Arkon CM750 MDA III 3 PDA mount +speaker +gps charger

[CarlnAdele]

Anyone got one of these ?

How do you rate it?

Are they any good?

Seen them for sale on ebay at a very good price considering what you get with them.

Powered PDA Mount for XDA III

FOR
XDA III aka XDA 2S
imate PDA2K

Included in all packages:
1 Powered PDA Mount Cradle
1 9" Windshield Swivel Pedestal
1 XDA III charging and data serial cable
1 3' Bluetooth GPS charging cable

More info here http://www.arkon.com/bluetoothgps.html#xdaiii-bt

[HPJ]

if you dont already have a seperate GPS receiver then this one is good:

http://www.totalpda.com/Holux-Powered-GPS-PDA-Mount-for-XDA-Series-I-Mate-Q-Tec-2020.aspx

a friend has one and it works great. everything in one unit.

However i have had warning from someone saying the GPS signal is interupted if you have a heated windscreen, due to the wires. my mates works great tho.

HPJ

(i should get commission for the amount of time i've recommended this unit!!!!!!!)

[numanoids]

The link you posted doesnt appear to be compatible with the blue angel series.

http://www.globalpositioningsystems.co.uk/viewprod.php?product_id=2545&max_cat_id=14&vt=grid

This product does support the blue angel, however, I've heard mixed reports about how well it operates while the phone is changing nodes.

Cheers

[HPJ]

The link you posted doesnt appear to be compatible with the blue angel series.

Yes I thought that so i gave them a call to ask.......the person on the phone said it is compatible with blue angel.....however as in all similar situations always good to keep box and receipt if purchasing and advice is wrong..... :wink:

[numanoids]

Fair enough!!

I stand happily corrected. they're in glasgow so might swing past today and pick one up!

[HPJ]

cool...let us know how you get on if you do get one

HPJ

[s93ncer]

Anyone got one of these ?

How do you rate it?

Are they any good?

Seen them for sale on ebay at a very good price considering what you get with them.

I am biased but ....
Have a look at www.brodit.com - find this product '849612'
Then find a bracket to mount this in your car.
May be more expensive but won't look out of place!
You can use your existing cable to charge the PDA in the car.

When I've finished developing my car kit connection cable, you can then have full hands free car kit including wired GPS, power, mic, sound of phone and nav through the car speakers - just plug my cable into the bottom of this holder and connect it to the car kit!

...Spence

[alarmed]

hi s93ncer,

how you planning on getting sound from phone and nav out of your car speakers?

yes I agree, brodit is an excellent choice for cradles

[paulmc]

Best Buy in the US sells an RF modulator that will take a standard audio in and transmit to an FM car radio. All you have to do is wire it into the bottom connector of the phone.

[s93ncer]

how you planning on getting sound from phone and nav out of your car speakers?

I'm nearly there, just 1 little thing to sort out this morning.

I have tested it and it does work with phone and nav audio - just used the pin outs for speakers and connect pin 19 to ground through a 10K resistor

I'll post more information when I have finished testing.

...Spence

[Anonymous]

Best Buy in the US sells an RF modulator that will take a standard audio in and transmit to an FM car radio. All you have to do is wire it into the bottom connector of the phone.

IMO, RF modulators are pretty crappy. The audio is mediocre at best and the frequency tends to drift so you're constantly needing to retune.

If you have a stereo that has a plug on the back for controlling a CD changer (most OEM stereos have this nowdays), you can most likely find an adapter that will let you add aux audio-in to your car stereo. I bought one from www.blitzsafe.com for my Toyota Celica. I used this to hook up the audio from a computer that I installed in the car.

[jashry]

This one is good, to ne honest the speaker on the XDA2s is loud enough and if using bluetooth (as most XDA 2 users do) then this mount may be better:

http://www.pdamods.com/products.asp?cat=23

[HPJ]

Just ordered this:

http://www.totalpda.com/Holux-Powered-GPS-PDA-Mount-for-XDA-Series-I-Mate-Q-Tec-2020.aspx

Should be here next week......I'll let y'all know!

HPJ

[ozymandias]

1) The vent mounts are useless. They can barely support the weight of the unit on its own. Once the PDA is in it then you can forget trying to get it to face any direction other than down. It just rattles around. I have tried it in my merecedes, a VW golf and an Audi A4 so it's nothing to do with my vents either.

2) The speaker on the powered unit picks up all kinds of crackles and noise. If I make or receive a phone call the noise it makes is unbelievable. Basically I have to keep the speaker turned to the lowest voulme (there is no off switch) the whole time and even then I can still hear a really annoying sound when I use the phone. (You know the sound I mean, it's the one you sometimes get if your phone is near unsheilded speakers just before it's about to ring).

3) The cable that connects the PDA headphone socket to the mount unit does not work. If is is fully plugged in there is no sound at all. If I pull it out slightly the sound works but then it cuts off the external microphone on my PDA so I cant use the voice command/voice dial options.

4) When I plug the charge cable into the bottom of the PDA the PDA tries to connect to a host via ActiveSync...there isn't one there of course so ActiveSync just hangs if I don't hit cancel in time. This does not happen if I use my normal charge cable.

[HPJ]

Ozy...are you refering to the powered GPS mount that I have ordered (see above) from Holux, through Total PDA?? I hope not....

However it does sound as though maybe you've just got a faulty one...try sending it back...??

HPJ

[ozymandias]

No. I am refering to the original Arkon product in the title of the thread.
I suspect it may indeed be faulty but to an extent that ruins any confidence I may have had in Arkon's products. I will be sending it back and I will try to get a Brodit or something else instead.

Cheers.

[ozymandias]

Actually, I quite liked the look of that Holux but there is no indication if it works with the Blue Angel.

[ozymandias]

Looks like Holux do one for the Blue Angel available from HandNav :

http://www.handnav.co.uk/product_details.php?id=308

Only £99 inluding VAT and delivery.

Might give that a go.

[cruisin-thru]

The Arkon mount was never meant to be used with gsm phones, they just added a lead and hoped for the best when used with xda etc, it is an atrocious piece of kit, I launched mine out on the road when driving on the M5, if anybody in the factory had tested it they would have known right away that it wasnt fit for the purpose, regardless of that they are still selling it as compatable, it is also a great bulky lummox of a thing and looked much better bouncing down the hard shoulder.

[HPJ]

Actually, I quite liked the look of that Holux but there is no indication if it works with the Blue Angel.

I thought that, and called them. It works fine apparently...I'll let u know when it arrives

HPJ

[bosjo]

The Holux http://www.handnav.co.uk/product_details.php?id=308 looks very much like something i could use, even though i actually want one to mount on a bracket (By the radio)

But if you look on the pictures http://www.handnav.co.uk/more_images.php?id=308 it looks like you have to use a cable to get the sound passed through to the bracket. Is this how it works??? If so, aint there one out there somewhere that uses the sound pin outs in the 22pin connector at the bottom of the BA??

[garethturner]

I have the holux gps mount and it works well, the downside is you do have to connect a cable from the xda to the cradle. I think somebody with the skill and know how could easily adapt it though.