GPS USB connection, also bluetooth

Umm DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY

Phil
No mate I don't have one , the comment was because of the price , I just have a firm belief that if you buy something cheap then it more than likely won't last , Now that for me applies to most things I buy,a cheap battery will let you down much earlier than one that costs twice the price, I read about the 1969 GT Cortina and the Hilman Hunter GT and compared them for 4 months , I purchased the Ford , I have been what I call cheated on by cheap chinese crap a few times too and If i see a cheap tool [made in China] i put it back on the shelf and look for a better quality.and the same goes for a GPS , If your going to use it for work or pleasure and rely on it to be acurate and to keep being acurate when your way out in the deserts as Willem just was recently then go get a good Garmin
www.ja-gps.com.au/garmin_quest_1.html like this one. it won't let you down , if your going to play around with it in the back blocks of Sydney then go get the el-cheapo, it will last you a few weeks or months and then you will have to and replace it again , Phil I hope this is of some help to you and at the same time I do understand that not everyone can afford the better quality gear, maybe get the cheap one to learn GPS on and go for a better one next time, good luck mate.

Doug

I use a USB version for my laptop and it works great with Ozi Explorer. I chose this over the Bluetooth version as I only have to worry about power for the laptop. The USB GPS is powered from the Laptop. The bluetooth version would require power from internally rechargeable batteries, which means another charger/lead anyway.

I found the WES component site a mess to find the GPS you speak about.!!!

The GPS you speak about are mouse type GPS units to plug into a Laptop or PDA. They are a matchbox size box on electronics with a cable. These work very well to plug into a computer and feed data to moving map software.

These GPS do have a display and nothing is seen unless plugged in.

Currently, I have a similar rig in the form of a PDA bracket which has GPS built into it so that I can run a PDA with moving map.

I also have an old Magellan handheld with a cable to plug into a laptop if necessary to look at a larger display. While mobile I have the moving map on the PDA and I have the route in my handheld which is displaying dist bearing etc to the next waypoint.

I am not sure where you are in the world of GPS but just buying one of those mentioned would NOT give you a whole mapping setup. Be wary of buying the lowest cost item as it may not meet your needs in the future if you get hooked into digital navigation.

Phil
Sorry mate , tell me am i reading your post wrong ,like me seeing one thing and you meaning another, correct me if I'm wrong but your post of ..quote: [GPS receiver, with USB or IPAQ or PALM connection for $92 from WES Components] tell me that your getting a GPS unit with USB port for $92 , and another GPS unit with Bluetooth for a mere $139 , Phil I paid over a $1000 each for my 2 GPS units so what are you getting for $92 ,. You have totally lost me on that one.

Doug

OK Phil
I just read Muddy doe's last post and know what your looking for now , It's not a GPS as i use . ok got ya

Personally, I believe the CF/PCMCIA Card style GPS is a better option.
The GPS Mouse appears to have an external battery.
The PCMCIA Card is compact, powered by the Laptop and doesn't require any cables, unless you are using an external antenna.

Something like the BC-337 SirF III GPS card as shown in the Shop, either with or without the external (MMCX) antenna.

Shop Item

If I don't resolve my current problem with the serial/usb adapter and also get CONSISTENCY out of it, the Card style GPS is the way I will go as I have already decided OziExplorer is the best viewing solution and a PDA is just too small to view properly.

I have a mouse type USB GPS, I got it for $80 off ebay. It has not skiped a beat and gets a lock in fraction the time of my magellan.

I was not happy with the water proofing of it so I dipped it in plastidip (same colour as my car, white) it sits on the roof magnetically and has been there for nearly two years now without any problems at all.

Its great. I use it with OziExplorer and Destinator and it is very accurate.

Cheers

I have a bluetooth unit.

What I like about it :-
- I can pass my ipaq to the kids in the back and let them work out where we are (or not).
- I can leave it in the car permanently (unlike a full blown GPS).
- I have 2 bluetooth ipaqs with different fittings and have either connect to it.

I do have occasional issues with it not being found by the application; usually its a startup sequence issue and nothing that a reboot can't fix :-)

Also, if you don't have it up near the window, the signal is weakened and you end up having more connection issues.

Apparently the ipaq's with the inbuilt GPS do a better job with the signal.

I bought a GPS Mouse from Twig Solutions (www.twig.com.au) off ebay last month ($98.00 inc shipping). haven't used it in anger yet, but testing has shown it to be more accurate than the Garmin eTrex I used to borrow from work. It uses the Sony chipset. Is hooked up to my laptop running OziExplorer, and when its eventually installed permenately, it'll be mounted on the Air vent intake panel near the drivers wiper arm, with cable running under bonnet and through firewall gromett.