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Think I Bought Wrong GPS

S

Sayth

Gawd
Joined
Oct 7, 2001
Messages
618
Well I was in a rush, bought this, and now can't return it until next weekend and I can't even FIND a store in Ottawa that sells GPS units. Needed it for Wednesday.

I bought the Navibe SP611 for a wardrive report I'm writing, but I can't even get it to locate a satellite and the ONE time it did, the km just jumped all over the place. Any recommendations on somewhere to get a better one in Ottawa area?

It can be seen here

Anyone else have any experience with one of these?:confused:
 
I got my Garmin at Futureshop and it works great. It's only the basic unit, C330, but i've uploaded the speed traps in Canada and it works wonders at warning me in advance :)
 
I recently bought what I consider to be an awesome unit for my father, the Garmin Nuvi 350. It's got a jillion features, and at the time there was a deal at Costco which meant that it only totalled $360. It's something like $425 normally.

Satellite tracking is excellent (supposedly due to some recent tech improvement), the text to speech works well, and it's extremely light and solidly built. The screen is well lit, the audio is clear (although I wouldn't dream of using the MP3 feature through it; Audiobooks would work well though), and the menus are so damn intuitive that my 71 year old father didn't ever pick up the manual and already had it honed into our destination for the day.

I'd recommend it in a heartbeat, unless you need a lower cost solution.
 
Oh wow you guys are hardcore haha
Nah I spent 45 bux Canadian on mine... I really just wanted a receiver. no screen, no fancy features, just plug into my laptop and run. There's a model that was recommended by a kismet forum that was 38.99 USD, but I didn't have time to wait for it to be shipped.
 
Sayth said:
Oh wow you guys are hardcore haha
Nah I spent 45 bux Canadian on mine... I really just wanted a receiver. no screen, no fancy features, just plug into my laptop and run. There's a model that was recommended by a kismet forum that was 38.99 USD, but I didn't have time to wait for it to be shipped.
Click to expand...

hah, I just noticed that you aren't looking for any kind of navigation! Much less in-car. Ignore my post then ;)
 
With GPS Recievers, its true for 'You get what you pay for' type of thing.

For easily accessbile but great unit, grab a Garmin eTrex. I can pick them up for about $55USD on sale here in the states. Then just post it online and sell it off!

You could even pick up an older Garmin GPS12 and it will do just fine. I actually used it for my wardriving project in high school. But if you want to pick something up reatil and RIGHT NOW, then eTrex you are more than likely able to get.
 
Since you got a cheaper unit, and as the last poster said, you get what you pay for. On first startup, the unit takes a much longer time to acquire a 3D fix. For cheaper units, this time can be several minutes. After that, it should be much faster. You should leave it on for 10-15 minutes and see if that works. Also, go to a clear area without many buildings.
 
Yeah I was gonna give that a try after work. Thanks.

also anyone here experienced with using GPSD in linux?
How do I know the device path? /dev/ttys01 or /dev/usb02 or whatever it may be... This unit happens to show up under lsusb as a serial to usb device which the name slips my mind at the moment, but I know it to work with other units.

Any ideas what I'm talking about?
 
Sayth said:
I can't even get it to locate a satellite and the ONE time it did, the km just jumped all over the place.
Click to expand...

Are you using it indoors? GPS signals are weak and the frequencies used are easily blocked by almost anything - especially the roof of your house. Take it outside and see how it works.

If you're using it in a car, you may find it will work on the dash (where it can "see" satellites out the window) but not on a seat, where the steel roof blocks the signals.

Older GPS units had optional powered antennae available to enhance reception. The newer ones are more sensitive, but they still are limited by the lack of penetrating power of GPS signals.

If you choose to buy a full-featured GPS instead of a GPS mouse, Mountain Equipment Coop, Bushtukah and other outdoor stores in Ottawa have some at decent prices. Even Canadian Tire sells some. They might have some at the World of Maps store (Wellington st?).
 
I love my GlobalSat BU-353 SiRF III chipset.. cold lock on is about 1 min.. warm lock is instant..

and works indoors.. well in my room anyways... but not in the garage..

--mike
 
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