Going to try my new GPS transmitter

[Shoppinit]

I'm very excited about this product that I just brought back from Canada. It takes the GPS signal from outside the car and retransmits it inside the car, so my GPS devices (tomtom, iphone, etc) should now start working without any external antennas.

http://www.gpszone.ca/accessories/antennas/wide-gps.php

I'll let you know how it goes!

[Shoppinit]

OK, that went better than I would ever have hoped for. I was steeling myself for disappointment, but it really works well. For the first time in the RS6 I didn't have to hold my tomtom out the window to get a signal. I am really pleased and will now proceed to fill my car with GPS devices

My tomtom has never seen this many satellites, especially not at full strength. And this is with the transmitter in the glovebox

[andyt]

Huh? My RNS-E's GPS antenna is behind the speedo somewhere and gets 6 or 7 satellites and my mobile performs fine when sat on the passenger seat. Do you have some coating on your windows?

[nekrum]

OK, that went better than I would ever have hoped for. I was steeling myself for disappointment, but it really works well. For the first time in the RS6 I didn't have to hold my tomtom out the window to get a signal. I am really pleased and will now proceed to fill my car with GPS devices

My tomtom has never seen this many satellites, especially not at full strength. And this is with the transmitter in the glovebox

Shoppinit, thanks for the post - been trying to find a solution to this myself. How did you plumb it in to the glove box / how have you plumbed the power feed?.. ta

[Shoppinit]

Huh? My RNS-E's GPS antenna is behind the speedo somewhere and gets 6 or 7 satellites and my mobile performs fine when sat on the passenger seat. Do you have some coating on your windows?

THe RNE-E has its own antenna on the roof of the car (if it's an avant - don't know where it is on the saloons). My iphone won't pick up any satellites when in the car. Obviously, the phone works fine other than the GPS stuff. It's the useless athermal coating on the glass.

Nekrum, I'm over the moon. No more external antenna wires everywhere; I just did a quick test with the power plugged into the cigar lighter and the antenna on the roof with the wire coming through the passenger window. All the wires then goign into the glovebox. My next step is to find 12v and run it into the glovebox. Also the external antenna I'll probably place down in the front grill, like the other ones I've got and run the cable up into the glovebox like I used to with my tomtom external antenna (which didn't work). This way all the cabling will be out of sight.

I'm still looking for suggestions on getting 12V into the glove box. I can get a permanent feed in there easily enough, but I want something that'll go off with the ignition.

[andyt]

Huh? My RNS-E's GPS antenna is behind the speedo somewhere and gets 6 or 7 satellites and my mobile performs fine when sat on the passenger seat. Do you have some coating on your windows?

THe RNE-E has its own antenna on the roof of the car (if it's an avant - don't know where it is on the saloons). My iphone won't pick up any satellites when in the car. Obviously, the phone works fine other than the GPS stuff. It's the useless athermal coating on the glass.

I mustn't have that glass then. The antenna on the roof of the car started getting 0 sats a while back, so I replaced it with a £10 one from eBay and put it behind the speedo as per common practice. It works great, despite having the top of the dashboard and the windscreen between it and the sky.

[Shoppinit]

That's quite useful to know. I may place my antenna there instead. Did you have to remove the instrument cluster to position the antenna?

[andyt]

Yeah, you have to take the instruments out which is in theory a simple operation because it's only two screws. However, they're the tightest screws I've ever come across (and I've been out with Scotsmen). Even the dealer could only get one undone despite having more than enough purchase on the screw. It took me a month in the end - having attempts at it every few days once frustration had subsided! Once out though, there's effectively a cubby hole where it fits very nicely within the squashy bit that sticks out above the instruments. Just stick your hand in the hole, move it around randomly and eventually you'll hit the spot.

[Shoppinit]

Just stick your hand in the hole, move it around randomly and eventually you'll hit the spot.

I refuse to take the bait

[jd_hants]

Shoppinit: I recently connected my RoadAngel to power. I connected it to the X75(or 45 or something) terminal under the dash at the back under the fuse box. There are 4 terminals I seem to remember. It is the one marked 'X' (left hand one I think) which is only powered when the ignition is on. It is also cut when the car is started to prevent spikes going up the cable.

[Shoppinit]

Excellent. Thanks. I'll check it out;

[Shoppinit]

jd: thanks for the tip. I used that 75X terminal and it works like a charm

Everything is now plumbed in and completely invisible. No more wires everywhere; I'm very pleased.

I put the antenna behind the bonnet grill just inside the bumper. Invisible when the bonnet is closed and sees the sky nicely.

Definitely recommend these retransmitters.

[nekrum]

jd: thanks for the tip. I used that 75X terminal and it works like a charm

Everything is now plumbed in and completely invisible. No more wires everywhere; I'm very pleased.

I put the antenna behind the bonnet grill just inside the bumper. Invisible when the bonnet is closed and sees the sky nicely.

Definitely recommend these retransmitters.

Hi, Any chance you can do a quick diy guide for this - think I'll get myself one.. ta

[Shoppinit]

I got mine from here http://www.gpszone.ca/accessories/antennas/wide-gps.php but I also considered this system: http://www.tecsys.de/en/gps/re-radiators.html They both have a 2m range. I saw some with a 0-30cm range!

I then installed the antenna in the metal channel on the top of the front valence, in front of the radiator, but behind the grill so that the antenna is invisible when the bonnet is closed.

I then ran the cable back up the side of the engine bay and through the bulkhead (using the existing large rubber grommet) which came out behind the glovebox. I removed the glovebox first, and also the electronic module behind it (I think it might be airbags) without disconnecting it. I then pushed the antenna through one of the existing holes in the top of the glove box so that it came out inside.

Then I removed the trim under the drivers side to expose the bottom of the relay holder. There are about 5 or 6 screw terminals that are very accessible. One of them is labelled 75X - you can't miss it. I ran a wire from 75X and the screw holding the relay holder for the earth (connecting them with ring crimp connectors) and threaded the wires behind the center console using a wire coat hanger. I then ran them into the glove box and wired them to a female cigar lighter that sits in the glovebox. I used one from a cigar lighter extension that I cut the female part off, but you could get a surface mounting one if you want.

I wound up the excess antenna cable and fastened it out the way behind the glovebox with cable ties. I also fastened the power cable to other adjacent cables using cable ties. For the sake of tidyness.

Then I screwed the antenna to the gps repeater and plugged it into my socket. The GPs repeater I bought had a through-connector so I plugged the tomtom power into that rather than into the cigar lighter socket in the ashtray. That way I just have one cable that goes from the glovebox to the tomtom.

Refit the trim and that's it. The trim is really well designed. The only things you need to be aware of if that there's a bit of trim between the top of the steering column and the instrument cluster. This just pulls off by pulling it towards you. This exposes the 2 bolts for removing the trim under the column. Also, there's a bolt that's hidden in the fusebox that holds the trim on. Try not to drop the bolt into the dash.