GPS requirements!

MarkPerkins · 06-28-05, 03:20 AM

I have a Axim X50v and I wish purchase a bluetooth GPS receiver. My requirements:

1) In car navigation (and a confirmation that the GPS receiver will work through a heated front screen)

2) I do quite a bit of running/walking - I would like to use the GPS to calculate my distance travelled. I am happy to take a GPS receiver and my X50v with me...GPS logger would be nice, but not essential.

To me, that would seem like a very basic set of requirements and that all GPS systems would deliver. How wrong I am. I approached TomTom with my requirements and got a daft answer the first time so I asked the same questions again...but they have failed to reply. I have asked several online shops (based in the UK) and they can only say 'probably' and 'cannot see why it wouldn't work'...

I have looked at quite a few of the GPS sites and they all recommend products...only to find the next site on the forums discussing how bad the product is.

Help. Can anyone offer any advice?

06-28-05, 06:44 AM

Hi.

I would agree that most nav systems will offer you what you want, it is just a case of how to use them correctly.

I use an Axim X50v with a Leadtek 9537 bluetooth GPs receiver and have just updated to TomTom 5. all is working well.

To answer your questions.

1) Although you might get a GPS signal through your heated windscreen, I would put money on it being a weak signal that you will loose frequently. Renault cars are very bad for this as they have a heat reflecting coating on the windscreen. I know I have one.

HOWEVER, you do not have to place the receiver behind the windscreen, I find mine works well in the middle of the car, and even better if I place it behind the rear windscreen or by a side window. With BT, you can place the receiver ANYWHERE in the car and get a good signal to the PDA.

2) This needs a bit of lateral thinking as most Nav systems are designed to calculate how far you have to go, not how far or how long you have travelled. I am not aware of this option on any Nav system.

HOWEVER, lateral thinking. To find out how far you have travelled, you stop and ask the NAV system to take you home ( in TomTom this address can be programmed in). The system will then calculate how far you would have to travel to return home = how far you have run. BUT be careful, most systems will look for the shortest or fastest. TomTom 5 does however allow you to select "walking" routes, the only problem is that you cannot change the speed settings in TomTom 5 ( in v 3 you can, but you cannot select walking). To make the system more accurate, if you have taken a different route to the shortest, TomTom 5 allows you to select multiple destinations in a trip, so you can tune your route. PLUS, you can ask it to DEMO the route first, so that you do a dry run ( excuse the pun) before you set off and check the distance and route.

Bottom line, all Nav systems, PDA's and BT receivers have pro's and con''s and what one person finds good, another finds bad. Manufacturers sites will always be positive, whilst most forums have a negative tendancy ( human trait, people moan more than they praise and also turn to forums for help or to explain.

As a person who has used TomTom since version 1 on a 133MHz PDA and now running V5 on an axim x50v ( plus 5 more setups within our sales staff) . I recommend TomTom.

MarkPerkins · 06-28-05, 07:35 AM

Thank you for the information.

2) How does TomTom cope if you are in an area that does not have any paths/roads marked - in a park/forest. Will it show the current location on the map (in the middle of green shading)? I presume TomTom will not be able to calculate distances as per your technique described if it doesn't have a road or path? Will TomTom allow you to map your journey as you perform it..Hypothetically can you..Press start journey. TomTom then follows your position on a map as you move around. Press end journey and then it will tell you the time and distance you have travelled?

JakeRich · 06-28-05, 09:23 AM

You may need a combination of products. The road routing products typically don't handle off-road and pedestrian travels as you want. There are products, however, that will do the pedestrian tasks nicely. They are called "moving map" applications. Look here for a list from last year of that type product, or here for geocaching products that may also do what you want.

Mapopolis can be set for off road handling, and it does a nice job at tracking the actual fix position without the "snap to road" that the road routing system typically force. It also allows for a distance measurement on the maps. The beauty is that Mapopolis is free, you pay for maps, but you can try it with a demo map to see if it does what you want/need. Most other packages don't have demo versions. If you have the X50v, get the latest beta version from their support forum at www.gpspassion.com as it fixes some problems with VGA display.

06-28-05, 10:22 AM

If their are no roads , TomTom will calculate position from the nearest road. It is primarily designed for road use. It will not be able to tell you distance travelled as I did earlier say, it will only calculate the distance to return to home. It will show your position on a moving map as you ask.

See the later posting from Jake, seems their are specialist programs that will cope with off road and others that cope with in car, but not one that will do all.

What you should however ask yourself is how necessary is the recording of distance travelled and time. In my humble opinion a simple paedometer will cost much less and is purpose designed for this !! ( although not as flashy as an x50v and BT GPS)

Originally Posted by MarkPerkins

Thank you for the information.

2) How does TomTom cope if you are in an area that does not have any paths/roads marked - in a park/forest. Will it show the current location on the map (in the middle of green shading)? I presume TomTom will not be able to calculate distances as per your technique described if it doesn't have a road or path? Will TomTom allow you to map your journey as you perform it..Hypothetically can you..Press start journey. TomTom then follows your position on a map as you move around. Press end journey and then it will tell you the time and distance you have travelled?

MarkPerkins · 06-28-05, 11:03 AM

Ahhh...Its all becoming clear. Thank you.

So I need two apps and a GPS receiver (and a paedometer!!). How do I choose a GPS receiver? What resources are there for me to make a decision? http://www.pocketpcmag.com and http://www.pocketgpsworld.com both have some reviews. Are there any other sites? TomTom 5 is packaged with a new GPS receiver - is there any opinion on its performance?

JakeRich · 06-28-05, 12:21 PM

Reviews here include hardware and software.

There are also reviews and comparisons at www.gpspassion.com.

I'd suggest a BT unit to reduce the wires and get one with good sensitivity. Given you are running, you want light weight, so the GPSlim 236, GlobalSat 338 or the new RoyalTek 2001 should be good. GPSPassion also says that SysOnChip is making one that is a keyring sized device.

ErnieC · 06-29-05, 04:45 AM

Let me throw my tuppence worth in:

1. I will never buy any software for satellite car navigation due to the inherent inaccuracy of the map data. I would imagine that you really require this type of software when you are totally unfamiliar with a place and you need to find your way around. Given recent changes to the one way system in Edinburgh, this would be impossible.

2. I run with my Dell AXIM A30 protected by an aluminium case and a Globalsat BT338 inside a bumbag. I use Memory-Map navigator software for the OS maps - you can get 1:50000 and also 1:25000. The BT338 is superb, keeping fixed to the satellites even in wooded terrain.

Hope this helps.

Useful sites in UK:

http://memory-map.co.uk/

http://undercutter.com/