MP3Car.com - View Single Post - Holux GM-210 vs GlobalSat BU-355: Head to Head Review

rsd212 · 05-03-2006, 12:35 PM

Motivation: I bought a GM210 off eBay as a low-cost solution for my GPS receiver. I needed USB at the time to work with my laptop. After months of frustration with reliability across two systems, I finally broke down and bought the BU-355 with Serial adapter.

Initial Impressions: The Holux was only $35. Its a bit ugly, but claims to use Sirf Star 3, so it seemed to be a bargain. The BU355 runs around $75 with the serial adapter. Its much slimmer, despite claiming the same capabilities.

Test Setup: Epia MII-12000. No extra peripherals, with Lilliput touchscreen being only present USB device. No other comm devices were used. Test was done on the dashboard of my Mazda3, with GPS units equidistant from the midline of the dash, approximately 3 inches apart, giving them the same view of the sky.

Cold Test: Both GPS units have remained unpowered overnight and have no idea where they are. I plugged in the receiver, started timing, and started iGuidance. After autodetect, I started recording the number of satellites reported to be locked.
Holux: After 1 minute, I had no locks. Two minutes, 1 lock. Finally after 8 minutes I had 3 locked satellites and enough for IGuidance to tell me my position.
GlobalSat: After 1 minute, I already had 4 locks. After 8 minutes I was locked to 5 satellites.

Driving Test: Driving around town, I simply switched back and forth between which antenna iGuidance was reading. Both remained powered throughout the test. Even though both antennas were located in the same place and were seeing the same sky, the GlobalSat BU355 held on to 5-7 satellites, while the Holux hit a maximum of 5, sometimes dropping back to 0 locks, but generally hovering around 3-4.

Final Impressions: The BU-355 ends up being almost twice the cost of the GM-210, but has proved to be far more reliable with much better reception. I highly recommend this unit.

05-03-2006, 12:35 PM	#1
rsd212 Variable Bitrate Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Michigan Posts: 311	Holux GM-210 vs GlobalSat BU-355: Head to Head Review Motivation: I bought a GM210 off eBay as a low-cost solution for my GPS receiver. I needed USB at the time to work with my laptop. After months of frustration with reliability across two systems, I finally broke down and bought the BU-355 with Serial adapter. Initial Impressions: The Holux was only $35. Its a bit ugly, but claims to use Sirf Star 3, so it seemed to be a bargain. The BU355 runs around $75 with the serial adapter. Its much slimmer, despite claiming the same capabilities. Test Setup: Epia MII-12000. No extra peripherals, with Lilliput touchscreen being only present USB device. No other comm devices were used. Test was done on the dashboard of my Mazda3, with GPS units equidistant from the midline of the dash, approximately 3 inches apart, giving them the same view of the sky. Cold Test: Both GPS units have remained unpowered overnight and have no idea where they are. I plugged in the receiver, started timing, and started iGuidance. After autodetect, I started recording the number of satellites reported to be locked. Holux: After 1 minute, I had no locks. Two minutes, 1 lock. Finally after 8 minutes I had 3 locked satellites and enough for IGuidance to tell me my position. GlobalSat: After 1 minute, I already had 4 locks. After 8 minutes I was locked to 5 satellites. Driving Test: Driving around town, I simply switched back and forth between which antenna iGuidance was reading. Both remained powered throughout the test. Even though both antennas were located in the same place and were seeing the same sky, the GlobalSat BU355 held on to 5-7 satellites, while the Holux hit a maximum of 5, sometimes dropping back to 0 locks, but generally hovering around 3-4. Final Impressions: The BU-355 ends up being almost twice the cost of the GM-210, but has proved to be far more reliable with much better reception. I highly recommend this unit. __________________ MII-12000 / Ampie / Lilliput 7" / BU-355 / PicoPSU / uSDC Currently: Enjoying the setup, but always contemplating my next move...

Remove advertisements
MP3Car.com Advertisement	Sponsored links