Let me start out by saying I am not an electronics and technology kind of guy. If it needs batteries then they will die when you need something to work the most. If it's electric and "water proof" the seals will break when you least expect it - and at the most inopportune time. With that said, there are times when I'd love to be able to climb into any vehicle and know that I had a functioning GPS system. Sure, there are some high dollar tools that will do that, but now, with my laptop and the GPS Navigation Receiver from AmbiCom I can do that with any vehicle I get into any time I need to.
What took me most by surprise was how easy the piece of equipment was to use. And oddly enough, for what it was supposed to do, I couldn't believe it was as simple in appearance. That black box and cord pictured to the right is the whole thing. It comes in a compact package with a CD containing the necessary software and an installation guide that is out of this world... and I'm being sarcastic. The installation guide is the same dimensions as a CD case and is a whopping eight pages long if you count the front and back covers.
The GPS Receiver plugs into your laptop by way of a USB port and is functional with several different types of GPS software to include:
- AmbiCom navigator Pro
- Microsoft Streets and Trips 2006 (or newer)
- DeLorme Street Atlas USA 2006 (or newer)
In fact, what seemed the most important bit of information in all of the technical talk that accompanies the GPS Receiver is that it works with all "NMEA 0183" compliant software. With that said, let me add in a few of the features listed in the published material about the unit and I'll add my own comments as I go.
20 parallel satellites channels: I'm not 100% sure what this means, but I'm pretty sure that it's a whole lot better than the unit only functioning on ONE satellite channel. I think redundancy is good.
Plug-n-Play GPS: provided you have the software as detailed above, it really is as simple as installing the software and then plugging the unit in.
Small footprint integrated high sensitivity antenna with magnetic base: This means that it isn't very big but performs well. It's a true statement per my testing.
Low power consumption and water-resistant: both good things that I won't expand on. If you don't get it, you don't get it.
I had to laugh when I saw the list of potential applications that was published by AmbiCom for the unit. There are nine listed potential applications but virtually all of them have to do with navigation. The bottom line for all of them is that if you can have your laptop powered up and secured from movement, and have the AmbiCom GPS Receiver hooked up to it, you can track where you are, where you've been and where you're going. The applications that I wouldn't normally have thought about that caught my eye were Fleet Management, Geographic Surveying, and use as a Mapping Device.
There are a page's worth of technical information available that I'm not going to duplicate here. It is all available on the AmbiCom webpage. I did a Google search for the unit to get some idea of pricing, thinking that most GPS units aren't cheap. This is a receiver only and guess what? I found it as low as $43 pretty quick. So if that sounds like your idea of a cost effective GPS unit, and you already have the laptop / navigation software to make it work, what's slowing you down? You certainly won't be getting lost!
Check AmbiCom out. They have plenty of other interesting electronic items you may find useful.
Stay safe!
