Trimble's Support of Ashtech Customers - What's Your Story?

I was very disappointed when TDS was bought by Trimble. I was even more disappointed when Ashtech was bought by Trimble.

I love my TDS software, and I REALLY love my Promark 3 units. I am liking GNSS Solutions more as I get more familiar with it.

I am at a loss at what to do. I dislike Trimble's monopoly, and do not think that we should have to pay maintenance contracts, and get mickle and dimed to death.

I used Trimble equipment at a former employer, and liked the setup, but I did not even consider them when I opened my own business, strictly on the high usage costs. I think many smaller firms and solo operators are in the same boat.

Being an old Ashtech customer and a former employee, I feel your frustrations. Lots of loyal Ashtech users still out there that have gotten caught up in these various acquisitions over the years, some good, some not so good. Many like to say never mix business and pleasure, but I always found it a pleasure to work with Ashtech products and customers during my 15-years using the Blue-Boxes.

There's a new sheriff in town, HemisphereGPS, that's my happy home these days, we have some great products, great people, and several former Ashtech folks on the HGPS Team. B-)

When the French corp. Thales sold their interests to the Indian venture capitalist from California who acquired part of Magellan, I did not see much of a future for the product.
They probably followed through on what was scheduled for release and production and then look for someone to sell out to for a little profit. That is what they do, right?
I did not know that Trimble acquired the product.

Hi Bob !

I have not been to any survey conferences in a long time, are you getting out there with Hemisphere?

Any contact with Mike Margolis? Is he still in the watch business?

I am a registered over at Trimble as an Ashtech user. That enabled me to get an updated software L2 code for the latest and last GNSS Solutions upgrade. I have no reason to complain. Sooner or later I'll have to bite the bullet on an upgrade. I am an unusual situation over there and I understand I get discussed from time to time. As far as I know I was the first US purchaser of GNSS Solutions. I purchased it directly from Thales US and it was shipped from France with a software L2 code. I am one of few, if not the only, still using a software code not a USB dongle.

I miss the good old days when you could call the tech support number written on the receiver screen and talk directly to Phil or Linda. Now it takes a directive to get a response from lonely Phil. Plus we miss all that good info posted on the Ashtech semi-board on how the latest tools were working and what might be in testing for the future.

Paul in PA

Hi Bob !

My zmax units and GNSS software were sent from France.
yea ,,talking to Phil was always helpful plus he sent you mucho links to help out with everything.
The West Coast support for hardware were great folks also.

Hi Bob !

> I am one of few, if not the only, still using a software code not a USB dongle.

Not the only -- I'm another one. I rarely use Solutions, so rarely that I don't even know if my software lock still works.

I have PM3s with L1 only and would like to turn on L2. Was told I needed different antennas.
That is not what I understood when I ordered them. understood that all I needed was a code to enter and it would unlock the units because L2 was already there.
Will wait till it is time they turn off L1 before I replace them with what new products that come into play.
I have not had to contact support since their last firmware update and that was before Trimble.

A Harris,

I am very interested in learning more about that option. I thought that the PM3 units were strictly L1 only. If it was possible to upgrade them to L1/L2 units, that would be awesome.

Maybe someone here can elaborate on that.

Please let me know if you find our something.

Thanks,
Jimmy

I Am Not Sure On The PM3

The ProMark 100, 120, 200 and 220 all look like a PM3. The 100 and 120 are upgradable.

If it is not in your user manual check with your dealer now. It may require something internal and most definitely a new antenna.

It may have been a Ashtech option, but may not be a Trimble option or at a higher price.

Paul in PA

In July of 1995, we took delivery of 4 Ashtech Z12 GPS units, and 2 seats of Prism Post Processing software. We purchases a 4 year service agreement with the equipment and software. When Y2K came up, Ashtech upgraded us to WinPrism so we would be Y2K compliant. We used that setup for several years. When we purchased new equipment a few years later, we went to a different brand. We kept the old Ashtechs because the still worked and they did not eat anything. We used them several times, mixe,d in with the new stuff for static projects. We were using them to collect static data to submitt to OPUS DB. Then the IT group replaced our computers with Windows 7 64 Bit machines, and WinPrism refuses to install. I contacted the Trimble Suport group and they sent me a link to download Ashtech Solutions.

For tha t reason, I have no complaints with the Ashtech Support. But because of abandoned software and their dropping of support for equipment, I don't plan to purchase equipment from them or their parent company.

I now do all of my post processing using OPUS Projects. I have 2' Science Projects and one small job I am working on. We havre had as many as 12 receivers out collecting data, or as few as 3. We do keep someone on a 1st or 2nd Order NGS benchmark for each session.

You can install Windows XP virtual PC, maybe that will work.

No wOr IT people say that Windows 7 is the only OS they will allow on our network. But Trimble Support did give me a solution. I do not need to process with Ashtech Solutions, I have other software that can process the baselines, if I can just get the files off the receiver. All the work we have done recently is OPUS Projects or OPUS DB type work so all we need is a good clean RINEX file. The old Ashtech Z12s do a good job of providing thar. I just wish they had more memory enabled so we fouls collect data for more than 17 hours.

Well I didn't ask for permission first 😉

They have us locked down. We do not have admin privileges on our computers, and every time you log on the network, they scan for rogue software. The IT guys had a lot of trouble installing LGO. I had 10 help requests beforebthey got it right, but they did document what they had to do and the next one was easy.

Memory For Steve Corley

If you are jsut doing OPUS work, change the settings to 30 second intervals.

20 hours with 8 satellites and 1Mb memory.

60 hours with 8 satellites and 3Mb memory.

160 hours with 8 satellites and 8Mb memory.

Paul in PA

Memory For Steve Corley

Already at 30 second and we get 17.5 hours of data. We only have 1 meg of ram avaliable. There is a lot more there but Ashtech did not enable it. We had all 4 of them running one week, and one guy download them twice a day. I had them programmed to run 2 twelve hour. Sessions. We put over 1000 miles on the truck in 4 days.

Memory For Steve Corley

Memories for Steve Corley...

The Lark...using the Foster Mast on the Point of Origin of the 5th P.M.
Doug on his bike at 110 miles...the ground plane reflecting the sunrise...raw hamburgers and burnt steaks...

C.D.M.S.S. Logistics...getting all the units up and going at the same time without radio communications...finding out that a radio shack cigarette lighter adapter will run down the battery on an old dodge truck...Scott holding the gang of thugs off the unit with a 45...

Good memories, my friend...

DDSM
(not to mention hunting for Unicorns)

Memory For Steve Corley

It is there and not enabled?

I thought with the Z-12 it was either there or not.

What exactly does it say after the part number?

And what firmware is it?

Paul in PA

There is no L2 tracking in a ProMark 3 unit. You could pair a PM3 as a data collector to a ProMark 500/800 or ProFlex 500/800, but a ProMark 3 by itself will not track L2.