V50 General : iPhone GPS/Satnav Position MY2011

[Blisteringblue]

This is quite bizarre and I hope some electronics wizz can tell me why.

I have bought an iPhone and want to use it as my SatNav. I also use the brodit mounts to keep the windscreen clear and the location is just above the centre vents.

When I first got the car I had a windows mobile and the satnav worked just fine on the brodit above the vent.

However on swapping to the iphone the GPS signal from the brodit vent is terrible, at first I thought it was the iPhone so I bought the iPhone TomTom car kit but it made no difference. It would not even get a fix so I sent it back to TomTom and they have since replaced it.

Got the replacement yesterday and before I brodit mounted it I just tried it direct on the windscreen and it got a fix right away. Brilliant so I dismantled it and put it onto the brodit ball mount, went back out the car and nothing, zero fix.

Was almost tearing my hair out and scrapping the lot but I thought I will put it back on the windows suction mount and try again.

Again instant 10 satellite fix in under 30 seconds. So I removed it from the windscreen and gradually moved it round to the brodit vent mount position and one by one the satellite signals were lost !! Move it back to the corner windscreen and they all came back.

I've posted the picture showing the 2 locations (and the blue satellite locks on the windscreen mount) and we are talking about 18 inches difference, all be it a little lower down.

It's not the end of the world having to use the windscreen mount, but I just like having things out the way and a clear windscreen for the amount of driving I do.

Is there something in the centre console that is blocking something? What throws me is the Windows Mobile gps worked just fine in the centre vent location.

Not life and death guys but I would just like to know why?

[timtopping]

Thats an odd one, my iPhone is mounted on the vent above the centre console and the satnav works a treat ?????

[Blisteringblue]

Originally Posted by timtopping

Thats an odd one, my iPhone is mounted on the vent above the centre console and the satnav works a treat ?????

I know it is strange. One other thing I also have a portable DAB radio which worked fine in my previous Honda direct into the aux socket and I got great reception over most of the UK.

Since swapping to my Volvo the signal on the same device is quite poor but it is almost bearable dangled from the sunvisor again up near the windscreen. So it makes me think something inside the volvo is dampening things?

[Bendolfc]

I bought a cushion mount from Amazon that sits on the dashboard, when not in use I just stick it behind the floating console.

[marc]

Very odd, mine is mounted in the corner of the window and works just fine, but I've also had it mounted on the waterfall before with no issues....

[mikealder]

Which iPhone are you using?

The 3G model GPS receiver was crap.
The 3GS model was slightly better.
The iPhone4 is considerably better.

When using the TomTom car kit have you got the power lead plugged in and powered up, without the power lead working the car kit won't work and the iPhone reverts back to its internal receiver.

The GPS signal from the car kit along with the power is fed in to the iPhone through the docking connector, the bluetooth connection is ONLY used for the audio - Mike

[S7iFFLER]

I Have the Iphone 3GS with the tom tom holder, works flawlessly...even drove 50miles and then phone bleeped to say battery low as i forgot to plug it in the cigarette lighter, still worked fine! :P

[Blisteringblue]

Originally Posted by mikealder

Which iPhone are you using?

The 3G model GPS receiver was crap.
The 3GS model was slightly better.
The iPhone4 is considerably better.

When using the TomTom car kit have you got the power lead plugged in and powered up, without the power lead working the car kit won't work and the iPhone reverts back to its internal receiver.

The GPS signal from the car kit along with the power is fed in to the iPhone through the docking connector, the bluetooth connection is ONLY used for the audio - Mike

Hi Mike,

I've also posted on pocketgpsworld (st1967).

It's a 3GS, yes it is powered and plugged in, the bluetooth works but I've not paired it because the V50 has bluetooth.

I'm resigned to leaving it where it is in the picture as the car kit works great there on the corner of the windscreen. I've driven 400 miles with it there this week so already getting used to it.

Its a great bit of kit now it works, love the HD Traffic and IQ routes.

I think there is something around that centre console that is interfering. My wife has a HTC Desire android and she also had reception problems attached to the centre vent.

The fact my DAB radio is so poor in the V50 also points to this. I had much better signal on the same DAB in my old Honda.

It will probably be one of life's mysteries but I am just happy it works somewhere

Now to get the MPG anywhere near 60 .........

[mikealder]

There must be something in/ near the center of the car thats generating RF noise at around 1575MHz (the same frequency the GPS L1 band signal is received on), not going to be easy to pin that down without access to some rather exotic lab kit so I would stick with putting the iPhone and its holder on the right - Mike