GPS deal, if you're lucky

Staples is clearing out their Streetfinder Palm 3 GPS sleeves. They're $9.50. If you don't have a Palm 3, there's still a Rockwell Zodiac GPS board and an antenna inside.

Good luck finding them. I found 1 in the 3 Staples I visited today, still marked $60 but I asked for a price check and it was $9.50. Fair warning, none at Staples in Greensburg, New Kensington or Ross Township, PA

Does that GPS board support any of the protocols that Jan's code handles? A quick google suggests that the Zodiac uses a proprietary binary format, and not NMEA etc.

Remember the bit about the Earthmate support I wrote for GPSd? Guess what an Earthmate is...

That said, the Zodiac supports both NMEA and Rockwell binary *except* on the Earthmate, as far as I know.

Ahh. That concurs with other information I've since found. I'll be visiting Staples soon then. I wonder how easy it is to hack the hardware to provide power and pull out an RS232 cable. Any ideas?

No clue. I opened it and looked (4 philips screws) but I think I'm going to need to take it further apart than I wanted to today.

If anyone finds one unit more than they're interested in themselves, that they would be willing to ship across the Atlantic - here's a very interested party...

/Michael

If I find more than one more I'll keep you in mind; The guy who built the board and half-container for my Trimble SVee6 is next in line... but I doubt I'll find any unless I bag a day of work and go on a road trip.

Someone please clarify. What is meant by "Sleeve"?

My wife has a Palm3 that she never uses. Are you telling me that I could have a working GPS system simply by spending ten bucks and putting fresh batteries in her Palm?

Yup...

Dunno if this is the same model, but the principle's the same...

/Michael

Ah, this is the one. My local staples has one left, they have verified that it's $9.50 clearance, and I'm getting one. They're holding it for me.

Thanks for the information, this is actually pretty neat.

There's something I bought for my wife's Palm V a few weeks back for $40 that's more or less the same thing; Someone had it on sale. I got this to steal parts from.

Will this work with a PALM IIIc? If so is there anyone willing to pick one up for me and ship it to Canada? I am willing to pay the price and a little bit on top for effort if you wish. I can send funds via PayPal.

Thanks!
Rene

I think it says "won't work on IIIc" on the box, but mine isn't handy.

Hmmm... the one shown in www.navmanusa.com/land/p_series/index.html is actually shown with a Palm IIIc.

Any resellers of that gear with duty free shipping.

We don't have Staples here in Houston, (We have to use paper clips and duct tape to keep paper together) I was wondering if any kind soul would be willing to pick one up for me.

I thought there was a different model of the unit for a IIIc. I will check when I get home.

Boy, does one ever get what one pays for.

The software that comes with this thing is abysmal.

The hardware is worth more than $9.50. The software (to me) is throwaway.

Yeah, I understand that. It's just... Untile we figure out a way to interface this thing with the empeg, I'm stuck with the StreetFinder software as the only way I can get any use out of it.

I did manage to download one map to the thing, but it won't take any point-to-point directions. It asks me to insert the install CD then locks up as it churns the install CD nonstop.

Untile we figure out a way to interface this thing with the empeg, I'm stuck with the StreetFinder software as the only way I can get any use out of it.

The Palm connector is a serial port, basically you should just need to figure out:
-pin mapping. I felt lucky with Google
-where to power it

I assume it already does RS232 pullup from TTL, so that should be it. And if not, well, underpowered serial port signal shouldn't cause you any problem, it just won't *do* anything.

The thing already has an adapter and/or cigarette lighter power supply, so even power isn't an issue.

I wonder if there's any third-party or open-source software already written for this GPS unit, available to run on the Palm.

Yeah, but I'd rather power it from inline.

If someone makes a reverse Palm serial cable, just that should be sufficient...

Untile we figure out a way to interface this thing with the empeg, I'm stuck with the StreetFinder software as the only way I can get any use out of it

On the contrary, there's quite a bit of Palm software that will work with it. Here's a couple to check out:

GPS Pilot
Cetus GPS

Ooo, thank you. I was hoping there was third-party software that would work. That Rand Mcnally stuff is the pits.

(Although I have to say the map interface at the Rand McNally web site is really good. The resulting maps kick ass all over MapQuest. It's the 2-year-old Rand Mcnally PC software that makes maps for the Palm that sucks.)

Yeah, I can't stand that software. But, the GPS Pilot stuff is pretty good. You can import your own maps.

Tony, that must've been the one I returned when I realized it would NOT work with the Palm IIIc. The IIIc has a different shape to it than the Palm III and this unit simply will not fit onto the IIIc.

In fact, my IIIc broke today. Or I should say, I broke it today. Useless piece of crap that it was, maybe I'll pull it outta the trash and break it apart for a GPS or robotics project. Of course, it's the display that broke...oh well..

Check this site for Palm GPS software:

http://celia.mehaffey.com/dale/pilotgps.htm

Checkout Mapopolis http://www.mapopolis.com

Tony, that must've been the one I returned when I realized it would NOT work with the Palm IIIc.

Heh. And what part of the "Will not work with the Palm IIIc" sticker on the box did you not understand?

The size. If I remember correctly, there were NO printed indicators on the box, only a post-manufacture sticker on the extreme lower left of the front of the box. Distinctly different from the spec list. Also, the sticker was about 1/8" high and was sort of peeling off before I got the box. The whole thing was a previous return anyway. I'm starting to believe that there aren't any "new" items in our local Staples. I think they just use it as an outlet for returns...

Of course, when I asked the employee at Staples about IIIc compatibility, he flipped over the box, looked at the spec list, and said, "Sure, it'll work."

Sometimes I think that Staples is staffed by people who couldn't get jobs at the Radio Shack a few doors down. Remember when we were looking forward to that Staples opening?

"Remember when we were looking forward to that Staples opening?"

I told you never to say that in public!

I called all the local Staples today and a few had them listed as in stock, however, all the stores have been told to ship what's left back to the warehouse and the warehouse has already returned them to the vendor. Too bad I drove an hour to find all this out.

and a few had them listed as in stock,

I was in the neighborhood of a Staples and thought I got lucky when I spied 6-7 clearance Palm GPS sleeves, but they were all the $69 Palm V version. A sales guy was nice enough to search on the $9.50-version SKU in case there might be some around, but all we saw were 3 in a store in Santa Clara.

Okay, I've looked at the GPS software listed here, the GPS software listed at the main www.palm.com site, and the other ones mentioned in this thread such as mapopolis.

I've decided that most of them don't meet my needs. Either they requre you to create your own maps, they require you to buy maps, or choose and install separate maps which must be linked together, etc. Or maybe they had great features (like Quo Vadis) but didn't do route planning with step-by-step directions. Most of them looked like more trouble than they were worth.

But I did manage to try one out today that severely impressed me, it was the TripPilot software. Combined with the MochaSoft PPP software (so the Palm can use my internet connection when it's cradle-docked), it is a complete solution for trip planning and navigation that requires no special mapping software to be installed on your PC. You enter your start and end points right there on the palm screen and it connects to the internet and downloads the maps and information. Other than the internet connection, there is no PC software involved. And because it's getting the routes from the internet, it's accurate because it has very recent data.

Its step-by-step trip directions with side-by-side maps is good. I tried it out today on the way home, and aside from performing flawlessly on the easy parts of the route, it did something that I've never seen any other mappers on the internet do: Get me door to door from my work to my house. My house is out in BF Egypt and the roads on my hill aren't even in most databases. So whatever map databases it's using online are good ones.

Ideally, I'd want to be able to do that without the internet connection at all, but I realize that the palm has hardly any memory so it's the best solution to have it get the route-specific maps automatically before I start the trip. This software makes that part very painless.

Anyway, I'm considering buying the software, but its registration fee is steeper than my "throw away cash" comfort limit. Before I plunk down the dough, can anyone offer links to other software that might meet my needs as well? I'd like to try them before buying this one.

Here's what I liked about TripPilot that I'd want to see in other software:
- Up-to-the-minute map data
- Step-by-step directions with moving map
- Automatic route planning: Enter start and end addresses and that's all it needs
- No need to manage maps and the palm memory footprint myself, software handles it all
- Doesn't crash on me every 5 minutes like the Rand Mcnally software

Anyone know of software that falls under that umbrella? Besides Rand Mcnally and TripPilot?

Thanks for the review Tony! The Trip Pilot software is pretty new. Last I checked it out they had finished the beta, but hadn't released the final product yet. Let me know if you find out anything new, or if you decide to buy it.

The only other software I've played with that I liked was Cetus GPS, but I was waiting for waypoint support (which they just added). Need to go try the new version with some Geocaching.

I also noticed there's a new software called GeoNiche, which is made specifically for Geocaching. Gonna try that one too.

Anyways, keep me posted on Trip Pilot.

One thing I forgot to mention about it...

It does that nifty trick of showing you your speed and direction based on your historical position data. For example, your position indicator on the map is an arrow showing which way you're driving, and there is a MPH indicator indicating your speed.

What I find most interesting is that the GPS software consitently reads 4mph slower than my speedometer does. Does that mean that my car's speedo is actually calibrated a little off so that I drive slower? Or does it mean that there's a bug in the GPS software?

Don't you ever drive by the "your speed is X, the speed limit is Y" signs? That's how I always used to test my radar detector before it was stolen... My friend with an old mustang found out that her spedometer is consistantly off using one too... "BF Egypy" may not employ such high tech speed reduction technology, I suppose...

Matthew

No, we have those radar speed-indicator signs out here in the boondocks, too. Problem is that you're only in front of them briefly so it's hard to check back and forth with your speedometer and get a consistent measurement at various speeds.

Anyway around here, they're all K-band whereas the highway patrol uses all KA-band, so it's not much of a radar detector test. Although mine certainly tells me long enough in advance that one of those indicator signs is up ahead...

It's funny...when I used my GPS, it was off by 4 MPH too. Thought it was just the GPS, but then drove by one of those signs (like mentioned above) and it was off by 4 MPH as well.

Doesn't bug me. Just means I'm driving slower than I really am. That can't be a bad thing.

Find a measured mile. Set your cruise control to 60. Set a stopwatch.

I'm serious, you'll occasionally find them on more rural stretches of interstate.

First off stock speedos are not very accurate, especially at speeds above 100 mph. Have you gotten new tires lately? Im sure you have thought of this but they can throw off the speedo, even worn tires can throw off a speedo.

Just means I'm driving slower than I really am.

Hey, my PC crashed when I read this. Is there someplace to file a bug report?

Heh, if you go by the movies, you're monitor's supposed to explode when the computer processes that sentence.

Here, let's try a stronger one: "Everything I tell you is a lie."

Did smoke and sparks come out that time?

My stock tires (new) have a notional circumference of 34.24"
Allowing for 0.2" of tread wear, worn tires would have a circumference of 32.98" - ie only 96% of their original diameter. That would make my speedo read 4% faster than real. (Assuming that it was calibrated for new tires).

Tire pressure would also play into this - since the average temperature has dropped somewhat in the past month, you can expect your inflation pressure to have dropped.

Maybe you need to go and do some non-empeg stuff to your car - flat bald tires sound like a great idea for drag racing, but not so good for the rain.

They're new tires that were the same size specification as the original factory tires. They are not bald, and after an extensive discussion in this forum about tire pressures, I have been keeping them at exactly the recommended pressure listed on the door frame.

I had no idea that such tiny changes in the tire diameter could make such a big difference in the speedometer reading.

from GPS to tire pressure...the rio board has it all

First off stock speedos are not very accurate, especially at speeds above 100 mph

Using my GPS locked to a 13ft accuracy, my Saturn is accurate to 0.5mph up to speeds of 100mph. I've never gotten it above that yet with the Garmin.

Rob's Viggen was a bit off, and my motorcycle is about 5mph off at 75mph. GPS with a decent accuracy tends to be a good tester of speeds, as long as the speed is stable. Rapid changes are hard to pick up due to the refresh time of units.

Rob's Viggen was a bit off

Too bad my GPS V didn't arrive in time, but I had my speedo up to 140 this past weekend. I would have liked to know what I was really doing.

I've noticed this discrepancy as well, my GPS will read 108 when my speedometer reads 117. It's been +/- 9mph off since I put it in the car, even before I replaced my rims/tires. I have a feeling that the GPS is more accurate. One thing I haven't done yet is try it in another car...

Hey Tony, can you tell me what the power requirements (voltage, polarity, etc) are for the AC Adapter?

I got mine from Rob and he couldn't find it. I have the car adapter, but I don't think it says anything on it.

I have a universal adapter that looks like it has a plug to fit, so just need to know what to set it to.

Assuming I know what you're asking...?

The AC adapter that came with the Rand McNally StreetFinder GPS for the PalmIII is pictured below:

The AC adapter that came with the Rand McNally StreetFinder GPS for the PalmIII is pictured below:

So I guess now I should figure out what preference item I should select to have it display below instead of needing to select "Attachment" at left; When I reply it's actually displayed below the comment

Perfect Tony. Thanks.

So I guess now I should figure out what preference item I should select to have it display below instead of needing to select "Attachment" at left

No, you should just wait a minute until I get a chance to go in and edit the message to add the IMAGE tag.