Gps dongle

[iandouglas]

HI.
Anyway finaly got a new laptop for the house so ive got our old one .
its a Compaq Presario c300.1.60GHZ celeron chip running XP.
Ive got Memory Map version 5 installed but need to upload the discs into a file.
I would like to now purchase a gps dongle and power supply ,
which is better an inverter or power pack.to run laptop.
The laptop does not have bluetooth installed but i do have a bluetooth dongle .
Would i be better off with a hard wired gps going into a USB port,
as i beleave Dinky runs.
laptop has 2 stacked usb ports.
recommendations ,thoughts most welcome ..

Once ive got a gps dongle installed and laptop powered up do i then just upload the disc with the erea i am in .
:dohWHAT happens next
rgds.iandouglas
PS.
YODA`S BACK:clap

 

[Deleted account DD]

Having spent hours researching as well as a few years walking the walk

1/ Buy a 12v adapter from maplins to suit your laptop. Time it right and you'll get a bargain. They are quite often in their "massive" reduction sales een though theyre a stock line. I cant remember exact prices but my top banana one was around half price and cost me £20 ish.
For what you want an invertor is innefecicient and wastes energy doing 12v to 240v to feed the compaq transformer which takes it back down to whatever (anything between 12 & 17v I'd guess) with laptop batteries charged, a 12v adapter and your normal mains adapter available you have absolute flexibility mobile or static :thumb2

2/ Do not buy a wired gps unit unless youre saving dosh :thumb2 theyre still good to use but generally older tech and slower to refresh the position on the laptop. One connected by bluetooth is far more convenient and gets rid of some of the trailing wires.
I use one of these http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Holux-M-1200-...tems?hash=item5d25c38185&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14 its reliable ,fast ,easy to set up and I've had 12hours plus out of the bttery. Like all technogy theres probably more modern out there but not for the price (you should be able to find one cheaper than this listing) this is the third one I've had and by far the best.
You can conect it by a usb lead to the laptop if you want. I dont use it that way but the options there, I always use it wireless but plugging it in does charge it up too :thumb2 I reckon it would be very fast plugged in if you want to use it that way. My early hard wired one was painfully slow refreshing in comparison to the latest via bluetooth.


I run one of two laptops and a pda as desc. I've got IGO on the pda for car sat nav, MS autoroute for general stuff and Memory maps for the rest inc walking on the laptop and pda. Its not a lot of kit to take away in say the caravan and with the power and gps pick up combo its flexible with loads of resilience.

Hope that helps :thumb2

 

[Deleted account DD]

In fact a quick search on maplins and the power supply is on offer for £15 just gets better

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=226793

I'm pretty certain they do or used to do higher powered ones too . Cant check mine as its in the caravan.......sorry :augie I have had mine running a fujitsu (missu), a dell (work) and a toshiba (mine) all the tips are there to connect and all ran sweet :thumb2

 

[dinky]

Ian As you know i run hardwired gps,HB ran bluetooth on his last year and kept losing signal,liken all gps recievers lose signal under trees but thats
all mine does and less battries to worry about.

 

[Deleted account DD]

less battries to worry about.

Theres no hassle with batteries because if you use it hardwired via usb its charging/powered whilst its plugged in with no bluetooth dongle using the powere either.

Disconnect it and its still works but no trailing cables :thumb2

Total flexibility.

Trees , tunnels and some big buildings...................perennial problem for any unit :naughty

 

[iandouglas]

hi daved thanks for the maplins power supply .its mine now:thumb2.

would this gps dongle be ok.

http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?TabID=1&criteria=usb&ModuleNo=256536&C=SO&U=Strat15#features

rgds.iandouglas

 

[Terranoman]

If you us a USB dongle you may need to have a USB extention lead so that the dongle can be placed by the windscreen pending on where you intend to place the laptop

 

[Terranosaurus]

Mine now stays connected and works fine - however it doesn't work whilst pluged into the USB lead, that is for charging only and does not hardwire it and it turns off when you start charging it - which is a pain. Try to get one that doesn't do that would definitely be my advice.

As said above use a 12v power supply, more efficent etc.

Really must get around to mounting mine up and away behind the glovebox and fitting a couple of remote USB ports and maybe a touch pad in the arm rest/console area.

 

[Deleted account DD]

http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?TabID=1&criteria=usb&ModuleNo=256536&C=SO&U=Strat15#features

Ian, they'll all work no prob. I personally would avoid hard wired ones especially at that price :thumb2

I've pm'd you

 

[iandouglas]

thanks for all the help and advise guys,
rgds.iandouglas

 

[zippy656]

so whats your shopping list like then??

 

[iandouglas]

HI ZIPPY IVE ORDERED <TABLE style="BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px" class=tborder border=0 cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=6 width="100%" align=center><TBODY><TR><TD class=thead colSpan=2></TD></TR><TR title="Post 65191" vAlign=top><TD class=alt2 width=125 align=middle></TD><TD class=alt1>In fact a quick search on maplins and the power supply is on offer for £15 just gets better

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>THE POWER SUPPLY FROM MAPLINS THAT DAVED POSTED £15.
SOMEONE HAS OFFERED TO LEND ME A GPS DONGLE SO WILL BE ABLE TO SEE HOW IT ALL WORKS.<TABLE style="BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px" class=tborder border=0 cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=6 width="100%" align=center><TBODY><TR><TD class=thead colSpan=2></TD></TR><TR title="Post 65191" vAlign=top><TD class=alt2 width=125 align=middle></TD><TD class=alt1>In fact a quick search on maplins and the power supply is on offer for £15 just gets better

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

 

[iandouglas]

usb dongle

Hi thanks to a very kind offer i have been lent a Holux 230.GPS /USB.
i put my blue tooth dongle in and set it to looking for the Holux.
WHICH IT COULDNT FIND.

Tried to load disc 4 of memery map into a new folder on laptop wouldnt let me.
Not a good day is it.
HELP:doh
rgds.iandouglas

 

[Deleted account DD]

Once the holux is switched on it has no hidden or visible changes so no prob there :thumb2

Make sure youre comp (via bluetooth options) is visible and "findable"

Make sure the bluetooth dongle is lit up and usb ports enabled.

Then search and theres no reason why it wont find it :thumb2

My internet is hit and miss at the mo due the builders being in for a few weeks so good luck and by the time i reconnect you should be navigating around :thumb2

 

[iandouglas]

right now i have got the blue tooth to find the gps unit ,but now it wants a passkey:sly:slect.:sly to run on :doh memory map
any ideas.

 

[Paul]

right now i have got the blue tooth to find the gps unit ,but now it wants a passkey:sly:slect.:sly to run on :doh memory map
any ideas.

Try 0000

 

[lacroupade]

Try 0000

Pauls right, usually defaults to 0000; if not you'll need the destructions.:thumbs

 

[iandouglas]

sorry for the confusion with my last post .
as follows
iandouglas wrote
Hi right now i have got the blue tooth to find the gps unit ,but now it wants a passkey:slect. to run on memory map
any ideas.
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
what i was trying to explain was that the Memory Map v.5 was asking for
a pass key and user name ect for the licence.
is there a way around this .or how do i obtain one.
rgds.iandouglas
PS .
WHERE IS THE SPELL CHECKER GONE

 

[Deleted account DD]

I cant remember but i'm confident the holux is the odd one out in the bluetooth world and its not 0000. If you google the model number it'll provide loads of links but at least one will be to the holux site and there'll be tabs for tech spec etc. Select downloads and therll be the usb drivers, quick stat guide and intsruction manual :thumb2

Which model is it?


(ps been there with more than one holux and the guys are right, I think my newest one is 0000 but its the first if my memory serves me right)

 

[lacroupade]

sorry for the confusion with my last post .
as follows
iandouglas wrote
Hi right now i have got the blue tooth to find the gps unit ,but now it wants a passkey:slect. to run on memory map
any ideas.
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
what i was trying to explain was that the Memory Map v.5 was asking for
a pass key and user name ect for the licence.
is there a way around this .or how do i obtain one.
rgds.iandouglas
PS .
WHERE IS THE SPELL CHECKER GONE

Ian sounds like a dodgy downloaded version (like mine!); where did you get it and did they not supply licence key? Let me know....might be able to give you mine if I can find it....stuck away on a hard drive somewhere but can probably dig it out....