Dying GPS replacement suggestions
It looks like my fantastic Uniden GPS 301 has gone to the big Data Bank in the sky as it now keeps showing 'Searching for Satellite'.
This has been going on for some time but Yesterday was the first time it never locked on the whole time I was driving so maybe its time has finally come to be pensioned off.
This unit has a speed display only (RED LED) a direction arrow along with scrolled and audible warnings for hazards which was easier to read when setting Cruise control than most other GPS are I have seen.
I have a normal map type GPS (Aldi Go Cruise) so all I want is something similar to the now long discontinued Uniden 301 and I am considering the HUD type made by Polaris as soon as funds become available.
From what I have read, the Polaris appears to be a quality unit and reasonably priced so I was wondering if anyone has any thoughts on this.
Last edited by gordon_s1942; 22-04-15 at 01:43 PM.
I stand unequivicably behind everything I say, I just dont ever remember saying it !!
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No idea about the Polaris HUD coz i'm a self-admitted Garmin freak. Garmin simply don't make a crook unit these days and most have Lifetime maps, even in the Essential [read cheap as chips] range.
About your Uniden though, have you tried hard-reset [factory reset]? That will cure the endless sat search for many GPS units. Do a backup first if you want to keep 'favourites' though.
Personally can't see the necessity to install a GPS HUD like the Polaris HUD. My car ( Subaru XV ) delivers already a flood of informations in a 7'' display (5 different screens!) , the Polaris GPS HUD never could provide!
If for you really it's the neeed for a GPS HUD with navigation capability, I'ld recommend you , a Taiwanese product, which you simply install on your Android based mobile phone. For navigation it uses Google Maps.
Last edited by jwoegerbauer; 22-04-15 at 07:55 PM. Reason: typos
don't you or the missus have a decent smartphone gordon?
use to use iGo on my iphone 4 and Galaxy 4 and now on my Galaxy 5
can't see the need to ever go back to a dedicated unit again
This is a good idea. I use my Nokia 1320, previously an iPhone 4 and they both work a treat. Coles and Woolies have cheap Nokia sets every week now for around $20 to $30 which you could use as a dedicated gps/maps unit.Originally Posted by weirdo
I'm comparing apples and oranges but if you only use gps occasionally smartphones are a very cheap option.
I forgot to add that of course you will need a decent phone holder too to have the phone sitting in the right spot for you to see
I use this Samsung phone mount which is superb >
I've tried quite a few cheapies but this one was around the $45 mark and is very sturdy
What I want is a plain actual accurate current speed reader, no maps or the ability to navigate as I already have one.
My Ford AU wagon made in 2000 doesnt have a U-Beaut media screen with all the bells and whistles, only a radio with a stuffed single DVD player and a speedo I know is over reads by near 7kph so at a checked and verified 100kph, the needle is hovering over the 105 mark on the dial.
Our mobile phone is 'pre smart' , no Android, no 'apps' etc and no 'Media' screen as such.
I stand unequivicably behind everything I say
that's a shame
might be worthwhile to get a cheap one like mkhannah suggested as there are plenty of free apps available for just showing a speedometer too
your cars actual speedometer reading over is a normal occurence
just about every car reads a higher speed than you're actually traveling
Last edited by weirdo; 23-04-15 at 06:06 PM.
Unless the mobile phone can function in this mode I want without connecting its no use to me as our mobile is prepaid and the reception is quite unreliable around most of the area.
Another thing that bothers me is placing a mobile phone on the dash in the full Sun with the screen up to use it as a HUD as that was cause of many a screen being burnt out in times past.
I stand unequivicably behind everything I say
A GPS satellite broadcasts a continuous stream of data that's broken up into segments transmitted over 30 seconds. Remember a Ferrari accelerates 0-100 km/h in ~4 seconds. So each GPS based speedreader is inaccurate.
pretty sure he doesn't drive a ferrariA GPS satellite broadcasts a continuous stream of data that's broken up into segments transmitted over 30 seconds. Remember a Ferrari accelerates 0-100 km/h in ~4 seconds. So each GPS based speedreader is inaccurate.
your claim doesn't explain why my phone's speed reading refreshes every second or so
on the contrary, I find the gps gives me a more accurate reading
By 'accurate' I mean within the parameters of the GPS system which is with the use of 4 or more satellites should be far more accurate that the speedo fitted to most vehicles which is based on the RPM of the engine which allows the speedo to read with all wheels off the ground.
Even with all wheels on the ground, the actual speed of the vehicle is governed by the diametre of the wheel being used.
Neither of these two factors have any effect on a GPS devise which does its measurements on a time based calculation rather than the number of turns needed to cover a specified distance.
I stand unequivicably behind everything I say
Do you know if it has a built-in GPS receiver? Many (most?) Android devices don't, which means their GPS is not the triangulate-on-the-satellites version of GPS, but the guess-where-I-am-based-on-the-signal-from-the-cell-towers version.
AFAIK, GPS receivers actually use the Doppler ( speed/frequency difference ) shifts of the satellite signals to calculate velocities. But I might be mistaken.
yes, it has
I would say most android phones being sold nowadays would have gps
they work outside cell tower reception and are great with navigation apps like iGO or TomTom
you should get one herr woegerbauer, you would love it
iphones have it too
I used an Iphone 4 with TomTom to travel 9000 km around Europe for two months in 2013
visited your beautiful country too, I could live there quite happily
I have one: it's an Android 4.0.4 phablet, running Sygic as navigation software.
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