I am looking into handheld GPS units. What do you recommend? Of interest to me is ease of use of software, easy import and export of data. Ease of use with respect to using state plane values, Lambert projection, UTM.
thanks for your help
Trimble pretty much owns the GIS hand held market, and they just released a unit that has a built in range finder for doing off sets that you can't physically get to or is under too much cover.
> I am looking into handheld GPS units. What do you recommend? Of interest to me is ease of use of software, easy import and export of data. Ease of use with respect to using state plane values, Lambert projection, UTM.
>
> thanks for your help
Do you mean consumer-grade handheld, meaning < $200, or do you mean < $2000? Do you want to be able to display your position on a geo-referenced satellite images or will you settle for the stick-figure diagrams that the low end delivers? Details, please.
Kent do you have recommendations in either category? I am guessing that the 2k range is probably what I will have to look into to get the features...
> Kent do you have recommendations in either category? I am guessing that the 2k range is probably what I will have to look into to get the features...
I think it mostly depends upon what you intend to use it for. I use my handheld mostly for corner search, so that means carrying it around in the pocket of a vest with a premium on long battery life, simplicity of use, and low cost (in case it gets munged up with field use as everything else seems to that doesn't go back into a case for transport).
I use a Garmin eTrex (low end model). The downside is that it doesn't include any of the SPCS projections or even a two-parallel custom Lambert projection in its capabilities. So you have to convert everything to lat/long (or UTM) for input and often that means manually keying in the waypoints in the field from a printed sheet. The other large downside is that for some perverse reason distances displayed by the navigation function default to yards and then miles and tenths thereof above 528 ft. and don't offer the user the choice of keeping units in feet. But for around a hundred bucks, there will be tradeoffs.
Oh, the other essential function for rural work is the navigate-along-line-displaying-offsets-right-or-left-of-it function.
Garmin eTrex can be made to do state plane coordinates if the zone is transverse Mercator, but, if I read the article right, not Lambert. The article was in the October and issues of American Surveyor, author was Steven Weible. I tried it and was within 1.7 m of a mark I tested it with (using waypoint averaging). You have to set up a user coordinate system.
Dane,
I have a Magellan Meridan, Green model. I think that is the green model. It is the very basic Meridan model.
I bought this one because it will do state plane coordinate systems, using user grids. It is pretty easy to use, and it is pretty accurate. I have put in coordinates of post processed points, and navigated to within 5 feet of the position in a bean field where the beans were chest high.
I have consistently gotten results like that with this unit. For basic benchmark hunting, point recon, etc., I have been very pleased with this unit. I think I paid about $130 or so for it about 8 or 9 years ago. The newer Magellans have more bells and whistles, I am sure.
Good luck.
My work partner uses his Samsung smart phone to navigate using an app.
It is as good or better than the cheap backpacker units.
Plus/minus 45 feet or 0.45 feet?
> Garmin eTrex can be made to do state plane coordinates if the zone is transverse Mercator, but, if I read the article right, not Lambert.
Yes, while other receivers that support a two-parallel Lambert projection with user-definable parameters will generate State Plane Coordinates values in those states with an SPCS built on a two-parallel Lambert projection, without that feature, you won't get there.
The earlier Magellan SporTrak receivers offered a user-definable two-parallel Lambert projection and I used that feature for years with the display showing the State Plane coordinates in US Survey Feet. It was an extremely useful feature when you're out in the middle of nowhere doing recon. The flow of data between handheld receiver and field computer is just rectangular coordinates from the SPCS and requires no intermediate geodetic computations.
> The newer Magellans have more bells and whistles, I am sure.
After using the custom 2-parallel Lambert projection feature of my Magellan SporTrak for years, I discovered when I was in the market about two years ago that Magellan's later models had a greatly reduced functionality.
If they have since rethought that, I'm thrilled to hear it, but two years ago it was disheartening what Magellan had done to degrade their consumer-grade handheld receivers's ability to do what had to be done.
Holy Cow,
I consistently get within 5 feet of post processed GPS points. This is just using the WAAS corrections. I do hold the unit up so that my body does block the signals.
Jimmy
yep samsung and a topo map app has better graphics and the map loads automatic. i can install topo on my garmin etrex but the area is constrained and and has less feature detail
I use one of these units blue toothed to my carlson data collector . Its small and accurate , great for recon . Plus you can localize with it. So you can be on any coord system . Just choose generic gps in the instrument selection .
Qstarz BT-Q818XT 10Hz Bluetooth GPS Receiver
I think you can use the "project" function to navigate a given distance in feet from a waypoint at an azimuth of your choosing. This way your distance still reads in feet.
Some data collectors have built in GPS so they can be used as a hand held without being connected to the receiver. They work well for finding control which is pretty much all I've ever used it for. Awfully expensive for just a handheld.
I've got a samsung galaxy III; what topo app do you use? Haven't done that yet...
The best solution is to buy a Sokkia GSR 1700 CSX and control it with
a Carlson Surveyor plus
WHY
The DC will run your robot, rtk, GSR1700CSX base rover and autonomous GPS (( GIS)) zero learn
curve since your Carlson DC will do all and some.
I could do what you want with one of my rovers and get good positions for GIS
with just one of my rovers wit no base or cell phone corrections.
I would suspect you are GPS weak but the best solution would be a
Topcon SR and upgrade your DC to Carlson or what ever DC Soft you
own but these $200 hand helds are Krap due to the fact they do
NOT have a full DC style key board.
Setch Equipment LIst
DC
2 New Carlson Surveyor Plus
Carlson SurvCE Ver 2.55.10
Carlson SurvCE Ver 2.55.10
Robot
Leica TS12
Type TS12 P 2" R400
S.N. 269895
Art No. 791307
Equipment No. 4944492
GPS
Sokkia Gsr1700Csx RTK L1 Two rovers, One base
post process soft Spectrum Ver 4.21 L1 dongle
Satel 3ASd 1 watt, Stubby, 15cm, 30 cm GainFlex.
Computer
Xi Computer S/N: 037019
Intel Core i7-2600K CPU @ 3.40GHZ
Mem 16.0 GB
Win 7 64.0 Bit
Autodesk C3D 2013 subscription Service pack 1
AVG Antivirus
HP 111 Roll feed 24" plotter.
Peter
I am trying to buy: Sokkia Gsr1700Csx RTK - do you have a sourvce for these units?
Sokkia appears to have dropped them out of site.
thanks
Yes they are great units this is the one time that the form factor
and lightest unit out there was hit spot on.
Amazing performance just need a internal receive only UHF
modem from SATEL IE Satelline – m3 –r3 the size a 30mm*30mm*3.0mm
Its to bad Sokkia killed the GSR1700CSX.
The next best at this stage for light weight GPS Rtk is the TOPCON SR
slightly heavier than the GSR1700CSX if I have to replace my GSR1700CSX
it will be the one or maybe a Leica Superlight weight RTK rover if they make
one for there is still today to much PORK in RTK rovers.
I think they crushed them all for I see none used on the internet.
and I have three so I am good for another 5 years.
Peter
