Reviews

Unit is not the most accurate on the market. Averages 30 feet from location. Tends to "wander" when at a stop.

I got this for Christmas for use with a Cassiopeia E125. The software loaded fine, but the receiver did not appear to get a signal. The Ambicom office was closed during Christmas break, so I put it aside. This week I e-mailed Ambicom. Their response is as follows: "Unfortunately, the software is not compatible with PDA OS. It's only for Pocket PC 2002 and 2003. Sorry for this incovenient caused." Amazon's product description and the (sparse) Ambicom documentation did not reveal this detail. Now I'm stuck with something I probably can't use.

The product package includes1. CF GPS receiver.2. PocketMap Navigator Software 30 days trial version.3. Antenna booster for in car use (it does not require any power from car)I am using it with my Dell AXIM 5, PPC Windows 2002 system. Once it is up it tracks on average 6 satellites (maximum display limit is 12 and the maximum i have seen it track is 8) with a CEP of 17' on average. On a overcast day antenna is must otherwise it doesn't track any satellites on my system. On a clear day it works well out doors without the antenna.What I like about it:1. It doesn't drain too much power (I don't have to recharge my PPC more often)2. Its easy to install and use.3. Reasonably accuracy (25 CEP per specs - in most cases its better than that)4. Navigation software comes with voice navigation (voice itself is digitally synthesized - so its little bit hard to understand). The software has nice list of POI's (grocery stores, motels, fitness clubs etc)What I don't like about it:1. Map software is 30-day trial version. At the time of writing this review its price is $...2. Navigator software doesn't give you route optimization options (e.g. you will prefer using highways/interstates or other road ... etc)Note: For Dell Axim 5 users - it takes up the CF slot and you can't use CF slot for map storage.

Reviews

I recently purchased several of these. About half of them work and are receiving positions even though they have the QC Pass sticker. Also, after installing the driver it is flaky and sometimes you have to install it multiple times. It is not a straight forward, install once situation. I am probably going to look for a different unit to purchase in the future as we ship these to clients.

It's a low cost gps solution. I use it on my small laptop while I'm going on a trip. It works fine, easy to use with map point/Microsoft st&tp. I saw it on a police patrol car, which it can tell AmbiCom GPS-USB is able to provide the accurate gps position for our police officer to do their job.

I bought this as a replacement for a PC GPS that burnt out after several years of hard use, and this one just does not cut it. It tends to lose lock with the sats very easily, the position it does give is often running 100+ meters off (for those that know what it means, I think the thing is usually pulling a FOM 6 or 8... wide margin of error), and the body is so cheaply made that after a month, the case has split. Get something else for your GPS needs.

I have a new laptop with Vista. This company did not have a driver for Vista yet.

it might for you. I tried using it on Vista, and no go. However, I downloaded a driver from US Global, and that worked, for a while. Vista is just to weird a system for things this out of date. For XP or earlier, it would probably be ok. I finally had to return it to Amazon because I grew tired of always hunting for it.

Reviews

Hardware works fine. The software is 30 day trial. It is not "full version" as the write-up indicates. So far Amazon has not responded to two e-mails for help.

Its been 3 weeks since I bought this CF GPS receiver for my HP Ipaq 2210. Setting up the Software, and the hardware was easy. The initial fix (for the very first time, while being indoors in Manhattan with an antenna) took me almost 10 min. That scared me. However since then, I have not faced any problems. The average cold start takes me anywhere between 1-3 minutes. Last week I drove up to Toronto from NYC and back (500 miles each way) and had the opportunity to fully test the GPS. The receiver worked much better than I imagined. There was no problems with satelites fixes, and it lost fix only once for few minutes. During my entire trip, I never had to use the external antenna, which was a pleasant surprise as I was under the impression that I NEEDED to use the external antenna while driving. PocketMap Navigator software comes with this GPS. I am not sure if its a trail version, as it is no where mentioned as such. I also have downloaded Mapopolis trail software to compare these two. I like both of them. I find there is more map detail in Mapopolis. Creating a route in PMN is easier, as it downloads relevant maps on its own unlike in Mapopolis, you need to know which maps you need. I found the interface in PMN much better. However, there is no Canadian content in PMN. I look forward to the day when they have it. In short, I am very happy with Ambicom CF GPS receiver. It is very slim and small. Its very economically priced, and based on my experience, a very good buy.

I purchased this product for use treking. The gps unit using the built in antenna will not pickup more than 1 satellite . This does not give a fix. The unit is not usable using the built in antenna. If I connect the external with the 8 foot cord the unit works good (tracks 5 or more satellites and gives a very good fix. (22 feet cep) I can use the device if I velcro the antenna to the top of my hat but then I have an 8 foot cord dangling. Ambicom tech support suggests laying the Pocket-pc with the gps unit on the ground and waiting 2 minutes. Results no better.

Bought this w. an iPAQ 2215, installation was very straightforward using the Quick Installation Guides. I had to change the COM port (as described in the guide), and after several attempts, COM 7 worked. It seems to switch COM ports from time to time, I don't know why.I need the external antennae indoors, and especially to initially acquire the satellites, but within my car, it appears to be just sensitive enough without (tried on a clear day). I still mostly use the external antennae in the car, I'm hoping the extra sensitivity will perhaps reduce the power drain. Although the antennae has a magnet on the back, there's usually nothing in the car to stick it to, so I just wrap it around the rear view mirror.I think the difference between this product and Ambicom's non "Pro" version, is this version's navigation software isn't a 30-day trial version, its Space Machine's Pocketmap Navigator V2 (last years). I went to Space Machine's website to download a slightly newer version, and newer maps, all for free. I will probably pay the $30 for the latest V3 software upgrade. The current version very occasionally seems to hang, requiring a soft-reset of the iPAQ. Also, for some reason it had problems downloading maps, I had to manually remove partially downloaded "San Francsico" to get it to re-install correctly.The mapping mostly works great, but there were a few problems, in Santa Monica it tried to direct me off a cliff, because it erroneously thought there was a connector road from Arizona street to the coast highway (there isn't). Also, it couldn't find Studio City, CA at all, I believe because its part of North Hollywood. It also refused to believe that certain address ranges exist on certain streets, but I suppose this is to be expected since numbering can be very idiosyncratic. Lastly, it misses an occasional better route in San Francisco (e.g. through Golden Gate Park), probably because those roads are closed to traffic on Sundays. Fair enough, it can't be expected to handle that situation. Also, it's voice prompting usually mis-pronounces the various Spanish names in California.I don't know if the V3 software with the V3 maps, will help. Still, overall, the software works well, most of the time.Doesn't seem to drain power too fast (compared to say an 802.11b CF card). With everything at max power (the PDA's backlight, sound, etc., and no auto-turn-off), its probably good for a couple hours.My only complaints with the Ambicom GPS Pro/iPAQ 2215 combo, mostly have to do with the iPAQ, but I'm writing it here because the problems really relate to its use w. GPS:1. the speaker in the 2215 is too soft (at max volume) to hear the driving directions, given the background ambient noise in the car. Perhaps this isn't the 2215 's fault (other sounds, and voice notes are loud enough), but having the speaker on the back of the 2215 makes the problem worse. Using earbuds with the iPAQ to improve the volume, would be a bad idea, obviously.2. The 2215 screen is too dark (at max brightness), given the relative daylight brightness in the car.3. To store any useful amount of map data, you're going to need to add an SDIO memory card. I tried to store 3 SF Bay area counties (SF, San Mateo, Alameda) plus LA county, and it exceeds the available on-board memory in the 2215 (32 Mb). I added a 256 Mb SD card ..., and I can hold 2/3 of California, perhaps more, but that's all I needed. Make sure your PDA has an SDIO slot or more on-board memory.4. Probably to be really useful in the car, it needs a "car kit" (mounting bracket, DC power supply, powered speakers, perhaps a way to mount the external antennae).Still, its a very nice and inexpensive way to get GPS/Navigation.