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Recommendations On Cf Gps Devices For Pda


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I recently aquired a Toshiba e800 running Pocket PC 2003SE. It has both a Compact Flash slot AND an SD slot. I'd love to pop in a CF GPS to use it for live Mapping or a standard handheld GPS such as the etrex (follow the arrow type).

 

Do any of you have any recommendations on brand of CF GPS device or software? I've read other reviews but though I'd ask those who may actually use this type of setup.

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I have an IPaq 2215. Right before Christmas I bought the Garmin CFQ1620 to use for a trip from SC to Texas and back. It worked very well and I have been VERY happy with it. When I got my 76cs, I put them both on the dash and did a route to a cache. They both calculated the exact same route and the prompts were within seconds of each other for the turns. The voice prompts on the CFQ/PDA were exceptional though. It tells you not just to turn right or left, but things like stay left and bear right. The only problems I had were a couple of times I exited to a rest area or gas station and turned off the PDA while it was recalculating the route. I had to do soft resets on a couple of occasions because of that. I bought mine at GPS Adventures for about $205, but it comes with the City Select v6 that I now use with my 76cs also, which made it a good value. I also have put the entire southeast, both topo and City Select on a 1GB SD card and still have about 700 Meg left. I highly recommend this one since you have both the CF and SD slots. :rolleyes:

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I am debating getting the Cf Que as well. I found this in a user review on Amazon:

 

"A couple of specifics: It is a very good idea to make sure you are running MS Pocket PC 2003 operating system. My iPAQ originally came with Pocket PC 2002 and the Garmin had many problems locking up along with very slow performance. Once I upgraded, the difference was tremendous. The Garmin CF Que 1620 is now very stable and fast." - Mike W.

 

I am not so sure now because my PDA only has PPC2002 installed. Anyone using one of these with PPC2002 with good results, or do I need to upgrade first? Of course if I move up to a newer VGA/PPC2003SE PDA I will probably have bluetooth, which makes the new Garmin GPS 10 an option as well.

 

I really wish I could get the Garmin Que software for use with my current CF GPS. I currently have a GlobalSat BC-307, and I use Oziexplorer CE and MS Streets & Trips with it. I usually use this in the car then switch to a more robust handheld for finding a cache or other outdoor use. Ozi is great if you have a source for good maps, and MS S&T is great for the price, but neither are spectacular for auto navigation imho. The GPS unit itself works well, and there is probably better software available if you need it. I think if the cf Que was available when I made the purchase I would have went that way instead.

Edited by Boromir
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I trust Garmin to make a good product. But what I can't tell on their site is if the CF que has regualr GPS functions or if it's limited to routing.

As I understand you can request an 'off-road' route when going to a waypoint, which should result in the unit pointing directly to the cache as one would want for geocaching. Can anyone confirm this? This is apparently how the Quest works, so I hope the cf Que works the same way.

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My PDA with the garmin software and the CF Que has the map page, the satellite page and the find page. The map page can have up to 3 lines of 3 fields which can be set to display almost everything you would need including GPS estimated error, heading to destination, distance to destination, compass heading, ... The route options let you set your preferences by car/motorcycle, bicycle, pedistrian and some other I can't remember right now. I think it has everything you would need because when you set it for pedistrian it points directly at the destination and doesn't follow the road, but it doesn't have a dedicated compass page like the self contained Garmin units. It is also not WAAS enabled if that is a priority for you. This is the manual on the garmin site. You might want to browse it to become more familar with the pages and functions. Hope I have answered your questions.

 

(Edited to corrected memory lapses)

Edited by Texas Shadow
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Do you know if the iQue software is available separately for the PPC from Garmin?

I asked one of the Garmin dealers that question a few weeks back and they said no. Apparently the only way to get it is in the package with the cf Que (or the new bluetooth GPS 10 now I would think). I suspect this is due to the way Garmin activates mapping software to specific GPS units.

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An important caveat with the cfQue device is that it uses the the Garmin protocol and there is no option to switch it to the NMEA protocol. This means that most third-party GPS software will not work with it. You are pretty much restricted to the Garmin software and maps. There are a few third-party programs that support the Garmin protocol but that is the exception rather than the rule.

 

As for a CF unit, I have a Globalsat BC-307 which worked very well for years. But it looks like finally it has gone south, now it only works with an external antenna. So I'm considering buying a new CF unit and after reading several reviews, the Haicom HI-303MMF is my most likely candidate. The fact that it folds down makes it protrude less when used in the car (a protruding device may obstruct part of the view through the windshield, depending on where you mount the PDA), and it is also more convenient to carry when the PDA is clipped on one's belt.

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Speaking of the Haicoms, the HI-303E and HI-303MMF look identical, but the HI-303E is cheaper. The reason is that the HI-303E uses an Evermore chipset while the HI-303MMF uses a SiRF IIe/LP chipset. The SiRF chipset is superior in comparison with the Evermore chipset: it finds a satellite fix faster, holds it better, has less lag, uses less power and supports WAAS. Therefore, the HI-303MMF is well worth the extra price over the HI-303E.

 

There is also the HI-303S which uses the Xtrac V2 firmware for ultra-sensitivity. This is good for car use but doesn't work very well when hiking: the position is not updated frequently enough.

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I just checked out the Haicoms at BuyGPSNow. They do have some features I wish my Garmin had, like an external antenna jack and can be used with a cable away from the unit. They look good. I'm not sure about cheaper though unless you already have mapping software for the PDA. The CFQue also has 64MB of memory which I fit my local maps into along with the base map. However, I think if I had already had the software I might have gone with one of these also.

Edited by Texas Shadow
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