Thread: USB GPS advice please

Andrew

If you have the option I would go bluetooth. So much easier to use, no wires etc etc. I have one which I run with oziexplorer and it is great. It uses a SIRF III chipset (which I have no idea what it is) that runs 20 channels. I dont lose satellite coverage even in the heaviest vegetation and gullies.

Cheers

Angus

I'm not sure about Bluetooth. It does depend on whether your PC can accept more than one paired Bluetooth accessory. Having said that, I do like the fact that it should keep lock providing you have a power supply to it. It seems quite a few don't have the ability to run off a car power supply but need batteries.

I have a USB magnetic base GPS mouse - a GlobalSat BU-353 which works very well.

I've got the Holux GPSlim 236..... I think. SIRF III, Uses bluetooth primarily, but also has USB available if you need it. Picked it up for about $70 (ebay), then just needed the usb cable, which was a fairly standard unit.

All up, just a little bigger than a matchbox, or two. (not magnetic based though)

Regarding bluetooth.... I have 2 and they often drop out. I did not learn from the first one I bought the 2nd one it is different but still drops out a lot. And when you don't notice you can have several kms of track not mapped. I'd go usb if I did it again.

I would of thought as long as it has the sirf 3 chipset you'd be right.

Sorry I can't help with the actual question Landyandy.

I've got a CF card Holux and it also has the sirf-III thing. Much better satellite reception than my Garmin Etrex. I got the CF card as I use it in my PDA and sometimes used it in my old laptop with a PCMCIA adapter.

Even with the sirf-III thing it will work better outside the car or with an external antenna. Especially in bad weather, gullies, forests etc. As even if it holds a lock in these conditions it won't be a very good one.

I'm not a fan of bluetooth. I prefer the cable as even though cables can get messy it is better than having to screw with a pairing whenever it feels like not playing the game.

From memory when I bought mine from Ebay, Holux was the brand to get. You could buy the same brand/models in reputable shops here if you wanted. That was about 4 years ago now.

This is the same as the one that I bought:

NEW 54 CHANNEL BLUETOOTH GPS RECEIVER PDA TOMTOM MOBILE - eBay, GPS, Electronics. (end time 05-Sep-08 20:00:00 AEST)


So far, so good.... It doesn't have a magnet base, rather a sticky pad that sits on the dash. I connect to it with Bluetooth, and haven't had any problems with it dropping out.

The acquisition time is good, and it seems to be able to pick up the signal in the urban jungle ok. I tried it while driving thru the middle of the city, and no dramas so far.

Originally Posted by Basil135

The acquisition time is good, and it seems to be able to pick up the signal in the urban jungle ok. I tried it while driving thru the middle of the city, and no dramas so far.

What is a pain with nav software is telling one to turn after one has passed the turn off. That happened regularly with my old PDA system and just as often with our new system. If you travel at 30-40 km/h it's usually OK but not in densely packed urban areas where the streets are close together.

I got one similar to this from fleabay a while ago (same brand, older?'model, similar features)

I've been happy with it...

pre laptop I used it as a logger and then downloaded tracks when I got home to view in Google earth

now I use it with ozi on the laptop with either bluetooth or USB connx. It came with an additional battery, 240v charger and 12v car charger. sometimes I connect with USB so the laptop can charge it, otherwise I've just used bluetooth and have found the bluetooth to be quite reliable. The unit itself is quite small and sits in the middle of the disco dash right up to the windscreen quite nicely. I do get slightly random tracks sometimes but overall happy.