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HandyGPS Pro


Tue Oct 30, 2001 - 9:53 AM EST - By Scott Hanselman

Satellite Acquisition

As with the HandyGPS, Once you have the module inserted, using the module is fairly straightforward. Upon insertion, the HandyGPS application runs and initializes. The first thing you want to do is set the closest location and time offset in Setup. This speeds the process of getting a fix from nearby GPS satellites. I didn't have any trouble acquiring a satellite lock. Of course, you need to have an open view of the sky to get a solid fix on the satellites. A lock of at least 3 satellites is required to get a good fix on your location, and a 4 satellites allows altitude to be calculated. The HandyGPS Pro is fairly speedy as GPSs go, and I was able to acquire a lock in Portland, OR in about 60 seconds.

GPS Accuracy

The HandyGPS, like all GPSs that can take advantage of the new accuracy provided us since the US Government turned off the obfuscators, is ridiculously good. I was able to calculate accuracy down to about 15 meters or less. If you're into GeoCaching (searching for buried treasure with only lat/long coordinates to guide you) you'll appreciate that kind of accuracy.

It's probably not specific to the HandyGPS Pro, but I was particularly impressed with the accuracy of the speed indicators. I have a new Toyota Prius, which presumably has an accurate speedometer. The speed reported by my Toyota's speedometer consistently agreed with the speed reported by the GPS. I found this to be pretty impressive.

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Product Info
Details

»	Name HandyGPS Pro
»	Company Nexian
»	Accuracy About 11m
»	Protocol NMEA V2.2 Navicom proprietary protocol
»	Power Rechargeable Li-ion battery
»	Hard Cover Compatible No
»	Size 2.15" W X 3.07" H X 1.7" D
»	Acquisition time Hot start 8 seconds, Warm start 39 seconds, Cold start 66 seconds
»	Fact Sheet & User Opinions

Availability

»	Unknown

Pricing

»	$229.99 (with Street Finder)
»	$199 (with UbiGo)

References
Related Articles

»	Review: HandyGPS

Links

Nexian

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