GPS specifications

MKREdit · 08-10-04, 10:44 AM

I kinda new to the GPS world and I notice there are alot of units out with different types of connections and various prices. What I was wondering if there are any specs to look for that make one unit better than another. it would seem that none of the sites i've seen ever go into things like the units ability to capture a signal etc.

dekruyter · 08-10-04, 10:48 AM

Make sure it has a SiRF Star IIe (lowpower) chipset, OR better.

Bluetooth connection is good. Time to lock is important.

Mark

JakeRich · 08-10-04, 12:10 PM

Originally Posted by dekruyter

Make sure it has a SiRF Star IIe (lowpower) chipset, OR better.

Bluetooth connection is good. Time to lock is important.

Mark

Actually, if you are in a poor signal area you might want Xtrac as the first option. Low power is only critical if you plan to walk around with it, not if you plan to power it in your car all the time. Even then, the difference in current draw between the lowpower and non-low power units is not that large. BT is useful if you have, or plan to have BT capability in the PDA, but for most in-car use even wired is acceptable. For the X3 community, wired is actually preferable in the car because it frees the SDIO port for memory.

Most units get quick locks. Almost all on the current market have acceptable lock times.

Fundamentally, there are two major factors in selecting a GPS unit--1. Do you want it to be powered by the PDA or are you willing/planning to power it up in a car, and 2. How much are you willing to pay?

For flexibility the Haicom 303 units offer the option to be a serial, CF or even Bluetooth (with the "slipper") GPS. They do tend to be more expensive as a result.

If you go to the various manufacturer's sites you will see the techical specs on the various units. They don't differ much.

twotonemark · 08-10-04, 01:58 PM

Originally Posted by MKREdit

I kinda new to the GPS world and I notice there are alot of units out with different types of connections and various prices. What I was wondering if there are any specs to look for that make one unit better than another. it would seem that none of the sites i've seen ever go into things like the units ability to capture a signal etc.

You should visit www.pocketgpsworld.com

Go here http://www.pocketgpsworld.co.uk/menu...eetrouting.php for in depth reviews of various GPS street routing software.

There is a forum section on the site too with lots of information from friendly helpful members.

Hope this helps :approve:

dekruyter · 08-10-04, 02:20 PM

The Deluo BT I mentioned is fully BT connection only, running on a Li-Ion rechargeable battery. That's why power saving is good. Although it's not enabled by default. It's nice not to have cords. The BT GPS can run off and auto Cig. Lighter, to conserve Bat life.

With BT PDA, no extra cords or connectors to buy or deal with. The port on the X30 is very fragle.

BT keyboards, mice, GPS, etc. is the way to go.

Cords are the thing of the past.

Mark

MKREdit · 08-10-04, 04:17 PM

I guess what I'm asking is there a spec like for example if you are looking at PC's clearly one with an 3ghz processor and 1 gig of ram is better than one with 1.5ghz processor and 500meg of ram. If you have 2 gps recievers same connection type how would you determine which was the best performer in terms of locking a signal & accuracy? or does this methodology not apply

dekruyter · 08-10-04, 04:24 PM

No, it's price, main chip, ports (serial, BT, etc.), size, compatibility to unit/software (ARM, RISK, etc.), the number of NEMA sentances it broadcasts.

Things are not as easy as you think. For instance, the CF GPS receiver mentioned above needs a seperate BT holder to run BT.

Sorry, it's just not that easy. Look at a reputable company, cost, and compatibility with your PDA and proposed software.

Mark