Compact Flash Gpsr With Sirf Iii

[planewood]

I notice that these are available from GlobSat and Holux and maybe more. Are they any good? What are your experiences with them? Cost seem to be in the $75 - $85 range.

 

What devise do you use them with and what system & program software? Does the software do autorouting? How much time before recharging, etc.

[+Steel City Seekers]

I have a CF SirfIII -- a Haicom HI-303III. Actually, the Haicoms have a bluetooth slipper that I have and use most of the time. It's a CF receiver, but it has a module (the slipper) that you can slip it into to communicate with a bluetooth-compatible device such as a Pocket PC.

 

To answer some of your questions directly (and based on my personal experience of course):

 

Device and system: Asus A716 Pocket PC, Windows Mobile 2003 First Edition.

Program software: Mapopolis is pretty much all I use with the Haicom now. However, I've used it with other programs such as Outdoor Navigator with success. I have little doubt that it would work with any NMEA-compatible GPS software designed for a Pocket PC including beeline, GPS Tuner, etc.

Does the software do autorouting (a Garmin rather than Pocket PC term)? Yes, quite well.

How much time before recharging? I think Haicom advertises 8 hours. I've found that this seems to be correct, however, largely irrelevant as a Pocket PCs battery only lasts for 2 or 3 hours.

Cost in the $75 to $85 range? Probably. I bought mine when the SirfIIIs first came out, so it was a bit over $100. I wouldn't be surprised if they're less now.

 

And the most important question -- are they any good? The answer: ABSOLUTELY times 1,000. I've read tons of reviews on these receivers and posts (other forums) about users' experiences. It seems to me that a SirfIII, regardless of the manufacturer, is excellent. These things have an insane ability to hold a signal. Foliage is nothing. Really, nothing. They get signals in basements and urban canyons (tall buildings in downtown areas) without skipping a beat. I was on the road a few months ago and walked from the parking lot into and through an eight-story hotel without the receiver missing a single beat into the hotel, through the lobby, to the elevator, to the sixth floor, and into my room. Sat in the middle of the room happy as a lark tracking my position with a 3D fix. It normally sits in the floor of my console in my vehicle for navigation. No problems with locks or losing signal.

 

It grabs a lock in less than a minute for anything -- cold fix, warm fix, etc. I flew from Pitt to San Francisco and plugged it in upon arriving at the rental car in a parking garage. No, it did not grab a fix in the garage, but it did lock on shortly after exiting the garage.

 

Mine's WAAS enabled, and certainly seems to be within a pretty small region of accuracy at all times.

 

Now, I'd be happy to offer some additional opinions with regard to using one for geocaching. In fact, I'd recommend against it because of limited battery life (in the Pocket PC at least) and especially durabilty compared to just going out and buying a rugged stand-alone unit. You didn't ask about this though. I'd be happy to expand if you wish, but will save that for a later time.

 

What else do you want to know?

Edited May 14, 2006 by Steel City Seekers

[+demhackbardt]

I've been looking at the 303 as it seems like a really nice unit. How is it for geocaching? I'm not worried about battery use too much as we usually only do 1-1.5 mile hikes at the most anyways..otherwise it's mostly small parks and micro stops. With a card charger for the pda and using the 303 in the cf slot would it work ok?

[+Steel City Seekers]

Well, the use of these for caching is pretty subjective, I think. I suppose if you were only in small one-and-a-half star terrain parks and hunting micros, then it would be okay. The receiver's performance would be outstanding, I'm sure. Charging in the car between stops should be sufficient. However, please be advised that using the unit as a CF will drain the Pocket PC battery pretty fast. You might be in trouble on the 1.5 mile hike, especially if there is much searching time involved.

 

We found our first few caches with the Haicom, since I already had it for car use. Once we decided we really liked caching, we bought a stand-alone. One time, we set out on a quarter-mile walk and got rained on. Not fun with $500+ of non-waterproof equipment. Some people buy waterproof, crushproof otterboxes and battery extenders. This becomes a pretty expensive investment by the time you're done, and I don't imagine an otterbox would accomodate the CF card. You have to use it with a bluetooth unit.

 

Anyhow, with regard to receiver performance (signal fix and hold, accuracy, etc.), you would have no problems and it is a nice unit as you say. It doesn't seem like battery life is an issue for you, but also consider durability. Even on easy terrain, if you're clumsy and drop things alot, you might want to shy away.

[planewood]

Thanks yawl!

 

I'm not a geocacher. I just like the portability aspect it would offer. Mainly, between our cars and my truck.

 

Can you get a 12V charging cradle for a pocket PC? A cradle that could be permanently affixed to the dash by the front window? If so, then I'd probably wire it through the dash into the fuse block in the auto's. And then have a spare cradle that plugs into a cigarette lighter whenever the kids want to borrow it.

 

I have a 60cx but want a larger screen for the auto's.

[+Steel City Seekers]

Oh, if you're just using it in the vehicle, the SirfIIIs are spectacular. I think any of them will work well.

 

Yes, there are several options for powering the Pocket PC. I have an Arkon non-powered vent mount. Then, I have one of those sync-and-charge cables from PPC Techs that has a connector for the Pocket PC on one end and a USB connection on the other. I can plug it into my laptop, and I have an outlet as well as cigarette plug attachment for it. You can goodle for Arkon and PPC Techs to see some of their products. This works well for me as I travel a good bit and I can put it in the rental car without too much trouble. Having the cable with the optional ends helps cut down on the size and weight that I have to carry.

 

As far as a mount that is powered, I've read good things about Seidio products. I know Arkon also offers powered mounts. Some of them have the GPS receiver integrated right into the mount. But, I don't have any experience with these. If you'd like to spend some time doing some additional research, I'd suggest visiting Aximsite.com even if you don't have an Axim. They have a sub-forum called GPS Talk that is very active and there are lots of posts about people's experiences with the types of mounts you might be looking for.