From chuckg@arnet.com Tue Dec 19 18:20 GMT 1995 Return-path: Received: from crucible.inmind.com by soulcage.inmind.com (8.6.10/SMI-4.1) id SAA24805; Tue, 19 Dec 1995 18:20:43 GMT From: chuckg@arnet.com Received: from amsg.arnet.com (amsg.arnet.com [199.86.10.193]) by crucible.inmind.com (8.6.12/8.6.9) with SMTP id NAA30788 for ; Tue, 19 Dec 1995 13:32:22 -0500 Received: by amsg.arnet.com id aa14979; 19 Dec 95 12:20 CST To: chuckg@arnet.com Subject: reply failed Date: Tue, 19 Dec 95 12:15:18 CST Content-Length: 10274 Content-Type: text/plain Sender: chuckg@arnet.com Message-ID: <9512191215.aa14931@amsg.arnet.com> Status: RO Unable to parse address /usr/lib/sendmail -t failed Your response has been saved in ~/dead.letter Your letter follows: To: txoilgas@ix.netcom.com(alan Orig-To: txoilgas@ix.netcom.com(alan stricklin ) Subject: Re: GPS Engine Group Buy (LONG) Newsgroups: sci.geo.satellite-nav,comp.protocols.time.ntp,sci.electronics.misc,rec.aviation.misc,rec.aviation.products,rec.models.rockets,rec.boats References: <4atopq$evd@mujibur.inmind.com> <4auh9s$s9j@ixnews4.ix.netcom.com> In sci.electronics.misc you write: >In <4atopq$evd@mujibur.inmind.com> thogard@inmind.com (Tim Hogard) >writes: >> >> We might >>be able to get an 8 channel GPS engines for as little as $120. Thats >>about a third of the price Motorola offered us on the last group buy. >Magellan has a non aviation data base completeworking gps system that >retails for $299 and I have been told that after the first of the year >they will have one that retails for $199. >-- >_________________________________________________________________ > Alan D. Stricklin > American West Resources, Inc. > P. O. Box 161638 > Ft. Worth, Texas 76161 >________________________________________________________________ Fine, if you want a Magellan receiver. Apparently, some time ago, the marketing department at Magellan Corporation had a little meeting the the engineering department. My guess is it began with the marketing folks thrusting the Garmin GPS-40 at the engineers and shouting, "Next to this thing, our TrailBlazer S U C K SUCKS! We need as much of this functionality as you can give us for less than $200 and we need it on the shelves for Christmas this year!" The result was the new Magellan GPS-2000. I picked on up on pre-Christmas special at Nashville Sports for $179. (I was, by the way, facinated to see a table full of GPS receivers in a sporting goods store. This technology is really taking off. The store clerk said that they were flying off the shelf. He did claim that $179 is the best price on the list $199 Magellan GPS-2000 in the US. I can't verify that claim). For $179, I got the receiver and a cheap lanyard to carry it. If you want a case, add $8.99. An "instructional" video is $15 extra. No batteries are included. The Garmin GPS-40 comes will case, video (not very instructional though, more of an extended commercial for it), and even batteries. Physically, the GPS-2000 is about 10% larger than the GPS-40 in all measures except weight where they are about the same. The GPS-40 feels solid and well-built while the GPS-2000 feels hollow. Both units tie for "worst battery compartment design of the decade" awards. Otherwise, from more than a few feet away, the two units are almost identical. (If I was Magellan, I'd be embarased to sell the GPS-2000 since it is so obviously a copy of the Garmin GPS-40. When I turned on the GPS-2000, I almost expected to see Garmin's rotating globe icon on the display.) The GPS-2000 does have one more key on the keyboard. It does not, however, improve on Garmin's ackward user interface since Magellan uses the extra key for the display backlight, a function that Garmin comfortably multiplexes with the power on/off key. The GPS-2000 has no external connections for Antenna, data, or power. There is an optional external DC adapter, but I suspect that it replaces the battery cover. Obviously, the GPS-2000 is not capable of differential correction. The Garmin GPS-40 has RS-232 data input and output, spits out NEMA data suitable for use with mapping software and takes in differential correction data in several popular formats. It also has external power connections and an external antenna connection. In fairness, I should point out that the GPS-40 uses totally non-standard connectors and Garmin charges fairly steep prices for their mates. The GPS-2000 seems to be strongly geared to non-technical sportsmen. It doesn't offer "confusing" features such as selectable datums. First test: the dreaded cold start. Both units were told that they were at 0 log. 0 lat. 0 feet and that it was 12:00 am on January 1st, 1990. Both units were positioned with equal sky views on my back deck. And they're on and running... As we round the first corner just 3 minutes and twenty-two seconds into the race, the Garmin has one bird! The Magellan has none. Coming into the back stretch now, at four minutes fourty-eight seconds, the Garmin has a 2D nav fix... the Magellan hasn't a clue. And now into the home stretch, at four minutes fifty-six seconds, the Garmin has all birds in view and a full, 3D fix. The Magellan is still lost. After thrity minutes, the Magellan still doesn't have a single bird. So, I decided to have mercy on it and tell it where it is. Once I told the GPS-2000 where it was and gave it the time and date, it managed to find itself in just under six minutes. At this point, I decided to box the GPS-2000 up and take it back. First, though, let's play with it a bit. I have now repeated the cold-acquisition test twice more with my first GPS-2000 before returning it to the store for an exchange. I've tried to cold-start the new one twice and it has also not been able to acquire within thirty minutes. In short, I have never seen a GPS-2000 cold-acquire. My GPS-40, however, rarely needs more than fifteen minutes and often cold- acquires in under five. This is very surprising since the 12-ch. GPS-2000 should acquire significantly faster than the eight-ch GPS-40. First test, just let both units sit in a wide open area and see who gets the best fix. The Garmin GPS-40 hesitated back and forth between 112 and 85 feet PDOP. The Magellan GPS-2000 held stable at 320 feet. I was not favorably impressed. I also noticed that the GPS-2000's display of signal strength seemed to show the signals as much weaker than the GPS-40 did. This is hard to compare since both units use non-standard scales. The GPS-2000 gives signal strength from 0-9 as an integer number. The GPS-40 has bar graphs. I did notice, though, that when the Garmin was showing about 1/2 full bar, which should be about 5 on a scale of 0-9, the GPS-2000 would be reporting two or three. When the GPS-40 was showing a full bar, the GPS-2000 reported only a six for the same bird. I also notice that when I held my hand over the GPS-2000, the readings dropped much more dramatically than when I did the same to the GPS-40. I should note in fairness that the GPS-40 is an eight channel receiver while the GPS-2000 is a twelve channel receiver. However, it is very rare to have more than eight birds in view (especially to a hand-held unit) here in North America. Twelve channels is certainly overkill. I throughly expected the 12-channel receiver to kick the 8-channel unit's butt in the cold start test, though. Next, the walk about. Here, the GPS-2000 came out on top. I was almost a block down the street before the GPS-40 realized that I was moving. The GPS-2000, however, picked up right away. Each time I sped up or slowed down, or turned, the GPS-2000 tracked perfectly while the GPS-40 hesitated. A 180-degree turn especially confused the GPS-40 but didn't phase the GPS-2000. I did notice, though, that the GPS-2000 lacks a simple compass display. It will give you your bearing, but what direction is 289 degrees anyway? And which way should I turn if I want to go east? Fortunately, the Garmin has a nice compass display the mimics one of those old ball-compass things that people suction-cup the dashboard of their RVs. 289 degree is more or less north-west (a little more west than north). To go east, I should turn right. Gee, why did Magellan leave off such an obvious display? Maybe because they had no time to write decent software and just warmed over their old stuff. Now, where is that house of mine? Good thing I'm carrying not one, but two GPS receivers. "GOTO H O M E ENTER" Perhaps it's just because I'm used to it, but I really prefer Garmin's CDI display. The Magellan's is a carry-over from what I've used before on the old TrailBlazer. The TrailBlazer has a much smaller display. By just carrying over that old screen layout, Magellan basically wastes the GPS-2000's larger display. Anyway, as I approached the house, the GPS-2000 went crazy. The little arrow swong wildly from one side to the other. The GPS-40 stayed right on. The little arrow pointed right at my house just as if the thing knew that it lives there. I guess that Magellan would say that for hiking and outdoor stuff, the GPS-2000 will get you close enough to something that you'll be able to say, "Ah, that must be the Grand Canyon over there." Of course, guided by the GPS-2000, you're likely to step right into it. Next test, the moving warm start. Trying to acquire while moving is a bit more difficult since passing obstacles periodically block the signals. Even my GPS-40 does poorly on a cold-start in a moving car, so I let both units acquire and get to 3D nav mode before I turned them off, throwing them onto the dash of the car and heading for downtown Nashville. Not surprisingly, the Garmin acquired in about thirty seconds. The Magellan needed about two minutes as I sped down Interstate 40 under overpasses and past tall trees. Once locked, the Garmin never lost it's 3D fix. The Magellan oscillated between unlocked, 2D, and 3D. Next, the urban canyon. Nashville's is as good as any city. The Garmin struggles as I drove through narrow streets with tall buildings on each side. Between AT+T and Nation's Bank, it lost all birds. The Magellan, though basically gave up downtown. I'm sure glad that I was not depending on it. In short, I'd suggest you pass on the attractively-priced Magellan GPS-2000. If you're looking for a nice hand-held, the Garmin GPS-40 or it's almost identical twin with the better antenna, the Garmin GPS-35, still hold this field. However, as my sainted father used to say, "Nothing is completely useless. It can always be used as a bad example." That's my fear as I watch scores of enthusiastic sportsmen scooping up GPS-2000s. Chuck Gollnick KA7QEN (opinions expressed are mine. Get your own.)