BootsnAll Travel Community

I'm having an awful time trying to find the right GPS to fullfil my needs. I like the Garmin Forerunner and Edge lines for local activities that don't require more than 10 hours of data logging. I start running into problems when I look for a unit that would work for my mountaineering trips. I'm not interested in GPS navigational capability, just data logging. I want to flip an on switch when I start my trip, then, a week later, map out a week's worth of positional data for the trip. The display-less GPS data loggers that I'm finding all seem to be specified for vehicle and personal tracking on a day-to-day timeframe. Basically, though some of these units have the data capacity to hold months of data, they all need to be charged after logging a day's worth (10 to 20 hours) of data. Several use motion sensors or software to determine whether they should be logging, but I'm a bit wary of this feature because they are likely designed to sense a moving vehicle, not a tired slogging climber—a couple order of magnitude difference in speed.

These vehicle trackers claim to have the battery life I want, but I suspect their claims make daily driving times assumptions. Plus, the advertising (spy on your cheating wife and delinquent kids) screams infommercial bullcrap.
SkyTRX Professional GPS Mini-Tracker Vehicle Logger
http://nservices.com/skytrx.htm
Trackstick (II & Super)
http://www.trackstick.com/

If I end up with a unit built for vehicle (car or boat) navigation/tracking or photo timestamping then I need to be sure that it still reports reasonably accurate altitude data for a mountaineering application.

If I can't find the battery life I want, then I'll have to be sure I get a unit that will allow me to swap batteries in the field. An option might be the DG100 GPS Data Logger (http://www.globalsat.com.tw/eng/product_detail_00000090.htm).

I love the configurability and removable storage of the GeoChron (http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=8301), but again battery life is a problem, the battery isn't field swapable, and it's not water-resistant.

I think the best option I've found so far are the SRVY-XM GPS Data Loggers from some obscure Australian website (http://homepages.tig.com.au/~robk/logger-gps-srvy-xm4-baro-2i.html), but it would end up costing me nearly $400.

I think I want SiRFIII (more accurate, more energy efficient) with optional WAAS (more accurate, less energy efficient), but I'm open to all suggestions. I would love wasterproof, but I willing to make that a much lower priority.

Please, please help steer me in the right direction!

what you're talking about reminds me of this commercial i saw once for this GPS-like device. i always meant to look into it, but i can't remember what it was called!!

the commercial made it look like it was aimed for people gone for at least somewhat long periods of time, that were doing lots of hiking and roaming around. the best part about it is that if you get in trouble, you can activate some feature on it, and it'll let others know where exactly you are. they also said that you could even have your friends track your progress through some online maps-- so i'm assuming it'd store data for you somewhere. it was about $100, not sure if they meant as a monthly fee or what.

dammit! i cannot for the life of me remember what company it was.. it's bugging me now! does this sound like something you're looking for?

does anyone know what i'm talking about?

It sounds like you want an expedition mapping GPS made specificlly for outdoor professionals. The car types may sound great, but think about it. They`re made for vehicles. What kind of use are they designed for? They're designed to sit placidly in cars, never get rained on or dropped.

So, this leaves the expedition type Gps units that HAVE to cost a bundle because they're made for professionals who usually don't pay the bills.

I'll look around, because I like the idea as well. I can only say that my Garmin low end unit ate up rechargeable batteries every 24 hours of use, ie, was turned on.

You MAY end up having to buy one of those portable solar backpack rechargers, and really go high tech!

Will look into it. Meanwhile, check out naturalists magazines for ads.

quote:

Originally posted by xoom:
what you're talking about reminds me of this commercial i saw once for this GPS-like device. i always meant to look into it, but i can't remember what it was called!!

does anyone know what i'm talking about?

The device you're thinking of is called SPOT personal locator. It works with google maps and a GPS.

Downsides:
-No screen.
-No maps.
-Annual service contract required
-Doesn't work on all continents.

beefcake: I recommend you do some snooping sites and forums frequented by bicycle tourers - because that is often what we are looking for.

CBOB Review

Bike Forums

Bicycle Touring 101

There are many more.

Hope it helps.

quote:

Originally posted by Skimaxpower:

quote:

Originally posted by xoom:
what you're talking about reminds me of this commercial i saw once for this GPS-like device. i always meant to look into it, but i can't remember what it was called!!

does anyone know what i'm talking about?

The device you're thinking of is called SPOT personal locator. It works with google maps and a GPS.

Downsides:
-No screen.
-No maps.
-Annual service contract required
-Doesn't work on all continents.

hm... i think this is similar. or is it the same one? there's an option to send email to your friends.. i'm guessing that would be easier with a screen. is it the same one? the commercial for the one i'm thinking of was of a guy running around on some hiking trail.

Hi,

I've recently gone through a similar decision-making process on GPS data loggers, although I kept my budget limit to ~$100.

Might I recommend you check out the forums on :

http://www.gpspassion.com/

And look at the offerings from

http://www.semsons.com

I have no affiliation with any of these companies/websites, but I used the forums extensively researching the issue and ended up getting a Qstarz BT-Q1000p from semsons.

The specs promise 32-hour runtime with bluetooth off. I got a secondary battery for ~$10 through semsons. Swapping it in is pretty easy. I plan on only keeping the logger running while we are doing stuff and taking photos during the day, then turning it off at night.

If you don't need bluetooth, then the GlobalSat DG-100 you mention claims 37 hours runtime on 2 AA batteries and will recharge them internally (no need for an external charger).

One concern is just how often you need a point logged. With the length of logging periods you're talking about, you'll either need to be willing to log rather less frequently than 1Hz or download the data every few days. Alternately, you could go for one of the few loggers that take flash memory cards and stuff in a multi-gigabyte card for a few more bucks. I didn't find any with decent battery life, unfortunately.

There are a couple of data loggers with solar cells built-in that supposedly allow for even more extended useage, but the reviews I read were mixed. Both the itrek Z1 and the Qstarz BT-Q1200 (the 2 loggers I found with solar cells) feature smaller patch antennas than the corresponding solar-cell-less versions. This apparently results in somewhat lower sensitivity on the part of these loggers.

I was concerned about using the GPS with linux, as that's what'll be on the laptop I'm carrying. You may not be, but some of the same concerns apply to usage with Macs.

What I gleaned from the discussions I read was that the Sirf III and MTK chipsets are the best, with perhaps a *slight* edge to the Sirf.

I don't guarantee there aren't typos or occasional outright errors - YMMV - but if you want, I can drop you the spreadsheet I made comparing the models I was looking at. It's not too bad a starting point.

sz