I value your genuine feedback on Hema HX-1

HEMA HX-1

A couple of months ago in preparation of our upcoming trip to Tasmania after many years of great service from my Hema HN-6 & later HN-7. I decided to bite the bullet and purchase the new HX-1 that Hema have recently released.
Other than charging the unit and ‘playing’ with it prior to our trip I didn’t use it, as I was in familiar territory.
When we arrived here in Tassie, I attached the unit to the windscreen and with in a very short time the unit displayed an ‘Overheat’ message on the screen.....disconnect power and move unit out of sunlight (or similar).
I must state the ambient heat on the day was 22c, I appreciate the heat/sunload coming through the screen into the car would would be higher and be increasing cabin temp.
For a navigation tool like the Hema HX-1 , silly me thought it would be able to handle the heat load subjected to the unit in Tasmania, let alone the heat load it would be subjected to in the top half of this great country!
I contacted Hema at their head office and have had very pleasant communications with two of their tech support guys.
Both of these reps have been very obliging and come across as being interested in my problems.
Long and short of it, Hema sent me a (brand new) replacement unit here in Tassie (which was very much appreciated). Charged it up attached it to the windscreen, ambient temp 14c with in half an hour, overheat warning again and GPS extremely erratic operation......lost GPS signal MANY times, take unit out of cradle, put out of direct sunlight and let it ‘cool down’.....unit did feel warm to touch when taken out off the cradle.
Let unit ‘cool down’ for say half an hour put it back in supplied cradle, reset settings and continued our journey....within minutes the overheating warning came up again and the unit then freezes, for a period.
Today the ambient is 11c (yes....it snowed here last night)
AGAIN the unit looses GPS signal...... must mention my vehicle has a GPS system running the same iGo street operating programme as the Hema, The vehicle system mimics the Hema (when its working) but then the Hema goes haywire and the vehicle GPS keeps tracking as it should.....I would use my vehicles nav system....but it doesn’t have the Hema features.
I again contacted Hema today ....negotiating there phone system and music while waiting to speak again to a now familiar voice .....again I was treated with respect and my concerns were listened and I believe noted on ‘my file’
Hema are now sending me my third HX-1 which I will pick up when we reach Hobart.
My question to anyone .......who has an HX-1 and has experienced similar problems with their unit would you please comment!
In closing ....this is definitely not meant to be a hate session on Hema, I have been a very happy customer of their product for many years.....and I would like that association to continue......
I would value your honest feedback, thank you!

Update......
Since posting the above on another forum, I have received my second replacement unit (total of three now) the new unit took a genuine 15 minutes to realise it was in Hobart rather than Brisbane.....then lost GPS signal twice in the first half hour of ‘realising’ where it was.......
PLEASE UNDERSTAND......I am looking for genuine feedback.....this is not a witch hunt!!
Thank you
Insanity doesnt run in my family.... it gallops!

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Reply By: Member - Sn00py2 (NSW) - Sunday, Feb 11, 2018 at 20:36

Sunday, Feb 11, 2018 at 20:36
Hi Tony,

I have a HX-1 and it does overheat when left on the windscreen in summer with the car parked in the sun. Never had it overheat in colder temperatures. In summer when it overheats, it soon comes back to life with the aircon on. Normally less than 5 minutes. It has never overheated whilst driving.

It is a great unit however I did prefer the routing method used prior to the recent update even if at times it did take you to the incorrect destination but that was easy to pick when you saw the route drawn on the map.

Regards,

Sn00py2
AnswerID: 616832

Reply By: RMD - Sunday, Feb 11, 2018 at 23:02

Sunday, Feb 11, 2018 at 23:02
Tony
Just a question,
What is the charge voltage of the vehicle it is being used in? Is the voltage varying or going over voltage, that may cause more heat in the HX 1 than is normally seen.
AnswerID: 616836

Follow Up By: Member - Tony H (touring oz) - Monday, Feb 12, 2018 at 08:28

Monday, Feb 12, 2018 at 08:28
Hi,
Thanks for the reply.
Unit is charged via Hema charging lead to vehicle cig lighter socket. Checked voltage there 13.9 volts max.
Cheers
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Follow Up By: Allan B (Sunshine Coast) - Monday, Feb 12, 2018 at 23:42

Monday, Feb 12, 2018 at 23:42
.
The HX-1 is supplied via a 'cigar plug' 12/24v to 5v regulator.
The nominal 12v input variations do not affect the stability of the 5v supply.
Cheers
Allan

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Reply By: Member - Blue M - Monday, Feb 12, 2018 at 02:13

Monday, Feb 12, 2018 at 02:13
Tony H,
I have a HX-1 and a Hema 6 both sitting up on the dash of my car.
At the end of September I was going across the Simpson Desert, I never got the over heating message, but the HX-1 did keep dropping dropping the GPS signal quite regular at different times through the day.
Though this mainly happened between 14:00 and 16:00 it did happen at over times as well.
No clouds, no tall trees or buildings to harass it out there.
The old faithful Hema 6 never missed a beat, nor did the two Ipads both running Hema maps that were in the cab. This was happening in Explore mode.

I was in Mackay a month or so later and I was navigating around the town in Drive mode, for a good 20 minutes I lost GPS signal.
The Hema 6 sitting beside it on the dash never missed a beat, neither did the Ipads.

Cheers
AnswerID: 616839

Follow Up By: Gramps - Monday, Feb 12, 2018 at 09:29

Monday, Feb 12, 2018 at 09:29
Blue M,

LOL what convinced you to have so many failsafe navigation devices in the vehicle? I expect you've got a compass and sextant in the glove box as well :)

Regards
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Reply By: Member - Scooby (WA) - Monday, Feb 12, 2018 at 09:42

Monday, Feb 12, 2018 at 09:42
Hi Tony H,
Yes, I have similar problems with my HX-1 that is about 6 months old. Mine loses satellite coverage, overheats and also the internal battery will go flat on occasions even though the unit is set to turn off when external power is removed (ignition turned off).
For a unit that is designed to sit on a windscreen in the sun (maybe it's not) I think this is pretty poor. My Tom Tom which sits next to the HX-1 has no problems.
Cheers
Scooby
AnswerID: 616846

Reply By: Member - McLaren3030 - Monday, Feb 12, 2018 at 10:51

Monday, Feb 12, 2018 at 10:51
Tony,

I purchased a Hema HX1 (replacing a HN6) last year before crossing the Nullabour and heading to Surveyor Generals Corner, Giles, Docker River, Yulara, Kings Canyon, Oodnadatta Track back to Melbourne. The HX1 sat on the dash plugged into the cig lighter socket the whole time, and did not suffer from overheating. I did lose signal once, just near Surveyor Generals Corner, but other than that it performed faultlessly. I have since travelled to the Gold Coast and back, also without issue.

As you are now on to your 3rd. unit suffering the same problem, it sounds suspiciously like the problem may be with your vehicle's electrical system. Maybe you need to take it to a "good" auto elec. and have him check the system thoroughly while the engine is running at different speeds. Perhaps you are getting voltage spikes.

Macca.
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Follow Up By: Member - Tony H (touring oz) - Monday, Feb 12, 2018 at 11:21

Monday, Feb 12, 2018 at 11:21
Hi Macca,
Thanks for the reply.
Yes, I have thought along your line of thinking, but with phones, iPads & cameras and other accessories plugged into the same source of power and operating faultlessly, I truly doubt that the problem is with the truck.
I have been monitoring the vehicles power output for sometime now, charging rate is 13.8v - 14.0v as per GM spec’s and well with in Hema’s spec’s.
This vehicle is a 2016 GMC Sierra Denali with so many electrical appliances and gizmos that all work with out fault. One of which is the factory GPS which as I mentioned earlier operates with out drams.......same operating system as the Hema.
Thanking you again for your constructive feedback!
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Reply By: rlhydn - Monday, Feb 12, 2018 at 10:55

Monday, Feb 12, 2018 at 10:55
I did a bit of reading comparing the HN7 to the HX1 and chose the slower HN7 for a couple of reasons,

1. Stronger GPS
2. Rear camera input

My only learning curve has been the non-qwerty keyboard.
Between the HN7 and the iPAD app I already subscribe to, the HX1 appeared to have features I didn't need and lacked the features I did.

It is good to read that HEMA are replacing your units (after service says a lot about a company)
AnswerID: 616852

Reply By: Michael ( Moss Vale NSW) - Monday, Feb 12, 2018 at 11:37

Monday, Feb 12, 2018 at 11:37
Hi Tony, I can't contribute about Hema units but it seems stupid to mould the back cover in Black plastic, not just Hema, but all of the different brands do. Yes black front surround to fit in with the rest of the vehicle I understand. A white rear panel would halve the heat absorbed and keep it much cooler, but in your case, high temperature
does not seem to be the issue. It will be interesting to see the outcome. Michael
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Follow Up By: Malcom M - Monday, Feb 12, 2018 at 13:25

Monday, Feb 12, 2018 at 13:25
"it seems stupid to mould the back cover in Black plastic"

Logically yes but then my permanently dash mounted black plastic Garmin has not missed a beat in any extreme temps so far.
Good design with the correctly rated components goes a long way...
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Follow Up By: Member - McLaren3030 - Monday, Feb 12, 2018 at 14:39

Monday, Feb 12, 2018 at 14:39
I must agree with Malcolm here. My HN6 sat on the dash for 3 or 4 years without an issue.

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Follow Up By: Michael ( Moss Vale NSW) - Monday, Feb 12, 2018 at 15:38

Monday, Feb 12, 2018 at 15:38
I was merely making the point that there is a lot of heat absorbed unnecessarily and some electronics are more prone than others obviously. Having said that, I also run two 7" Garmin units and also no problems over 4 years and a few more in the decade before. Michael.
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Follow Up By: Genny - Monday, Feb 12, 2018 at 16:58

Monday, Feb 12, 2018 at 16:58
Stick a sheet of white cardboard to the back of your units. I reckon you'll work out why they aren't made of white plastic.
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Reply By: peteC - Monday, Feb 12, 2018 at 19:31

Monday, Feb 12, 2018 at 19:31
This came up on another forum for a HN7 but didn't have the overheat problem. I suggested he remove all other charges especially cheap USB as I have seen them do crazy things to my Bluetooth and fm radio reception. He advised there was nothing else plugged in and had cables and power unit replaced by Hema then the whole unit with no change to his problem.
Eventually he found a cheap Bluetooth/usb gadget still plugged in inside his centre console.removed it and all problems disappeared

It's a simple test to see if something interfering and worth a try
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Reply By: Crusier 91 - Monday, Feb 12, 2018 at 19:49

Monday, Feb 12, 2018 at 19:49
I'm taking my Hena HX-1 back for a refund after 1 week.
Wont charge on laptop or in 4wd, wont sync with my laptop therefore cant download, wont hold wifi signal, warns me of speed cameras everywhere where there is none including in my driveway, Explore is not user friendly, there is no user manual, cant use when plugged into laptop device just displays "USB page" and cant go anywhere else.
AnswerID: 616875

Reply By: Member - nick b boab - Monday, Feb 12, 2018 at 21:39

Monday, Feb 12, 2018 at 21:39
interesting that !!
i'v had a hx1 for over 12 months , did simpson last year with no problems , sometime gps drops out but not for long ??
but on our last tip only last week it did the over heating message :(
I,m wondering if is't not the latest update , i did the update only a few weeks ago ???
i should mention the review on the hema website? are full with complaints :(
Cheers Nick b

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Follow Up By: Member - nick b boab - Tuesday, Mar 06, 2018 at 10:32

Tuesday, Mar 06, 2018 at 10:32
follow up ~ 3 weeks later ~ after the latest BIG map up date ....
I have been running my hx1 for last 3 week and haven't had any problems with it at all with over heating ~ hot days in hot car .
nor any problems with GPS dropping out , there are some handy tips on these two issues on hema's web site ~ reset GPS
can only thing these former issues were the update pre this problem
cheers
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Reply By: James H2 - Wednesday, Feb 14, 2018 at 14:46

Wednesday, Feb 14, 2018 at 14:46
I have no first hand experience but a guy here got one and it does over heat.
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Reply By: Member - Scott M (NSW) - Thursday, Feb 15, 2018 at 18:35

Thursday, Feb 15, 2018 at 18:35
I was given a HX1 last XMAS (donated my old HX6 to my nephew to use on his motorbike), and had a few issues.

The main and terminal one was the screen would go blank while the unit was still active. Could get the screen back by either tapping it or gently twisting. Also wouldn't charge while in the car. Had some overheat warnings, but suspect these were legitimate. Also had some gps dropout problems.
The other issue (which still bugs me) is the i-go street software is buggy. Some of the settings either don't work or turn themselves off. Took it back to the dealer and after looking at the problem, he didn't hesitate to replace it.

Have got the new one, much better as the screen issue and GPS issue have gone away. Also I'm more careful to undock and put out of direct sunglight if I'm leaving the car for any period. Charging still seems to be an issue. Two issues still though:

1. the i-go software is still buggy as whatever, similar issues - settings change or don't work - none of them are terminal, just annoying - hoping a software / firmware upgrade in the future might fix this

2. the O/S (device settings) seem to ALWAYS want to power the unit on when power recommences after I start the car - irrespective of the fact I do a full shutdown. This may be a setting I haven't found yet.

I've only been using it in my car as I haven't had the opportunity to use the HEMA mapping in anger in my 4wd yet - generally the HEMA software is fairly robust .... so fingers crossed.
AnswerID: 616954

Reply By: Member - kyle46 - Friday, Feb 16, 2018 at 06:00

Friday, Feb 16, 2018 at 06:00
Had mine just under 12 mths, agree the gps signal isn't the best. Never had the overheat warning until it did a update and now it s common.
Took a while to work had to turn it off, it would just keep turning back on even though all the options were ticked off to shutdown.
Will get onto hema I think to verify it it isn't a unit issue too
AnswerID: 616960

Follow Up By: Member - Stephen L (Clare SA) - Friday, Feb 16, 2018 at 07:34

Friday, Feb 16, 2018 at 07:34
Hi Kyle

As part of the Big December firmware update, the new heat sensor is now designed to shut the unit off to stop internal damage in the event of overheating.

Hema advise that if you are leaving the vehicle, the unit should not be left on the dash and kept out of the direct Sun.

I have not had the issue yet, asi do what they advise. On the other hand, I have had a hand held Garmin that went black and would not turn on after being left on the dash on a couple a quite warm days. After removing it from the dash (it was quite hot to handle) I placed it in front of the air vents with the a/c on flat out and once cooled down, it started up with no issues.

As for the turn on issue, you can not leave it plugged in when turned off, the screen is on all the time, and to stop this, I simply just remove the power lead.


Cheers



Stephen
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Follow Up By: Member - kyle46 - Friday, Feb 16, 2018 at 18:24

Friday, Feb 16, 2018 at 18:24
turn off issue , the unit was unplugged ,would shut down , then turn back on. battery would just go flat.
hard not to have on dash when the gps drops out if its on console.
got some good features, wouldn't want to rely on it soley
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Follow Up By: Member - nick b boab - Tuesday, Feb 20, 2018 at 20:39

Tuesday, Feb 20, 2018 at 20:39
Stephen I hope you " touch wood " for luck !! mine was going very well up till just recent .... but i also have the over heating and other things now :-(
last night just did the new complete map update so hope this helps
Cheers Nick b

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Follow Up By: Member - Stephen L (Clare SA) - Tuesday, Feb 20, 2018 at 21:16

Tuesday, Feb 20, 2018 at 21:16
Hi Nick

Don't say that......I have not used mine since the update.....lol

It sounds like they are only having the issue after that firmware update, and I would say that if it is a big issue, their techs will be working on a fix.

As a safety fall back, I still carry the HN7 in the boot for the ....just in case situation......lol


Cheers



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