Mitac Mio P350 - paperless caching

[+ForsdykeFinders]

Hi All

After many caching trips carrying reams of paper, I am finally considering buying a PDA. Looking around at various reviews I seem to have settled on the Mio P350 (cant really stretch to the P550 and cant really see what the extra cost gets you).

I want to use it for car use and for caching help with maps etc (will probably continue with the magellan 315 for the actual finding).

I currently use Memory Map 2004 on my PC. Is it simply a case of loading the memory map software onto the PDA or is there a PDA specific version? I have lots of maps and would like to use them if poss. I am considering having 2 memory cards, 1 with TomTom6 for the car and the other with the Memory Maps and Cache software.

Has anyone used this PDA in the car? Is it loud enough to hear the directions? There seem to be cradles with built in speakers which make me wonder if it is loud enough.

The chipset also looks very good. Basically, is it all its cracked up to be?

Does anyone know where you can get it for less than £220 complete with Tomtom software?

 

Correction...I have noticed the difference is in the Wifi/Bluetooth on the P550. Dont think I will need that though.

Edited January 13, 2007 by ForsdykeFinders

[+CrazyL200]

I currently use Memory Map 2004 on my PC. Is it simply a case of loading the memory map software onto the PDA or is there a PDA specific version?

 

MM2004 can be loaded from your PC to your PDA easily.

Look along the menu bar at the top and click on PDA.

Send map to PDA; this sends the entire map region that you're currently looking at on the PC screen.

Send visible map portion; does just that, sends the area you can see on your PC screen.

 

I've been using MM2004 for over a year now - it's great on the PDA. When buying cards to load maps on the PDA, make they are Hi Speed cards, otherwise it'll take for ever to load them from the PC. It's also worth considering a large card for MM use, mainly because you can then load more maps and not have to keep loading different areas if you travel around the country a lot. (I use it for a lot of other navigation needs other than caching).

 

I have the whole of England and Wales (Regions 1-8) loaded onto a 4GB card along with TT5, CachMate, GPX Sonar, GPSGate and a few other small programs. This uses around 3GB of space, leaving 1GB for loading other maps or software, plus space for the PDA to use for working.

 

Each MM2004 region is around 300 - 350 MB in size. I used to use a smaller (1GB, normal speed) card, but got fed up with reloading maps every time I went to a different part of the country, as well as the amount of time it took just to load a map.

 

Another nice quirk is running TT and Memory Map at the same time. You can have MM on screen and TT running in the background, giving verbal directions.

If you spend a bit of time setting the buttons programming up, it quick to swap between running applications.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Edit to add, I only need GPSGate as I have an older PDA with a separate bluetooth GPSr, so need to split the BT signal to run several apps together (MM, TT and sometimes CacheMates CacheNav).

Edited January 13, 2007 by CrazyL200

[+Gralorn]

I have to thank Santa for a Mio P550, it was strongly recommended on the forum awhile ago. I have a 1gb card loaded with about four 1:25.000 maps of the South which I use and I'm well impressed. I have just ordered the software for TT6 and a 512mb card enabling me to load that also onto the PDA. As it has not yet arrived though I am not sure if I can answer your questions, in fact I have a couple:

 

a. If it will be loud enough..... no idea

b. How do I put the data onto the sd card...... no idea

 

I was also under the impression that 1gb was the maximum card that a PDA could use! I had an IPAQ and it would not save more than 1gb on a 2gb card that I had installed in it, so how does your pda function with a 4gb card (What PDA do you have) as I'm intrigued! I also have Cachemate, Co-ord Convertor and Multi Cache aid on my PDA. I have no doubt at all that you'll be having hours of fun with your P350.

[+CrazyL200]

I had an IPAQ and it would not save more than 1gb on a 2gb card that I had installed in it, so how does your pda function with a 4gb card (What PDA do you have) as I'm intrigued!

 

I have an IPAQ 5550 with a Hi Speed 4GB sd card. Works fine, didn't have to do anything with it. just plug it in and go. I have heard some say that the big cards need reformatting in the PDA to get the PDA to use the full capacity.

Also, some older PDAs won't run more than 1 or sometimes 2 GB, due to the way the processor handles memory.

[+wigglesworth]

We use the Mio 210 and after some early problems it now works fine with Memory Map and Tomtom. We just bought a 2G card with no issues!

Peter

[+ForsdykeFinders]

Thanks for all the advice. I would like to hear if anyone has used these type of units in the car and how they compare with a typical Tomtom unit. I think I will opt for a 2Gb card which should be enough for the maps that I frequent.

[+Tiger-Eyes]

Hi I have a Mio P550 with a 2GB card, on the card I have tomtom, cachemate and Memory map. The tomtom is fantastic though I have to exit the application to use memorymap (i haven't got gpsgate) and I found it won't keep my home co-ords, not a prob for me though cos I know where i live .

 

Sound is plenty load enough too, I can here it over the radio

[+Gralorn]

Those answers certainly cheer me up about the 2 & 4 gb cards. Any simple instructions on how to put data from disc onto a 512 mb card, ie: Tom Tom 6?

[+The Bolas Heathens]

We've got exactly the same and it works really well. The sound on TT is not quite as loud as my Go 910 but plenty loud enough for what you need it for. I've not had a problem with my home co-ords thankfully .

 

To the OP: The p550 has bluetooth and wireless which the p350 does not. There may be other differences but I think these are the main ones. I use both features a lot so it was a necessity for me but if you don't need them then the p350 is perfect.

 

Hi I have a Mio P550 with a 2GB card, on the card I have tomtom, cachemate and Memory map. The tomtom is fantastic though I have to exit the application to use memorymap (i haven't got gpsgate) and I found it won't keep my home co-ords, not a prob for me though cos I know where i live .

 

[+ForsdykeFinders]

Looking at the price of SD cards, I think I may now go for a fast 4GB card (can then put on MP3s and all the maps etc). Generally Tom Tom6 seems to come pre-installed on a 512Mb Sd card. I assume you can move this on to the 4Gb card somehow (I guess I would need to copy it from the SD card it was pre-installed on to PC then over onto the 4GB card??). Should I get a TomTom installation CD with the pre-installed card?

All sounds really positive...just need to wait for the bonus from work to come through!

[+The Blorenges]

The WLFLon my p550 means I can sit in bed and read these posts. Got a Sandisk 2G card for Memmap and a 256M card for Miomap. Anyway it's late and time to log off!

[+The Blorenges]

The WiFiLon my p550 means I can sit in bed and read these post!. Got a Sandisk 2G card for Memmap and a 256M card for Miomap. Very pleased with it. Also got a USB output batt pack for it which gives another 8 hours or so. Anyway it's late and time to log off!

[+CrazyL200]

(I guess I would need to copy it from the SD card it was pre-installed on to PC then over onto the 4GB card??). Should I get a TomTom installation CD with the pre-installed card?

All sounds really positive...just need to wait for the bonus from work to come through!

 

You can copy from disc to disc, but it's better done as a fresh installation.

 

edit to add, you should get a CD with the package.

Edited January 14, 2007 by CrazyL200

[+Gralorn]

Just difficult to control in bed though we see!!!

[+Dobunnis]

We have a P550 with Memory Map and TomTom 5. A couple of points/answers...

 

The sound is plenty loud enough to be heard over the radio or road noise.

 

You can just transfer the files from the TomTom SD card to a larger card without any issues.

 

Memory Map can be installed on these PDAs.

 

If you have not got a memory card reader for your PC it is well worth getting one; they are really cheap now and makes transfer of file very quick and easy.

 

The only additions on the P550 over the P350 is the wifi and bluetooth. Useful if you want the internet over your mobile or transfering files... once you have it you will always want it.

 

We have not tested it but it has been mentioned on some memory websites that the formating has been changed on the 4gb and over SD cards and there is no backwards compatibilty so these higher capacity cards may not work completely on older PDAs, which will include the P350/550.

http://www.sandisk.com/Assets/File/pdf/retail/SDHC1.pdf

We have a Sandisk Ultra II 2gb card that works fine. If some has got larger card working at full capacity on these machines we would be interested to know.

 

It is a known issue with the P350/550 that the in-built GPS can only be used by either Memory Map or TomTom even with GPSGate.

 

As for battery packs, we are thinking of getting a new larger battery:

http://shop.eten.hu/mugen-power-pocket-p55...cba7b01d37697df

 

To protect your new toy it is well worth getting a a good plastic bag called an AquaPac:

http://www.aquapac.net/ukstore/erol.html#598X0

We forgot it once, we will now never take the PDA out in the rain without one.

 

We really rate the P550 since we have now worked through most of its quirks. When there are reviews the only criticism is that the on switch is too easy to catch and switch on or off!

 

Helen and Carolyn

Edited January 14, 2007 by T-girls

[+The Bolas Heathens]

We've had a 4Gb SD card working at full capacity on our p550 but I managed to catch it and break the read only switch on the card so had to get a new one as it became read only and thus totally useless. The new card would only format to 2Gb and was very slow despite being advertised as being faster (eBay buyer).

 

We thus settled on a Sandisk Ultra II 2Gb card which is spot on.

 

We have not tested it but it has been mentioned on some memory websites that the formating has been changed on the 4gb and over SD cards and there is no backwards compatibilty so these higher capacity cards may not work completely on older PDAs, which will include the P350/550.

http://www.sandisk.com/Assets/File/pdf/retail/SDHC1.pdf

We have a Sandisk Ultra II 2gb card that works fine. If some has got larger card working at full capacity on these machines we would be interested to know.

[+CrazyL200]

We have not tested it but it has been mentioned on some memory websites that the formating has been changed on the 4gb and over SD cards and there is no backwards compatibilty so these higher capacity cards may not work completely on older PDAs, which will include the P350/550.

http://www.sandisk.com/Assets/File/pdf/retail/SDHC1.pdf

We have a Sandisk Ultra II 2gb card that works fine. If some has got larger card working at full capacity on these machines we would be interested to know.

 

Strange the 350 and 550 should be considered older PDAs as they're relatively new compared to my IPAQ 5550, which runs a 4GB card to full capacity no problem.

 

It is a known issue with the P350/550 that the in-built GPS can only be used by either Memory Map or TomTom even with GPSGate.

 

Shame, that's just put me right off replacing my old IPAQ with a P550, instead of moving forward, this will be a step backwards.

[+CrazyL200]

As for battery packs, we are thinking of getting a new larger battery:

http://shop.eten.hu/mugen-power-pocket-p55...cba7b01d37697df

 

Are these battery packs thicker than the original ? Therefore preventing use of purpose built cradles ?

[+melmur]

Brodit mounts usually have room at the back for a high capacity battery, an a701 with the 3000mAh battery still fits in them nicely. Maybe it's the same for the 350 & 550?

[+Cache Crisis]

While the thread has been about Mio PDAs there are other ones worth considering. I use a Fujitsu Siemens LOOX n560 which is working well for me. bluetooth, WiFi, happy with 4GB SD cards and a decent GPS built in. Besides the high build quality I am very pleased with the really high quality of the screen.

 

Cache Crisis

[+ForsdykeFinders]

Some great advice...many thanks. Definately looks like I will get a 2Gb card now and an Aquapack.

How long does the standard battery generally last without a top up. Will a fully charged battery last for a days worth of caching?

[+Tiger-Eyes]

The battery will only work for about 4 hours constant use , I top it up between caches charging in the car, others have bought a seperate charges which uses AA's to rechage it on the go, but if you only turn it on when you need it and turn it off when you don't it should see you through

[+stora]

It is a known issue with the P350/550 that the in-built GPS can only be used by either Memory Map or TomTom even with GPSGate.

 

Don't know what issues your having but I have mine set up with Memory Map, TomTom and Cachemate all sharing the GPSr with GPSGate.

 

I was very surprised when I had Memory Map on and TomTom was giving me directions in the background.

[+CrazyL200]

It is a known issue with the P350/550 that the in-built GPS can only be used by either Memory Map or TomTom even with GPSGate.

 

Don't know what issues your having but I have mine set up with Memory Map, TomTom and Cachemate all sharing the GPSr with GPSGate.

 

I had a feeling it would work, nice to have it confirmed, thanks. Which puts the P550 back on the top of my list

 

I was very surprised when I had Memory Map on and TomTom was giving me directions in the background.

 

Nice, isn't it

 

edit for typo

Edited January 15, 2007 by CrazyL200

[+PopUpPirate]

Me brother has one, tested it yesterday and it was accurate but really slow in updating (probably a minute or so). Got MM with simulated input (NMEA)... any ideas please

[+The Bolas Heathens]

Related to the OP but slightly off topic....

 

I've had my p550 for a couple of months now and am really happy with it. The only thing I have not figured out is how do you switch between open apps - e.g. in the above scenario of MM and TT (especially as TT goes full screen so you don't have access to the normal start menu)?

 

I've probably missed something painfully obvious but try as I might I can't find the answer anywhere.

[coelophysis]

Hi I have had the same problem with "simulated input" comment, i had tomtom6 and MemoryMap on the same card, the only way i can get it to work is have seperate cards for each program.

 

The Mio P350 is set to

GPS program port COM 4

GPS hardware port COM 2

Baud rate 4800

 

The TomTom6 is set to

Other NMEA GPS receiver

Baud rate 4800

GPS connected to GPS_COM

 

MemoryMap is set to

NMEA

Port COM 2

Baud rate 4800

 

I hope this helps, if anyone else can suggest different settings that work for them, please let me know

[+Tiger-Eyes]

Related to the OP but slightly off topic....

 

I've had my p550 for a couple of months now and am really happy with it. The only thing I have not figured out is how do you switch between open apps - e.g. in the above scenario of MM and TT (especially as TT goes full screen so you don't have access to the normal start menu)?

 

I've probably missed something painfully obvious but try as I might I can't find the answer anywhere.

 

I get out of tomtom whilst leaving it running by pressing the contacts button on the bottom of the ppc, this opens up the address book but gives you the start bar (not perfect but it works)

 

on memorymap click menu today screen. I think you can change the buttons at the bottom to your own choice of programs so maybe one could be for MM and another for TT.

[+CrazyL200]

Related to the OP but slightly off topic....

 

I've had my p550 for a couple of months now and am really happy with it. The only thing I have not figured out is how do you switch between open apps - e.g. in the above scenario of MM and TT (especially as TT goes full screen so you don't have access to the normal start menu)?

 

I've probably missed something painfully obvious but try as I might I can't find the answer anywhere.

 

In the settings menu, open "Buttons" and dedicate the buttons to which ever app you want. Be careful though, sometimes a bit of conflict gets in if you have the buttons programmed in Memory Map.

[+The Bolas Heathens]

Thanks - I'd not thought of doing that, even though I had programmed the buttons - duh!

 

I've just downloaded GPSGate and can confirm it works perfectly with TT and MM on my Mio P550 too

[coelophysis]

[Hi I have had the same problem with "simulated input" comment, i had tomtom6 and MemoryMap on the same card, the only way i can get it to work is have seperate cards for each program.

 

The Mio P350 is set to

GPS program port COM 4

GPS hardware port COM 2

Baud rate 4800

 

The TomTom6 is set to

Other NMEA GPS receiver

Baud rate 4800

GPS connected to GPS_COM

 

MemoryMap is set to

NMEA

Port COM 2

Baud rate 4800

 

I hope this helps, if anyone else can suggest different settings that work for them, please let me know

[+melmur]

Quick bit of info for you all here....

 

The latest generation of Mio devices all use WM5, which does not need GPS gate to share ports. You just need to know how the ports work.

 

GPS_COM (or HW_COM as it's called on some devices) is a hardware port and Tomtom can connect to it directly, you do not however get the benefit of SIF (SIRF instant fix) when using this port. You can also only have one app connected to it.

 

The port "coelophysis" has MM connected to is a "software" port and can have multiple apps connected. The main problem is that current versions of Tomtom cannot open this port on it's own.

 

If you open the port by running MM or similar, then Tomtom will connect to this port also.

 

Hope this clears things up a bit, although probably not the best explanation!

[+stora]

Related to the OP but slightly off topic....

 

I've had my p550 for a couple of months now and am really happy with it. The only thing I have not figured out is how do you switch between open apps - e.g. in the above scenario of MM and TT (especially as TT goes full screen so you don't have access to the normal start menu)?

 

I've probably missed something painfully obvious but try as I might I can't find the answer anywhere.

 

The default setting for the top righthand button near the joystick, (looks like a magnifying glass with a i in it) opens the Today screen.

Edited January 15, 2007 by stora

[+stora]

Quick bit of info for you all here....

 

The latest generation of Mio devices all use WM5, which does not need GPS gate to share ports. You just need to know how the ports work.

 

GPS_COM (or HW_COM as it's called on some devices) is a hardware port and Tomtom can connect to it directly, you do not however get the benefit of SIF (SIRF instant fix) when using this port. You can also only have one app connected to it.

 

The port "coelophysis" has MM connected to is a "software" port and can have multiple apps connected. The main problem is that current versions of Tomtom cannot open this port on it's own.

 

If you open the port by running MM or similar, then Tomtom will connect to this port also.

 

Hope this clears things up a bit, although probably not the best explanation!

 

If you've got this working I would like to know what versions of software your using. Try as I may, I can not get my P550 to work with that set up.

[coelophysis]

Quick bit of info for you all here....

 

The latest generation of Mio devices all use WM5, which does not need GPS gate to share ports. You just need to know how the ports work.

 

GPS_COM (or HW_COM as it's called on some devices) is a hardware port and Tomtom can connect to it directly, you do not however get the benefit of SIF (SIRF instant fix) when using this port. You can also only have one app connected to it.

 

The port "coelophysis" has MM connected to is a "software" port and can have multiple apps connected. The main problem is that current versions of Tomtom cannot open this port on it's own.

 

If you open the port by running MM or similar, then Tomtom will connect to this port also.

 

Hope this clears things up a bit, although probably not the best explanation!

 

If you've got this working I would like to know what versions of software your using. Try as I may, I can not get my P550 to work with that set up.

 

Hi

Thanks for the information

Can you suggest which ports and settings i should use for the P350 and the software i'm running to make best use of SIRF instant fix

Best Regards

[+yonorri]

Hello all,

 

Just like to say I'm new round here, haven't even found a cache yet! Although I do have a plan, a Mio P550 and a mountain bike

 

Anyway to the topic of the P550, what a great devie, had mine abut 6 months now and for those not so on road adventures I'm using Anquet mapping.

Thats only 'cos I've used it on the PC for a few years and it seems pointless ot get something else when I've spent all that money. and it works and its good! On a 4GB card, works fine in my mio, the whole of the UK at 1:50,000 takes about half the card.

And now Anquet has a new feature, pay by area mapping, just defince the area you require on a larger map then choose to download that area at 1:25,000, paying by credit card. BTW I'm not advertising just saying it's a mighty nice feature.

 

Anyway back to the 550 and its port sharing capabilities, the original 1.2 version of Anquet maps used the software GPS port COM4 which ment you could run other software at the same time, however with version 6 it will only run succesfully off the hardware port COM2 And it won't work with a port spliter either it will connect to one of the spit ports but keeps losing and regaining connection with the GPS.

 

I've been running connectivity tests over the last few days as I had issues with some other software I'm using, so if you want to view the results try this link,

http://www.aspecto-software.com/punbb/view...?pid=2265#p2265

I think the problems lie with the way the data streams are handled but I'm still working on this issue so expect more results soon.

 

The Aquapack is to be recomended especially as it has a landyard which you can string round your neck or over the shoulder and look a bit like a techno-rambler!

 

I like the idea of a high capacity power pack 2200mAh sounds nice, how long do they last?

 

Anyway I'm looking forward to my first cache hunt at the beginning of next week so wish me well.

 

Happy hunting

 

M.

[+CrazyL200]

Quick bit of info for you all here....

 

The latest generation of Mio devices all use WM5, which does not need GPS gate to share ports. You just need to know how the ports work.

 

GPS_COM (or HW_COM as it's called on some devices) is a hardware port and Tomtom can connect to it directly, you do not however get the benefit of SIF (SIRF instant fix) when using this port. You can also only have one app connected to it.

 

The port "coelophysis" has MM connected to is a "software" port and can have multiple apps connected. The main problem is that current versions of Tomtom cannot open this port on it's own.

 

If you open the port by running MM or similar, then Tomtom will connect to this port also.

 

Hope this clears things up a bit, although probably not the best explanation!

 

So what you're saying is get, say, Mem Map running first, then TT ?

 

Also, make sure a software port is used, not a hardware port (this makes sense as that's how GPSGate works - it creates software "virtual" ports. A hardware port can only be used by one device at a time - the same as a physical port on the back of the PC for instance).

 

Not quite sure why, if using a software "virtual" port, why there's a order of preference for the apps connecting to it.

With GPSGate, you can connect in any order because each app has a different virtual port asigned and is therefore treated as any port - as long as the software is running, the port is available because it's dedicated to one particular app.

 

Hmmm... went round in a bit of a circle there , but I know what I meant

[+CrazyL200]

And now Anquet has a new feature, pay by area mapping, just defince the area you require on a larger map then choose to download that area at 1:25,000, paying by credit card. BTW I'm not advertising just saying it's a mighty nice feature.

Been using 1:25K Memeory Map for quite a while now, not only for caching but for other exploration activities - what a difference, especially on the final approach to a location with more than one possible path to it or a river to decide which side to go on.

 

I've been running connectivity tests over the last few days as I had issues with some other software I'm using, so if you want to view the results try this link,

http://www.aspecto-software.com/punbb/view...?pid=2265#p2265

I think the problems lie with the way the data streams are handled but I'm still working on this issue so expect more results soon.

Keep us posted. I'm interested in this as I'm thinking of getting a P550, but at the moment unsure due to some of these port issues.

 

Anyway I'm looking forward to my first cache hunt at the beginning of next week so wish me well.

Good luck and have fun - once bitten ............... the rest is history

[+CrazyL200]

edit : double post - ooppss

Edited January 16, 2007 by CrazyL200

[+melmur]

In reply to all,

 

There is only a preference as to which app to open first because Tomtom can't open a virtual port unaided, it's a problem with the Tomtom software at present.

 

Once the 'virtual' port is opened, you can connect as many apps as you want to it, including Tomtom. You can either use MM or any other app that can open it.

 

I don't have a 350 or 550 here at the moment to try it, but whichever port MM can connect to apart from GPS_COM/HW_COM is the one you want. Stick to 4800 baud & NMEA, not SIRF and try to connect MM or another app apart from Tomtom. It's normally COM 2 or 4. When you have it working, keep the app running, minimise it, open Tomtom and connect with the same settings.

 

You can actually automate the whole process with a script runner such as Mortscript, but I really don't want to go into that here.

[+stora]

UPDATE:

 

After a full reset to factory defaults and fresh installs of Cachemate, MemoryMap and Tomtom. I now have all three apps running sharing COM4.

 

I've yet to run a field test but that will have to wait until tomorrow.

 

[+CrazyL200]

In reply to all,

 

There is only a preference as to which app to open first because Tomtom can't open a virtual port unaided, it's a problem with the Tomtom software at present.

 

Once the 'virtual' port is opened, you can connect as many apps as you want to it, including Tomtom. You can either use MM or any other app that can open it.

 

 

Interesting. I'm able to run TT (Ver 5) before any other app.

[+CrazyL200]

UPDATE:

 

After a full reset to factory defaults and fresh installs of Cachemate, MemoryMap and Tomtom. I now have all three apps running sharing COM4.

 

I've yet to run a field test but that will have to wait until tomorrow.

 

 

Are there any issues with opening apps on their own, i.e. a pref. for TT to have the port opened by one of the others ?

[+stora]

UPDATE:

 

After a full reset to factory defaults and fresh installs of Cachemate, MemoryMap and Tomtom. I now have all three apps running sharing COM4.

 

I've yet to run a field test but that will have to wait until tomorrow.

 

 

Are there any issues with opening apps on their own, i.e. a pref. for TT to have the port opened by one of the others ?

 

Mio P550

 

GPS settings:

GPS Program port: COM4

GPS Hardware port : COM2 baud rate : 4800

Manage GPS automatically (recommended) I have this box checked.

 

Yes. If I open TomTom 6 first it reports 'No GPS device!'

Then I opened Cachemate and that reports 'Error opening serial port!'

 

If I then open Memory-Map OS Edition, both Cachemate and TomTom can see the port.

 

As melmur has said TomTom seems to have a bug and can not open the port.

Moote also pointed out in another thread that applications that are not written for Windows Mobile 5 have problems opening shared ports. I suspect that this is the case with Cachemate.

Edited January 16, 2007 by stora

[+CrazyL200]

UPDATE:

 

After a full reset to factory defaults and fresh installs of Cachemate, MemoryMap and Tomtom. I now have all three apps running sharing COM4.

 

I've yet to run a field test but that will have to wait until tomorrow.

 

 

Are there any issues with opening apps on their own, i.e. a pref. for TT to have the port opened by one of the others ?

 

Mio P550

 

GPS settings:

GPS Program port: COM4

GPS Hardware port : COM2 baud rate : 4800

Manage GPS automatically (recommended) I have this box checked.

 

Yes. If I open TomTom 6 first it reports 'No GPS device!'

Then I opened Cachemate and that reports 'Error opening serial port!'

 

If I then open Memory-Map OS Edition, both Cachemate and TomTom can see the port.

 

As melmur has said TomTom seems to have a bug and can not open the port.

Moote also pointed out in another thread that applications that are not written for Windows Mobile 5 have problems opening shared ports. I suspect that this is the case with Cachemate.

 

Yet, GPSGate creates virtual ports and each app has no problem with opening it's own virtual port so created.

GPSGate can be configured to read data from almost any available source port. Maybe that would overcome the problem.

[+melmur]

@ stora, yes I forgot about cachemate/nav - that also can't open the port. You seem to have the idea of what I was trying to say though.

[+yonorri]

In reply to all,

 

Once the 'virtual' port is opened, you can connect as many apps as you want to it, including Tomtom. You can either use MM or any other app that can open it.

 

 

Ooh, I like this! And it works, I connect to COM4, the 'virtual port' using PockeTTY and then all my problems go away. WiFiFoFum which before would not even recognise COM4 can now connect and recieve live GPS data, however I think PockeTTY is being a bit promiscuos as WiFiFoFum is having trouble fetching it's data.

 

I'll try with some more COM4 fiendly software tomorrow, this install hasn't got anything else GPS related. Hope this fixes the Anquet mapping issue whereby it continuosly connects and disconnects from COM4.

 

Many thanks for this useful tip

 

Rgrds

M.

[+ForsdykeFinders]

Does the Mio P350 fit into the Classic Aquapac or the Clasic +? Do these bigger batteries invalidate the warranty?

[+yonorri]

WM5 and the GPS Intermediate Driver

 

I've done some reading and I now understand!

 

If anyone wants to do the same reading follow this link;

 

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default....erReference.asp

 

In summary, for the non Geek, hopefully.

 

GPS software has to be specifically written in order to obtain data via the virtual com port provided by tne GPS Intermediate Driver, its a matter of power saving. The GPS hardware does not run all the time only when requested to do so by your software.

 

Older software, not using the GPS Intermediate Driver, wants to connect directly to the GPS hardware, turn it on and then process the incoming NMEA string itself.

 

Newer software that uses the GPS Intermediate Driver can request the GPS to turn on and then make use of pre-processed NMEA data, your software can specify what it wants to retreive, once the data has been delivered it can then turn off the GPS until needed again.

 

The problem comes when Older software tries to access the GPS via the GPS Intermediate Driver. The GPS Intermediate Driver can pass though the NMEA data required, different mode, however the the GPS hardware on/off commands are disabled (not really but it appears like this to most software). The reasoning behind this is that some software can request the GPS hardware to switch to a proprietry data mode which would then screw up (technical term) the operation of the GPS Intermediate Driver, defeating the purpose of having it in the first place.

 

Well I hope this helps, typing the summary has helped me understand why it all happens, and if you want more in depth info use that earlier link, it goes to the WM5 SDK.

 

And for those of you that can't find the GPS config option on WM5 mobile phones and some WM5 pdas, there are registry settings that hide this interface, I found refernce to it while searching for the above info, but I'm bu****ed if I can find it again, however I think the registry settings are referenced in the SDK somewhere.

 

Phew, my brain hurts!

[+Dobunnis]

Does the Mio P350 fit into the Classic Aquapac or the Clasic +? Do these bigger batteries invalidate the warranty?

 

The Classic Aquapac is the right size if it is just a P550 you want to put in.

 

As for the larger batteries, I am not sure if it invalidates the warrenty. You can get a Mio battery for the P550 that is 1700mAh on eBay as opposed to the supplied 1300mAh. I should add that we do not have one but are thinking it may be useful. I went caching at the weekend for the day and the battery lasted fine without a top up but obviously you need to turn it off to conserve power.

 

Helen

Edited January 18, 2007 by T-girls