New benchmark hunting tool?

[+Klemmer]

This little guy came to my attention. All I know is what's there. One less thing to carry?

Not even on the manufacturer's website yet (when this was posted). May be there soon.

 

Full disclosure: No connection, no financial interest.

[ArtMan]

Interesting product from an outfit I never heard of. 2mp camera is very low end, but certainly good enough for benchmarking, assuming the optics are OK and it can do macro mode (which I would check carefully). Unclear how detailed the maps are, or whether they are from an established vendor with up-to-date info.

 

Their current handheld model H610 (no camera) has the excellent SiRFstarIII GPS chipset, Battery life is poor - only 4.5 hours with the internal, rechargeable battery.

 

-ArtMan-

[+GEO*Trailblazer 1]

My PDA is a GPS and Camera.

[+PFF]

I wonder if you can enter a "go to" location using coordinates? Or do you have to know the street address of the benchmarks you're hunting?

 

-Paul-

 

Now THERE'S a field that's missing from the new NGS data sheets!

[+DezertMedic]

My PDA is a GPS and Camera.

 

That sounds handy. Is it a specific model that does all-in-one or is there an attachment you use? And how does the GPS part compare to the Garmin 76CSX?

 

Thanks,

DM

Edited September 30, 2007 by DezertMedic

[+GEO*Trailblazer 1]

Mine is a Palm One Zire 72s.

 

PALM ONE ZIRE 72

 

It is truly awesome to be PAPERLESS.

 

Here are a few of the GPS options.

Palm GPS

 

I have no way to compare the 2.

 

I use a Garmin RINO.

I guess it really depends on what you get use to.

[+DezertMedic]

Thanks for the info.

 

i'll have to look into to it a bit more

[ArtMan]

It is truly awesome to be PAPERLESS.

I tried the paperless (Sony PDA) route a few years ago. I went back to printouts on a clipboard for several reasons. I had become accustomed to the format of the printed datasheets. It's easier to annotate. After logging, I file the datasheets chronologically in a file box; if I ever need to go back and check they're easy to find, and each sheet is grouped with the others from that trip. And maybe most important, it looks more "official" to be out in the field with a clipboard.

 

-ArtMan-

[+PFF]

And maybe most important, it looks more "official" to be out in the field with a clipboard.

 

That's the big advantage for me, also. I've been thankful, many times, that I had the NGS Data Sheet available to show to a law enforcement person or a property owner!

 

Besides, paper can take a lot of physical punishment, and the batteries never die.

 

-Paul-

[+GEO*Trailblazer 1]

I dunno I think it looks pretty Official when I get out the PDA in front of anyone and show them the NGS Data sheet they look rather amazed.

 

I guess the Military Pack I carry it all in looks pretty Official as well.

 

I also have one of those little 110 volt genorators that run on your 12 v system and delivers 40 W of power you can keep everything charged.

 

You ought to see the questions I get when I show up now with the Laptop running live tracking and hunting BM's.

 

Man is that a lot easier.

Except those Mountain Peaks.

I have a hard time dragging the power chord that far

 

I am working on the HAM part of it as well.

Just have to read and learn much more first.

 

But I can remember the paper days.

I use to make a rubbing of each mark recovered.

But that got old fast,but I still have those data sheets.

 

I can almost remember now where everyone close is after a couple of visits.

It is those farther away in unknown territories I need to try to keep handy.

 

Heck as far as that goes I have 4 states in que now with all the dat sheets.

That would be a lot of printouts.

 

And they all fit on the PDA.

[Wintertime]

My PDA is a GPS and Camera.

Mine is a Palm One Zire 72s.

 

Here are a few of the GPS options.

Palm GPS

 

The 72 has GPS capability? My 71 sure doesn't. Or are you saying that you had to add one of those third-party GPS devices? I don't see any mention of GPS capability in official Palm products. (Other than the Tom-Tom stuff, but that's for their phones, not their PDAs, right? I don't see anything about GPS in the PDA section of their website.)

 

Patty

Edited October 1, 2007 by Wintertime

[+PFF]

GEO*Trailblazer 1 wrote:

I have 4 states in que now with all the dat sheets.

That would be a lot of printouts.

That's an excellent point. A lot of trees have died to make my paper data sheets! I have never "stockpiled" groups of benchmarks to hunt in the future because those folks from the Power Squadron were likely to show up before me and work the area. So I download the data just prior to a hunt, to avoid duplicating someone else's reports.

 

Now that they are out of the game, it might be safer to do. Other than NCGS, NCDOT, and a surveror training group at Fort Bragg, I'm generally the only one recovering benchmarks in North Carolina. (I need to do some recruiting. Perhaps I can build a fire under Aaron at C&P to get him out in the field more often.)

 

I also have one of those little 110 volt genorators that run on your 12 v system and delivers 40 W of power you can keep everything charged.

 

Tim the Tool Man would say, "Only 40 watts?" I have a couple of inverters which were priced at $50 and which deliver 350 and higher. I didn't know they came that small....although that would be ideal for your purpose. They certainly are cheaper than buying the DC cord for a laptop!

 

-Paul-

 

P.S. (Off Topic) Actually, I seldom find a use for my inverters, out in the field. The REAL reason I have them is for an emergency power source at the house. I have a couple of big batteries, to which I hook the inverters in case of power failure. They will run lights and fans, which allow us to function at night and stay cool. (Or, in Winter, the fans move heated air from the fireplace toward the bedrooms.)

 

The beauty of this system is that I can recharge the batteries using my automobiles. I have heavy-guage cables which reach through the garage and into the driveway. The Rule of the House is that you never bring a car home with less than a half-tank of gasoline. (By the way, half-full on any auto's guage is between 1/2 and 3/4, due to a quirk in how the sending unit works.)

[ArtMan]

A lot of trees have died to make my paper data sheets!

Between what we print at work and other stuff that comes into the office, it seems there is an inexhaustible supply of paper printed on one side. I take it home and print datasheets (and many other things) on the blank side. It'll get recycled eventually, but I first like to give it a second life.

 

-ArtMan-

[+GEO*Trailblazer 1]

My PDA is a GPS and Camera.

Mine is a Palm One Zire 72s.

 

Here are a few of the GPS options.

Palm GPS

 

The 72 has GPS capability? My 71 sure doesn't. Or are you saying that you had to add one of those third-party GPS devices? I don't see any mention of GPS capability in official Palm products. (Other than the Tom-Tom stuff, but that's for their phones, not their PDAs, right? I don't see anything about GPS in the PDA section of their website.)

 

Patty

 

Patty,

 

I do not use it I only use it for the TOPO's.

But here is a link to some.

Zire 72 GPS

 

Zire GPS

 

ANOTHER

 

I also see this model 72s is not available anymore??

I guess s Special Edition may be just that.

 

I do see now that you get the car phone GPS you spoke of.

[+QuesterMark]

This little guy came to my attention. All I know is what's there. One less thing to carry?

Not even on the manufacturer's website yet (when this was posted). May be there soon.

 

Full disclosure: No connection, no financial interest.

 

Here, check out the Magellan Triton.

link

 

The one at the bottom has the 2MP camera...and a whole bunch of other stuff.

 

No, I've never used a Triton.