GPS Recommendations

[Pony99CA]

I'm thinking of replacing my NavMan GPS sleeve that I use with my iPAQ 5550 because it seems to be having problems. Currently, I'm looking into Compact Flash GPS units.

I prefer Compact Flash to Bluetooth because it enables me to treat the device as one unit. I can use the GPS out of the car without having to take two pieces (and trying to find a place to store the GPS unit).

However, I relize that Bluetooth does have its advantages, and would consider buying a Bluetooth unit if the price was close to a good Compact Flash unit.

I already use ALK's CoPilot Live software, so I just need the GPS hardware. I'd prefer to pay less than $200 (and the closer to $100, the better :-D). Any suggestions?

Steve

[Pony99CA]

It's been almost two days since I posted this, and almost 60 people have read it. I can't believe that nobody has any GPS recommendations. 8O

Steve

[dh]

Hey Steve, I was about to post a link to the front page story at PocketNow before I noticed who had written it.
That looks to be an interesting system, although very expensive.
I'm looking for a CF based system myself since I don't have BT on either of my handhelds. I suppose I could invest in a Socket BT card as an alternative.

[Kacey Green]

sorry to disappoint you steve, but I have never used GPS :(

[Pointy Nixon]

sorry to disappoint you steve, but I have never used GPS :(
I'm disappointed that I spent 1.2 seconds of my life reading such an unhelpful post.

Steve, you should check out the haicom folding cf gps line - you can get a bluetooth "slipper" for it if you want to try out bt. Which I recommend.

[GSmith]

A detailed list of potentially available CF receivers is:

http://www.gpspassion.com/en/hardware/gpslist.htm#CF

The moderator of gpspassion.com currently likes the Hiacom HI-303MMF. (The letters in this case are very important). This is the model I have.

Available at:
http://www.semsons.com/haicmulgpsre.html

One of the best features of this model is the folding antenna. In practice when folded, the number of satellites seen is reduced, sometimes affecting lock.

You can also convert it to a "mouse" GPS (ps/2 cable included, USB is extra) or a Bluetooth GPS (optional Bluetooth Slipper) if or when necessary.

I've had limited experience with mine. In the car it's great. I'm surprised though at how long it takes to get an initial capture. I don't think that this is a "feature" of just this model.

[Kacey Green]

sorry to disappoint you steve, but I have never used GPS :(
I'm disappointed that I spent 1.2 seconds of my life reading such an unhelpful post.

Steve, you should check out the haicom folding cf gps line - you can get a bluetooth "slipper" for it if you want to try out bt. Which I recommend.
he was complaing about a lack of responces, I put this thread on the watch list ~5-10 min after it was created, letting him know we were here and listening.

[Pony99CA]

A detailed list of potentially available CF receivers is:

http://www.gpspassion.com/en/hardware/gpslist.htm#CF

The moderator of gpspassion.com currently likes the Hiacom HI-303MMF. (The letters in this case are very important). This is the model I have.

I've visited GPS Passion on numerous occasions, and there certainly is lots of good information. However, it's just one opinion usually. Plus, the Web Master lives in France, so there won't be much good information on U.S. map data.

Ideally, I'm hoping to get opinions from people who live in the San Francisco Bay Area, but the more information, the better.

I'll definitely check out the Haicom. Thanks for the pointer.

Steve

[disconnected]

I also find GPSPassion to be a great source of information. I spend most of my time in the Mapopolis forum (and, when I first bought my Fortuna GPSmart bluetooth receiver, in the forum for that), and, since these two are English, rather than French, forums, a majority of the posters are US based. Some of the posters have put in extensive time with the software/hardware; for Mapoplis, it seems like almost every county in the US has been tested by someone in the forums.

[targetdrone]

I was in a similar situation and just bought the Haicom unit with the BT slipper. (Ordered 5-9 from www.buygpsnow.com) I will be able to use it with my X5 (CF), my X3i (with serial cable), and with my HP4155 (Bluetooth). It comes with a 30-day trail of Destinator software and a PDA mount for the car.

I like Pocket Streets for finding addresses before I begin a journey. I currently have a Garmin Legend that I use for geocaching, and a Garmin V for driving (the autorouting works great but it lacks the strait line navigating that makes the Legend great for geocaching).

I looked at the Pharos unit (PT300) that does both CF and BT, but nobody stocks it, and it is $449 and comes with Ostio<sp> software that I will probably not use and don't want to pay for. I will order the Mapopolis software since it has a pointer that works well for geocaching.

So, what was it you are using your GPS for?

[Pony99CA]

So, what was it you are using your GPS for?
If you're asking me, I just use it for driving. I've driven from Northern California to Disneyland and to Las Vegas, Tonopah, Arizona and Bakersfield without maps using CoPilot Live.

I did plot the trips using Microsoft Streets & Trips before I left to ensure the GPS routes looked correct.

Steve

[Pony99CA]

Thanks to the recommendations here, I bought the Haicom 303MMF and the Bluetooth Slipper (from BuyGPSNow (http://www.buygpsnow.com/item.aspx?itemid=268)). It arrived yesterday (Monday), and I tested both the Compact Flash and Bluetooth connectivity.

The one problem I had was using the card with my NexiPak dual Compact Flash sleeve. I keep my 512 MB CF card in the front slot, so I put the GPS card in the rear slot. I couldn't seem to connect to the GPS with the GPS Information program included. I eventually tried switching the GPS card to the front, and that worked.

Steve

[Janak Parekh]

I eventually tried switching the GPS card to the front, and that worked.
Indeed, I've heard that some I/O hardware has trouble with the "second slots" of multislot sleeves.

Congrats on your purchase.

--janak

[Pony99CA]

I eventually tried switching the GPS card to the front, and that worked.
Indeed, I've heard that some I/O hardware has trouble with the "second slots" of multislot sleeves.
I wondered if the COM4 port (listed as a generic Compact Flash port) was only mapped to the first slot. My iBiz radio and 512 MB storage card both worked fine in the rear, but maybe they address the hardware differently.

Steve