Journal forged's Journal: Review of the Casio Satellite Navi GPS 9
Sensitivity is bad. I mean, really bad. The antenna is approx. 1.5 x 3 cm in size and as such, reception is a problem. You have to be in the middle of very open & flat land for it to work the first time. It took me 2 days to realize this, before the device could successfully lock in to 3 satellites and perform its first measurement.. (If you must know, it was N5054'37.7" x E0428'13.6"). I had to hold the watch up in the air for ages (15 minutes or so) in the middle of a field, for it to acquire its first data.
Now that it knows where it is, following fixes are a lot quicker. I can even put it on the dashboard under the windscreen, and it still works ! This morning I drove to work (in urban area) with the watch on the dashboard, and it acquired its position within a few minutes.
The watch features and data sheet are impressive. Casio certainely have a point: everything fits into a very small form factor. But don't expect the same features and speed of acquisition like even the cheapest Garmin or Magellan hand-held units, which provide cartography functions. This toy will give you your position and that's it.
I have found numerous GPS resources on the web. Rather than sharing my bookmarks, I prefer to give the URL for the GPS Enthusiasts Webring which has most of the good links already.
The street price for the PAT2GP-1V is $499, but you can get it online for a lot cheaper. The item is listed on pricewatch. I got mine from partshelf.com for $319.95 plus shipping.
Things I like:
- It's not that big, and very comfortable to wear.
- It feels expensive (and it is
- Much improved since previous version: smaller, waterproof, slicker.
- Programming the watch using the menus isn't bad, except for entering text which is painfully slow.
- The battery is rechargeable.
Things I dislike:
- It's a watch which I will use for primarily reading the time from. But the clock ticker is very small to read: it's the 3rd line of display out of 5. I wish there was a full-screen option for the clock, but there isn't.
- The small antenna limits its gain and sensitivity. You can get your position while outdoor in an open area, but don't expect anything in urban areas or under foliage cover.
- The satellites acquisition is slow and often requires several attempts.
- The casing is made of plastic, and will scratch easilly.
- The software shipping with the watch is outdated, there are no integrated mapping capabilities. So you have to export coordinates into a csv file and import them into your mapping software. Duh.
- There are no Windows NMEA-0183 drivers, so you can't use this GPS receiver to link to your favourite navigation software.
N50°54'37.7" x E04°28'13.6" (Score:2)
Whats the weather like if you don't mind me asking?
Re:N50°54'37.7" x E04°28'13.6" (Score:2)
Today is cloudy and not hot, like you should expect from Belgium ! But it isn't raining, so I can't complain :->
Re:Salut, fieux (Score:2)
I bought the device directly in the US through a friend who came to visit a few weeks later.
Can you believe that it retails for 608 EUR over here ?? And it isn't available for import right now (I asked Casio directly who couldn't give me a schedule). Go figure :-(
Ouch (Score:1)
I tend to go through watches rather quickly.
My last 'waterproof' watch gave up the ghost and got bubbles in it, but it dried out two or three months later (I had gotten a new watch by then. . .
By comparison my wristband is one of the original model flexible link wrist bands ever made, my Grandfather originally got it long before I was born, he was one of those "have to have it NOW!" type of people who likely would have fit in well on
I am still looking for a good waterproof stainless steel analog invincible watch that sells for under, say, $20. . . . ^_^
Oh yes and it has to have Indiglo as well, no point in owning a watch if it does not have a light of some sort installed for its face.
Re:Ouch (Score:1)
For many years I was very fond of Timex sports watches (the Triathlon models). They weren't stainless steel but plastic, however I would keep each one for 5 years. What I liked was the indoglo lighting, the 100m waterproof which meant that they were *really* waterproof (kept it 24/7 even under shower, at the beach etc.) and they were reasonnable cheap, eg. ~50 EUR.
The only thing is that I had to change the wriststrap every year or so, but that was a very minor thing. The body of the watch was very tough.
If I ever break the Casio (not that I intend to do so ;) I'll go back for a Timex. Or one of those Seiko Kinetic :)
Re:Ouch (Score:1)
The current one that I am using is just a regular old Timex Iddiglo and it has lasted longer then my more expensive model. . .
A lot less buttons on it too, heh, but what it does have works (one dial to adjust time, and a button to turn on the light.)
The sliding wrist strap helps though, since I am able to slide it up my wrist quickly whenever I wash my hands or do any dirty work.