Adding your own GPS SatNav, Speed detector and Accident reporting system
 

Ok,

I'm looking for the holy grail. I'm getting a fast car in the RX-8, and following the test drive, I now feel like I should get a GPS system that :

- Does the SatNav
- Reports when you're close to speed cameras (all of them not just the gatsos and Truvelo, but also the travelling ones - much harder)
- Reports accidents, then allowing replanning routes

So far, I think that the best idea is to get a pocket PC (probably Ipaq) and a vent clip to attach to the car (but not using the horrible suckers that go onto the windscreen) and probably the Tom Tom Navigator 2 software/hardware combo. This also will allow you to download a freeware speed camera package which downloads as an overlay. This is updated regularly by users (see http://www.pocketgps.co.uk/uksafetycameras.asp) which negates the annual fee of £100+ as charged by other companies like http://www.blackspot.com (who make road angel - the best GPS speed camera ONLY system)

It looks like the best software for Pocket PC is (from what I've read) the Kane Car Pilot software - which also has a camera add on - but this is at least £100 more than Tom Tom plus the camera part costs more AND you have to pay the fee for updating the camera list.

Going back to Road Angel, they are adding on a radar detector as well as the GPS which will really make it the best camera detector, but in this day and age I want more for my £350 + £120/yr (!)

I have found the forums at http://www.pocketgps.co.uk/ to be the best place to go, but haven't got anything clear cut. There are certainly a lot of Tom Tom users out there, but it does seem to be lacking in the GPS lock on time/quality in cities especially and also places missing or incorrect on the maps.

Anyone else been looking into this - any information, views appreciated.

Re: Adding your own GPS SatNav, Speed detector and Accident reporting system
 

I have a Tomtom setup in my current car and I would not be without it. I use Checkpoint for the speed cameras. There is no s/w to take acount of accidents but I have trafficmaster so I can manually tell Tomtom that the road is blocked it calculates a new route. The other posability is to use a bluetooth GPRS connection to a phone to display the traffic info from the RAC website etc.

My biggest problem is how to integrate this into my RX-8 and keep it looking good. It is shame we are not getting the empty satnav cubbyhole like the Mazda 6 as I could have hidden it all in there. I am thinking og getting a bluetooth GPS reciever so that the only problem is where to mount the pocket pc and powering it. I currently use a Dashmount bracket and there is one available for the RX-8 so I might go this route as the vent mount won't work.

I could not justify the Mazda satnav when a pocket pc solution is so cheap and flexible but I just want to try and keep it neat.

Mark

Thanks a lot for that Mark

I like the dashmount kit - very neat, I did wonder whether the vent mounts would work at all or whether it would break the vent or just fall off!

Yes, I haven't come up with the best solution for the accidents, do you have a portable trafficmaster unit then? Where will this go in the car if so?

Yes, I guess having a GPRS connection to websites IS an idea, but not really on the scale of trafficmaster. Ideally you'd want something to link into the routemap you have planned and realise that theres an accident further along it. I'm REALLY surprised noone has done this yet. Anyone know whether this is something that TomTom or anyone else is thinknig of using.

Also Mark, which PocketPC are you using as I obviously will need to buy one of these as well?

Finally, I guess the power lead is then the final thing, or do you just use batteries an recharge them?

I too am looking to add a PDA based sat-nav to the car.

I was thinking of either going the tom-tom route with a bluetooth GPS, or getting a NAVman GPS cradle for an IPAQ.

Why not try SmartNav. I've heard thats pretty good.

AnilS.

i may be a little out of touch on these (my gps/pda experience was 5 years ago) but i dont think you'll get as good a navigation system from an after market add-on (pda or otherwise). the standard system has three times the input of an add-on. it is linked to the ABS and therefore reads true ground speed, and is also linked to the DSC and therefore reads yaw etc giving immediate feedback if you miss a turn or turn off the road etc. a nav system based only on GPS will not be as quick to pick up these direction changes or by quite as accurate.

that said it sounds like you want to put together the ultimate combo for all traffic management and so will have to make some sacrifices.

given a lovely car like the RX8 though my main concern would be no ugly cables!

I am using an old Ipaq 3630 - does the job and I'm not too worried about leaving it in the car. Probably best thing to get now is a Dell Axim £172 inc del & vat through ukfrenzy.

I have the gps reciever from here (£80) this powers the Gps and the pocket pc.

Trafficmaster is built into my current company vectra but I was going to buy a unit from savastore for £30 and try to integrate it.

Mark

I'm sure you're right Bugbear, but paying £3000 for satnav just wasn't going to happen for me, so having to turn round every so often and maybe changing the batteries frequently etc instead will have to do. The dash kit that Mark has pointed out will be firm and not make the car look too ugly, plus u get a nice pocket PC too that allows you to check your emails and the accident blackspots PLUS tell you where all the speed cameras (will it matter after the report in the paper today where we're all going to get knackered from 2007?)
Its a sacrifice I'm willing to make! Besides when I get out the car or not going on long journeys the kit can be taken out easily....

Wow Mark that Dell Axim is 300 Mhz for £175 (guess prices slightly higher at moment) plus it takes SD cars that you can get from 7dayshop.com dead cheap that will speed things up a lot!

hmmm, guess I'm going to wait for the car and THEN buy whats cheapest at the time - I'm guessing these pocket PCs are just going to dump more in price and spec will increase dramatically soon.

Also, if I have a bluetooth mobile, I guess I just get a bluetooth card for the handheld and then I can log on and get my email, traffic master info etc through that - it doesn't come with bluetooth built in...

Guys,

Call me old fashioned, but I'll probably buy a 2004 road atlas and just keep my eyes open for speed cameras. Its worked for me for the last 15 years :)

Yes I work in IT and like my gadgets as well, but I dont want add on bits of kit and cables etc spoiling my new car.

Mark

Well Mark, I thought that it was finally time to bring me up to date. Besides, I'd LOVE to be driving along and "ding" up pops another forum message - I'd have it read to me and then dictate a reply. Save me sitting here at my PC annoying my 8 month pregnant missus, plus it means more reason to drive the car ;)

OK, I have the IPAQ connected to a Garmin solution in my current car ....

It works great and has saved my bacon many a time BUT ....

Wires everywhere and ugly suction cup things on the screen ....

So I've gone with built-in sat nav to keep the RX-8 looking sweet and have a £100 hand-held GPS for finding my way back to the RX-8 after I've left it events like Knebworth, Farnborough air show etc.

So can a bluetooth GPS be hidden in the car, so there are no trailing wires etc.

I was thinking of putting one in the rear storage bin, where there is an extra cigarette lighter socket.

Does placement of the GPS receiver itself affect its ability to lock onto the signal ?. I don't want to have to stick the GPS on the dashboard. It spoils the look and shouts 'steal me' to anyone passing.

Unfortunately the GPS receiver needs line of sight to the sky. Even the reflective coating on some windscreens is enough to stop the signal. I think in the oem satnav installs the receiver is under the dash so maybe you could locate where Mazda puts theirs and locate it in the same place.

look at this

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...category=15005

Its apparently great and can work both as a manual gps (like MR Digital is on about) but also with the PDAs which will save one of the wires.

Then all is needed is the power for the PDA itself, whose batteries are lasting for longer and longer....if not then a temporary lead to the cigarette lighter (or even something more permy under the carpet?) is a possiblity.

I dont want to do it if I have to have a screen mounted GPS, hence why I've got interested in it all anyway...!

I know its a mess of wires but I am really happy with the Radar detector ( I have Bel 550)and the GPS system for Truvelo, specs and other info ( I have Origin Blue i)

OK it gives me no info on Directions but most of my journeys I know where I am going so its not so much use. In a previous job I needed to travel to lots of places I wasn't familiar with and i found the Sat Sav in the IS200 invaluble.

Having tried the PDA route I found the biggest drawback was the easy of use and application for the job, it just seemed a compramise?

Ed

Ok, so one of these hidden at the back of the car (under parcel shelf), with an extension antenna on the top of the rear parcel shelf, wired into the rear wiring loom for power. Then I can use an IPAQ 3870 or similar to pick up the bluetooth signal at the front.

Bluetooth GPS receiver £150
Antenna extension £30
Nav software (Tom Tom2) £115
IPAQ 3870 £230

All neat and tidy for just over £500 for everything.

Right ??

My two-penniworth;

I currently have a Bel radar detector, and find it very good. Thinking of upgrading to one that has both radar and gps. I have hard wired the power into the wiring, so it doesnt have to plug into the cigarette lighter. Quite neat. You just need to remember to unclip it from the screen and hide it when you leave the car.

I used to have an Ipaq with Navman jacket. (used to work for Compaq!). Co-pilot and Tom-Tom where both excellent packages - I could never decide which I prefered - Tom-Tom was probably the better application, but Co-pilot read out street names and had postcode search facility...

I had a re-radiating antenna to allow me to mount away from direct line of site. The windscreen mount was useless on a screen that was not flat (TT). I found the amount of buggering about annoying, and the fact that you have to hide it all away. In addition to this, the Ipaq's battery life is pathetic and you have to be careful not to let it go too flat or you loose the application data.

In addtion I had some radar database software which worked in conjunction with Tom-Tom. (TrafCam)

Has has been said here, prices have dropped a lot, to around 500 for this sort of system, making the £1500 for the Mazda system seem expensive. However, I feel the factory option, lack of messing about, and benefit (slightly) at resell time outweigh this, especially as I dont use a pocket pc for anything else...

Ed

JimBobjoe - sorry I thought I had already replied to this one!

Yes, assuming you can buy tomtom 2 for £115 (where have you seen it for this price?)
also, I hadn't thought about installing the GPS in the boot - why not? I've never wired something into the rear loom though - would there be any issues with the voltages (dunno how it would work). Don't know how the licencing for tomtom works - just was seeing it for £180 on ebay...

Edo - Tomtom 2 comes with voice software for directions - it even reads your emails to you (!) - I downloaded a demo of it from the tomtom website and its got a male or female voice....

Si

Global postioning systems sell it for that price.

P.S. The Dell axim is cheap if you go through this link ukfrenzy

Mark

TomtTom2 software can be found for £115 here
http://www.globalpositioningsystems....&category_id=7
They also stock the GPS units

And here is an IPAQ 380 for £235
http://www.totalpda.co.uk/productvie...ion=12&id=4089

D'oh - I never thought to try them Edo, particularly as this is where I had seen the GPSmart for £150!

Guess what

http://www.globalpositioningsystems....category_id=22

u can get the GPSmart plus tomtom2 for £199 if you dont have the bluetooth version or £270 (same price!) if u do.

so that just leaves the PDA - I presume the Dell Axim doesnt have inbuilt bluetooth though? Didn't see it.... (!)
plus you'd have to get more memory for the PDA - XD I think it is today

7dayshop.com have them at the cheapest price ( I think)

http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/defa...77_4_401_40106

128mb for £40 or more likely 256mb for £80 (or ulp 512mb for £150!)

Now working for Dell, I feel obliged to tell you that the Axim would be a far better choice than the Ipaq!

Ed

But it doesn't have bluetooth does it ?