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 Tags >> Recon
Posted by: Charles Bonville
on Oct 25, 2010
Alex Johnson conducts a float test of the Recon rugged handheld computer. This test was conducted at scenic Yaquina Bay in Newport on Oregon's central coast.
Posted by: Charles Bonville
on Oct 22, 2010
I've been reading the recent Blog posts here at OutdoorRugged (O|R) and have been very amazed and impressed by the conservation and exploration going on around the world. I doubt many of us at Trimble/TDS would have imagined that our rugged handheld computers would find their way onto the belt loops, hip holsters and backpacks of so many explorers operating on the frontiers of exploration in the early 21st century.
Bear with me as I venture into "Star Trek" for a moment: I appears to me that our rugged handhelds are the tricorder of our modern age, particularly when they are mated with various third-party sensor devices--GPS receivers, temperature probes, cameras, etc. So perhaps the key frontier remaining for our rugged handhelds is the final frontier itself. Anyone here at O|R have friends at NASA? :-)
Coming back to more down-to-earth, First World applications, I have also enjoyed reading the posts about our rugged handhelds participating in the forefront of sports and human performance, and to improve the lives of millions, just a little bit, by enhancing the road system in the UK through more efficient data collection.
In today's world of Green initiatives throughout so many diverse industries and sectors, it's no longer about using technology to bend nature to our needs. Instead, it seems we're using technology to better understand nature's natural state and how to engineer our systems and machines to co-exist with nature as efficiently as possible. Whether its building a better boat, or doing a thorough inventory of a road system, the efforts have "efficiency" in common, a key concept in going Green.
Posted by: Guest
on Oct 18, 2010
This past April I made my 4th trip to Belize's Bladen Nature Reserve to participate in a program that began in 2005 to study migrant and resident bird populations. In addition, the project has expanded to focus on Harpy Eagles that are
Posted by: Charles Bonville
on Oct 15, 2010
Learn more about the OutdoorRugged web store where you can find the Nomad, Recon and Ranger rugged handheld computers and all their accessories.
Posted by: Guest
on Oct 11, 2010
I would like use this blog to share with you all how we are using the RECON to further conservation in Mexico. I have lived in Playa del Carmen Quintana Roo, Mexico for almost 15 years and am the Director of a non profit association dedicated to protecting the fresh water resources of this area through exploration, science and education (www.cindaq.org). Any of you that have visited this area will know that it is world renown for its incredible white sand beaches and Maya Temples. The hydrology of this area is fairly unique in that water (both fresh and salt) flow through flooded solution cave systems. Most peoples first impression of underwater caves and cave diving is that of small silty cavities, and thrill seeking adrenaline junkies that venture into them. The fact is, that the caves of this area are absolutely enormous and that those of us who are involved in the exploration of these caves could be used in a case study for risk management. To give you an idea of the enormity of the caves for this area, we currently have the 8th and 9th longest cave systems in the world. Sistema Ox Bel Ha has @170,000 meters of explored passageway while Sistema Sac Actun has over 155,000 meters. What is truly amazing is that these caves only began to be explored in the last 20 years and that they continue to grow on a yearly basis. For an in depth description on this areas caves visit the following website of the Quintana Roo Speleological Survey (http://www.caves.org/project/qrss/qrss.htm). So why are these caves important? Well, they serve as the link between every major ecosystem that we have for this region. The caves allow freshwater to flow from the jungle interior out to the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef which is the second longest barrier reef in the world. Due to the high porosity of limestone these caves are vulnerable to all kinds of contamination. In the case of Ox Bel Ha, which extends more than 9 kilometers from the beach back into the jungle, any contaminant that enters the cave system can potentially exit onto the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef. When you consider that Quintana Roo (The Riviera Maya, Cancun, Cozumel and the Costa Maya) generates 10-12% of Mexico's GNP, you can see that the conservation of the regions underground rivers is vital to the future economic sustainability of the area. Contamination is already being detected in the caves, the sources are from sewage and solid waste. This is what makes the exploration of the caves so very important.
Posted by: Charles Bonville
on Oct 08, 2010
Brooks McKee discusses the various CompactFlash cards that can be used in the Trimble Recon and Ranger handheld computers. Mentioned in this overview are several products, including the Socket BlueTooth card, Socket Wi-Fi card, a bar code scanner,
Posted by: Guest
on Sep 27, 2010
As a precision rifle firearms instructor, as well as a relatively new resident of Colorado, I utilize my Recon 400X for two main tasks, one, using Night Force's Ballistic Targeting Software, and two, locating areas that are safe for shooting, and also provide a diversified environment.
The Night Force Ballistic Targeting software is a straight forward and simple to use program that runs on the Windows Mobile 5 & 6 operating system. It is smooth in its operations and delivers extremely accurate elevation, windage, and lead adjustments, which is based on simple data that the user inputs into the software. The combination of the Recon 400X along with this software has been so successful, that not only do Hunter's in the know use it, but a great amount of US Military Shooters, as well as other Shooters under the NATO umbrella, utilize it as well. This is only one software application that runs seamlessly without locking up.
When I say "locking up," I mean freezing, until rebooting the system. Other types of PDA's were originally manufactured utilizing operating systems that were designed to be nothing more than glorified phone books. The TDS lines of Pocket PC's are different. They are not only water-proof and shock-proof; they have been designed to operate many third party software packages that are ported to run on Windows Mobile 5 & 6.
As I previously mentioned, I am a Precision Shooting Rifle Instructor and although I use my 400X in conjunction with "Night Force's" Ballistic Targeting Software, it has proven to be an invaluable tool when combined with the "Holux GR-271" GPS card. As the batteries in my rugged Recon will burn for up to 15 hours, I use the GPS to track in and out of unfamiliar areas; and have also had great success locating other areas of interest. This is and has been an enormous time saver. The reasons why is because I use my Recon in conjunction with two other desktop mapping software packages that allow me to locate the areas of interest that I want to venture into.
First, I open "Google Earth" and "fly" to the area of interest, tilting, panning and zooming, until I find the right spot. Once there, I take note of the lat long's, launch another software application on my desk-top by TDS called "Terra Guide" which is a mapping software package, then locate and mark the lat long's that I previously acquired in Google Earth, and at times, draw a path in and out of where I want to go. Once I complete those tasks, I connect my Recon to my Desktop computer via a USB cable, and export that information from Terra Guide on my Desk Top, to Terra Guide on my Recon. Later, when I turn on my Recon, and launch the Terra Guide software, the information is there, and the GPS automatically begins working. It is simple and very user friendly.
Venturing out to my areas of interest is fast and easy. Now don't get me wrong... developing mountaineering and map reading skills is an essential skill set that should be learned, however using the software packages that are available from TDS, has saved me months if not years of recon work. Utilizing them on my rugged Recon 400X, has made it easy.
Posted by: Charles Bonville
on Sep 24, 2010
Jerry Steiger, Senior Mechanical Designer for all of the Trimble rugged handheld computers, discusses what it takes to make a product truly rugged. Jerry discusses the electrical design and the firmware. Even the file system is more
Posted by: Charles Bonville
on Sep 20, 2010
Jerry Steiger, Senior Mechanical Designer for all of the Trimble rugged handheld computers, discusses what it takes to make a product truly rugged. Jerry discusses how to protect the display screen
Posted by: Charles Bonville
on Sep 17, 2010
Jerry Steiger, Senior Mechanical Designer for all of the Trimble rugged handheld computers, discusses what it takes to make a product truly rugged. Jerry recounts his multi-decade, multi-corporation career, and how
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