[gps-talkusers] More impressions of the gps/pk setup:

I was speaking with a GPS engineer recently from a different company than Delorme and he brought up a curious point. He said one of the problems with hand held or body worn GPS antennas is that human tissue detunes signal reception. The GPS antennas are optimized to be on the roof of a car and work better if they have what is called a ground plain, some sort of metal background. Once you put the receiver and antenna next to the body, the tissue and high concentration of liquid reduces the signal reception.

I think the Earthmate works incredibly well on one's shoulder if it is indeed detuned a bit by the body. If there is something to this theory, I do respect this engineer, it is worth comparing acquisition time of the receiver by placing it away from the body and on a metal surface when possible. For example, if you are in a parking lot or on a curb next to a parked car, try putting the antenna on the car. Just make sure it doesn't drive away or the owner doesn't get upset.

I have not been able to get an Earthmate engineer to tell me if this human tissue detuning is something they compensated for or not. Certainly, the Earthmate more than other receivers is commonly handheld or on a person. Maybe this is why it works better than most other receivers.

Either way, when I am waiting for a signal to be acquired, I like having something I can try if acquisition is slow. Perhaps putting the receiver on a cartop will help with reception or at least help with my patience. This is of course a lot easier to do with a Bluetooth receiver than a serial one.

Mike




At 08:48 PM 6/25/2005, you wrote:
Hi folks!
This is one very happy sendero customer, believe me. The gps in this unit just seems to be operating so much more smoothly. It also helps that I found the section in the command summary wherethe one-handed commands for heading and distance and the like are.
Anyway, I just love how effortlessly this program is running. On the old Braille Note we had almost no problems with version 3 and the lockup but you somehow knew it was a slightly different program but this pk and the windows ce 4 has virtually eliminated all of that.
There is one thing which grabs my patience and I am pretty sure it is my location rather than any computer or receiver problem and this was true with the earthmate as well. But, the satellites take an awful long time to come up, at least 10 to 15 minutes and it doesn't matter what time of day this is.
But, as I have said I think it is my location which is doing this. I'll know more after I take this around the lanes of the village where my Ohio apartment is and I have no idea when we will get back there.
Anyway, its hot out and I walked at 5 minutes to 8 this evening and didn't even draw a sweat.

Mary Ellen Earls
Remember! Today is the Tomorrow you thought about yesterday.




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