Should I buy Garmin Mobile PC the software or the GPS bundle?

So I've chosen to go with Garmin's Mobile PC on a netbook in my 2008 Dodge 2500 but I'm at a loss as to whether or not to buy the Garmin bundle or use someone else's hardware. The truck will mainly be used for towing but I have the option to move the GPS netbook into the Jeep for off-roading.

I plan to use the Garmin software plus Discover GPS topo maps for Alberta plus maybe some Ibycus maps, so other than the yearly updates, I don't know if I would need the bundle. Is it worth it to go with the other brands of GPS receivers as the MKII chips look to be better but will they be too sensitive for accurate readings?

From what I have read, if I get the software only, I would not be able to use any locked maps at a later time. Is that even if i bought the map DVD's only?

Am I missing something here?

The software version of Mobile PC will not accept any locked Garmin Maps. It will accept non-locked ones such as Ibycus. You would not have a device to unlock other Garmin maps to anyway.

MTK devices such as the iTrek M7 are not too sensitive to work with any navigation programs. The sensitivity of a GPS receiver only affects its ability to work under adverse conditions. The data sent to the navigation program remains the same.

If you have Bluetooth capabilities or are planning to add them, my preference would be Mobile PC with the GPS10x. That is a SirfStar III Bluetooth receiver. It will work directly with any navigation program as it is capable of NMEA or Garmin (PVT) output. Then, if you wanted to add further locked maps to GMPC, it would just be a matter of unlocking them to the 10x. Also. you could instal Mobile PC on more than one computer as long as you used the same 10x with each of them.

Terry

To add to what Terry said, I have both the i.Trek M7 and the Garmin GPS10x that comes with Mobile PC. I can't tell any difference in their performance. They are both excellent receivers. They find the satellites and lock the position quickly and they both hold the lock in difficult conditions.

...ken...

OK...so I finally got the Mobile PC 10X from GPS City and I have no joy. I am running it on Windows XP through VMWare Fusiion on Mac OSX 10.5.6 Leopard and GMPC can't locate the 10X. I invoke GMPC and get to the "Scanning Bluetooth" poage and it just stops. the program still responds...it just doesn't see the 10x.

So Windows sees the bluetooth 10X and provides the following info:
Device Name: Garmin GPS 10X #5EQA3E
Device Address: 00:05:4f:5E:QA:3E
Device Class: Uncatagorized devices
Service Class: Serial Port
Service Name: COM Port
Provider Name: None

Settings:
Port Name: COM40
Auto Connect: on

So I install Franson GPS Gate 2.5 and use the wizard:
Summary:
Virtual Com3[Garmin for nRoute etc]
Virtual Com4[NMEA for most GPS applications]
Virtual Com5[NMEA for most GPS applications]
Virtual Com8[NMEA for most GPS applications]
Virtual Com9[NMEA for most GPS applications]

It says that the GPS is running OK and GPS data with valid position...but still, GMPC doesn't see it.

I don't really want to dump the Mac OS and use only Windows but how do I know that it will work on a straight windows machine?

Any thoughts?

Greg

First, you must be using a Toshiba Bluetooth stack to get COM 40. If you want a lower port number, use the Custom Mode

Next, why are you using GPS Gate? Mobile PC will work directly with the BT 10x. In fact if you bought the package which includes the 10x, it probably won't work with GPS Gate. You actually don't even have to set up the 10x in Bluetooth as Mobile PC will look for it directly in BT (no COM port required.)

Did you try that? The reason it can't see the 10x when it scans Bluetooth is because GPS Gate is running and using that device!

Terry

So...lots of work and still no joy. I reformatted the msi wind netbook to only Windows Home Edition with no MAC OSX and no GPSgate...makes me sick to think of all those Blue Screens o' Death. Tried both the Toshiba stack bluetooth built intot the netbook and the Microsoft USB Bluetooth and GMPC still won't see it. I called Garmin Tech Support and they suggested an update from Dec/08 which I did and other than that i was SOL. I then installed the USB Bluetooth stick on my MacPro and tried GPSyx and it seemed to see the 10x but I have no maps for that program so I don't really know. The fact remains, though, that the 10x with GMPC has to work flawlessly with the MSI Wind netbook or it's not worth having. I'm hoping that it's just another instance of Garmin poor quality so I'll return this one and try one more. I originally had a Garmin 60Csx where the power button failed. I sent it back and the replacement refurbished one showed me how slow the original one was. Too bad some thieving SOB wanted it more that i did. Maybe I should just skip the bluetooth and go with one of the other brands of USB/Bluetooth GPS's and use the software only version of GMPC. Too bad GPS City is 2.5 hours away.

Any other suggestions this time guys?

The 10x should work fine with your internal Toshiba Bluetooth stack. I have an ASUS UMPC and a Toshiba laptop with this stack and any version of the stack I've tried works fine with every Bluetooth GPS receiver I have. I don't have the exact setup you do. I have a software version of GMPC and a seperate GPS10x but GMPC finds the 10x with no problem at all.

Have you confirmed your BT is working properly since you changed the netbook back to Windows? Have you tried setting a COM port just to ensure it is seeing the 10x? What version of Mobile PC do you have?

Terry

What can I say...if the 10x doesn't work with either the Toshiba Bluetooth Stack Version 6.00.03 and GMPC 5.00.60. It is on Com40 but there is no way to change that in this version of the Toshiba Stack, that i can see. The Bluetooth is working because my BT mouse works on it and it does connect to the 10x and when I power down the GPS, it disconnects from the Toshiba Stack. Other than that, I don't know of other ways to test it. I've tried it again and the "Scanning Bluetooth" page still gioves me only about 1/8th of the progress bar before it stops.

One question, though...do I need to register the software with Garmin before it will find the GPS? I don't think so. I just tried to connect it again amd this time it made it to 1/2 way on the progress bar before stopping and going back to 1/8th. I've just ordered another one and hope that it works better than this one.

Greg

You don't have to register it if it is a version that included the 10x. You can tell because the software-only version has a green sticker in the DVD case with a product key on it. If you have that, you have to register it.

You ordered another what; software only or software and 10x?

Did you check the version of you copy (Settings-about)and try an upgrade to the latest one (5.00.60) available here:

http://www8.garmin.com/support/collection.jsp?product=010-00685-00

Terry

I am using a MSI Wind U100 with the software only version of Mobile PC and a previously owned 10x.

No connection problems, worked perfectly on Com40 from the start. Only issue is that I cannot use other maps unlocked to the 10x in question, I should have bought the Mobile PC bundle.

Sorry, I missed the note as to the version. You did say one thing though about the 10x connection I am not clear about. If you manually connect the 10x using the BT control panel, Mobile PC will not find it.

The safest way is remove the 10x from your Bluetooth manager. Then start Mobile PC and let it search Bluetooth directly. Caution...your mouse may be difficult to use as GMPC checks the various BT connections. I find the Toshiba stack a little slower than the Microsoft one. You may hear the BT cycle on and off several times (if you have the sound on) before it locks to the 10x. This only happens the first time though.

The latest driver for the Toshiba BT stack is here;
http://aps2.toshiba-tro.de/bluetooth/?page=download
and will work with your device.

Terry

First of all...I manually connect the 10x as Mobile PC will not find it.,,,but in the interests of science, I deleted it from the BT Manager and tried yet again. I invoked GMPC and let it try to find the 10x...no change.

I agree that the Toshiba stack is slower but in all these attempts, it always connects to the BT Manager fairly easily but fails to connect to GMPC.

Still no joy.

Greg

Do you hear the BT being queried by GMPC (on my computers with Toshiba BT, it sounds the same as a USB device being plugged in and unplugged)? It may take 4 or 5 tries. Are you getting a message that it can't find a GPS?

Terry

No it doesn't make those sounds when GMPC tries to locate the 10x. It does give me a message that it can't find a Garmin GPS and then asks if I want to try to locate a non-Garmin gps.

It sounds like GMPC is not even trying Bluetooth. You might try updating the Toshiba stack just in case GMPC doesn't see it (GMPC will not see the Bluesoleil stack at all). Its a relatively staight forward process but a little slow. Lots of erroneous messages about devices not installing but it works fine and maintains all your settings.

Terry

So I received the second GMPC with 10X and installed that software with update (shouldn't matter but I'd try anything at this point) and saw no difference. Then, as an experiment, I installed nroute, the free version from Garmin and it found the GPS 10x no problem so I knew that it's a problem with GMPC. I called Garmin and was told that the GPS 10X needs to be found by GMPC before it's discovered by the cluetooth stack, which I find impossible, but i tried it...no change. They suggested that I speak with a tier 2 tech who was supposed to call me back and never did. The 10X was a great GPS in that in my basement with curtains closed, it still located 12 satellites which matched my old 60CSx...impressive.

But to no avail...I can't use something that is this unreliable so I returned both Garmin GMPC with 10X's to GPSCity.ca...my thanks to them...but have still lost about $50 in shipping and whatever restocking fee that they will charge me...my feelings at this point are disappointment that Garmin can release a product that only works with seemingly specific hardware in specific ways and possibly only when the planets are all aligned. I deal with computers everyday and most computer accessory manufacturers find ways to either build their products so that they work with most computers or at the very least, have a tech support division that can solve the problems that they have missed. I fell that Garmin has failed in this regard and this is reinforced by the amount of problems that are brought forward on this and other forums by Garmin customers.

All that being said, the really sad thing is that Garmin still seems to be the best GPS product out there.

Thanks for the help guys.

Greg

Hi Greg,

Sad to hear about the problems. I can imagine the increase in frustration when you saw how easily another Garmin program, nroute, just picked up the 10x immediately. It's just the sort of issue that makes you want to reach through the phone, grab someone by the throat and shake really hard.

Mobile PC is a truly frustrating product. It's so good when it works. But there are so many ways for it to not work. Your example is one. Another is the frustration of people who want to use it with other Garmin map products, which brings up all the various unlocking nightmares.

The fact that so few of Garmin's techs actually know anything about it makes it even more frustrating. Sorry we couldn't help you get it working.

...ken...

I would suggest the bundle for various interface reasoning as they are designed to work flawlessly(well almost) together. I purchased the North American version with GPX20.
Satellites locked in fairly quickly. Toss the suction cups out the window..worthless adhesion. Just use double faced Velcro.
Bear in mind, that little receiver DOES warm right up during use. Don't, however expect this software to duplicate that supplied with their lines of GPS.. it doesn't.
First of all, forget about downloading vehicles from Garmin garage... doesn't work.
Also, forget about installing additional voices... doesn't work either.
I see where European version now available..wasn't a choice when i recently purchased from RitzCamera online.
Now for the good part....price! Ritzcamera has the bundle for $77.35 +6.95 shipping(NO TAX).. This beats well known electronic store prices where the GPX20 receiver, alone, costs $79.
The primary reason I purchased the bundle is because of the tremendous advantage of screen size. 15.4 inch wide beats 4x3 any day...very senior friendly.

I had no problem with the additional vehicle icons. I've got a bunch of them that I can choose from. My granddaughter's favorite is a pizza slice. Mine is a race bike.

...ken...

Ok.. Ken, give me a clue.. Downloaded and installed as per protocol. Program refused to see them (latest). Replies from Garmin indicated they do not work on the Mobile PC versions..only the Nuvi's.

The existing vehicles are in a folder called 'Vehicle' in the 'GarminMobilePC' folder and have a .srf extension. Did you try putting the downloaded ones there?

Terry

Thanks Terry,

I wasn't at a PC with Mobile PC on it when I wrote that answer so I couldn't give details. Mine is the same way. I just download the .srf files and put them in the "Vehicle" folder.

In my case, it's:

C:\Program Files\Garmin\GarminMobilePC\Vehicles

I just tested and I can confirm that with the latest version of Mobile PC (5.00.60) it still works.

Majorjer, sometimes you need to take what the Garmin techs say with a grain of salt ... well, when you ask them anything about Mobile PC you probably should have the whole salt shaker handy. It's not a product they seem to know much about. In this case they're wrong on two counts.

1. Those vehicle files work with Mobile PC. Have since the first released version and still do.

2. They also work with Mobile XT on PDAs and smartphones. That's how I got the pizza slice that my granddaughter thinks is so neat in Mobile XT on my Palm TX.

Have fun with them once you've got them in the right spot.

...ken...

Majorjer,

What voices were you trying to get working in Mobile PC?

I have German, French (European), French (Canadian), Spanish (European), Italian, English (American .. actually contains three voices) and English (British) all installed on mine.

The files are .vpm files and they go in the "Voice" folder under "GarminMobilePC".

Not all of the languages will give you full text-to-speech. That is, only two of the American voices (Anna and Mary) will give you spoken street names in the turn guidance. The other voices will say "Turn left in 500 meters."

...ken...

Ken,
My Nuvi 750 has 45 voices in a wide assortment of languages. 21 of them are TTS (also in a wide assortment of languages).

Terry

Have you tried any of them with Mobile PC?

...ken...

FINALLY...got the vehicle bundle installed ... At first the program wouldn't recognize them until after several cold reboots..
I tried the dr. nightmare .vrm in the voice folder,and the program wouldn't recognize. Male voices are more senior friendly as with bad speakers on most laptops render inaudiblity in the higher frequency ranges of female voices. Thats the part of hearing we lose first as we age 20mhz on up. Male voices such as dr. nightmare are in the lower end of the spectrum and much more recognizable.
Mary? i didn't see mary..must be in the voice bundle.
Garmin mobile pc software should be more flexible as common sense installs are difficult.
Even the maps are written with an interface protocol thats user friendly.

I'm glad to hear you got the vehicles working. There has to be something wrong with your system if it took cold reboots to get them to appear in Mobile PC. When I copied my new .srf files into the Vehicle folder they showed up the very next time I ran Mobile PC. No reboots involved.

I understand. I am fortunate that at 62 I still don't have any huge holes in my hearing. Mobile PC uses .VPM files, so it's no surprise that the .VRM file didn't work. I'm not sure what device uses the .VRM files.

It has been so long I can't remember for sure, but it seems to me that Mary is one of the original voices included with the Mobile PC distribution. At least I thought she was there from Day One. I stand to be corrected.

I'm not sure what either of those comments means. One of the problems that Mobile PC causes for the Garmin support staff and many users is its flexibility. The problem is not that it isn't flexible. The problem is that the developers have not documented it properly. If there was some decent documentation available, users and tech support staff would both have a lot fewer headaches.

As far as "common sense", that's a relative thing. Adding voice files and vehicle icon files and maps and waypoints and tracks and routes are all very straightforward: just put the right sort of file in the right folder and you're in business. The problem is, again, that there's no documentation.

I have no idea what you are getting at about the "interface protocol" of the maps. Could you provide an example? I'm asking because maps are the source of some of the biggest headaches, and longest, most technical discussions in here. And yet, you are having difficulties with some of the simplest things (adding vehicle icons) and are happy with something about the maps. This is so at odds with my experience with Mobile PC that it's clear we are not thinking about the same thing.

That's not a criticism. It's just a function of how we think about things. I truly want to understand what it is you like about the maps.

...ken...