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malch
USA
56 Posts |
 Posted - 30 mai 2008 : 02:33:12
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EDITED BY GPSPASSION 20081009
   
I've created a new topic since I know gpspassion likes to keep these things all neat and tidy <wave>.
I am amazed these new devices haven't created more excitment here. It seems to me there's a unique combination of interesting features on offer here:
* Waterproof to IPX7
* Provision for extra (SD) memory card
* Very decent battery life
* Optional bluetooth
Is there some problem that is putting people off? Something I'm missing?
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amphiBian
USA
8 Posts |
Posted - 06 juin 2008 : 17:35:10
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The lack of excitement is due to the confusion created by the manufacturer. I've been following these devices for over a year now, they've changed brand/product names 3 times!
Anyways, I just got my GT-31 today. It seems like a very nice product, though I'm questioning it's true waterproofness. I was expecting the SD card door to be rubber sealed...but it's just plastic.
I'm going to compare it to my other loggers this weekend, we'll see how it goes. |
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JimCo
USA
5 Posts |
Posted - 07 juin 2008 : 22:20:44
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Perhaps the Manufacturer is trying out new marketers...
My BGT-31 has a rubber seal on the bottom of the SD slot door. It seems to seal fairly well.
# 
Have you used yours yet for logging? How are you getting the data? I have been having some trouble downloading the track and wayponts using the Navlink software, especially via blietooth. But alas, I don't know what I'm doing.
Do you think this device will talk with RoboGeo?
BTW, it does log directly to the SD card (someone asked about that). I found it on page 36 of the downloadable (pdf) user manual.
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amphiBian
USA
8 Posts |
Posted - 09 juin 2008 : 03:13:43
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Indeed you're right about the rubber seal. I was just looking in the wrong place for it. It's hidden back there where the door hits the SD slot.
I used mine to record a sailboat race today. Normally I use an i-Blue 747.
The accuracy seems great, and it seems to get a fix VERY quickly after you turn it on. My i-Blue and Garmin gps's tend to take 45 seconds or so, this thing somehow gets it in 10 or so! Not sure how that works, maybe it's in some type of standby.
The interface is kind of confusing. There are really two sections that do data logging. There is the "Data Logger" option, which records up to 20k points in memory, which you can then move the SD, but there is also a "Memory card" option which is just another datalogger that records direct to SD. I'm still trying to figure out what the difference is exactly.
Right now it's logging everything to NMEA text files, I'm going to get it imported into my software tonight, we'll see how that goes. It also has an option to record "binary" which I'm assuming is just the SIRF binary.
I'm gonna get it imported into my software tonight then I'll get a good idea about what kind of job it did. |
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awang
5 Posts |
Posted - 12 juin 2008 : 03:58:58
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Hi, I happen to work for Locosys taking care of the servers and PCs. I play Geo-tagging around 2 years ago and register in this Forum.
As I know, the product name change from NAVI into GT-11 due to re-organize of company, the others are OEM.
GT-11 base on Sirf2 and get famous among water sports. GT-31 base on Sirf3 and took quit a long time to develop. It is an awesome RD work, they cut into Sirf chip, add applications into Sirf chip.
The GT-31 is for out-door activities, data logger function just part of it. like garmin etrek. Provides track, way-points, routes. With USB/blue-tooth, This unit can be used for PDAs/Phones/NBs navigation.
I play Geo-tagging, but steps quit annoying. The GT-31 has LCD interface, SD slot, I hope, may one day the RDs put this function into GT-31. |
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Vicky123
2 Posts |
Posted - 10 juil. 2008 : 13:06:56
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Why not try the Mainnav MG-950d, it's also could do Geotagged by their software and cheaper than Genie.
I think their software it's really easy, not complicate when doing Geotagged.
it could save 130000 track points but can not insert SD card.
But if you store too much track points in SD card, you may get problem when you download the data to PC.
You can check the semsons or buyGPSnow website shop for the MG-950d, it's not only for travel, it's could be a cycle computer and BT inside.
Now buy the device free for shipping!!
I have one, i use it every day when i am biking.
Especially, i love the touch pad. so delicate!
http://www.semsons.com/maspblgpsdal.html |
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oldgasman
12 Posts |
Posted - 15 juil. 2008 : 21:43:03
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Hi,
It's been a while since I penned any info for this forum, so I thought I would update folks on my latest logger, the Locosys BGT31.
As a little background, I prefer a device that uses an SD card as it is very handy to manipulate tracklogs on a PDA when the wife and I are travelling (hx4700). My first logger was a Progin T368, a cousin of the Zycast family, but it failed to log on several occasions which was a real pain. The latest failure (and last time I used it) was on a flight back to the UK from America a couple of months back; it lost accurate track position on 5 occasions during the flight (shown as a dogleg on the tracklog!!), it was flashing 'overspeed' once the plane passed the 100mph mark, and it froze solid 2/3 of the way home. This device has real potential, but it is in need of a firmware update to fix these issues (I'm not holding my breathe). Manufacturer support for this device was also zero. I also use a qstarz 1000p logger combined with the excellent BT747 program on my PDA. This device is very simple and it has never missed a log in many hundreds of hours use and has great battery life to boot.
When I saw the Locosys BGT31, it's spec was pretty comprehensive, so I ordered one from Storage Depot and received it 3 weeks ago and have been testing ever since. I must say I have grown to like this device, though the design is maybe not to everyone's taste, it certainly delivers in the performance stakes and it's accuracy of tracklogs is excellent. I also like the digital display and the multitude of levels of options available to the user, and over 24 hour use from a single battery charge is pretty good also. It has a trip meter, track-back facility, audible warnings for gps fix and SD card confirmation, and many other options that are all user configurable, pretty impressive. I was a little suspect about the quality of construction on the SD card / usb connection access door, but to date it has been fine.
This device is primarily aimed at the water-sports fraternity and it benefits from this development, as the controls are easy to use, the information provided is the very comprehensive, and it is water resistant to boot. You can log to either an SD card or use the internal memory, you can save as NMEA or Sirf Binary, and you can connect to the PC via an included USB cable or bluetooth. The manufacturers website provides good support and there is a thriving support forum community, all good stuff.
The software that accompanies the device is pretty unfriendly to say the least, it is a prime example of a 'techie' writing a program to do a job and not getting a simple 'end-user' to see if they can use it. I log mainly to the SD card and convert to .gpx files using the excellent free program 'NMEA2KMZ'. I also use 'GPSresults' (from gps-speed.com) to analyse tracks, speeds, elevations, etc.. Again, this program is aimed at the watersports guys, but I like the way it operates and I like it's playback features.
Overall, I now think I have found a device I am comfortable with and hope to have for a long time, or until the next new toy arrives in town 
Hope this helps someone.
Cheers, John |
Edited by - oldgasman on 15 juil. 2008 21:48:07 |
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GraemeG
Australia
24 Posts |
Posted - 21 juil. 2008 : 10:33:18
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Thanks for the info John, it definitely helped me.
I am looking for a GPS data logger to use for geotagging photographs during extended travel. There are many possibilities but I like the BGT31 because it has:
- Long battery life. I want to be able to charge it over night and then leave it logging all day without having to remember to change batteries.
- It recharges via the USB so I don't need to carry another charger.
- Ample log capacity. The internal memory should be sufficient for a day or two but I will probably use an old 256MB SD card I have which will be good for weeks. In reality I plan to download the log daily.
- It has a display and menu to display the current lat/long and allow changing settings without requiring a PC connection.
I had been looking at the Holux M-241 but the battery life and the reports that it needs to be oriented up the correct way for best reception put me off a little. I hope you can help me with a few questions.
1/ If the unit is set for data logging by time interval, does the logging start automatically after the GPS is turned on and a location is fixed?
2/ What type/size of Li-ion battery does it use? That is, is it a common type (eg. a Nokia phone battery) and is it user replaceable? Unfortunately Li-ion batteries don't last forever.
3/ Are the figures I see for battery life (more than 24 hours) realistic? Have you tested how long a charge will last?
Thanks again.
Regards,
Graeme
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oldgasman
12 Posts |
Posted - 21 juil. 2008 : 13:57:14
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Hi Graeme,
Pleased you found the info of some use. As Malch pointed out in his first posting for this device, I too am surprised this little gem of a device has not created more of a stir, certainly others must find it appealing as the first batch that Storage depot received was sold out within hours. I think you will find the BGT31 suits your needs perfectly. To answer the questions you raise;
1/ If the unit is set for data logging by time interval, does the logging start automatically after the GPS is turned on and a location is fixed?
Yes, this can be set via the memory card menu option to either log straight away, or wait until a valid signal is confirmed. I have mine set to the later.
2/ What type/size of Li-ion battery does it use? That is, is it a common type (eg. a Nokia phone battery) and is it user replaceable? Unfortunately Li-ion batteries don't last forever.
No idea I'm afraid, the battery would not appear to be user exchangeable. The case can be split as it is assembled using screws, so I imagine the battery can be accessed, but I won't be going there for a while as this would affect the warranty. To be honest, by the time the battery gives up the ghost there will be a host of higher spec devices available that I would prefer to put my money towards. I bought a spare battery for my Qstarz 1000P which has stayed in the drawer ever since, the battery life is so long that I have never used it yet.
3/ Are the figures I see for battery life (more than 24 hours) realistic? Have you tested how long a charge will last?
Yes. I had mine sat on my desk for 24 hours logging at 5 second intervals and it was still showing bars on the battery meter. Realistically, it will depend on how you use the device. If you log every second, keep the lcd backlight on, and enable the tracklog 'breadcrumb' trials, it will reduce it's battery life. But if like me you simply want to keep a log of where you have been using basic recording settings so you can geotag images and create .gpx files for Memory map or Google playback, then the claimed battery life is not far off the mark. There is also a 'power save' mode that adds even more time to the battery life - I have not used this facility as normal battery life is more than adequate for my needs.
Just out of interest, the reason I prefer to use the SD card for recording the datalogs is that I find it so much quicker to extract the data from a card than to download via the 'Navilink' utility. Every month I create a folder on the card and move all the datalogs for that month into the new folder so I can keep backup copies. You cannot do this using the internal memory as it soon clogs up if you don't download and clear it, slowing the data transfer down to the PC due to the fact it has to address all the memory each time it is connected. SD cards are so cheap now that to use one for recording the datalogs and also use it for backup storage of those tracklogs (as well as saving the datafile on the PC) makes perfect sense for my device usage. When on holiday I also pop the SD card into my photo storage device and save a copy of the tracklog file so it is easy to marry up logs and images after a 2-3 week holiday.
Now all I would like is for mdeweerd or Aeropic to tweak their excellent PDA programs BT747 / rbt-2300 to read the bluetooth data feed and make it even more PDA friendly for devices that cannot accept SD cards.
Hope this has been of some help.
Cheers,.... John |
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GraemeG
Australia
24 Posts |
Posted - 22 juil. 2008 : 00:43:55
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Definitely a help! Thanks for the fast reply. I had been thinking that the GBT-31 was over-kill for what I want but I kept coming back to the battery life. You don't get a track log if the battery is flat. I want to enjoy the travel and photography, not have to remember to change the battery.
OK, the order is going in today :-) |
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oldgasman
12 Posts |
Posted - 22 juil. 2008 : 11:23:13
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Hi Greame
Just one point from your email that I should clarify - quote"You don't get a track log if the battery is flat".
Yes you do. When writing a tracklog to an SD card it writes in standard NMEA sentences at the timescale / speed trigger settings you specify in the menu options screen. Should you loose battery power, then it will simply stop writing and the last NMEA sentence written to the card will be the last entry of the log.
With regards to logging via the internal memory, I have never tested this out, but I understand this logs to flash memory (according to the manual), not volatile ram, so you should not loose this data either . A win-win situation.
Cheers ... John |
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laerte
3 Posts |
Posted - 22 juil. 2008 : 11:56:32
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Hi guys,
thank you for your helpful information.
I'm looking for a GPS data logger to use for geotagging photographs and track record during extended travel (14 days).
I'd like to record day trips as well marking position while taking a picture pushing a simple button like the QstarzBTQ1000.
In a realistic way, I'll travel without laptop/PDA so it will not possibile to download the data to anydevices. That's why I'm looking for SD GPS device.
I have two stupid question:
Can the unit record directly on the SD card (2 GB should be enough) all my trips?
Can I mark in an easy way a specific location for geotagging photographs?
I hope you can help me
Thank you |
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oldgasman
12 Posts |
Posted - 23 juil. 2008 : 00:54:02
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Hi Laerte
First off, there is no such thing as a stupid question 
To answer your questions;
Can the unit record directly on the SD card (2 GB should be enough) all my trips?
Yes. I use a 2GB card and it has the capacity for several weeks non stop logging should you so wish. If you set the file menu to create a new file for each day, then it will be simple to find the tracklog you are looking for when you come to download the card. It is worth noting that you must use a normal SD card, the device will not read the SDHC type cards (yet??).
Can I mark in an easy way a specific location for geotagging photographs?
For geotagging photos, there is no need for a specific waymark. Simply make sure that the time set in your camera is as accurate as possible, then use a free program like LOCR (www.locr.com) to match your Tracklog data with the exif files that are automatically logged with each of the digital images from your camera. LOCR displays your images on Google earth and has the option to easily alter the timestamp before you geotag your images should your camera clock be a few minutes out either way.
You may find a quick browse through the user manual of interest, you can get it here - http://www.locosystech.com/support.php?model=GT-31/BGT-31&DL=1&zln=en
Hope this helps.
Cheers, .... John |
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GraemeG
Australia
24 Posts |
Posted - 23 juil. 2008 : 07:31:34
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More good information John, thank you!
It's good to know that the tracklog is safe even if the battery runs down, although my comment was a bit obscure, it was actually aimed at other GPS's with shorter battery life. If the battery runs flat, and I forget to charge it or put in a fresh one, I don't get anything logged (stating the obvious). This is one of the key features of the BGT-31 that sold me.
Laerte, I'm fairly new to geotagging but I have been reading everything I can find on the subject. There are three keen photographers in our family and we shoot a mixture of jpg and RAW. After looking at several of the software options I have pretty much settled on using Geosetter. The requirement to handle RAW images cuts the options down a lot and most of the other choices do a lot more than I want (like downloading images from the card/camera, viewing and sorting the images, etc). These other functions I already have under control with the Adobe process (Downloader, Bridge, Camera Raw, Photoshop) so all I want is something to tag the images with the location that will fit into the existing workflow.
Geosetter is actively developed and supported, easy to use and free! So far I have been using the built in map interface to tag images but will try out the GPS option when it arrives. I ordered it Tuesday but I'm in Australia so it may take until next week before it arrives from Semsons. Software download and info from here http://www.geosetter.de/en/
I also found both RoboGEO and Breeze Systems Downloader Pro handled RAW and looked good. They are not free but the price is not too bad. If you don't shoot RAW then the options are many.
As John said, you don't need to create a waypoint everytime you take a photo. To me that would be a nuisance and I am sure to forget. It is much easier to let the GPS log the location every few seconds and use the software to match the timestamp of the image to the location in the tracklog. If I log every 10 seconds for 16 hours a day that will be 5760 points. Even the built in memory hods over 20000 points according to the manual. I don't know how many bytes are taken per logged point but an SD card will last for weeks. That said, I believe you can configure the thumb stick button for "Mark" mode so you can create a waypoint simply by pressing it.
Regards,
Graeme |
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gpspassion
93401 Posts |
Posted - 25 juil. 2008 : 10:56:21
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Interesting to see this design resurface under the Locosystems name, I'd received a test unit of the Amaryllo Trip Tracker a couple of years ago, but it's low sensitivy (SiRFstarII) didn't make it a very efficient data logger.
I'll say one thing about the GT-31, the manual is rather good, thanks to oldgasman for providing the link.
A few questions/comments after reading it:
1. I couldn't see a reference to "the file menu to create a new file for each day", is that somewhere in the general settings or in the SD card settings ?
2. They mention trackback but it seems to be more like "routeback" ?
3. Apparently you can upload tracks in .plt format but how can they be used on the device ?
4. Nice to have the option to record a waypoint (especially directly with the hold key) that's a feature missing on the Mainnav 950d. |
Discounts and Assistance/Réductions et Assistance (Club GpsPasSion) / Où commencer? |
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laerte
3 Posts |
Posted - 25 juil. 2008 : 14:35:32
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Thank you John and GraemeG,
you really help me!
laerte
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[TOPIC] Genie GT-31 and BGT-31 Data Loggers
