Hands-On Review QSTARZ BT-Q1000 GPS and Data Logger
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Already a while ago we got the opportunity to review the new Qstarz BT-Q1000 GPS and Data Logger. Benelux importer DigiTrading was kind enough to send me one for that review. Due to circumstances the review was not written until today.
The review was not very technical, but for all very practical. I am a long time and heavy user and wanted to know how easy it was to use or not, and how to get data from the GPS into the computer and work/play with it.
We took the BT-Q1000 for a spin. A local round and an abroad round (on the way to Frankfurt am Main (FFM)/ Germany, about 1200 km back and forth, in August) were the ideal ways to try some things out.
BOXING
When you see the box, you get the idea to buy something real nice. The black box with white letters and the folding front with a little window that shows the GPS.
When you open the box you can see that the gear is very complete:
- 110-240V adapter
- usb cable
- 12v car adapter
- mini-cd with drivers and Travel Recorder PC Utility program
- quick start sheet
- manual booklet
- little neoprene pouch to put GPS in
I like it when you don’t have to think of how to get a car adapter. It is in the little things, like this little neoprene pouch, so you can put the GPS in your pocket to have it stay there to do it’s work. My bluetooth GPS mouse is in my pocket always. In fact you could use the pouch to put the GPS to your key chain! ;-)
The 110/220 power- and the 12V car adapter have a great length to be very practical. The usb cable is a bit on the short side, I think.
(manuals and pouch are not on the picture)
USING
As it is always a good idea to fully power up a new device this is what I did: one night on (European) 220 volts, but about 3 hours would have been enough.
After that the use of the BT-Q1000 is as easy as turning your television on. Just switch the button to NAV for navigation or LOG for logging, like always.
(here on it’s brother, the Qstarz BT-Q810)
If you are going to use it for logging you can load it and switch it on, but it is better to use the configuration tool on your computer first. This makes it possible to design the data structure better than the standard settings, which is every second and you only ;-) have 10.000 waypoints to log.
BUTTONS
The Q-1000 only holds two buttons and three lights. The first button is to choose the function of the device, navigation
or logging (picture – see under using) and the seconds is to the on top red button that records POI‘s. The idea of this POI-button is nice, but I didn’t use it that much. It is a very easy
SOFTWARE
Qstarz supplies the Q-1000 with (of course) drivers and its Travel Recorder PC Utility software. The software makes it possible to fine tune the data reception for the purpose you want. It has some standard configuration options, but you can make you own choices and send this configuration to the GPS mouse.
Okay, this is nice, but how do you get the data you collected back to you computer? When you have been configuring your GPS, you already installed the software. Now you connect the GPS with the USB cable and go to the Data Log List tab.
You suck the data to your desktop or notebook computer and choose the range of waypoints you want to use. Push the Draw Map button and Travel Recorder will send the waypints to Google Earth (not Google Maps!) straight away.
(do not watch the black straight lines, but the black meandering lines from The Netherlands to Cologne (Köln) and from there to Frankfurt am Main.)
VERDICT
Pros:
- Easy to use
- Nice and small
- Strong and fast reception of satellites (really hardcore!)
- multi-tasking (navigating AND logging at the same time!)
- Fine pair of accessories
Cons:
- Windows only (for configuration I mean)
- Very short USB cable
With a big Thank You to DigiTrading, official importer in The Netherlands.
You can find Benelux dealer addresses HERE
P.S.
A nice thing brought a smile to my face. ;-) The importer told me he did send me a fresh one (thanks a lot!) to take for a ride. It hadn’t been fresh here only, but not long before that the GPS was still at the manufacturer in Taiwan. There had been no reason not to believe him, but I had the proof in the GPS… ;-D
(check the black line, which is a point-to-point from Taiwan to The Netherlands)
