault as linked to in my thread earlier. If you go back to that http://pocketgpsworld.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=96180#96180 you'll see I've got it working using an external antenna and have probably located the internal fault.

THIS IS BECOMING AN EXTREMELY COMMON FAULT ON THE LEADTEK 9537! Anyone else thinking of buying this unit, beware! Steer well clear is my advice.

To add to this, it seems that Leadtek's support is all but useless (I wonder why any queries about the 9537 are unanswered!?) which is why I'm attempting to go it alone and fix the unit myself!

Vic

davidpfitz · Occasional Visitor Joined: Mar 23, 2005 Posts: 6

Thanks for all the help everyone ...

The end result is that I have sent the unit back to the original vendor who is to ship me out a new one. No guarentees this one won't kick the bucket after a few months, though.

I think the above advice to stick clear of the Leadtek 9537 (and other rebranded versions) is sound advice. I would not buy the same one again.

BTW - I emailed Leadtek about it. They weren't interested enough to reply.

David.

Vic · Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2005 6:05 pm Post subject:

Don't get me wrong, when the Leadtek is working It's a superb device and mine is working perfectly well now with an external antenna. The weakness is the suceptibility of the thing to static which pops the internal aerial's amplifier.

When you get your replacement David, carry and use it inside an ESD bag is the best advice that I can give.

Vic

davidpfitz · Occasional Visitor Joined: Mar 23, 2005 Posts: 6

I think I will buy an external antenna for myself for the unit ... it can't hurt in any case. I assume it helps in patchy signal areas with foliage etc!

Thanks for the help!

David.

hanoudi · Occasional Visitor Joined: Mar 03, 2005 Posts: 11

VIC, is the Antenna sits inside or outside of the car? if outside then how do you run the wire? please don't tell me through the window Smile

Vic · Posted: Wed Mar 30, 2005 7:57 am Post subject:

Mine sits inside on the dashboard at the screen edge. Its pretty inconspicuous being about 30mm square. The cables on these antennas are usually long enough for you to sit the antenna on the rear parcel shelf if your front screen has a coating that may restrict the signal. Obviously the more clear sky that the aerial can see, the more sats that will be locked.

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