Once upon a time, Jim Frame posted that he'd discovered that his L1 GPS receivers were actually also logging L2 data, which was quite a discovery at the time, even if it turned out not to pertain to this particular universe.
I'm trying not to fall into that same error, but as far as I can tell, somewhere between Y2K updates and various patches, my L1-only version of Trimble's GPSurvey software no longer needs a hardware key to function and is now a full L1/L2 version. Has anyone else noticed something similar or were you all in such a rush to upgrade that you abandoned GPSurvey for more automated pastures and so cannot care about such possibilities?
EMWTK
I dunno Kent,
I don't use my GPSurvey very often (L1/L2 version), but it never required a Hardware lock/Key (that I can remember anyway). I haven't been able to find my original disks since I moved in 2006 (I think they are still in a box in the garage), but I have considered installing it on my new (2010) computer (it's currently on my old Win-98 laptop). If I recall correctly (which I often don't), GPSurvey was "enabled" via software codes (serial numbers/passwords and such), and once setup, was good to go (L1/L2).
There were (and are) some things that I liked about GPSurvey as opposed to some other post processing programs, so maybe I'll dig around in the garage this spring.
Loyal
> I don't use my GPSurvey very often (L1/L2 version), but it never required a Hardware lock/Key (that I can remember anyway).
Hmmm. The version of GPSurvey that I bought in about 1996 definitely came with a hardware lock and definitely was an L1 version. It never occurred to me to see whether the software ran without it until yesterday.
> Once upon a time, Jim Frame posted that he'd discovered that his L1 GPS receivers were actually also logging L2 data, which was quite a discovery at the time, even if it turned out not to pertain to this particular universe.
Right universe, wrong receiver. In my haste to expose Ashtech's nefarious decision to conceal from its ProMark2 customers the "fact" that the ProMark2 were logging L2 and just not showing it in Ashtech Solutions, I neglected to recall that I'd included a CORS in that particular project. In the realm of egg-on-face Internet postings, that one still looms large in my memory.
There's an interesting intersection between that incident and the GPSurvey matter. Though the ProMark2 is, indeed, an L1-only unit, about a year after its introduction Ashtech sold a firmware-only upgrade to enable post-processed kinematic usage. A month or so after I bought two such upgrade licenses (street price $500 per), the company released the very same firmware into the wild without charge. They did this as an emergency fix to an EGNOS problem, but some of us who had shelled out major ducats for something that could have been had for free a short while later were a bit disgruntled. I complained to Ashtech, and we agreed to a non-cash settlement: an L2 hardware lock for my copy of Solutions. So, like Kent, I ended up with L1/L2 processing capability even though I didn't purchase it directly.
It was a bit of a hollow victory, however. I never really liked Ashtech Solutions, finding it less capable than TGO. I still maintain a copy of GNSS Solutions (L1/L2 variety as a result of my hardware lock acquisition), but I never use it. For that matter, I never use my PM2s, either. I don't have much use for PPK surveying, and I prefer to run static sessions with the L1/L2 receivers I've acquired in the years after the PM2 purchase.
Kent
I would have to dig out my old laptop (or find the disks), but I think that my original copy of GPSurvey was several years older than 1996. I continued "updating" it until about 2000 though (mostly newer versions of the WAVE processor).
Loyal
> I'm trying not to fall into that same error, but as far as I can tell, somewhere between Y2K updates and various patches, my L1-only version of Trimble's GPSurvey software no longer needs a hardware key to function and is now a full L1/L2 version. Has anyone else noticed something similar or were you all in such a rush to upgrade that you abandoned GPSurvey for more automated pastures and so cannot care about such possibilities?
>
> EMWTK
It has been quite a while since I used GPSurvey my self but there was an upgrade that did away with the need for the hardware lock. As I recall the last time I had to install it I had to start out with the hardware lock and after applying all the patches the hardware lock could be removed. I believe the version number that did away with the hardware lock was 2.35 but I could be wrong.
Peter Lazio
Your Ashtech Solutions L2 hardware dongle also works as a L2 dongle for GNSS Solutions?
> It has been quite a while since I used GPSurvey my self but there was an upgrade that did away with the need for the hardware lock. As I recall the last time I had to install it I had to start out with the hardware lock and after applying all the patches the hardware lock could be removed. I believe the version number that did away with the hardware lock was 2.35 but I could be wrong.
Well, that would be consistent with my recent revelation. I'm running Version 2.35.
> Your Ashtech Solutions L2 hardware dongle also works as a L2 dongle for GNSS Solutions?
No, but when upgrading from Ashtech Solutions to GNSS Solutions, L2 customers were given the option of using a dongle (for, I think, a modest a fee) or a software lock (no additional charge). I opted for the latter.
Check your computer for WRI files (the old Windows Write program), those will be the release notes that were installed with GPSurvey. They should explain the change from the external security key to the combination of the ten-digit serial number and eight-character authorization key.
You probably want to be at Ver 2.35a, that is the last version that came out in July 1999 and includes the Y2K and week-number-rollover fixes. Check version by clicking the Help pulldown menu then "About GPSurvey".
The file to update from Ver 2.35 to Ver 2.35a is still on the Trimble Support site, find the hyperlink that reads "v2.35 - GPSurvey, Y2K/WNRO Update (English)". The EXE is a little less than 5 MB.
I converted the latest release notes to DOC and PDF so if someone needs them just post to this thread and I will post them for download.
GB