TomTom PDA SatNav in the Chimaera
Discussion
Has anyone else got one of these set ups? It works fine, but the power lead length means I have to stick the PDA mount on the drivers side window because the lighter socket is in the door.....it will just about reach the windscreen, but being curved, the sucker will not stick to it.....its not ideal having the PDA stuck almost in front of your face and a little too close to the steering wheel....I dont wish to hardwire it in cos I use it in another car also....any ideas where I can stick it???? (No rude answers please)
Look at the Arkon mounts from eXpansys as they provide swan-neck mounts that will stick to curved screens (so well they are hard to release) as well as varying lengths of cable to the mount itself.
They also do an amplified mount which is particularly good if the speaker on your PDA is a beat weak and you have sports exhaust!
They also do an amplified mount which is particularly good if the speaker on your PDA is a beat weak and you have sports exhaust!
Nick P said:
You can get the bluetooth one which you charge up at home. Much tidier, that's the one I'll be going for.
Grouch.
yep...mines bluetooth, but you cant 'bluetooth' your power from the ciggy lighter
I was told by a salesman that you could charge the battery to the PDA from home and run it wirelessly in the car. Is this wrong info?
Grouch
groucho said:
groucho said:
You can get the bluetooth one which you charge up at home. Much tidier, that's the one I'll be going for.
Grouch.
yep...mines bluetooth, but you cant 'bluetooth' your power from the ciggy lighter
I was told by a salesman that you could charge the battery to the PDA from home and run it wirelessly in the car. Is this wrong info?
Grouch
no, your right, my mistake, my PDA bluetooths but i couldn't be arsed paying an extra £100 for a bluetooth GPS receiver, and the wired one has to be powered from the PDA, but the PDA needs to be powered by 12v for the GPS to work......
The wirefree bluetooth GPS units are quoted at 5 hours of charge from what I've seen, not enough for a long journey and you have to remember to take inside and charge in between trips. So after a year of charging and recharging you'll be looking at 2 hours of life, not much use for Le Mans length trips...
Also be aware that TomTom hog the bluetooth port (may be fixed now though) and doesn't allow anything else to use it, so if you have a PDA phone with a wireless headset you won't be able to use it, which is a shame as you can't utilise the TomTom Traffic features in version 3.
Also be aware that TomTom hog the bluetooth port (may be fixed now though) and doesn't allow anything else to use it, so if you have a PDA phone with a wireless headset you won't be able to use it, which is a shame as you can't utilise the TomTom Traffic features in version 3.
Tripps said:
Also be aware that TomTom hog the bluetooth port (may be fixed now though) and doesn't allow anything else to use it, so if you have a PDA phone with a wireless headset you won't be able to use it, which is a shame as you can't utilise the TomTom Traffic features in version 3.
Thats partly true, however not specific to TomTom. Bluetooth only operates peer to peer. Hence PDA + GPS.
It's a short coming in the bluetooth spec. Since I have an XDAII, TomTom trafic isn't an issue. However it's always a toss-up between XDA + GPS or XDA + Bluetooth headset, GPS is normally option and the XDA radio (phone) get's switched off!!
Nick P, I'm curious about your cable length (ooerr!), since I have TomTom 3 Bluetooth and both the PDA cable and GPS cable are long enough to hang yourself, certainly log enough to mount the PDA in the middle of the windscreen and run the wires along the dash-board and down the side of the door.
If not, get yourself down to Maplins or Halfords and buy a cigar lighter extension.
Cheers
Steve
Steve has the cheapest option and this company may help you.
www.mobilegas.co.uk/caravan-camping/12-volt/
www.mobilegas.co.uk/caravan-camping/12-volt/
I use a dell axim with a wired tomtom3 in the cerb and saab. I bought an amplified mount (Sedio I think) which works well, it has a gooseneck which sticks well and the lead is a decent lenght. I have added a power cable to the Saab as it means I can charge the phone on long journeys and intend to do the same for the Cerb at some point. Excellent bit of kit just debating if I'm going to start to pay for traffic
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