Laptop GPS World

Hi all, Been having a bit of trouble with garmin mobile PC. i've installed it and it runs okay however it is extremely jerky, ie it maybe only updates the map once a second at best and sometimes takes massive jumps on the map. Tried some other software and that seems much smoother. is there something i've done wrong or is it just an inherent trait of the software? thanks in advance.

Mine runs smooth as silk under Vista Home... might be

the speed of the machine it's installed on? Im using 1.6ghz

Might be things runing in the background slowing it down.

Might be low RAM in system? I have 2 gigs

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I went fishing.. I never came back..

hi, thanks for replying. what receiver are you running? mine refreshes at only 1hz and i think that might be the problem.

I am using the Garmin 20x that came with mine.

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I went fishing.. I never came back..

got one on order now!

It also depends on your expectations, though. There will be certain amount of the "jerkiness" still I think, even with the GPS20x. I don't have the GPS20x anymore, so I cannot test it now, but I think the GPS receiver updates its location information once per second. Garmin Mobile PC will also refresh its screen once per second. For some of us (most of us?) this is just fine, but perhaps you are expecting smoother map movement.

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Marvin Hlavac

Laptop GPS software reviews | Stores offering discounts to our members: Semsons & Co. Inc. and Deluo Electronics

hi marvin, Yeah i was after smooth movement a bit like I get on Igo8, this interpolates between the positions so its much smoother. I was told over on mp3car.com that if i went over to a 5hz receiver ie update 5 times a second then garmin mobile PC would be smoother. Tempted to give it a try but it seems like its £50 every time! lol.

I would have to test Garmin Mobile PC with a 5Hz GPS receiver to know if the software can actually take advantage of more info coming from the receiver, and thus refresh map more frequently. I will not be able to test this over the weekend, but if someone told you it works, then go for it. There are several 5Hz GPS receivers on the market nowadays. They are not too expensive.

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Marvin Hlavac

Laptop GPS software reviews | Stores offering discounts to our members: Semsons & Co. Inc. and Deluo Electronics

I'm now testing Garmin Mobile PC with a GPS receiver capable of sending location info 5 times per second (5Hz). I can confirm that Garmin Mobile PC will in-fact take advantage of this higher refresh rate by moving (refreshing) the map on the screen at a higher rate. I have no way of telling how fast the map refreshes, I cannot count that fast , but it appears that it could be 5Hz. It's definitely much more than 1Hz .

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Marvin Hlavac

Laptop GPS software reviews | Stores offering discounts to our members: Semsons & Co. Inc. and Deluo Electronics

okay thanks marvin much appreciated.

I just finished a two hour trip, and I have to admit I like Garmin Mobile PC @ 5Hz refresh, I really do. I guess unless you try it you never know what you are missing .

Now I'm just curious how Garmin Mobile PC would perform with a 10Hz GPS receiver. There is at least one 10Hz unit on the market today, and $69 is not too much...

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Marvin Hlavac

Laptop GPS software reviews | Stores offering discounts to our members: Semsons & Co. Inc. and Deluo Electronics

What receiver are you using for this test, Marvin?

...ken...

i.Trek M7

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Marvin Hlavac

Laptop GPS software reviews | Stores offering discounts to our members: Semsons & Co. Inc. and Deluo Electronics

Thanks, Marvin. It looks interesting. I have a question about Semsons. They are based in California. Obviously they ship to Canada or you wouldn't use them. Will they ship by Postal Service so we can avoid the outrageous "brokerage" fees that the couriers charge? Is it automatic to Canada? Is it a selection when you order? Or do you have to specially request it?

...ken...

Yes, Ken, I just went to Semsons.com website and orders outside the USA can be shipped via US Postal Service, or via DHL, your choice.

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Marvin Hlavac

Laptop GPS software reviews | Stores offering discounts to our members: Semsons & Co. Inc. and Deluo Electronics