GPS Antenna - Touch GSM General

I still have a fully functioning HTC Elf and I was wondering if any one has tried installing a gps antenna. There seems to be a connector in the top left corner if Im not mistaken. Id like to use it as a GPS tracker for bike rides and dont really want to use an external gps. Thanks in advance.

Related

Which GPS unit for XDAII?

Could someone point me to a GPS unit which works well with the XDAII. There is a large choice, and i'm not sure what to go for. Going to be using Tom Tom 2.
Many thanks!
Faisal
Are you looking for a cable type or bluetooth?
I bought the TomTom package with their BT GPS unit and loved it. It worked great for about a week and was very handy for a 1,600 mile road trip. Then one morning it just simply wouldn't work right. Took a bit of time but I finally got in touch with a human at TomToms U.S. office and they agreed it sounded messed up and that I'd need to send it in for repair, which should be a one day turnaround.
Outside of the faulty device (no idea how common that is) the performance was very pleasing in general.
cruisin-thru said:
Are you looking for a cable type or bluetooth?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
looking for a either really but with preference to BT.
graah... was thinking about purchasing it with the gps unit, but can buy the software from a mate who's now using Navman. So looking for unit only.
GPS with TMC
Woohoo!
Managed to order a RDS - TMC unit today + soft ware ( Navigon) . I hope to get it next week.
using XDA2 with digitraveler bought from US - works great!
I have used many gps systems both with xda1/2 and ipaqs, the digitraveler was quite impressive but stocks are no longer available, I am at the moment using a Fortuna Gpsmart bt unit, this works as both a nmea at 38400 on cable and also as a blutooth gps, at the same time if required, I have found this gps to be extremely accurate, very fast and with the added bonus that it operates as a handheld standalone gps. I bought a cable to power the gps and then bought another cable which powers both the gpsmart and the xda, however if you want totally wireless obviously the gps can be battery operated although battery life isnt wonderful.

why does it take so long to get gps-signal?

hey guys,
i have a little question,
i just bought a haicom gps receiver and use tomtom 2 software. When i get out of my garage, it takes always more than 15 minutes to get a signal. sometimes during driving i also lose it. How comes?
when i connect my device to the receiver and power, i get something like "connecting to t-mobile MMS"...
oh, btw i have a MDA II with latest NL t-mobile rom. 1.60....
if anyone could help please...
thanks!
The gps should only take this long when first used, after that it should lock in a matter of a couple of minutes, to test the gps properly it is best to test it outside the vehicle, I think most Haicom mouse gps come with magnetic base so stick it on the roof and drive around, if it works better it is probably becuase your car has a metallised windscreen which blocks the signal. The message about connecting to the service provider is an error due to the com port being accessed i think, mine used to bring up activesync every time but once I canged my activesync settings on the xda to manual instead of auto sync it solved the problem.
so i should always drive around with my window open?? and stick the receiver outside the car?
I would agree with Crusin Through - I think your car may well have some form of heated windscreen or heat reflecting windscreen. What car do you have.
If when you do place the receiver on the outside of the car you do get good signal you can get a special anntenna that had an outside part and an internal part that you can fit permanently to the car so you can still move the thing about. Bit like a mobile phone antenna.
Alternatively as you have the XDA II you can get a bluetooth receiver an place it on the rear parcel shelf (I think the wider heating strips won't affect it - but can't confirm it.)
John, I wasnt suggesting you drive around with your window open, I was suggesting a way to ascertain if your windscreen is the problem regarding your blocked gps signal, by the way I have used a gps on the roof and the window will shut almost all the way however as the last post mentioned you can obtain a re-radiating antenna, this will solve your problem if indeed the windscreen is the culprit.
Re-rediating antenna - that's the word I couldn't remember :lol:
ok guys, thanks. i'll try with such an extern antenna.
thanks for your help
Before you spend your money on the re-rad antenna - try the thing on the roof - if this works then the antenna is your only real option if you want to continue with the thing in the front windscreen.
I'd hate you to buy the re-rad and then find it doesn't work.
Incidently what car do you have? (Does it have a heat reflecting or headted windscreen)
And if it works outside,
you still don't have to buy an external antenna, as normally the windshield have an area where is not metal coating...
try to check the manual of your car..
i own a toyota Camry 2002 model, it has indeed a windscreen etc...

diagnostics for bottom connector

My gps system stopped working today. Is there any way of diagnosing to see if its the connector on the phone thats gone tits-up?
I don't know anyone else with an XDA2 you see...
When you say it has stopped working, do you mean no signal, gps not found error or light not illuminating?
I run Tom Tom with a cabled GPS receiver which doubles as a charging cable.
I still get the green charging light, but no GPS signal.
It was working fine. Go into a service station for a bite to eat, and unplugged the receiver. Come back after being fed and watered plug it in again - nothing... No settings have changed, which makes me think its something to do with the connector - either the XDA or the gps receiver.
...but how do I rule out one or the other?

GPS internal

I know this has been up before but I´m still confused.
On this site http://cnn.cn/shop/htc-tytn-c-277_279.html
they sell antenna for the hermes gps.
As we know Hermes has an internal gps but without the internal antenna that is necessary...
So has anyone installed such hardware?
It would certainly be interesting to know if with the external antenna the GPS would work. Looking at it I think it might, the only problem I can think of would be the device recognising the GPS. Great find!! Good on you!!
strandkanten2 said:
On this site http://cnn.cn/shop/htc-tytn-c-277_279.html
they sell antenna for the hermes gps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looking at the product page on this antenna there are som pictures with it installed.
It attaches to the connector behind the rubber protector next to the camera.
Is'nt this the connector for external radio antenna?
Or is there any smart electronics that connects this connector to the internal gps module?
mippen said:
Looking at the product page on this antenna there are som pictures with it installed.
It attaches to the connector behind the rubber protector next to the camera.
Is'nt this the connector for external radio antenna?
Or is there any smart electronics that connects this connector to the internal gps module?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wondered the same thing.
This has been discussed to death so many times. Most recently, this exact antenna was discussed in the Hermes Accessories section of this forum (use search, I'm not going to do it for you).
Here's the FACTS!
1) There is some of the circuitry (hardware) for a GPS in a hermes. Some is missing. This is most likely due to the chips that the hermes uses having multiple built in functions. One function was needed so they used a chip that just happened to have part of a gps built in.
2) Adding the rest of the gps harware isn't practical and has a 99.9% chance of destroying the device even if you are highly experienced in working with surface mount components.
3) Even if you added the antenna, etc. successfully there is no firmware to drive it. You still need to write everything from scratch and make the firmware work with the rest of the pda/phone. You would have to do this without benefit of having any existing source code for the pda. Good Luck
4) Assuming you managed to do all this, and plugged in this antenna, you would have a gps that needed this big ugly antenna wired to the phone. So why not just spend the $50 and buy a bluetooth gps that works without wires and doesn't need the phone modified?
5) The store selling this antenna have stated to queries (see other threads) that this antenna is for use when using an EXTERNAL gps with the hermes. In other words, some bluetooth and wired gps units that work with the hermes have an external antenna jack so that if they are used in poor conditions this antenna can be used to boost the range by placing the antenna outside the vehicle, etc.
6) You cannot use this antenna plugged into the hermes external antenna jack. it will probably destroy the phones radio instantly and permanently. In fact, its a very bad idea to use any external antenna with any radio that wasn't specifically designed for the radio. There are many reports of frying the radio by using 'universal' cell phone antennas.
In conclusion.... GIVE IT UP!
There is no usable gps in the hermes!
deach01 said:
.
In conclusion.... GIVE IT UP!
There is no usable gps in the hermes!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ok then, anyhow very misleading pictures on that site then.
why would i install a wire to my phone if i have gps on bluetooth. makes no sense.
Ps. I knew this was discussed earlier but I wanted uptade on if someone tried it recently.
strandkanten2 said:
ok then, anyhow very misleading pictures on that site then.
why would i install a wire to my phone if i have gps on bluetooth. makes no sense.
Ps. I knew this was discussed earlier but I wanted uptade on if someone tried it recently.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
deach01 is correct. I agree the people selling this antenna should make it MUCH clearer as to its purpose.
To the best of my knowledge all development work has stopped, on getting the partial GPS functionality of the chip to work on the Hermes for the reasons deach01 states - it's just not practcal, and as said already the bluetooth receivers work well without major surgery to the Hermes.
Mike
Total BS! That site actually shows a picture of that antenna plugged into the back of the Hermes, talk about misleading!
deach01 said:
This has been discussed to death so many times. Most recently, this exact antenna was discussed in the Hermes Accessories section of this forum (use search, I'm not going to do it for you).
Here's the FACTS!
1) There is some of the circuitry (hardware) for a GPS in a hermes. Some is missing. This is most likely due to the chips that the hermes uses having multiple built in functions. One function was needed so they used a chip that just happened to have part of a gps built in.
2) Adding the rest of the gps harware isn't practical and has a 99.9% chance of destroying the device even if you are highly experienced in working with surface mount components.
3) Even if you added the antenna, etc. successfully there is no firmware to drive it. You still need to write everything from scratch and make the firmware work with the rest of the pda/phone. You would have to do this without benefit of having any existing source code for the pda. Good Luck
4) Assuming you managed to do all this, and plugged in this antenna, you would have a gps that needed this big ugly antenna wired to the phone. So why not just spend the $50 and buy a bluetooth gps that works without wires and doesn't need the phone modified?
5) The store selling this antenna have stated to queries (see other threads) that this antenna is for use when using an EXTERNAL gps with the hermes. In other words, some bluetooth and wired gps units that work with the hermes have an external antenna jack so that if they are used in poor conditions this antenna can be used to boost the range by placing the antenna outside the vehicle, etc.
6) You cannot use this antenna plugged into the hermes external antenna jack. it will probably destroy the phones radio instantly and permanently. In fact, its a very bad idea to use any external antenna with any radio that wasn't specifically designed for the radio. There are many reports of frying the radio by using 'universal' cell phone antennas.
In conclusion.... GIVE IT UP!
There is no usable gps in the hermes!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If they used a chip and it had GPS as a bonus and they just ignored it, why then would the go through the troubleb of adding an external antennal connection and mod the device housing to accomandate it?
The external antenna connection is NOT for GPS. Its for the cell phone radio.
Don't believe me?
Go ahead, plug in an antenna!
Hope you can communicate by smoke signals as your cell radio transmitter final amplifier toasts itself.
THERE IS NO WORKING GPS IN A HERMES!
Do you really think that HTC would build in a feature like GPS and NOT market it?
An expensive option, Kaiser!
An expensive option is to go for Kaiser(soon to be at&t 8925 ?)
Does anyone know for sure that at&t is NOT gonna kill GPS on Kaiser? Just heard today it has pass thru FCC (
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/windows-mobile/-283367.php )
As soon as the Kaiser comes out over here I'm going to get one, it's like the WM version of the N95.

GPS on Hermes without receiver. Possible?

Hi guys n girls,
I'm kinda new here and I have a question I've been dying to ask since I got hold of my HTC hermes. I'm currently using Vodafone's version of HTC Hermes, which is the V1605.
Is it possible for HTC Hermes to use GPS navigation without an external GPS receiver such as a bluetooth device? I learnt that HTC Hermes has no GPS chipset so it will definitely need a receiver, but I'm just curious and I wanna confirm. Thanks
Afaik, it got a GPS Chipset but no antenna
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=292466
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=291181
thanks for the clarification.
so, it will need a receiver to act like an antenna?
I'm not sure if you search for GPS or looked at the Wiki on the Hermes but its been covered a few times. The only thing you can really do is get a bluetooth GPS receiver or something along those lines.
Read and Search
http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=Hermes_GPS_FAQ
I use a Holox bt-321 GPS receiver, works fine!
I was going to link to an ebay auction for one but its possibly the ONLY day when there isnt an auction for one!
I bought here from a user a Holux M-1000. Works fine and without any problems.
Give Navizon a go - > http://www.navizon.com/
its a virtual GPS for phones without GPS, Goes on Phone Cell info and Wifi AP Signals, you have to use wifi but it does pinpoint where you are better with wifi on
also out puts the data via a com port so you can use Satnav an other GPS enabled apps with it
Garmin GPS 10
I'm using an older Garmin GPS 10 that I purchased a few years ago, but it stills works great. It is rechargeable and the battery seems to last forever. I also using the Beta version of Garmin's Mobile XT, which gives my 8525 the same look and feel as "modern" GPS-only devices.
Some of the cool "toys" the software uses is:
2-D or 3-D map view
PeerPoints (sending GPS coords via SMS or MMS)
Local gas prices near you
Real time traffice
Weather
POIs ( you can have up to 4,000 waypoints/favorites/locations)
Voice prompts
Hotels.com info
etc.
Of course, some of the features depends on whether or not you have a data plan or WiFi access. I also like it because it is very small, works via bluetooth and is very accurate. I also use BeelineGPS because I also like to Geocache.
http://www.geocaching.com/
P.S. The current version of my GPS is the Garmin Mobile 10 for PDAs/Laptops
im using a "54 channel Holox" (Fake Holux) but i havent seen a quicker connecting device

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