My previous post recommended using an external GPS antenna to improve accuracy. They aren’t actually all that expensive - you can pick one up for $20-30 on eBay. But for really cheap GPS antennas, you might try one of my favorite gadget sites, DealExtreme. You can get an external GPS antenna for as little as $7.50, or as much as $8.31, a price that includes shipping from Hong Kong. I have no experience with either model, no specs are given, and the connector description (”F-Cable”) is one that I’m not familiar with, so caveat emptor (”let the buyer beware”). Still, at this price, you don’t have much to lose.
DealExtreme is full of both useful and oddball gadgets, many at absurdly low prices, especially given that all the prices include shipping. Geographically-related, in addition to a few GPS-related items like the antennas, they also have dozens of compasses, from a digital compass with a built-in altimeter and thermometer for about $30, to a twenty-pack of mini-compasses for $2.60. Not to mention the combination butane lighter and compass for $4. Thousands of other items as well, from the useful to the absurd (Mario and Luigi air freshener, anyone?), most at astoundingly low prices. Takes a few weeks for the items to show up, but I’ve never had a problem with any order, including the one item that was out-of-stock (got a prompt refund).
Other posts in the GPS Tools series
- Simplifying GPS Tracks
- Recap Of Exporting/Importing GIS Data To/From A GPS Unit Series
- Freeware GPS Road Navigation Software
- GPS Satellite Display In Google Earth
- Solar GPS DataLogger
- Loading An AutoCAD DXF File Into A GPS Or Google Earth
- Open Source Web-Based GPS Fleet Tracking Software
- Determining Local GPS Satellite Geometry Effects On Position Accuracy
- Determining Terrain Effects On GPS Accuracy
- GPS File Format Converter
- “Turn Your Cellphone Into A GPS!”? Not Exactly, But Still Kinda Cool
- USAPhotoMaps: GPS Functions
- Java-Based GPS Route Format Converter
- RouteConverter Updated
- Create Location-Based Media (Games, Hikes, Tours, Etc.) With Mscape
- Protecting Your GPS Unit Screen
- Upload Google Maps Directions As A Route To A GPS
- Get-A-Route Upgraded Already
- Two Free Applications For Marine Navigation
- KML To GPX Converter For PC And Mac
- Creating GPS Routes And Tracks In Google Earth
- GPS “Dilution Of Precision” (DOP) Maps
- Real-Time GPS/WAAS Status Reports
- Cheap Bluetooth GPS Antenna And Data Logger
- Improving Position Measurement Accuracy In Consumer-Grade GPS Receivers - Part I
- Cheap Digital Camera With Built-In GPS
- Cheap GPS Antennas, Compasses, Oddball Gadgets And Junk
- Improving Position Measurement Accuracy In Consumer-Grade GPS Receivers - Part II
- RouteConverter Updated - Java GPS Route Editing And Conversion For Windows (Mac And Linux Too?)
- Sports Route Planning Software For The Macintosh
- OKMap - GPS Mapping Software For The Beta-Adventurous
- Create Bicycle/Travel Courses For Your Garmin Edge/Forerunner GPS With Bike Route Toaster
- Web App For Analyzing GPS Tracks
An F connector is the threaded connector used in cable TV systems. Just look at the antenna input on your TV.
Could be, but at least one of the pictures of the cable connector doesn’t look at all like it, and the other one looks like it’s too small. The connectors for both GPS antennas don’t look like each other, so it’s odd that they’d both be labeled as “F-connectors”.
I checked the links (for some reason my adblock software hid them). The cheaper antenna, the one with “F-cable” in its name, is actually an SMA connector. The second antenna looks like a MMCX connector. Neither of them are F connectors.
Thanks - now I know which GPS antenna not to buy!