Using a GPS Receiver in the Car

[sharathjeppu]

I had recently acquired a basic GPS receiver (Garmin Geko 201)

This time when I travelled Bangalore-Mysore-Mangalore-Bangalore, I decided to put this receiver on the dashboard of the Car to trace out the route that I took. Once I came back to Bangalore, I imported the route into Google Earth and this is what I got.



If you are interested you can download the "placemark" from here to view it on Google Earth.

[naveendhyani]

nice work mate. i will also go for 1. is there ny way u can power the unit thru the car's battery rather than running on internal batteries?

[stevie]

there are some units i have seen on a few websites(dont remember now but will surelylet u know soon) that are connected to the cigarette lighter adapter..........i guess those would bebetter than internal batteries!!!

[Ram]

Originally Posted by sharathjeppu

I had recently acquired a basic GPS receiver (Garmin Geko 201)

This time when I travelled Bangalore-Mysore-Mangalore-Bangalore, I decided to put this receiver on the dashboard of the Car to trace out the route that I took. Once I came back to Bangalore, I imported the route into Google Earth and this is what I got.

If you are interested you can download the "placemark" from here to view it on Google Earth.

Nice work, sharathjeppu.
Would you kindly answer some questions, I have?

1. Where did you buy your Garmin Geko 201?
2. How much did it cost you?
3. Does it work when leafy trees cover the sky?
4. How many satellites does it see in your area?
5. Can it really "see" the satellites through the car's metal roof or do you have to hold it outside the car?
6. Did you have to manually capture each Way Point or does it snap Way Points automatically?
7. Do you have Google Earth Plus?
8. How did you export the Way Points to Google Earth?

Best Regards
Ram

[tsk1979]

imageshack seems to be down, Any other link to the pic available?

[DRC]

On google earth it looks like, you mostly dod off roading

[sharathjeppu]

Originally Posted by naveendhyani

nice work mate. i will also go for 1. is there ny way u can power the unit thru the car's battery rather than running on internal batteries?

Yes, its possible. I had actually got the Car charger too but was a poor quality make and the 12v socket plug-in unit broke (plastic casing) and I am looking for replacement for the casing as well as the builtin Fuse. Still looking.

One thing that I realize is that connecting the car charging unit may make it inconvinient to place it on the Dash.

[sharathjeppu]

Originally Posted by ram

Nice work, sharathjeppu.
Would you kindly answer some questions, I have?

1. Where did you buy your Garmin Geko 201?
2. How much did it cost you?
3. Does it work when leafy trees cover the sky?
4. How many satellites does it see in your area?
5. Can it really "see" the satellites through the car's metal roof or do you have to hold it outside the car?
6. Did you have to manually capture each Way Point or does it snap Way Points automatically?
7. Do you have Google Earth Plus?
8. How did you export the Way Points to Google Earth?

Best Regards
Ram

Hi Ram,

1. I bought it of Amazon and got it delivered to a friend who was travelling back.
2. Cost me what it costs on Amazon. I think I paid roughly around USD 150 or so.
3. No, the unit requires line of sight with satellites. Which is the reson in some places when travelling back from Mangalore on the Ghats' there are lots of breaks.
4. It normally tracks 4 satellites (max) and will retain signal with even 3 satellites.
5. The unit can receive through the windshield. So I placed it on the Dash.
6. The waypoints are captured automatically. I actually deleted the way points from the placemark and just retained the path.
7. Yes, I subscribed to Google Earth Plus (USD 20/year)
8. Connected using a data cable (has to be bought seperately) and Google Earth Plus has an import from Garmin or Magellan devices option available.

Regards
Sharath

[sharathjeppu]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

imageshack seems to be down, Any other link to the pic available?

There's a margin of error in positioning accuracy that the device indicates. The smallest margin that I have got so far is 12 meters. Which is probably why in most places it looks like I am driving off the roads.

[jat]

4. It normally tracks 4 satellites (max) and will retain signal with even 3 satellites.

It requires minimumb of 4 satellites to give you 3D position - longitude, latitude and height and minimum of 3 satellite to give you 2D position, more satellites in view and further apart, more accuracy in your position.

[a4_attitude]

Is there any GPS avialable in market which also works as mobile, its a great gadget, but worth only if it has mobile facility tooo, carrying two geomectry box is a tough job..
I heard some company launching it soon in India
any clues??
Cheers
Wadhwa Ajay

[sharathjeppu]

Originally Posted by a4_attitude

Is there any GPS avialable in market which also works as mobile, its a great gadget, but worth only if it has mobile facility tooo, carrying two geomectry box is a tough job..
I heard some company launching it soon in India
any clues??
Cheers
Wadhwa Ajay

Here's one and here's another. Yet to hit the market I guess.

[Ram]

Originally Posted by a4_attitude

Is there any GPS avialable in market which also works as mobile, its a great gadget, but worth only if it has mobile facility tooo, carrying two geomectry box is a tough job..
I heard some company launching it soon in India
any clues??
Cheers
Wadhwa Ajay

The Nokia Wireless GPS Module LD-1W connects to any Bluetooth compatible Nokia phone, such as the Nokia 3230 or 6681.

What's nice is that your existing Nokia charger can recharge the LD-1W's battery and it has an external antenna connector for use in severe conditions.

Besides you don't want the GPS feature to spend away the battery power on your mobile, struggling to track satellites when there is poor GPS signal visibility.

GPS receivers can cost anywhere from Rs. 4,000 to well over Rs. 4 lakhs.
Beware of cheap GPS toys. All the high-end and expensive GPS receivers can work even where there are trees, steep hills, heavily built-up areas or poor satellite orientation, by using an external antenna. They also can see 7-8 satellites

To get good GPS signals with a handheld unit, the receiver's antenna must be oriented correctly. Garmin units with a built-in patch antenna work best when held horizontally so the face of the unit looks up at the sky.

Trying to maintain an ideal antenna orientation can be annoying if you are driving, hiking or doing other field work. With an external antenna connected you have no such problems.

[naveendhyani]

Originally Posted by a4_attitude

Is there any GPS avialable in market which also works as mobile, its a great gadget, but worth only if it has mobile facility tooo, carrying two geomectry box is a tough job..

hi ajay!

yes GPS enabled cell phones are out in the market. check out these links for more info.

http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/artic...,115273,00.asp
http://www.easydevices.co.uk/pcp/Mobile_Phone.html
http://www.mobilefun.co.uk/cat/Mobile-Phone-GPS.htm

hope this information helps u.

[a4_attitude]

Thnx for the information,
am using Nokia 9500, is it possible to connect LD-1W
One more question as you said dont go for cheap products, is this nokia module good enough???
Do I need to subscribe to any GPS Service??