Discussion: Screenless GPS recorder with a barometric altimeter

Do these exist?

I don't have time to look through the search results, but it looks like this search might be a place to start---Add more companies if you know them. Something simpler like "barometric GPS logger" also might work. It took me a while to rediscover these things are called GPS loggers. GPS trackers seem to be all cellular now.

(globalsat.OR.royaltek.OR.qstarz.OR.iGotU).AND.(barometric.OR.barometer)

This looks promising, from searching "barometric gps logger": http://www.ebay.com/itm/i-gotU-GT-820-Pro-GPS-Logg...

Is carrying a screenless GPS logger still against rogaine rules?

The GT-820 is not screenless :(

Anything with a compass is not going to meet T/D's requirements. (How about if you get one with a screen, and break the screen?)

A little curious as to why you want the barometric altimeter. Are you planning leave the ground? Or just don't trust the elevation model?

I bought a couple of GPS loggers from DX.COM this spring, they are combined USB+Bluetooth so that I can use them with my Surface Pro for ocad survey work.

I intentionally ordered two different models, with different gps chipsets, one of them did not work and is currently in the RMA pipeline, the other was a Holux RCV-3000 which has worked perfectly.

The tracking ability underneath wet forest canopy seems to be similar to my various Garmin gps units (both watches and a Montana).

That doesn't seem to have a barometric altimeter, though.

@J-J: T-D has mentioned in other places that areas with 1-minute or 1/3-minute DEMs aren't good enough (but the 1/9-minute DEMs are excellent).

Yes, for accuracy, both trail runs and mapping, in both cases for places where there is no 1/9" DEM.

Here's an example of a problem child of the elevation model. At 27.5 km, I am evidently going into the drainage and back out, whereas in reality (as shown by Google's terrain) I am on top of a dam. The faulty model is most likely the 1/3" model, the 1/9" model exists at the location and Google terrain uses it.

Looks like the model rocketry world has the part sources to build your own: http://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?55680-...

With just GPS, altimeter, MicroSD, and battery it could probably be built on an Arduino Nano. Break out the soldering gun and put your programming hat on! I'd buy one.

I have enough soldering/programming projects to keep me fed. Was hoping for a break from work. P.S. Qualified engineers don't Arduino :)

Heh. Indeed, you could make the whole thing a LOT smaller, more reliable, longer-lived (battery-wise particularly) and single-purpose without the Arduino architecture as well. But time-to-delivery can be pretty darned quick with the lego-like, stackable world of Arduino/Pi/whatever. And I'm not a qualified engineer so wouldn't have to work through all of the wincing/cringing/eyerolling that a 'qualified engineer' would while working with these toys. ;)

http://arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/YunDatalogger

And you can get pretty crazy with the module stacking. Maybe video and cellular, and wear it on your head for live GPS and video (and barometric pressure, of course) streaming! :) Of course they would cost $300 each, weigh 12 oz., and need to be mounted atop a construction helmet. AWESOME for your larger model rocket, but ...

Rudolf Mössbauer got a Noble prize retrofitting stuff from the Heidelberg toy shop when he got tired of waiting for his qualified engineer to finish the job.

That engineer must not have had drawers full of toys.

Or did he have too many drawers full of toys?

SM GPS Logger2 as used in model airplanes (website is in German, sorry):

http://www.sm-modellbau.de/shop/product_info.php?p...

It's tiny capable of a lot more than you ask for, but has built in GPS and barometric pressure sensor. Instead of plugging it into an R/C receiver you can also just use it with a 3,6V-8,5V battery.

Thanks, this is super! Looks like I'll need a ~2200 mAh battery. Certainly beats Arduinoing. My German was insufficient to understand what the user interface is nor what the output data format is like, but I'm sure the manual will fill in.

At 60mA current draw, a 2200mAh battery will give you about 36h operating time. That should be plenty even for a 24h Rogaine. For most purposes a smaller single cell LiPo battery taped to the backside of the logger will do.
Here is the link to an English translation of the manual: http://www.f5b.co.uk/unilog-in-english.html
I don't have the device at hand, but it's easy to convert the log files to .kmz or .csv formats using the provided software or multi-device freeware such as LogView. If you don't have a computer at hand for a quick on-site review of the data or settings such as log rate there is a special user interface display: http://www.sm-modellbau.de/shop/product_info.php?p...

BTW, I am not affiliated with the company, just using their products for my model airplanes.
There are other devices on the market, too, such as the elogger ( http://www.eagletreesystems.com/index.php?route=pr... ), but these usually require separate sensor modules for GPS or air pressure.

Thanks!