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Cracked out compass in my 3GS....

S

scubasteve03

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 16, 2008
275
67
Tulsa, OK
I am having a terrible time getting the compass to consistently work while I am driving. It keeps giving me the interferance error and says I need to recallibrate. It happens in my H3 and my MX-5 as well. I try to keep it far away as possible from the stereo. The only thing I can think of is that the H3 has a electronic compass built-in the rear view mirror. My MX-5 still has the same issues, but it doesn't have a compass/ nav unit.
Does anyone have any similar issues with their compass? I don't know what else I can do. I really was excited about this new feature. Thanks for the help, let me know what you think.
 
There's so much more interference in your car than just the stereo, which is kind of the least of your worries. Basically, the whole car is interference for a magnetometer, especially the engine, but also the frame.

The compass works only about 60-70% of the time for me while driving.
 
maflynn said:
Well maybe shouldn't be using the iphone while driving. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

I use it with google maps. That's supposed to be one of the features of the 3GS is that you can tell which direction you are going when you are driving. I just wanted to know if other people are having the same problem. You are telling me you never use your GPS in the iPhone to figure out where you are going?
 
Oh ok, so using the phone with the compass and google maps is cool when driving. You should be using safari and typing in your posts here via the iPhone while driving as well. Since apple designed the browser to be used in mobile situations
[/sarcasm]
 
maflynn said:
Oh ok, so using the phone with the compass and google maps is cool when driving. You should be using safari and typing in your posts here via the iPhone while driving as well. Since apple designed the browser to be used in mobile situations
[/sarcasm]
Click to expand...

The OP never said he had his eyes glued to his phone. So you've never glanced at a map or print out of directions while driving? I would love if google maps could orient the map reliably while I am driving in a strange area, that way I wouldn't have to try to figure out left or right based on whether my little blue dot is moving up or down the iPhone screen.

BTW, I am typing this on my iPhone while driving, shaving, reading the New York Times, while talking to a client, listening to the radio, and yelling at the slow driver in front of me... :D
 
Who gives a hell. Why does anyone need to use a compass? I turned it on, said, Meh....waste of space.
 
Gix1k said:
I posted my thoughts on the compass. Also, I don't know how to read.
Click to expand...

You made it seem as though you read the thread title and immediatly clicked "post reply."

People "want" it to be able to orient their map to the direction they are facing. Not the usefulness of the the App itself, as in the stand alone app. Because yes, thats very useless.

If you had suggested you felt as though the compass in corelation to the maps app was useless, you would have had a vaild point.
 
I use a REAL compass...can get a nice one for $7-10. No problem, no
monthly fee's, no interference. I don't think the iphone compass was meant
to be used in a car.
 
Gix1k said:
Who gives a hell. Why does anyone need to use a compass? I turned it on, said, Meh....waste of space.
Click to expand...
Well, when driving, it would be nice if I didn't have to turn the phone all over the place to see what direction I am going in.

Duh.
 
im not sure if its the same tech in the iphone compared to my garmin handheld gps, but that has an electronic compass in it too.

On the garmin you are instructed to have it horizontal for the compass to be accurate. if its at an angle on your dash it wont point you in the right direction.

This can be proved by starting the compass when horizontal, and seeing if it changes direction when you angle the phone up.

I dont have a 3GS to check this myself.
 
Rat-Boy said:
Well, when driving, it would be nice if I didn't have to turn the phone all over the place to see what direction I am going in.

Duh.
Click to expand...

But if you are driving in a car with GPS, the phone shouldn't need the magnetic compass to know which direction it is going. Just wait for (or purchase) a decent navigation app, and your problem will go away. The default google maps on the 3GS apparently uses the compass for screen orientation? That's very useful for a person walking slowly or standing still. In a car, the GPS fix/history should be used for orientation, not a compass. OK - maybe if you are parked somewhere it would be useful. But as you are finding out, it's not easy to get a compass to work well inside a car, especially when the sensor is free to move around inside the car.
 
He drives a Hummer guys, he doesn't need to care about other drivers.

Anyway I have no problem with the iPhone's Compass in my Diabolo or my Countach. I guess I got lucky.
 
wacky4alanis said:
But if you are driving in a car with GPS, the phone shouldn't need the magnetic compass to know which direction it is going. Just wait for (or purchase) a decent navigation app, and your problem will go away. The default google maps on the 3GS apparently uses the compass for screen orientation? That's very useful for a person walking slowly or standing still. In a car, the GPS fix/history should be used for orientation, not a compass. OK - maybe if you are parked somewhere it would be useful. But as you are finding out, it's not easy to get a compass to work well inside a car, especially when the sensor is free to move around inside the car.
Click to expand...

That makes sense. So when using the navigation app, it is not be using the compass to show which direction you are heading. I was always under the impression that my Garmin was using the built-in compass to show orientation. Thanks for clearing that up for me. I guess I need to just be patient until a decent turn by turn app comes out.
So besides walking around, camping or geocaching, what other uses or applications could they uses could they incorporate the compass in the 3GS for? Once again, thanks for the insight.
Stephen
 
Benjic said:
He drives a Hummer guys, he doesn't need to care about other drivers.

Anyway I have no problem with the iPhone's Compass in my Diabolo or my Countach. I guess I got lucky.
Click to expand...

LOL funny. It's a freakin H3, not a monstrous Humvee. Dont hate... or I WILL run you over!:rolleyes:
 
scubasteve03 said:
I am having a terrible time getting the compass to consistently work while I am driving. It keeps giving me the interferance error and says I need to recallibrate. It happens in my H3 and my MX-5 as well. I try to keep it far away as possible from the stereo. The only thing I can think of is that the H3 has a electronic compass built-in the rear view mirror. My MX-5 still has the same issues, but it doesn't have a compass/ nav unit.
Does anyone have any similar issues with their compass? I don't know what else I can do. I really was excited about this new feature. Thanks for the help, let me know what you think.
Click to expand...

mine works sometimes, other times the fact that im inside a metal box interferes with the magnet in the magnometor

Benjic said:
He drives a Hummer guys, he doesn't need to care about other drivers.

Anyway I have no problem with the iPhone's Compass in my Diabolo or my Countach. I guess I got lucky.
Click to expand...

whats that supposed to mean? he drives an H3, which happens to get better gas mileage than most vans/SUVs/crossovers, so if your talking about that, then you have no clue. H3s arent huge gas guzzlers like everyone thinks. As a matter of fact, my dads H3 gets the same mileage as my Saab 9-3

as for your cars...why do you even drive the countach? Diablos are so much nicer looking. Besides, its time to upgrade. Get a reventon
 
dccorona said:
whats that supposed to mean? he drives an H3, which happens to get better gas mileage than most vans/SUVs/crossovers, so if your talking about that, then you have no clue. H3s arent huge gas guzzlers like everyone thinks. As a matter of fact, my dads H3 gets the same mileage as my Saab 9-3

as for your cars...why do you even drive the countach? Diablos are so much nicer looking. Besides, its time to upgrade. Get a reventon
Click to expand...
Yeah... because 14-18 MPG is great [/sarcasm] Get real!
 
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