Holux M-1200 test
Today I tested the Holux M-1200 gps logger.
The device looks very robust, I didn`t read any info about water resistance, but if you plan to mount it somewhere under the windshield should be ok. It has an “on-off” button and a button for marking a POI. The three leds mark gps connectivity, battery status and bluetooth connection. Regarding the functionality, is exactly what I wanted, it silently logs your position. A nice feature is that you can select the position to be logged either after specified number of seconds, or distance in meters, which is a very nice feature.
Android gps logger
If you are like me, and apart from the joy of the motorcycle ride you also like to savor the tours later on, checking the places and enjoying the photos, probably you have ran into the task of finding the perfect GPS solution for your needs. If not, trust me when I say is not easy. The solution that I am searching should help me get geottaged photos, have a full track of the ride, and gps system for getting me back on my way in need.
Many smartphones take geotagged photos, but even though now they have cameras that take pretty fine pictures, they can`t be compared with the photos of a DSLR camera. If you have your full ride tracked, you can geotag your pothos later on, using a program to match the time when photos was taken (from the exif data) with the location in your track. GPS systems for bikes are expensive, and I don`t consider them as a solution to log data for the whole tour. The better solution for me seems to be a small device that consumes little power and silently logs gps position.
For that today I downloaded two android apps and tested them on a Samsung Galaxy S. Here are the recorded tracks from both of them.
I put my phone in my outside chest pocket, using it in a inside pocked didn`t worked. The Move! Bike Computer recorded a more accurate track but maybe if I played a little more with the settings in Open Gps Tracker I could obtained a more detailed track there also. I think that both programs worked really well, and the results were satisfactory, but the problem is the phones batter life. For about 2 hours riding is consumed 45% of the battery.
Bottom line is that I don`t consider this to be a valid solution if you plan to make rides that would take many days. You need to keep the phone in an outside poket (pants upper pocket also didn`t worked), you will have to charge it alot, take care for the app not to be closed by mistake and so on, I think is to much hustle.
I have ordered the Holux M1200E gps logger. It logs gps data and also can be used as a gps received to be paired with a laptop via bluetooth. More on that when I`ll get a hold on it.
Around Cluj Napoca
Yesterday I had a terrible terrible day at work. A lot of work to get done so I needed to stay till evening. So I decided to get on the bike and take it for a ride. Nothing fancy, nothing spectacular, just a short spin to release some stress while searching mostly for tarmac free roads.
1st of May – Valea Ierii
The long break I took from riding my motorcycle finally came to an end today. I made a small trip with some friends (they were with cars), to a beautiful location not far from Cluj. I must say it was truly delightful and made me dream again of journeys with no worries and no destinations.
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