Problems with HOLUX GPSlim 236 - MDA III, XDA III, PDA2k, 9090 Accessories

Hello everyone!
I recently bought a HOLUX GPSlim 236 mouse to ue it with a navigation software on my beloved MDA III!
My decision for the HOLUX was actually based on various posts in this forum, where that GPS mouse has been praised as a very good, fast and responsive device!
Unfortunately, the results I have so far achieved, are almost pathetic!
When turning the HOLUX on after it has been turned off for the night, it takes the GPS pretty long to get a fix (which is usually signaled by a blinking light on the device). Sometimes it really takes forever! For example, today I turned it on when leaving the appartment. I went down the three stories to the street, walked on the street for 2 minutes, waited for the tramway to arriv for 1 minute, sat in the tramway near a window for 15 minutes, walked to the office in 5 minutes.... finally, shortly before arriving at the office, the HOLUX got a signal and could show me my position!
But even then, the position of me walking down the street was not even close to precise. Exact position and walking direction are almost always wrong when on foot!!
In a car, when finally getting a fix on the satellites, the positioning is sometimes better..... but only sometimes!
Long story told short: The results of positioning are poor! I wonder, where the problem might be!
DAMAGED DEVICE?
FAKE IMITATION? (how can i check what chipset is really woking in that thing?)
IS IT THE DEFAULT OF THE MDA3 and its poor Bluetooth abilities?
WHAT ARE YOUR EXPERIENCES WITH THE HOLUX 236? SPEED? POSITIONING?
dont know what to do....
any help is very much appreciated!
regards,
krz

Did you try Holux Support site? I have the same model and had some issues, and they helped me resolve them.
Here is their website: http://www.buygpsnow.com/support/show.asp

I've been using the GPSlim quite satisfactorily. It does sometimes take long to acquire a fix though, and I'm not sure of all the reasons for that. (Other than that obviously Bluetooth and the BA have nothing to do with it.)
GPS devices generally take longer for acquisition when they are switched on in a different place from where they were last used. They store a so-called "almanac" which helps them find a quick fix because they already know most of the position data. (This is called a warm start.) If switched on away from the old position, they have to re-acquire to almanac, which takes longer. ("Cold start.")
As for the lack of accuracy, unless your GPSlim is damaged, I'd tend to blame that more on the software. The software knows about streets, etc. and will try to put you on one of them if the data is not close enough. With e.g. Tomtom 6 on the BA this usually works very well. If your software doesn't do this sort of "magnetic snap" to a street well then your position will not be so accurate. It could also be that the "snap-to", which IMHO requires some measure of anticipation about which direction and speed you are moving, works better when driving than when walking.
I can't really complain about the Bluetooth performance with my BA & GPSlim ... however for navigation on foot I tried to put the GPSlim (as it's so small) into the zip hood collar of my coat but found that the bluetooth connection doesn't work with the Holux on my back, behind my head, but does work if I slide the GPS in to the tip of the collar -- but it works best if I'm holding the BA in my hand the same side where the GPS is in the collar tip ... so the quality of the Bluetooth connection does seem very delicate!
Greetings,
Malkovich

Related

HOLOX BT-321 Bluetooth GPS Review

Hey guys ive done a pretty quick review of this GPS receiver.
You can find it HERE
You cna buy these things dirt cheap on ebay.
Do not BUY this GPS on EBAY from ANY SELLERS!
This product is sold by several different companies on ebay that are all the same.
NOTE: IF you win it cheaply as I did, THE COMPANY WILL NOT MAIL THE ITEM TO YOU.
This happened to me, I had a very long and nasty process with them, including false feedback from them (They said I didn't pay etc?? thank God for Paypal receipts...)
etc.
I only resolved this by contacting a senior guys there and getting hastled.
TWO WEEKS LATER, another ebayer, who won his cheaply too had the same thing happen to him and asked for my help. SURPRISED?
SO Do not win this item item for 14.99 GBP+ 12.99GBP shipping, they will try not to send it to you. OVERPAY FOR IT. Then you will get it.
Also, The tracking is sensitive (works in my jeans etc) BUT INACCURATE in a City like London, it just jumps around too much, wrong streets. CONCLUSION: not great for urban corridors.
Mine will go back to Ebay. Soon.
If only
If only I had seen this thread a little earlier. Purchased mine today for around £18.50 plus the P&P.
Yeah they are quite obviously the same company etc hence the timing of the auctions, but not sure whether I am bothered about that.
Will have to wait and see if it turns up - as I did not pay the supplement I don't expect it for around two weeks.
Any other comments on performance ? - this will be my first bluetooth GPS. (If it shows up).
crazyC said:
If only I had seen this thread a little earlier. Purchased mine today for around £18.50 plus the P&P.
Yeah they are quite obviously the same company etc hence the timing of the auctions, but not sure whether I am bothered about that.
Will have to wait and see if it turns up - as I did not pay the supplement I don't expect it for around two weeks.
Any other comments on performance ? - this will be my first bluetooth GPS. (If it shows up).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HMM, after postage etc... it was around 25 quid i payed for it.
As for performance issues i havent had any complaints so far, first time i saw this unit was in Uni (Leeds) where a friend was using it on his Wizard, it was also a very built up area, indoors on the ground floor which is technically the basement but as it is on the side if a hill the room is exposed to the outside. He quickly got a fix etc....
I tested it out this weekend and it worked brilliantly! Hence why i wrote the review!?
It was due to the review that I went for it - total cost inc packaging for me was £31.
I will post as to (a) whether it shows up, and (b) what I make of it, in due course.
Have been emailed to say it is being dispatched.....
It has arrived.
The wife has put it on charge for me.
Could anyone who has one, confirm
(a) how long the first charge should be? and
(b) what lights should be on whilst charging.
It seems that she gets no lights, or all lights if she switches it on. It is currently on charge (I hope) with no lights showing.
crazyC said:
It has arrived.
The wife has put it on charge for me.
Could anyone who has one, confirm
(a) how long the first charge should be? and
(b) what lights should be on whilst charging.
It seems that she gets no lights, or all lights if she switches it on. It is currently on charge (I hope) with no lights showing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just leave it on charge... whilst charging you should have a red(ish) light on... which turns off when its finished charging!
Cheers,
How do you rate it?
crazyC said:
How do you rate it?
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Click to collapse
Very Good! I bought mine last year from ebay and compared to my previous GPS unit the Holox is fantastic! very fast satellite lock, easy to use, good battery life, works well in built up areas and can be kept anywhere inside car without the worry of loosing satellites!
My only negative is you can't use it whilst its being charged!
EDIT:: False alarm, Im confused, how come for the past few days the module has had problems getting a fix, then now it gets a fix no problem.
Turning the device back on later and it gets an instant fix.
Could somebody explain how the GPS works before/after it gets a fix?!
OK, keeping in mind I have nothing to compare with.
All seems to work well, seems to take a minute before TomTom settles down and communicates well with it, but once its up seems OK. reception when not under open sky not quite as good as I expected although ok.
the advertising all boasts about tracking 32 satellites but ....
Anyway, seems to do the job for me.
What I need now is a cheap air vent mount (passive as have charger etc) to clip my M3100 into. Seen some on ebay etc but they look as if they obstruct the USB socket.
Brodit one looks good but at at least twenty quid for the mount and vent attachment.....
Any suggestions?
crazyC said:
OK, keeping in mind I have nothing to compare with.
All seems to work well, seems to take a minute before TomTom settles down and communicates well with it, but once its up seems OK. reception when not under open sky not quite as good as I expected although ok.
the advertising all boasts about tracking 32 satellites but ....
Anyway, seems to do the job for me.
What I need now is a cheap air vent mount (passive as have charger etc) to clip my M3100 into. Seen some on ebay etc but they look as if they obstruct the USB socket.
Brodit one looks good but at at least twenty quid for the mount and vent attachment.....
Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL so you werent tempted by the non-slip mat?
My indoors performance is ok upstairs but is garbage downstairs. I wasnt expecting much indoors though. I tested it on the train yesterday and it was working great, even had the speed fairly well on VisualGPSce
Actually I was. Its fine for the Holux but because of the angle I could not see the screen very well at all.....
I'm having a problem connecting it to my TyTN. I don't have the GPS settings that you're talking about in the control panel. I cannot even connect it to my notebook.
hZSoul said:
I'm having a problem connecting it to my TyTN. I don't have the GPS settings that you're talking about in the control panel. I cannot even connect it to my notebook.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Notice in the review i say you need to unlock the applet first if you are using WM5?!?!
Download HTweakC and you can unlock it using that.
If you are running WM6 (which is not clear from your signature) it should be present in start>settings>system(tab)>external GPS.
I did see that however, I wasn't sure exactly what you were talking about. I couldn't remember the name of the app anyways. I remember downloading it not too long ago.
I just wanted to say that I used this with Google Maps for WM, and it worked like a charm. I had up to 10 sats at one point, with the average being 8. Even indoors right now I have 8. Works quite nice. I have the GPSlim 236 though, not the 231.
Now if I can just get this thing to work in XP I will be all set.
I would also like to note that I have an unlimited data plan, and even using edge the map updated itself very fast, while being locked into my position when driving. That is on the Edge network to!
Anyone tried various buad rate settings - does it have any impact upon usage?
Er Indoors already rations my messing around with the hermes time and I can't really get away with going and playing with it and the BT GPS in the car etc.
Holox Bt441
HI GUYS, AFTER READING ALL THE THREADS ALL I CAN SAY ITS ALL A BIT HIT AND MISS ! I PURCHASED MY BT GPS ON E-BAY FOR AROUND £25 INC PP IT ARRIVED IN 3 DAYS AND AFTER A LITTLE FUN AND GAMES CONNECTED IT TO MY XDA MINI WIN 5. I USE IT LONDON ALL THE TIME AND FIND IT VERY RELIABLE AND ACCURATE, A LOT OF THE PROBLEMS SEEM TO STEM FROM SLOW SD CARDS AND TOMTOM SOFTWARE WHICH NEEDS CONSIDERABLE RESOURCES. I HAVE NOW GOT A T-MOBILE HTC KAISER WITH WIN 6 AND LOTS OF MEMORY AND 400MHZ CHIP ! SHOULD BE INTERESTING !
What software do you recommend to use with this? I tend to lose my way a lot around London. Could you post a link, so I can get it at ~25-30 quid.
NB: My first post

GPS Receiver

Yes another one of these threads sorry, but I was wondering what the general opinion on the holux gpslim 236, 240 and the holux M-1000 as I can not decide which of the three I should get, if it impacts the decision I live in Australia.
They are all new breed of BT GPS and should have no problem for any PPC. Performance wise there are not much difference.
240 is the smallest but has not exernal antenna port. That is probably the idfference you have to consider and whether you require external antenna or you want small size.
Otherwise just get any one which is the easiest, meaning one that can be sent to your country at lowest cost.
ive had a 236 over a year or so now , no issues to report
Ive experience with all three and i can say with out any hesitation
DONT BUY THE 236!
OK. its a great little GPS reciever and when it came out it was the best on the market, (physical power button is a major plus for me) My housemate, My father and I all bought one, and out of those 3 we have had all three fail within 2 years.
This is a common problem and having re-searched it i have found a solution. it appears to be a bad build quality between the PCB layers leading to bluetooth part of the reciever not getting power to startup.
the fix is either re-solder, put in the freezer for 20 mins or pack the plastic case with cardboard. However knowing these problems it's not a good unit to get.
Secondly, the 236 does have an external antenna port however, AFAIK alot of the cheap ebay anntenna dont fit it as the 236 has a small plasic lip JUST above the anenna port.
Aditonaly on the antenna front. I have the 236 (warentee replacment) hardwired on an ignision (GPS battery removed) in my glove box and even in city i find i get pretty awsome reception and it is rarly much of an issue. quick finds from COLD start etc are within 30 seconds or so even when not removed from the glovebox.
SO!... (im draggin on arn't I.. sorry)
the question comes down to the M1000 (which i got for my dad when his 2nd GPS broke just out of warrenty and before i found the BT fix) or the 240.
IMHO i think the decision comes down to what you want it for. If you want the reciever for a lot of WALKING in citys then get the 240, its the size of a pack of gum and so can be put in a pocket and be that little bit smaller.
However for ANYTHING else get the M1000 - OK its new so its a somwhat un-prooven as far as reliability goes but it has one major advantage over the 240 for me and that is the removable battery. the batteries are cheap as anything to get of ebay as AFAIK they were used in several nokia models, so you can keep a spare battery charged up if you're not near power. But more importantly if after time you batter in the 240 starts to not hold power you're stuffed with an expensive fix or having to buy a new reciever, with the M1000 it's a simple ebay option to replace the battery for a new one.
The M1000 is almost exactly the same size as the 236, although it does claim to be more accurate i think its all just a bit of a conn. the 236 is extreamly good and had i not have so many die in the first 18 months id have no isues recomending it.
so unless size is EXTREAMLY important get the M1000 it seems as far as i've used my dads new one to be excerlent, and although its almost 2x the size of the 240 your talking about a unit that is either small or Very small so its not too much of an issue.
I use my 236 for tomtom, and moutain biking, and hill walking with digital ordiance survey maps, i've never considder the size to be an issue, and i walk with a spare battery for it as a kind of emergency backup so im happy.
I hear the M-1000 uses a different chipset? is that anything to worry about? Size or battery life doesn't matter to me as I'll probably keep it charging in the car the whole time. What is the start up time of the M-1000 for a cold start?
Thanks for the responses guys

More GPS info please

With the results of the vote in the GPS (possible issue) thread running at 30% functionality, left me asking what are the other 70% of us doing wrong?
I thought this would be an opportunity to gather data for analysis. It is not a chat thread or for discussion on causes, or trouble shooting.
Just maybe something well show up, as it appears Asus doesn’t have a clue and keep blaming the case. While the case does seem to be attenuating the signal compared to my Samsung Galaxy S2 it doesn’t explain the hit and miss nature of the TF201. And we all have the same back panel on our TF201’s.
On one occasion with the TF201 sitting on a park bench found 9 Satellites and used 5. (Using GPS version V 6.8.13) Without touching a thing they all disappeared. Then nothing!
The best I can do now is 1 Satellite found.
Test procedure:
Outdoors only in a wide open space.
Use “GPS Test” from The Market.
Update AGPS then turn Wi-Fi off.
If all reports could be posted in the following format.
1. Model:
2. Build:
3. GPS Version:
4. Satellite’s in view:
5. Satellite’s In use:
6. Time to first fix:
7. Has the GPS worked in previous builds of ICS
8. Did GPS work in Honeycomb
9. First 8 digits of serial No
Just maybe a pattern will emerge.
Thanks all.
1. Model: 64Gb Champagne
2. Build: IML74K.TW_epad 9.4.2.11
3. GPS Version: V6.9.13
4. Satellite’s in view: 1
5. Satellite’s In use:0
6. Time to first fix: N/A
7. Has the GPS worked in previous builds of ICS: Yes briefly
8. Did GPS work in Honeycomb: Not tested
9. BCOKAS08
Not sure what you're trying to accomplish here.
There isn't a single Transformer Prime on this planet where GPS works great.
So It is what it is: the metal design is beautiful, but it restricts GPS signals. And as there is no real a-GPS for Wifi tablets(as they have no cell-site triangulation possibilities), this becomes a real and unsolvable problem.
And Asus DOES has a clue, according to Asus there is no GPS on the Transformer Prime. The same as there is no GPS on other Wifi tablets like the iPad's. Asus made a big mistake advertising with GPS before release though.
So if you really want to use GPS on the Prime, you're out of luck and should return it. A full refund would be fair if you bought it early.
I've never been able to lock onto more than 3 and then for only a few seconds. That was with HC and now ICS. If I use my Prime for navigation I use my BT GPS receiver and a full mapping capable app which I've already tested and works great. I suggest if anyone bought a TP for navigational purposes return it immediately.
Non-issue (for me at least).
YoMarK said:
Not sure what you're trying to accomplish here.
There isn't a single Transformer Prime on this planet where GPS works great.
So It is what it is: the metal design is beautiful, but it restricts GPS signals. And as there is no real a-GPS for Wifi tablets(as they have no cell-site triangulation possibilities), this becomes a real and unsolvable problem.
And Asus DOES has a clue, according to Asus there is no GPS on the Transformer Prime. The same as there is no GPS on other Wifi tablets like the iPad's. Asus made a big mistake advertising with GPS before release though.
So if you really want to use GPS on the Prime, you're out of luck and should return it. A full refund would be fair if you bought it early.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 why do people still not realize it's the aluminum condom to protect from GPS waves
PrimeTimeBro said:
+1 why do people still not realize it's the aluminum condom to protect from GPS waves
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ohh really.
Please explain TF201 sitting on park bench found 9 satellites, using 5.
Without touching the device all satellites lost and no further seen.
Don't like the odds on those condoms.
The aluminium case explains the poor signal to noise ratios, not the sudden loss of all reception on a stationary device.
mile high said:
Ohh really.
Please explain TF201 sitting on park bench found 9 satellites, using 5.
Without touching the device all satellites lost and no further seen.
Don't like the odds on those condoms.
The aluminium case explains the poor signal to noise ratios, not the sudden loss of all reception on a stationary device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The same reason when you are on the edge of losing a FM or AM radio station it can be crystal clear with a inch of movement. Try to navigate turn by turn with the Primes GPS as soon as you start moving signal is too weak to keep it. If your device just dropped all satellites without any movement it's just a glitch and has nothing to do with the overall problem of the Primes GPS.
mile high said:
Ohh really.
Please explain TF201 sitting on park bench found 9 satellites, using 5.
Without touching the device all satellites lost and no further seen.
Don't like the odds on those condoms.
The aluminium case explains the poor signal to noise ratios, not the sudden loss of all reception on a stationary device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because it sees them but fails to hold them when moving because the signal is weak.. Why can't people accept that?
PrimeTimeBro said:
+1 why do people still not realize it's the aluminum condom to protect from GPS waves.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, this has been pointed out about the aluminum back. But as mentioned we all have the same aluminum back then ...
WHY are some Primes always able to see and get a GPS fix.
Why is ASUS even bothering with updating the GPS driver if GPS in not in the spec's?.
WHY has someone not show GPS results with the aluminum back off?
Off topic WIFI why the frack would I want to use G setting to get good WIFI? That's like not using my 5th gear in the car and staying in 4th.
I love the Prime but the aluminum back shield is a frack up period. Stock seems to have dried up around here (impossible to get). I wonder what's up.
My new Prime had never seen 1 single satellite for the 4 days or so I have had it.
Last night, I open Google Maps and click on Resteraunts and simply pick a Pizza Joint nearby. Then I click on NAVIGATE for it to navigate me there (I was just playing around on my couch in my living room, not in my car).
The bottom of Google Maps said "Searching For GPS" and I said "Fudge It" and just laid it on the coffee table. I closed my eyes and about 12 minutes later (I looked at the clock) my tablet says in a woman's voice "Turn Left on Birch Drive!"
I couldn't believe my ears. I quickly opened GPSStatus, GPS FIX, all that. Then I noticed that Google Maps said "Searching for GPS" again. Google Maps needs a lock to navigate you so It actually got a lock for a split second, which was exciting.
However, the other apps were showing 4-5 Satellites, and they have never shown one before. It wouldn't lock, but the fact it was all the sudden showing some satellites was quite exciting since my GPS had appeared to be Dead on Arrival.
So, if you have time and can stop playing with the tablet, set up a route on Google Maps, choose for NAVIGATION, and set it down, maybe by a window, and wait 15 minutes. Maybe you will get a lock.
In my opinion, my GPS works VERY SLOW. It took literally 10 or more minutes to see any satellites, then started loading a few more slowly till I got up to 5. Again,I couldn't get it to lock onto any anymore, but I was in my living room and I have 14 mature trees in my yard (I am talking BIG trees).
Maybe give that a shot and see what happens. Because my tablet had seen NOTHING ever, but I was only trying it for 5 minutes at a time then I would get pissed.
yhzhrm said:
Yes, this has been pointed out about the aluminum back. But as mentioned we all have the same aluminum back then ...
WHY are some Primes always able to see and get a GPS fix.
Why is ASUS even bothering with updating the GPS driver if GPS in not in the spec's?.
WHY has someone not show GPS results with the aluminum back off?
Off topic WIFI why the frack would I want to use G setting to get good WIFI? That's like not using my 5th gear in the car and staying in 4th.
I love the Prime but the aluminum back shield is a frack up period. Stock seems to have dried up around here (impossible to get). I wonder what's up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All Primes will see and get GPS fixes NONE of them will keep it awhile moving.
No one wants to destroy a $500 device but if your willing feel free.
G gets better range with Wi-Fi in general and the Prime lacks good range with it's Wi-Fi for the same reason GPS sucks the aluminum sheild if it's not good enough for you return .
PrimeTimeBro said:
All Primes will see and get GPS fixes NONE of them will keep it awhile moving.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not true!
My Prime must be bad unit because 97 percent of the time it never sees any satellites and it has had actually only had a fix maybe three times out of 100 tries.
I'd be happy to get a fix period each time I tried
Hence my original WHY with the same aluminum back can some Primes get fixes while others don't even now satellites exist in orbit?
My bad unit is going back. I'll wait for the 700 series or a revised TF201 with a new back. Until then My HP Touchpad running ICS will do for now. Yes, no HD video or camera but that's fine.
GPS works on all other sanctioned Android tablets (with market access).
yhzhrm said:
Not true!
My Prime must be bad unit because 97 percent of the time it never sees any satellites and it has had actually only had a fix maybe three times out of 100 tries.
I'd be happy to get a fix period each time I tried
Hence my original WHY with the same aluminum back can some Primes get fixes while others don't even now satellites exist in orbit?
My bad unit is going back. I'll wait for the 700 series or a revised TF201 with a new back. Until then My HP Touchpad running ICS will do for now. Yes, no HD video or camera but that's fine.
GPS works on all other sanctioned Android tablets (with market access).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry I forgot to mention asus terrible qc on the primes I'm sure there's plenty where gps is totally borked bottom line is gps will never function as a turn by turn on primes with aluminum backplates. End of story
look at my youtube video... it was honey comb and nearly perfect...
with new updated ics its worthless...
I don't see any satellites and I have never seen any on either of my TFP's. I have owned 2 so far and they both didn't see any satellites period. My GPS light stayed yellow and never went green no matter if I used wifi or not. So why is mine not seeing any Sat's, but you guys complain when you have a weak signal. I am in the process of trying to return mine I bought from BB, but I am waiting my 14 days to see if they will get some in stock. If they do, the customer rep will send one out to me or the store nearest me, and then I would have to send mine off. That's what the customer service rep told me to do. It's not that big of a deal to me, but the unknown serial was, so that's why I got rid of my first one.
PrimeTimeBro said:
All Primes will see and get GPS fixes NONE of them will keep it awhile moving.
No one wants to destroy a $500 device but if your willing feel free.
G gets better range with Wi-Fi in general and the Prime lacks good range with it's Wi-Fi for the same reason GPS sucks the aluminum sheild if it's not good enough for you return .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wrong. I get no gps satellites period .. no fix no nothing... no matter which configuration i try
Well generally not the responses I had hoped for.
JoeyLe said:
Because it sees them but fails to hold them when moving because the signal is weak.. Why can't people accept that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What does stationary device, placed on park bench, mean to you?
Not moving...9 satellites, with a fix, then suddenly nothing. No satellites in range. TF201 still sitting on park bench!
As an aside my Wifi is perfect. In fact better signal strength and bandwidth better than both my phones and similar to my laptop.
I don't want turn by turn navigation (have TomTom for that). Just a occasional fix on Google maps. Wifi is generally too inaccurate.
And I do know a little about GPS. RAIM, FDE and Baro aiding help keep me alive in my 9-5 job.
If you are happy with your prime great.
But do check the bottom of the box your Prime came in. The spec still show GPS. Mine is a late model Prime. So regardless of Asus removing it from the web site I feel I am entitled to some form of GPS functionality.
Happy to do that Wifi assisted and it should work in a wide open space. But it doesn't for 70% of owners.
So my question once again why are the other 30% of TF201's offering some sort of GPS functionality?
yhzhrm said:
Why is ASUS even bothering with updating the GPS driver if GPS in not in the spec's?.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also wonder about this. Why waste the time and effort?
Here's how i fixed my GPS problem:
I pulled out my Galaxy SII. Got a fix in 2 seconds.
True Story.
i can get about a 20m accuracy lock while indoors in a matter of seconds, but it never improves in accuracy.
Satellite’s in view: 0-4
Satellite’s In use: 0
Time to first fix: 2minutes
1. Model: 32 Champ
2. Build: IML74k.US_epad-9.4.2.11-20120117
3. GPS Version:V6.1.1.17
4. Satellite’s in view: Fluctuates but up to 11
5. Satellite’s In use:Fluctuates but up to 6
6. Time to first fix:3 mins
7. Has the GPS worked in previous builds of ICS: n/a
8. Did GPS work in Honeycomb:Yes and Much better before
9. First 8 digits of serial #: BCOKAS02
In Honeycomb It was working very well but since the update its way more flaky, as it will go from 9 sats in view and suddenly lose them all.
#### Any one else notice that the GPS Icon Doesn't Blink anymore unless you click the clock menu and then go back####

External GPS & Prime

Hello prime users.
I am currently on my second Prime. About the only problem I have discovered with it is poor GPS. That being said, GPS is one of the main reasons behind my purchase in the first place. Realistically, I never expected a built-in GPS to meet my desires anyway. I want to use it in aircraft. OK, stop right now & don't attempt to lecture me on the rules. I quite possibly know them better than you.
All I am interested is "Situation Awareness". The aircraft I fly all have IFR certified GPS installed. The FAA (or some other government alphabet group) has not seen fit to allow terrain features on most IFR aircraft GPS units. Where I live and fly we have mountains--Big Mountains.
The fuselage of most aircraft restricts the incoming GPS signals to any device lying on the seats or in the pilots lap. Therefore, an external GPS receiver is almost mandatory. The solution that I have found is made by the company "DUAL". It is the model XGPS150 or XGPS150A, with the A being the currently produced model. I can verify that it connects via Bluetooth to the Prime almost instantly, tracks flawlessly at up to 200 Knots groundspeed (I have not attempted to use it in one of our faster aircraft, YET), and it just plain works. It is advertised to have 8 hours of battery life and comes with a nonslip dash pad, and arm/backpack band and a charger that works between 12 & 30 Volts DC. The cost is $100 US, and I did not find it discounted anywhere, including EBay.
I also used this GPS-Prime combo in my vehicle enroute to work yesterday. At highway speeds, and when displaying the Google Satellite view, it appeared to be within 150-200 feet of my actual position. In residential areas at 25-40 MPH, it appeared to be less than 50 feet behind my actual position.
I am not affiliated with Dual other than being a satisfied customer.
Best to you all.
Jerry
Did it work out of the box, or did you have to set up a "mock provider"?
I've got the Dual (not the A). I'm shocked by the bad accuracy....Right now, in my bedroom, my DUAL + Bluetooth GPS app shows the accuracy @4.5 meters
I'll have to wait till tomorrow to test it further.
I've gotten better accuracy with the "10cent+beer solution, with just a 4" hanger wire taped to the top.....That technique usually give me 45-72 ft.
Bob
robertg9 said:
I've got the Dual (not the A). I'm shocked by the bad accuracy....Right now, in my bedroom, my DUAL + Bluetooth GPS app shows the accuracy @4.5 meters
I've gotten better accuracy with the "10cent+beer solution, with just a 4" hanger wire taped to the top.....That technique usually give me 45-72 ft.
Bob
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Bob- You do realize that 4.5 meters is approximately 15 feet; which would be 1/3 the minimum you got with the beer can chicanery. Indoors (where GPS has very little signal), I'd say that +/- 15 feet isn't so bad, actually pretty darn good.
Pretty much "out of the box". I followed the instructions that came with the unit--some mods necessary, but pretty obvious.
I just turned the units on and the GPS TEST app shows between 7.6 & 8.3 feet accuracy.
I'm located at 61N & 150W.
Jerry
mrmark93 said:
Bob- You do realize that 4.5 meters is approximately 15 feet; which would be 1/3 the minimum you got with the beer can chicanery. Indoors (where GPS has very little signal), I'd say that +/- 15 feet isn't so bad, actually pretty darn good.
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Click to collapse
Wow....it's amazing how one word changes the total context....
"I've gotten better accuracy with" should have read I've gotten better accuracy THAN with...
I hope that they are plannng on developing their test tool for the Android. It's a nice tool that shows battery left, and a bunch of GPS data....but unfortunatly, it's only for the IPAD (unless you know something that I don't).
Don't you need data to do this?
max1001 said:
Don't you need data to do this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. 10 char.
---------- Post added at 01:42 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:40 PM ----------
robertg9 said:
Wow....it's amazing how one word changes the total context....
"I've gotten better accuracy with" should have read I've gotten better accuracy THAN with...
I hope that they are plannng on developing their test tool for the Android. It's a nice tool that shows battery left, and a bunch of GPS data....but unfortunatly, it's only for the IPAD (unless you know something that I don't).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see the change by adding the word . I still don't see how 4.5 meters from the Dual unit is 'shocking' bad accuracy.
I've got both the qstarz bt818xt and the gsat bt368i. I use bluetooth provider (free) with mock locations and both of them give me three foot accuracy (1 meter) while driving I use sygic and it is accurate to 10-20 feet at 60 mph. I will be sending one back but can't decide which, smaller vs longer battery and more channels on mtek vs sirfIII
mrmark93 said:
I see the change by adding the word . I still don't see how 4.5 meters from the Dual unit is 'shocking' bad accuracy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry again, I meant your statement of "it appeared to be within 150-200 feet of my actual position"
max1001 said:
Don't you need data to do this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You only need data if you're using an online map (e.g. Map Quest, Google Maps).
There are plenty of offline maps available, some of them Open Source.

Bcokas only

Just chime in and tell me how your WiFi/GPS is, and how your prime is operating.
If you don't have anything positive towards this thread GET OUT. I'm trying to get a better understanding of how everyone with a BCOKAS model is doing.
My wifi is decent/crap, I have to be within 10 feet of any router for a good connection. GPS is worthless
I'm waiting on "Gary Key" to come out with his amazing solution of fixing this. That's why I haven't RMAed or Unlocked yet.
Besides the WiFi, I LOVE THIS DEVICE. I could use the GPS on my phone.
Sooo hows your BCOKAS Prime ???
WIFI: Range is horrible
WIFI + BT: Recently tested this feature.... performs extremely poorly. Will do more test.
GPS: I can get few birds (including inside of the house) & few will lock with pathetic signal. However, everything disappears once it starts to move...
That's including aGPS... horrible.
Browser: Adequate once Chrome browser was deleted. However, still getting the "wait" pop-up window or force close on occasion.
Games: Don't really game on my Prime but it works well when I do (games look good as well).
Streaming Media from Network(movies): Due to poor WIFI range, it doesn't work well once I am 15+ ft away from the router.. however, if I am within 10ft range.. it works well. Also, if my Prime is idle for few mins. (5+).. & if I wake up my Prime... screen flickers & I see screen tear... & when I unlock it.. it'll freeze/lag & Prime will reboot. (This continues even after soft reset.. haven't done factory reset yet)
eReader: Probably the main reason why I continue to use Prime. MyLibrary from Asus is my fav. eReader app. Yes, I mainly use Prime for reading eBooks... (not exactly the reason why I purchased but it works well).
WIFI:
My wifi range is very similar to my GNex so it's not terrible. I just ran a Speed Test and was getting around 4-5D and 4-5U on the wireless here at my work which the signal strength is around -70dB.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
GPS:
2-3 birds outside, nothing inside and I never get a lock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
BT:
I have a lot of trouble getting things to connect to it but it can be done. Performance with wifi on is poor.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OS:
Been getting launcher crashes of late so I installed GO HD and that seems to have helped, but I will say that apps in general are not very stable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Other than that, I'm in the same boat David. Waiting to unlock based on what I hear from RMA's. I started a thread a couple weeks ago to try and gather info from those who RMA'd for BT/WIFI issues but at that point no one really had. Maybe we can get some results now...
My bcokas
I have had this one since late Feb or early March (my 2nd one).
Only one or two uncommanded reboots--I am not a heavy user--I do not know enough about it to be a serious user, YET.
I am pretty computer knowledgeable, though.
I just took my prime outside (Anchorage, Alaska at the International Airport)
I have a wireless G network at our office. It is on the second floor inside a wooden frame building-close to, but not visible through a window. I connected with the WiFi Analyzer using the speedometer style gauge and received -73 to -75 DB at approximately 300 feet away on our ramp (aircraft parking area). I did not attempt any downloads--pretty chilly outside today.
Next, I loaded the GPS test app from Chartcross, and while outside (completely wide open), got no birds. This did not surprise me. I have found that if no birds are visible, a complete shutdown & restart will usually bring the GPS back to life. IT DID!!
Within 30 seconds of starting the app (after the complete restart), I had 12-14 birds visible and 10-11 in use. Signal strength never exceeded 31 on the graph. The usability remains poor, even though numerous birds in view. The coverage drops off to none frequently but reconnects quickly. As a commercial pilot, I am very familiar with GPS usage. This one cannot be classified greater than "Very Poor". I have the Dual xgps150a that I use via Bluetooth and it works flawlessly.
I have not attempted to use Bluetooth & WiFi at the same time, and therefore cannot comment on that aspect.
Overall, I am not dissatisfied with the Prime. I had no expectations of using the built-in GPS when I purchased it. The WiFi could be a bit better; but I consider it to be usable.
My biggest complaint with the Prime is not the hardware, it is the software. Specifically, the crappy browsers that I have tried (5 or 6). I absolutely hate "TABS" I refuse to use them on my PCs. I am not saying that they are bad, I just don't like them. The only browser that I even remotely can tolerate (thus far) is Dolphin. It still uses TABS, but at least it has a home button. Doing anything on a tablet browser (to me--so far) is like flying from Anchorage to Seattle via Tokyo, Manilla, and Santiago. I guess I am saying that I find all of them to be very user-unfriendly.
I guess I have whined enough.
Jerry In Anchorage, Alaska
Wifi is perfectly fine, no problems with it.
I've only gotten a lock with GPS once, and that was while I was sitting outside.
Haven't tried bt+wifi.
Have been getting some not responding messages with the browser occasionally when opening it.
I don't really game on it, but from the small amount of time I've used N64oid it certainly wasn't unacceptable.
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using XDA Premium.
I have had mine since mid January. No obvious issues with wi-fi and I'm able to stream music from my NAS drive to my bluetooth headphones while using the internet. I don't know if it's relevant but my broadband speed isn't exactly stellar (8mb max) whereas I notice that many of those with drop out issues when using bluetooth seem to to have a much higher speed normally.
GPS works in that satellites show indoors and out but the strength doesn't appear to be that great (I get locks but the values in GPS Test have never got near 30). Having said that, I probably would never use a tablet for satnav because of the size - it's far too big for my car whereas my Galaxy S2 phone is much more suitable and less distracting!
I've used most browsers but now mainly use either ICS+ Browser. I've (very) occasionally seen the 'wait' message but other than that everything is good and overall I'm (touch wood!) happy with my Prime.
Bcokas here. Wifi is fine and same as my old Droid charge and now my gnex. GPS got locks the one time I tried it months ago, been off since and never tried navigation with it so can't help with that. I've only tested bt with wifi using a sixaxis controller, seemed fine about 30 ft from router but didn't do a speed test to see if and how much it affected signal strength and speed.
I just got a BC0KAS TF201 back from RMA in Texas. My original complaint was black screen (nothing shows up on LCD), GPS nonexistent (ordered 12/28), and weak wifi. After all the parts replaced (GPS foil, conductive sponges, etc..), screen finally works but thats about it. No satellite locks still indoors or outdoors and still weak wifi.
junrider said:
I just got a BC0KAS TF201 back from RMA in Texas. My original complaint was black screen (nothing shows up on LCD), GPS nonexistent (ordered 12/18), and weak wifi. After all the parts replaced (GPS foil, conductive sponges, etc..), screen finally works but thats about it. No satellite locks still indoors or outdoors and still weak wifi.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a lame story bro.
I'd RMA until they got it right. It sucks that you have to sit there and just take it, while Asus adds you to the satisfied Prime owner statistic.
Overall I have been happy with mine and would compare to some of the more favorable responses here.
Wifi: I initially thought that the .21 made a difference but have re-evaluated. At the furthest point in my house from the router (several walls, 1 floor, 40 ft) I get about 3-4 times slower speeds than other devices. It is still fast enough to surf, stream videos etc.
BT: don't use it much. Wifi speeds are the same whether it is on or off.
GPS: The patches in the dev section actually made some difference. I get a few sats inside with no lock. Outside, I get 11-12 with a lock. GPS test says the accuracy is 30 ft which I doubt would be enough to navigate, but who cares??
Regarding crashes when browsing and so on, I was getting a lot before I unlocked. In the end I just figured screw it, unlocked and installed a rom. I did that about 6 weeks ago and I could count the number of crashes on one hand. Maybe a factory reset would have had the same effect but where's the fun in that
skygunner27 said:
That's a lame story bro.
I'd RMA until they got it right. It sucks that you have to sit there and just take it, while Asus adds you to the satisfied Prime owner statistic.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its not really mine. Its my friend's prime, but i used my creditcard to pay for it. Its his first tablet so hes pretty new to the game. As long as the prime works he can deal until there is a real fix for it, then Ill tell him. I have the receipt (ordered well before the GPS announcement) and all the paper work for the RMA (so there is history that I have complained about the GPS and weak wifi), so they cant deny me the GPS. Couldnt tell if the bluetooth+wifi works since I dont have any bluetooth headphones to test it. I wanna give it a few more months to see if there is any development in the prime.
Thats why I refunded my money, I had few B0CKS and where all the same GPS and weak wifi. Im holding out for something that I can be happy with.
wifi works great. better than my Ipad & atrix phone as far as download speeds, reception strength, and signal stability goes.
wifi/BT works fine. I'm able to transfer big movie files from my phone to prime while prime is hooked up to wifi internet and streaming movie at same time. no slowdown of speeds and movie plays just fine streaming while BT in the background transferring big file.
Gps- never tested outdoors yet. plus I hook up my phone to prime through BT GPS. works great.
overall my early BC model from 12/22 has been performing great for me. no real issues what so ever to complain about really. I'd easily purchase this again if i had to do it over again. my Ipad has nothing on my prime. No comparison to Prime & Android experience. Very pleased with device and its performance. IMO, Asus did a great job on it as mines works as expected and more.
Thanks for the responding!
My wi-fi performance isn't stellar, but it isn't horrible either. I can get better signal than my, older, hp laptop in some areas of my house. I'm happy enough with it to not want to RMA.
I rely on my phone any time I need GPS so I have never actually tested it on my Prime. Seems like redundant use of technology for me. For the same reason, I haven't loaded any music onto my Prime--I have it all on my, more portable, phone.
I love ICS. Sure, I have some difficulty with the browser some times, but I expect Google will be continually making this better. I usually just check in with FB with it anyway. For any serious browsing I use a computer.
One of the things I love the best about my Prime is the dock. I've had zero issues with it and love the short-cut buttons. I'm currently writing a book, completely on my Prime, and it and Polaris Office have been wonderful.
I've been using my BC0KAS TF201 from Best Buy since mid January, and I'm pleased with it overall.
Wifi is nothing to be proud of, but acceptable. Downstairs is not a problem, but upstairs I get slower speeds, which is to be expected.
GPS is absent. I'm lucky to get a lock anywhere, and I've never seen more than 3 sats while driving.
I haven't used bluetooth much.
I use chrome browser and it works fine.
Battery life is somewhat of an issue for me; I keep it on about 50% brightness most of the time, and the battery goes down quite fast at times. Fast charging makes up for it though.
My wifi is usable. I even connected once to free mcdonalds wifi from the parking lot (slow, but checked my email which is what i needed to do). I will have a weak signal upstairs, but netflix worked fine.
Wifi + bt. Again, usable, but signal drops when i feed my stereo bt music and try to watch netflix (really real world?)
No reboots till two updates ago. Way better with .21
Gps is completely useless. I was one of the few who wanted this to replace my aging gps as a nice bonus. Tried all the gps patches from the thread, 1.0rc seems to make things more stable in gps test, but i no longer get locks whatsoever. Also, no skymap fun as its twitchy.
Screen goes through fits with tearing along the left side. Sometimes need to reboot to fix it. Minimal backlight bleeding, didnt even notice till the 3rd time i turned it on, and i was looking for it at that point.
I love this thing enough to have kept it since early jan (bb.com fiasco unit). Not unlocked. Still scared even though i reallllly want to...
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk
My WiFi slightly beats out the Galaxy Ace and Wildfire in terms of range and the DL/UL speeds are still pretty good at the furthest away point in my house.
GPS is non existant as far as I can tell, not really got the patience to test it properly though.
Never really use BT+WiFi together so can't comment on that.
My Rear camera doesn't work, just a green glitchy mess. Not sure if it's hardware or software though.
Gaming is good on it, got plenty of emulators working very well and games like Shadowgun run and look great.
Wifi-up to par with my Droid x
Wifi+Bluetooth- no issues
Gps - not so great, its picky about location and view of the sky
Sent from my DROIDX using xda premium
Wifi matches Droid X in speed and signal strength.
I don't use BT on my tablet.
GPS - outside, 10/10 lock/view, vs. droid x 10/16. Inside, maybe 1 in view, no lock. Droid X will get 6/8.
OS, no issues. I did have to wipe going from HC-->ICS, but I wasn't expecting apps to survive anyway,
*edit*
I had issues with triangles appearing on overlays and random bars on the edge of the screen, but those have gone away with the .21 update. The triangle tearing thing was always fixable by just swiping apps off the recent apps list.
Wifi is fine my E4200 version 1 is in the center of the house and I get a decent connection both on the front and back steps and I use the prime to watch network streamed tv show replays with no problems or stuttering in the house. Gps is good in the house at times and non working at other times same outside. Location and weather effect this I believe. My browser hasnt given me any problems to speak of, overall I'm pleased.

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