GPS ?

[dmkellett 0]

Hi , ive searched the threads for info on gps units being used for wingsuit flights currently and it seems the garmin etrex vista is the one to buy..... just wondered if anyone knows of a better one i should consider before i buy the garmin???
Cheers

Darren

[Tonto 1]

You're probably right. I bought a Venture long before I started jumping wingsuits, and it's done an OK job so far.

t

It's the year of the Pig.

[kevin922 0]

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Hi , ive searched the threads for info on gps units being used for wingsuit flights currently and it seems the garmin etrex vista is the one to buy..... just wondered if anyone knows of a better one i should consider before i buy the garmin???
Cheers

Darren

Well I was working on the flytrack project here and was using a earthmate GPS with a palm. I had a lot of problems with this with respect to the sync times, etc. THe data transformation was great, but it was a big pain to use.

I've since moved to the garmin, but haven't had time to try and make the data transformation work for my needs.

The gps works great though.

[KrisFlyZ 0]

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Hi , ive searched the threads for info on gps units being used for wingsuit flights currently and it seems the garmin etrex vista is the one to buy..... just wondered if anyone knows of a better one i should consider before i buy the garmin???
Cheers

Darren

From my experience I would say, do not buy a vista. It is a pain in the butt to mount and too big. Get a forerunner(or foretrex 201), these are small units and you can wear it like an alti on either wrist.

I used to wear my foretrex 201 on my right wrist (pull hand). With the S3, I wear it on my ankle facing the sky.

Happy Logging,
Kris.

Edited to add : The GPS performance of the Foretrex 201 units is quite good.

[leoholanda 0]

Also, they are much cheaper than eTrex Vista!
I noticed that the forerunner and foretrax units are quite similar. What are the main differences between them?

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Hi , ive searched the threads for info on gps units being used for wingsuit flights currently and it seems the garmin etrex vista is the one to buy..... just wondered if anyone knows of a better one i should consider before i buy the garmin???
Cheers

Darren

From my experience I would say, do not buy a vista. It is a pain in the butt to mount and too big. Get a forerunner(or foretrex 201), these are small units and you can wear it like an alti on either wrist.

I used to wear my foretrex 201 on my right wrist (pull hand). With the S3, I wear it on my ankle facing the sky.

Happy Logging,
Kris.

Edited to add : The GPS performance of the Foretrex 201 units is quite good.

Leo Holanda

[dmkellett 0]

Thanks, ill look into the forerunner. do these wrist mounted versions have a barometric function as well and can you plot position and altitude together when you transfer the info onto the PC??

Cheers
Darren

[KrisFlyZ 0]

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Thanks, ill look into the forerunner. do these wrist mounted versions have a barometric function as well and can you plot position and altitude together when you transfer the info onto the PC??

Cheers
Darren

The GPS logs altitude, it is not a barometric altimeter though. The mapsource software however does not plot altitude and position together.

Kris

[leoholanda 0]

What about eTrex Vista? Does it have possibility to plot altitude and position together? What about foretrex? I also saw in technical specs of foretrex that it is waterproof!

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The GPS logs altitude, it is not a barometric altimeter though. The mapsource software however does not plot altitude and position together.

Kris

Leo Holanda

[vesatoro 0]

I'm using the FRWD gps and heart rate recorder.
www.frwd.com

Vesa

"Fear is the path to the Dark side"
(Master Yoda)

[unclecharlie109 0]

I have an eTrex Vista.

I cable tie it to the top of my helmet. Switch it on and forget about it.

Very satisfied with the results, suitable for guiding you to the exit point also.

Not so great for driving you need you passenger to adopt a robotized voice and interpret the directions a la: "you missed the turning you dumb a*ss"

J

[dmkellett 0]

hmmm, i had a look at the FRWD that Vesatoro suggested but it seem a little expensive. if im not mistaken the functions are the same as the etrek vista but you dont have a screen ie. its only a data logger.... seems a little much for just logging capabilities.. however does the vista log altitiude and posistion each time it samples as if it does im sold. (got lost last year on the way up to exit point 6 Kjerag so i think its other functions are going to be helpfull!!)

Darren

[vesatoro 0]

Yes, it's a bit expensive. But having no LCD screen and only one button it's maybe more durable and simpler to use in aircraft and under canopy. During the flight there's not too much time to play with buttons. And it's got a heart rate meter too :)

Vesa

"Fear is the path to the Dark side"
(Master Yoda)

[leoholanda 0]

Looks like FRWD is exactly the goal of Kevin's flytrack project, wasn't it? It's just perfect for us birdmen! One simple one touch button. All the rest is made with the computer for analysis.
Although, the price is a little out of reality, comparing to other powerful devices from other makes.

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Yes, it's a bit expensive. But having no LCD screen and only one button it's maybe more durable and simpler to use in aircraft and under canopy. During the flight there's not too much time to play with buttons. And it's got a heart rate meter too :)

Vesa

Leo Holanda

[LouDiamond 1]

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however does the vista log altitiude and posistion each time it samples

Yes, pretty much all of them do. You get an altitude, speed, direction and grid coordinate position and maybe one or two others things. Do a search in this forum, I have posted screen grabs using the Garmin and the software from BirdMan flights with all the data stream on it.


The FWRD is nice, very simple to use, pretty cool software but it is really expensive in comparrison to other units out there but it does have a niche that it fills. Something better is supposedly coming down the pipe some time soon so stay tuned

"It's just skydiving..additional drama is not required"
Some people dream about flying, I live my dream
SKYMONKEY PUBLISHING

[KrisFlyZ 0]

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Something better is supposedly coming down the pipe some time soon so stay tuned

Scott, that is sooooo not right. Atleast give us a hint.

Kris.

[ernokaikkonen 0]

I'm using Garmin's Geko301. It's smaller(less than half the weight) and slightly cheaper than the eTrex Vista, while it still has a barometric altimeter in it.

If you don't need the maps the Geko301 would be worth considering.

[flyinfishman 0]

Forerunner 201.
It's small, wrist mount, does everything you'll need and is easy to use.

It's only 140.00 and USA photomaps is free.
http://www.jdmcox.com/


It logs altitude (from GPS) so if you really want to look at your track in 3D you can use the free demo version of topofusion.

Photomaps is the best. You get a clear satellite photo of your track, not a topographical map, plus it does all sorts of other crap.

The latest version of photomaps lets you drag your cursor over the track and will display the time, speed, distance from the start of the track, and altitude...and it's free..I'm a cheapskate.
JIM

[leoholanda 0]

Hello all. I live in Brazil. Yesterday, the foretrex I bought has arrived here. I have not jumped with it yet but have made some tests.

It does not have barometric altimeter, but if the track points info is being acquired correctly by the GPS system, so does the altitude info. With Garmin's mapsource software is not possible to plot position and altitude together, but it is only a software limitation, other software can do that.

Also I saw it is possible to plot a 3D and make similar analysis just like FRWD software (with other software). See attached picture of the data I gathered today with my motorcycle going to work. It does have the elevation information and can be plotted in 3D.

To wingsuit skydivers, I think that all the measurements made by FRWD are unuseful. It doesn't matter for me to know air temperature. Also I noticed that the air temperature is wrong: the demo version of FRWD software comes with a real wingsuit jump sample. The air temperature is hotter when the skydiver leaves the airplane, and colder when reaches the ground . This is beacause there is not enough time to the thermometer to acquire the real temperature in each second. That is, if you will use it only for wingsuit flights you are paying too much (FRWD is more than $1000 while foretrex is $130) for some features that will make no difference.

Even FRWD has only a button, it does not mean it is more simple to use. You have to push the button the right time you want it to start logging the data, because, when you download, you can not edit the tracking points to delete extra data. Also data format exchanged by FRWD is not market standard, so only the FRWD software can read it. With foretrex you do not need even to push any button, it is always logging the movements. And when you connect it to the computer you can consider only the data in respect to the jump. Also you can choose any of dozens software available because the data exchange format is well known by the market.

The conclusion I had: FRWD is not for wingsuit skydivers (unless you don't have other things to do with your money

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Forerunner 201.
It's small, wrist mount, does everything you'll need and is easy to use.

It's only 140.00 and USA photomaps is free.
http://www.jdmcox.com/


It logs altitude (from GPS) so if you really want to look at your track in 3D you can use the free demo version of topofusion.

Photomaps is the best. You get a clear satellite photo of your track, not a topographical map, plus it does all sorts of other crap.

The latest version of photomaps lets you drag your cursor over the track and will display the time, speed, distance from the start of the track, and altitude...and it's free..I'm a cheapskate.
JIM

Leo Holanda