Gps for laptop?

ASK THE EXPERTS COMPUTER,TRANSPORT SOFTWARE AND TECHNOLOGY FORUM
1

anyone run one? i’ve seen a tom tom kit for about £140 also a 2006 auto route which is a simular setup but apparently not a patch on previouse years when it comes to finding postcodes etc, i’ve got autoroute 2003 setup at the mo which seems to work fine in terms of finding addresses but i can see a drawback will be having to pull up somewhere to check the last few miles as the roadmap display isn’t big enough to read while your driving.

2

Before I went down the PDA route I used to use a programme called navigator (directions.ltd.uk/) it was the only one at the time that gave voice guided instructions, It used to do me ok, and the Postcode search was as good as any. Best it is it is a realistic price (or was).

3

paul b:
anyone run one? i’ve seen a tom tom kit for about £140 also a 2006 auto route which is a simular setup but apparently not a patch on previouse years when it comes to finding postcodes etc, i’ve got autoroute 2003 setup at the mo which seems to work fine in terms of finding addresses but i can see a drawback will be having to pull up somewhere to check the last few miles as the roadmap display isn’t big enough to read while your driving.

Autoroute 2006 auto zooms in to your destination if you have a gps attached. Postcodes are spot on. Autoroute 2006 also has a synthethised voice but I cannot get it loud enough to hear whilst on the move. Tried pugging extention into radio which worked fine but of course I then had no radio…sigh…

Ossie

4

I use a Garmin 12 gps unit. Plugs in to the serial port of the lappy with the supplied cable (which also has a ciggie lighter power plug on it).

This works with both Autoroute and Memory Map, plus I have a portable gps unit to go out walking with!

This model goes on ebay for around 50 quid, but newer usb models are available.

5

thanks lads :wink:

6

hi all, first post an all,

theres a bloke on ebay selling software and a usb gps reciever for around £57 inc postage. just type gps on laptop to find him

stevie

7

Hi All

ossie:
Autoroute 2006 auto zooms in to your destination if you have a gps attached. Postcodes are spot on. Autoroute 2006 also has a synthethised voice but I cannot get it loud enough to hear whilst on the move. Tried pugging extention into radio which worked fine but of course I then had no radio…sigh…

After I bought AR2006 I found some faults in Postcodes database, like misspositioned when in AR2005 was correct. I did call Microsoft and email them, this was the answer:

Microsoft EMEA Technical Support Clerk:
Thank you for contacting Microsoft Technical Support, my name is Bernhard and I will be dealing with your case.
From your problem description I understand the problem: Cannot locate a correct address for some postal codes on auto route 2006

Before we start trouble shooting did you have any trouble getting your case set up via our website?

Like we talked on the phone, and talked to my tech lead as well, that is a known issue with Auto route 2006

And i asked if there will be a fix to be released soon, and i am afraid there is none at the moment, so i recommend that

You can get a refund on the point of sale (where you bought the software) this way is faster, but sometimes some shop can refuse to give you a refund

You can contact us back with the same reference number SRQxxxxxx0640, and a refund will be organised for you

I apologies for any inconvinience caused

Thanks Again and Best Regards,
Bernhard Msangi
Microsoft Product Support Services
microsoft.com/uk/support

Regards,

8

Hi guys,

I use a haicom usb gps receiver - ebay £45.00 18 months ago, connected to autoroute 2006. System works fine. i don’t have any problems with visibility of screen - if you plot the route, then set up the gps to create a ‘snail trail’, all you have to do is keep the blue line (snail trail) on the green (route). Also, if you zoom right in it’s much clearer.

9

paul b:
anyone run one? … 2006 auto route …autoroute 2003 …roadmap display isn’t big enough to read while your driving.

Paul,

I used to use AutoRoute 2002 with a GPS ‘button/mouse’; I then upgraded to AutoRoute 2005, using the same hardware.

My observations;

AR 2002 was good for me because it covered East Europe. The refresh rate was quite slow though and I have sometimes passed the turn I required before the map was updated.

AR 2005 was good because the refresh rate was upped lots and stopped the previous problem, however, MS stopped covering Eastern Europe somewhere between AR 2002 and AR 2005.

Result;

I keep both copies of AR loaded onto my laptop. If I am staying in ‘main’ Europe I use 2005; if i’m going further east I use 2002. :unamused:

I’m just putting-off spending the money on a stand-alone satnav. I’ve been watching a brand new TomTom 700 (£249) and Navman 530i on eBay, both of which sold quite a bit cheaper than in the shops etc. I’d say that this is the way to go.

10

Not quite GPS but my Autoroute 2005 works well and it can be linked to GPS.

Which brings me to another question.

Technical Help required in little words that I understand.

My company is making changes to the way we communicate, At the moment we use GPS between truck and office and it is now being replaced by GPRS.

The letter says that in practice, this involves replacement of the antenna and modem and gives a permanent internet connection so data can be transferred quicker

11

GPS is short for Global Positioning System - it isn’t used for comms. I think that you currenly use gsm (mobile phone) data for comms. GPRS is an ‘always on’ method of transferring data. You pay for the amount of data transferred, rather than the length of time you are connected. GPRS data can be bought as cheaply as £0.50 per megabyte so running costs should be a lot lower than your old system.

12

b16duv:
GPS is short for Global Positioning System - it isn’t used for comms. I think that you currenly use gsm (mobile phone) data for comms. GPRS is an ‘always on’ method of transferring data. You pay for the amount of data transferred, rather than the length of time you are connected. GPRS data can be bought as cheaply as £0.50 per megabyte so running costs should be a lot lower than your old system.

So will I be able to connect my laptop to this new system?

The system we currently use is the ICS Hardinxveen which is satelite tracking with an email based text system, I suppose like the old Euteltrac but more compact

13

I’m not familiar with the system you are using, but a move to gprs should allow the same functionality as you currently enjoy, but at faster speeds.