TomTom iPhone Car Kit - No GPS Fix?

st1967 · Lifetime Member Joined: Nov 28, 2003 Posts: 189

My iPhone GPS experience is now starting to wear me down, and on the day I posted my trusty HTC Windows Mobile to its new home Crying or Very sad

Posted last week about poor GPS in the 3GS I've bought. It works but I found I am driving in fields a lot as it jumps all over the place.

Anyway bit the bullet and bought a TomTom car kit. Now it is supposed to be brand new (fleabay) but it was not in it's packaging but it looks new and it has the official TomTom 1.2amp charger not a 3rd party one.

First go I did not notice any difference in GPS so I loaded up the TomTom kit app that shows the GPS status. No matter what I do it never shows a GPS Fix. It tells me the phone is docked fine and the phone is using the built in speaker fine, I can also pair to the bluetooth (don't need it as the car has bluetooth).

Just driven 60 miles to Stoke today and the GPS bounced all over the place as normal and when I got here the TomTom kit app showed NO GPS FIX.

Before I start the process of speaking to TomTom support, or returning the kit as faulty, does anybody have experience of this? Saw a bit on tomtom forums but that site seems to be down, or it was yesterday?

This is where I miss the windows mobile, your hands are so tied with this closed shop that is iPhone. I want my REGEDIT back ..... Laughing Out Loud

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Samsung S22 Android, Google Maps & Camera Alert

mikealder · Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 11:26 am Post subject:

A few things to check:

1/ Is the ciggy lighter socket live as the Car Kit won't work without power?
2/ What car and does it have Athermic windscreen?
3/ What iOS is the iPhone running?
4/ How many apps have you got running in the background?

As for getting in to the file/ folder structure on your iPhone have a look at what DiskAid can offer but make sure you put it in to advanced user mode Wink

- Mike

st1967 · Lifetime Member Joined: Nov 28, 2003 Posts: 189

Thanks Mike,

It would appear I am not alone

http://discussions.info.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=13371706#13371706

1. Yes, using official TomTom adapter with 1.2amp charging and this is working.

2. 2011 Volvo V50, I did look this up and I'm quite sure it doesn't, but myTomTom worked fine with the windows mobile in the same car.

3. 4.3.1 (8G4)

4. Driving today I just had your Camera App and TomTom running along with the phone obviously.

I have diskaid loaded as I used it for my POIs so will have a read up about what you can do Wink

I do like to tweek Wink

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Samsung S22 Android, Google Maps & Camera Alert

mikealder · Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 11:41 am Post subject:

Indeed the V50 windscreen is normal glass, I drive its larger brother (V70) one other thing to watch is the charger lead jumping out of the Ovlov socket as they don't seem to stay put when you hit a bump, this affects my car and a few other Ovlov owners.

There have been a number of reports od issues with 4,3,1 on a number of forums, the only fix I have seen suggested was to reset the iPhone completely then re-load all your apps with fresh downloads via iTunes - No idea why this works or that this fault seems random as to who it affects - Mike

Darren · Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 11:53 am Post subject:

If the TomTom CarKit App says it's not receiving a signal then there is an issue with the carkit, simple as that really.
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Darren Griffin

st1967 · Lifetime Member Joined: Nov 28, 2003 Posts: 189

st1967 · Lifetime Member Joined: Nov 28, 2003 Posts: 189

Woo Hoo, replacement car kit back from TomTom and it got a GPS fix in under 30 seconds !!

Can finally enjoy my new TomTom without constantly field hopping Very Happy

The native GPS in the iPhone 3GS was fine as long as you were travelling in a straight line! Heaven forbid you need to make a turn and it was pot luck if you could see it Laughing

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Samsung S22 Android, Google Maps & Camera Alert

Darren · Posted: Thu May 05, 2011 8:14 pm Post subject:

Good to hear although the GPS in my 3GS has always been fairly good. The 3's was dire though!
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Darren Griffin

st1967 · Lifetime Member Joined: Nov 28, 2003 Posts: 189

As bizarre as it is the car kit works fine up in the windscreen, but as soon as I dismantled it and put it on the centre vent brodit ball I get no signal again. We are talking about 18 inches difference Shocked

I'm thinking its something in my Volvo doing this as it makes no sense.

Full details with a photo here if interested http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=123915

So it's working again but on the suction mount on the windscreen which I'm not best pleased about. What is throwing me is my Windows Mobile GPS worked fine on the same brodit proclip ??

I hate mystery's Evil or Very Mad

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Samsung S22 Android, Google Maps & Camera Alert

Darren · Posted: Fri May 06, 2011 11:21 am Post subject:

Can't see the photos unless we're registered, can you post it here?
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Darren Griffin

st1967 · Lifetime Member Joined: Nov 28, 2003 Posts: 189

Not sure how you do that? You don't have an attachments option and I have nowhere online to upload to?
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Samsung S22 Android, Google Maps & Camera Alert

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