Caching With My New Globalsat Bt-338

[+Cache Heads]

So, after giving up my eXplorist 600 I decided to go for something cheap to hold us over until we find out what's up with this new Garmin 'x' series. I decided to go for a GlobalSat BT-338 bluetooth GPS receiver to use with the Treo 650 that I already owned. The GlobalSat set me back about $100 and is slightly bigger than a 9-volt battery. The idea was that I could eventually install TomTom Navigator 5 on the Treo and use it for auto-routing to caches and then when I finally get the new handheld GPSr, that would become the primary caching tool. Here's my experience so far:

 

Getting a lock: when I start the GlobalSat up it takes only a few seconds for it to get a lock. It will usually have a lock on 6-8 satellites in less than 30 seconds. If I turn it off and then back on within a few minutes, lock time is virtually instant. So far, the most birds that I have been able to track at once is 14-- although the unit is supposed to be able to track 20. I have turned the unit on in my living room and still got a 3d lock within seconds (although it only found 5 birds as opposed to 14 outdoors).

 

Keeping a lock: the GlobalSat seems to keep a lock in almost any situation. I have tested it in my apartment, in my garage and on a 6 mile hike in and out of a canyon-- at no point did I lose my 3d fix. It certainly tracks more sats outdoors with a clear view of the sky, but I can throw the thing in my pocket, my bag or my glove compartment and it still updates my position every second.

 

Accuracy: there are upsides and downsides on accuracy for this particular model. The upside is that the accuracy rarely drifts beyond 30 ft. or so. The worst accuracy I've seen was 47 ft., and that was in a garage. Usually the EPE will hang out around 20 ft. The only beef I have is that the GlobalSat BT-338 claims to be WAAS enabled and even has a WAAS toggle, but I've yet to track a WAAS bird and I've yet to see the accuracy drop below 20 ft. I don't believe that the unit is really doing what it says it can do when it comes to WAAS, but I have yet to take this up with GlobalSat. With that said, out of the 4 caches that I hunted (3 in the mountains and 1 urban micro) with the GlobalSat, I ended up zeroing out within feet (2-10) of the cache on every one.

 

Navigation: the only setback with the GlobalSat BT-338 and navigation is the non-magnetic compass. You've got to be moving in order for it to point you in the right direction, which made me miss my excellently engineered electro-magnetic Magellan compass.

 

Caching with the Palm: I have not yet ventured into the auto-routing capabilities of a Treo 650 with TomTom Navigator, which I expect (and hope) will be the best use for this setup. But I have to say that I am very impressed with the unit as a handheld caching device. The Palm (Treo) will communicate with the bluetooth receiver even when the receiver is stuck in a pocket or a bag (I clipped it to the shoulder strap on my pack), so the only device that I'm actually carrying around and looking at is the Treo-- and in that one device I have my Palm, my phone, my GPSr, my camera, my camcorder, a notepad, a calculator, an mp3 player, a web browser, a voice recorder and a map/.pdf viewing tool ! It's not quite a rugged as most handheld GPSrs, but with the right case it can certainly survive a decent fall (which I quickly tested ). Currently, the only software I have installed for caching on the Palm is CacheMate with the CacheNav plugin. Altogether this powerful software package set me back a whopping $8-- and it does almost everything that I could ask for, all in one device. It will let me search for all the caches nearest to my location (gets location from the GPSr), allowing filters for distance, bearing, found status and category. Once the list is compiled, I can choose the cache (CacheMate tells me how far and in what direction it is), check out the description and engage "Go To" mode. In "Go To" mode, the CacheNav plugin takes over and points me towards the cache using the familiar compass screen that we are all accustomed to on our Magellan/Garmin units, reporting accuracy, speed, bearing, elevation and distance all the while. If I want to check past logs or a hint, I just switch screens for a second and then switch back to "Go To" mode. From there it's just "follow the arrow to the cache"! Beyond CacheMate, there are tons and tons of software options for caching with Palm devices. I've heard of people using Mapopolis, TomTom, GeoNiche (specifically for caching and off-road) and others-- some of these offer maps and auto-routing (which CacheMate can't offer), but obviously you pay for it. I also found National Geographic's Pocket TOPO! to be useful, although it is not yet compatible with bluetooth GPSrs on Palm devices (a feature that is available for Pocket PC users and that NG says is coming for Palm very soon).

 

In summary, the Sirf iii chipset in the GlobalSat BT-338 makes it a satellite tracking freak and gives me great hope for the new Garmins that are rumored to use the same technology. There is no doubt that the ability to get reception indoors will open up a whole new world of cache hiding possibilities. If you already own a bluetooth enabled Palm device and are looking for an inexpensive way to turn it into a handheld GPSr (or if you are looking to consolidate your many devices into one), I would certainly consider looking at the GlobalSat or equivalent (Holux makes one that gets great marks). A rugged and dedicated handheld GPSr (like Magellans or Garmins) will always have its advantages over a more fragile Palm or Pocket PC setup, but after caching with the Palm I now see that it has its own advantages as well!

 

(Edit: a note on battery consumption: both the Treo and the GlobalSat were at about half battery after 6 hours of continuous use. Of course, if I was using the Treo to listen to music and talk on the phone while caching that would change things significantly. It is important to note that both of these devices use cheap, easily replaceable li-ion batteries and that I was able to buy a USB battery box that will charge both 5 times using 4 AA batteries.)

 

Hope this info helps those who are looking for something beyond the Garmin/Magellan/Lowrence offerings. I wouldn't say that one is better than the other, but it's nice to have lots of options! Happy Caching!

Edited December 11, 2005 by Cache Heads

[+JDandDD]

Here's my experience so far:

 

Getting a lock: when I start the GlobalSat up it takes only a few seconds for it to get a lock.  It will usually have a lock on 6-8 satellites in less than 30 seconds.  If I turn it off and then back on within a few minutes, lock time is virtually instant.  So far, the most birds that I have been able to track at once is 14-- although the unit is supposed to be able to track 20.  I have turned the unit on in my living room and still got a 3d lock within seconds (although it only found 5 birds as opposed to 14 outdoors).

 

Keeping a lock:  the GlobalSat seems to keep a lock in almost any situation.  I have tested it in my apartment, in my garage and on a 6 mile hike in and out of a canyon-- at no point did I lose my 3d fix.  It certainly tracks more sats outdoors with a clear view of the sky, but I can throw the thing in my pocket, my bag or my glove compartment and it still updates my position every second.

 

I've been looking at this model so your post is really useful and verifies what I was thinking about. The amazing thing is you say you put it in your glove compartment and it kept a lock?!? So it works fine in a car obviously, what about accuracy in the car?

 

Thanks for the lengthy review!!

 

JD of JDandDD

[+oneeyesquare]

Hey, glad you like it. I've had mine since spring. Outperforms my 60C handily...

 

Too bad your on Plam. Some handy tools for SIRF III posted over at GPSPassion to toggle Waas and static nav.

 

Good luck converting the masses. There's some sort of weird PDA/caching phobia ("Don't do it you'll break it!!!!"). Nicely written review!

[+Hynr]

Hi Cache Heads, Thanks for the post. I have been eyeing a TREO but gave up on it for reasons that are not relevant here. I do cache with a Palm PDA (the Garmin iQue 3600) and am one of those that oneeyesquare refers to as not being a great fan of it because of having already broken a few. But I can see the possibilities, especially with your comment about battery life (the biggest problem of the iQue).

 

Also, one other question: can the GlobalSat talk to several PDAs at once? If my partner and I each have a bluetooth enabled handheld device, could both get the GPS signal from one GlobalSat as long as we are close enough to each other?

[+oneeyesquare]

Also, one other question: can the GlobalSat talk to several PDAs at once? If my partner and I each have a bluetooth enabled handheld device, could both get the GPS signal from one GlobalSat as long as we are close enough to each other?

 

Not with the Globalsat... Emtac/Socket offered a "trine" model last year that allowed up to 3 connects. Not worth it, IMO, as you have to stay +/- 30' of each other. Hard to do when you're focused on a likely spot and your companion(s) are looking elswheres.

 

Sorry to hear about your breakage. Aquapac, aquapac, aquapac.....

[+Cache Heads]

So it works fine in a car obviously, what about accuracy in the car?

It works great in the car. Like I said, accuracy always seems to hang out between 20-30 ft, which is just fine for car navigation-- and yes, it will keep a lock in the glovebox. It's when I'm on foot searching for a cache that the BT-338 could use the boost that a WAAS lock would give it. It's supposed to be WAAS enabled, but I haven't gotten a WAAS lock. I am contacting Semson's and GlobalSat about that today.

 

 

Too bad your on Plam. Some handy tools for SIRF III posted over at GPSPassion to toggle Waas and static nav.

 

So, are you saying that the WAAS function doesn't work on the Palm? That would be unfortunate. The unit came with "GPSInfo", which has a toggle for WAAS-- but it doesn't seem to do anything. Also, the new Sirf iii firmware is supposed to have static navigation turned off by default, along with adding the WAAS functionality. I'm not sure if that ended up being the case or not. I will check out GPSPassion and see what they are saying over there. I am also going to call Semson's and GlobalSat about this.

 

I'll keep you all posted!

[+oneeyesquare]

No, more to let you know there are Wmobile tools available. I did a cursory check for Plam stuff and NADA, but you might do better. There also a PC based program mentioned at GPSPAssion. Little further into GPS geekdom than I want to go...

 

I have never paid attention to WAAS sats with mine. Under Navio, it was rock solid and quicker to land me at the coords than the Garmin. Under the latest Beeline, I'm not so sure, seems to wander more, but it's been overcast and snowy and caching companions were't zeroing in very tight either. I did install the toggle utility just for kicks. My Globalsat is an early one and I know it has older firmware on it. Do some playing next cache day.

[+Cache Heads]

Spoke to Semson's about the WAAS situation and they told me that they can adjust my firmware so that WAAS is always enabled with no need to re-toggle it. I'm not quite sure why the unit is packaged with software that doesn't work, but I'm glad that they are willing to take care of it. I live in SoCal, so I'm going in there in person on Wed-- will post again then!

[+Greymane]

Also, one other question: can the GlobalSat talk to several PDAs at once?

Even though the device is working through Bluetooth, it is treated like a serial connection. Thus, the device has a two-way connection which means it is dedicated to one device. It is not hard to make multiple ports on a BT device, but not something most people look for, so manufacturers to not pursue it.

 

I agree with oneeyesquare on the Aquapac. Great piece of protection. If you need more rugged protection, I would recommend one of these:

 

Otterbox 1900 Series

Edited December 13, 2005 by Greymane

[+Cache Heads]

Stopped by Semson's today and they adjusted my firmware so the unit is now permanently WAAS enabled. The CacheNav status screen reports that I have a DGPS lock, which it did not before-- so it seems to be working. Only strange thing is that my accuracy doesn't seem to have improved.

 

I am going to test it out for the next couple of days and will report my progress. I'm interested in hearing from others using the same unit. What kind of EPE numbers are people getting out there?