holux GPSlim 236 with magician - JAM, MDA Compact, S100 General

hi just to let you all know last week i got myself a new gps receiver
a Holux GPSlim 236 it comes with a USB car charger which also fit my spv m500 so now when using my Tomtom i can keep my phone fully charged

I know, the Holux 236 is a great little fella. I use it for two month now and its easily the best gps receiver I've seen. Indoors around 6feet away from every window I get a 3D sat fix with 5 sats from 6 viewable - boy what a performance. On the outside, well never under 7 sats used out of 8-11.

hi
i got a holux 231 gps but cant get a fix on my location ...is that normal..
it shows the satellites but doesnt give a fix on my location...ive tried in doors..out doors but nothing...or could it be that the reciever doenst worl..
it shows the BT connected light as constant blue but the satellite orange light keeps blinking and doesnt become static..ive left it connected to my imate for hours outdoor but nothing...
do you guys use the reciever only ar have added an antenna aswell
thanks

The 231 has an older chipset and is way less sensitive when it comes to sat reception than the 236.
Normally this can be cured by taking the battery out for 24hours, the unit will do sort of a hard reset. Then place it with a good view to the sky and wait - the old chipsets can take up to 30min for a first fix.

Related

XDAII & Leadtek GPS Receiver (Not COM1 Error)

Hi everyone.
I am hoping someone will be kind enough (or able enough) to help me with a problem I seem to be experiencing on my XDAIIs and a Leadtek 9531 GPS receiver.
I bought the receiver from Ebay, supposedly new, and it certainly looks new.
I plug the receiver into my XDA, and power it all from the cigarrette lighter. I am using Winfast Navigator software to test the connection as I am still waiting for the Tomtom software to arrive.
The first lot of errors received were for COM1 not being available, so I have done as suggested and disabled BEAM for the device... and now the problem is that I start the winfast software, and click connect and it just stays there attempting to connect for minutes... It just doesnt seem to be able to connect to the device.
I have the device set to NMEA 4800 Baud on COM1, so presumably I have done all that I need to be able to pick up a satellite signal, but there is still nothing.
Can anyone suggest something?
Thanks in Advance.
I got this GPS receiver a while ago bundled with Destinator GPS software. This receiver can take quite a while to get its first fix (up to 20mins in my experience). Leave it turned on for a while to see if it connects. Once it has a fix, it will re-connect next time almost instantly.
I don't know if this is true, but someone told me that the unit memorizes its last known position. When you re-connect it, if it's moved a significant distance (ie just bought it), it takes a while to find the satelites because it is getting conflicting data about where it is on the planet.
Hi xda-rocks,
Thanks for posting back.
Im not sure that leaving it for 20 mins is going to work. I downloaded a GPS viewer program from http://www.holux-uk.com/Downloads/GpsViewer.exe and it refuses to acknowledge that there is anything GPS related on COM1, or any of the other COM ports for that matter.
From reading other posts it seems like maybe this is a keyboard problem (slideout model XDA IIs) which apparantely also uses COM1, but I am unsure how to disable the keyboard or even if i want to. My guess would be that I would have to disable the keyboard everytime i wanted to use GPS and that would just be too much for something that I really just want to plug in and go.
So, I have ordered a BT GPS receiver now, and am awaiting delivery of that... hopefully thats not as much bother as this one has been to setup... also hopefully the person I bought the leadtek receiver from will accept a return for refund.
I got my gps with an original XDA, then upgraded to XDAII in Sept 2003 and it worked fine, then upgraded to MDAIII (XDAIIs) in October 2004 and it still works fine - no problem with keyboard.
Works fine with Destinator and Tomtom even has it listed as one of its options.
I also have Holux BT GPS receiver, but prefer wired system when in car - less hassle with connecting, charging, headsets, etc.

Bluetooth GPS Receivers for MDA Pro and Tomtom 5 Please

Can any list a few bluetooth gps receivers that they have working with there mda pro's and tomtom 5 edition.
There are hundreds on ebay and i've no idea what brands are good or bad.
Your replies would be very welcome to assist me in my purchase later in the week.
Thankyou, Adam
I have the following:
Leadtek GPS (XTRAC2)
Fortuna clip-on (XTRAC and SurfStar II)
Both confirmed working. To play it safe, make sure whichever one you get has the XTRAC chipset - but to be honest pretty much any GPS should work with it.
I use the Holux GPSlim 236 and it works fine.
Thanks guys, i'll have a look around,
How slim is the GPSlim 236, ive seen the tomtom bluetooth MKII and that looks quite flat.
Its mainly for the car, but should i be walking around somthing nice and slim would be ideal for say walking around a city.
GlobalSat BT-308 works fine too. (it's pretty bulky though)
Allso on SPV E200 and TomTom Mobile 5.
GPS
My Jasjar is working well with GlobalSat BT-308, Battery life 8 hours. The most common receiver type is the 12 parallel channel receiver which can collect data from up to 12 satellites at one time. (But infact see only 8-10 satellites)
ROYALTEC BT 2001 SIRF STAR3 WORK FINE ON MY JJ
GPSlim 236 for me.
Easily slips into a pocket.
Try to find one called G-space - small, with new SiFR III, (but I can not tell how better it is from thre previous types), user accessible battery, SAME MINI USB CONNECTOR and car charger included.

Power consumption with TT5 and Holux BT GPS

I have an XDAII with 1GB SD card housing TT5, and using Holux GPSlim BT GPS receiver. My problem is power consumption.
The car charger I'm using can't keep up, on a 45 minute journey, I still loose 20% battery power even though I'm using a car charger!!!!
Anyone heard this, I'm not using the O2 car charger, will it make a difference?
Also thinking of going to WM2003SE or WM5, is the normal power consumption better or worse on these OSs?
Please help.
Rob
Hi rkernutt,
It's a complete different setup, I got a magician & a original T-Mobile car-charger & WM2003SE, but my device charges good while running TT & BT with full brightness. Does your device charge normally using your car-charger, without running TT & BT? Check the output of the car-charger against the output of your normal charger/cradle, I think it's not strong enough. And in the magician case I noticed that the power consumption decreased slightly with each new rom release, though never enough to make up for your 20% power loss in 45mins.
So best option is to check the output of your charger I guess.
Regards, M
Thanks M,
I'm using a USB Sync/Charge cable with a USB Car charger adapter - http://www.expansys.com/product.asp?code=EXP_USB-CLA
I think it's probably the output of the adapter, because it doesn't charge that fast when i'm not using TT5.
I have a similar problem except on my last 8 Hour journey I flattened my Holux battery after 4 hours and now I can't recharge it :!: :evil:
The expansys charger can only deliver 700mA - not enough for the Holux GPS alone that requires 850mA. The 12v-24v adapter that comes with the Holux is rated at 850mA @5v.
I also made the mistake of not using the Holux supplied 12v-24v adapter so it drained my Holux battery. Unfortunately the Holux 240v Main mini-USB 5v charger will not charge the Holux battery because it is now too flat and draws more current than the mains adapter can supply! So it immediately cuts out (red LED goes off).
My solution -
1) Buy another Holux GPSlim 236 kit because its cheap on ebay.
2) Buy another replacement Nokia Battery WITH Nokia Charger - again because it is cheap on ebay.
3) Always use the supplied Holux 12v-24v adapter in the car ONLY on the Holux BT GPS unit!
I am still waiting delivery of purchased items from ebay. Once they have arrived I can ascertain whether the 2 month old Holux BT GPSlim 236 unit is faulty or not by comparison with new unit. I will see if the Holux battery is faulty compared with the Nokia replacement and whether the Nokia charger can charge the dead Holux battery.
I suspect all power problems to be with the Holux BT GPSlim unit and not the PDA. I had a O2 XDA II running WM2003se with a Co-Pilot BT GPS unit previously. I upgraded to i-mate Jasjar WM2005 which worked with Co-Pilot BT GPS but handed old unit down to a relative who was into GPS stuff. I bought the Holux BT GPSlim on ebay to replace the Co-Pilot BT GPS unit I gave away. :roll:
Think so, I got something simular with my BT GPS & that one doesn't charge my magician at all. It's barely enough to keep the backlight on.
If you lived just a little bit closer to me you could have tried mine.
What's the output of yours, then I'll check my mine.
M
oltp and rkernutt,
I just looked in my car and I found I was also using the expansys adapter with a USB to mini-USB cable to power my Holux BT GPSlim unit. :!:
It is only rated at 700mA but I now suspect it can only deliver less than that... :roll:
Sure hope you're eBay deliveries are coming soon, cause these cheap chargers are really ... well cheap. I checked my AC charger & that one delivers 1A, unfortunately T-Mobile has put a new sticker on my car-charger without specs. It tells me now it's compatible with a TMO SDA, yeah right :-( & I threw all papers away as I bought it on holiday. I remember it claimed to be 12V/24V & stabilized. So seems very simular to yours, it's equipped with a mini-usb plug. That's a charger I can advice to everyone (don't forget to check the specs!!). My GPS charger, maybe simular to the Expansys one, only does it job with the GPS. I'm not complaining about that, the GPS can be used for 36hours on one full charge.
Bottomline: only use a decent charger. Wish those chargers were easy to get.
M
Thanks.......
......to all, I'm going to try a friends i-mate badged car charger and see how I get on.
OK, New BT GPSlim 236 arrived. New Nokia Battery with charger adapter also arrived.
Note, OLD BT GPSlim 236 will NOT work on charger with NO battery anymore. DEAD. :evil:
New BT GPSlim 236 works fine. :lol:
New Nokia battery works fine in new BT GPSlim 236. :lol:
OLD Holux BT GPSlim 236 battery WILL NOT Charge in NEW BT GPSlim 236 unit. New Unit will not power on if OLD Holux battery is fitted.
Now note an electrical burning smell when I try to charge OLD Holux battery in old BT GPSlim 236 unit. :roll:
Conclusions:
The Holux battery baked on the car dash in the 45+ Celsius temp and shorted internally. This most likely destroyed the charging and power circuits in the Holux BT GPSlim 236 receiver.
I will now always use an external antenna on the BT GPSlim 236 receiver so to keep the receiver out of direct sunlight.
I will now use the Nokia battery as it may be less prone to short circuiting - fingers crossed.
I have spare pair of 5v adapters from my old Kit that I still use on my PDA/Phone as it uses the same connectors (mini-USB).
These units are still very cheap compared to other store prices and auction sites I've seen.
foxnolds said:
Conclusions:
The Holux battery baked on the car dash in the 45+ Celsius temp and shorted internally. This most likely destroyed the charging and power circuits in the Holux BT GPSlim 236 receiver.
I will now always use an external antenna on the BT GPSlim 236 receiver so to keep the receiver out of direct sunlight.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good advice sad story 'bout the old gps though.
I got a gps like the Oasis Media Bluetooth GPS Receive, even less expensive less advanced as well. Works fine though.
Now looking for an external antenna, maybe it improves reception as well.
M
rkernutt,
weird problem you got there. I have the same set up as you (TT 5, Holux Gslim), with an Andes. I make a 2 hours journey and no problem whatsoever. No need to use the car charger... weird. Is the car charger working properly? I doubt it. You should try another one. Also, it could be a problem with the slot on the himalaya?
rkernutt,
weird problem you got there. I have the same set up as you (TT 5, Holux Gslim), with an Andes. I make a 2 hours journey and no problem whatsoever. No need to use the car charger... weird. Is the car charger working properly? I doubt it. You should try another one. Also, it could be a problem with the slot on the himalaya?
As expected.....
....I've tried an O2 XDAII car charger, and no problems, the XDAII keeps charged.
My suggestion, don't cut corners by using a USB car charger, with a USB charge/sync cable. :evil:

GPS for HTC which one is the best?

WHich GPS software is more suitable to a HTC WIzard?
I need something stable and reliable
is there anything u can suggest me?
I need something for CHINA and HK
Giordano said:
WHich GPS software is more suitable to a HTC WIzard?
I need something stable and reliable
is there anything u can suggest me?
I need something for CHINA and HK
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
GET Holux Gpslim 236 and you will not regret it! it is a cheap but TOP model! I have it and it is unbelievably good..
Any unit with SiRF Star III chipset
kanate said:
Any unit with SiRF Star III chipset
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think he needs the GPS software not the GPS receiver ...
OFF again: the holux 236 is quite a piece :wink:
I use TomTom 5.21 with an i-blue receiver. I am pretty happy with it here in South Florida, USA.
kelu said:
kanate said:
Any unit with SiRF Star III chipset
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think he needs the GPS software not the GPS receiver ...
OFF again: the holux 236 is quite a piece :wink:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha, yeah, I just read his post more carefully this time. So I'll recommend again, TomTom Navigator 5.21 ! That's the best so far and pair it with SiRF Star III chipset Bluetooth GPS receiver
I use TomTom 5.21 in US and it's working great. Heard lots of good things about it for UK too. But I have no idea for China and HK.
I use Destinator PN. Very pleased
I heard TomTom is a way to go when it comes to maps (software) in US and Europe and possibly in China, what about hardware though?
Seidio RBT-2010 vs Holux GPSlim236 vs i-Blue ???
I am currently shopping for a GPS receiver as well, and globalsat BT-338 seems to be the one that's recommended 90% of the time. Anybody paired one of these with their Wizard?
GPS for the Qtek9100
I just got the Holux gr 236Slim yesterday and it just rocks.
Its very sensitive.¨
Getting about 10 satelites with the GPS from inside the compartment.
Re: GPS for the Qtek9100
janthorud said:
I just got the Holux gr 236Slim yesterday and it just rocks.
Its very sensitive.¨
Getting about 10 satelites with the GPS from inside the compartment.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No antenna?
No antenna, just the HOLUX 236 :lol:
SiRF-III should be the First consideration
I am experimenting with a Globalsat BT-338 with my Wizard (Cingular 8125). I am extremely pleased with the ability of the GPSr to work inside the house, in closed stairwells in office buildings and in densely wooded area. I am having other problems related to my desire to use my investment in Garmin maps with this GPS, but that's another story....
One word of expectations: The user manual is nearly non-existant. Also, the GPS locked up on me once and the only way is to remove the batter (which is easy) and then put it back after a couple of hours. If you face any problem, the tech support and forum moderator at Globalsat sucks, but I will give them points for being prompt with a reply, however canned that maybe. Very cheap at US$130.
I'm using Fortuna Slim GPS
SiRF Star III
standard nokia battery
8+ hours autonomy
optional bundle with car power supply adapter
really fast
light
really good 2D accuracy and good 3D accuracy
marru
I am using iGuidance and an iBlue receiver with my 8125. I get 10 sats from the car and can usually get about 4 from inside my house, enough to get a fix but not really doing much navigation inside my home!
It has paired flawlessly with my device. Best part is that is goes into sleep mode and then wakes up only when the paired device requests data. So that means I can have BT on, on my 8125, use my bt headset and the unit stays in sleep mode. When I open iGuidance that wakes the gps and it gets a fix usually in about 50-120 secs. Most of the time by the time I am out of a parking lot or earlier.
So far the maps from iGuidance have been pretty good. The latest release on their website fixes a 3D display issue. Best part is installation is painless, no copying CAB files to get it installed. So far I only have PA, MD, and DE on it and that is about 115M. The longest run I have had with it has been 6 days of about 20 hours of on time and the rest of the time in sleep mode.
Another vote for TomTom...
The receiver they have is great, too.
TomTom 5.x and Holux 236Slim get my vote - Holux is very quick to get fix, even from inside my glove box - and it shares the same connection as my Wizard for the car charger, should it run out of battery.
I have the holux now and cant get it to pair with the 8125
I cant get it to pair with the 8125...new outgoing port does not show up..when i push new partnership it does not find anything. WHats wrong
I have the holux now and cant get it to pair with the 8125
I cant get it to pair with the 8125...new outgoing port does not show up..when i push new partnership it does not find anything. WHats wrong
i want gps for my htc wizard, which one is the best? i prefer usb gps if it is possible, bleutooth is my last choice

Which GPS Device? + TomTom Question

Hi Peeps!
I am getting TomTom for the wizard, but need a GPS device.
1) Which ones can you reccommend and where from, links would be good!
2) Does the Software show speed camera locations?
Thank You
For GPS information you should check out www.gpspassion.com for their reviews and forums.
For speed camera databases that are formatted for several popular navigation programs including TomTom look at www.pocketgpsworld.com but note that there is a (modest) charge to download.
If you have not yet settled on TomTom then do consider the alternatives that you will find referenced at gpspassion.
Hope this helps!
iBlue
I have the iBlue GPS receiver from semsons.com. I've also had the Solarious receiver from them and I prefer the iBlue....it has an auto-off feature when there is no Bluetooth connection. It's also waaay small. The reception seems to be great too....none of these devices are Hollywood where you get an instant fix the second you turn it on but this is pretty quick and has stayed locked in just fine for me.
http://www.semsons.com/ibhiseaublgp.html
-Tim
Hi,
Have a look at this link, the latest most powerful SirfIII+ BT GPS unit on the market, and Brand new latest Destinator 6 sat nav software, (full UK and Ireland and european mapping) as a bundle deal.
http://www.dsldevelopments.com/Destinator/destinator6ELANEDO.asp
Hope that helps,
Cheers!
Bryson
Hi,
Have a look at this link, the latest most powerful SirfIII+ BT GPS unit on the market, and Brand new latest Destinator 6 sat nav software, (full UK and Ireland and european mapping) as a bundle deal.
http://www.dsldevelopments.com/Destinator/destinator6ELANEDO.asp
Hope that helps,
Cheers!
Bryson
i use tomtom with the BT GPS i got of ebay for £40. Works stright away, the only one draw back is the load of tomtom, but once it loaded it works fine. Speed camera i got as well, couldnt live without them (biker).
i agree with timskrastins. i-Blue reciever has worked fine with my TomTom. got mine for £40 from Ebay.
bonus is that it is charged with a mini USB connector. you cant charge the reciever with the wizard charger but you can charge the wizard with the car charger that comes with the reciever
TomTom 6 is due out b4 Christmas....... Wait until then

Categories

Resources