I own a RECON 400 mhz which I purchased in 2005 to help me locate remote jungle sinkholes and aid in data collection for a wide variety of scientific disciplines. 
I run the SoloField Software on the RECON and ArcView 9.2 on my laptop. Without a doubt the RECON has revolutionized the way in which I work in the field. I have lived for the last 14 years in Quintana Roo, Mexico. I am a cave diver and run a non-profit dedicated to protecting the freshwater resources of this area through
The solution I found was the True North Dozer Harness, which I recently field tested down in Belize.
I was very happy with the results and found it a very economical solution as well. Designed for Wild Land firefighters the harness has a compartment that would normally contain a fire shelter. We were able to determine that the RECON could rest on top of the Chest Harness where a radio would normally go and that two Otterbox 3000's (one single Otterbox 3500 can also fit) would fit with room to spare inside of the compartment normally used for the fire shelter. The plastic shell that fits inside the main compartment provided a rigid platform upon which to work. In one Otterbox I had our Iridium Satphone. In the other I had the extra batteries for the RECON, extra camera batteries, and a few odds and ends. I was able to squeeze in my binoculars, topo maps and compass as well plus a few GU energy packets which keep me going on long hot hikes. The extra space provided with the chest harness distributed my overall load nicely and gave me access to lots of critical gear. I could easily take off my day pack and still have all of that essential gear strapped on to me. It was surprisingly comfortable too. The best thing was that it freed up my right hand and gave me much better stability as I walked through the jungle. The RECON had no problem picking up signal and I could easily access all of its functions and enter data with no major problems. I will upload photos so you can see how it all looks. In the coming months I will be sure to post about our continuing efforts in Mexico and Belize. Stay safe out there.
I run the SoloField Software on the RECON and ArcView 9.2 on my laptop. Without a doubt the RECON has revolutionized the way in which I work in the field. I have lived for the last 14 years in Quintana Roo, Mexico. I am a cave diver and run a non-profit dedicated to protecting the freshwater resources of this area throughexploration, scientific study and education. I also work on a continuing basis in the Bladen Nature Reserve in Southern Belize where I have assisted the Belize Foundation for Environmental Education and Research, The Bladen Nature Reserve and The University of North Carolina Wilmington in establishing and documenting an ongoing project to study resident and migrant bird populations and Harpy Eagle populations within the reserve by using mobile GIS technology. In the field the RECON has been pretty much surgically attached to my hand. In 2005 I sprained my wrist rather badly trying to protect the RECON as I took a tumble. So, a solution I have been searching for is how to move the RECON out of my hand and somewhere else without sacrificing accessibility to the unit while at the same time maintaining an orientation that would allow the unit to continue to receive signal from overhead satellites.
The solution I found was the True North Dozer Harness, which I recently field tested down in Belize.I was very happy with the results and found it a very economical solution as well. Designed for Wild Land firefighters the harness has a compartment that would normally contain a fire shelter. We were able to determine that the RECON could rest on top of the Chest Harness where a radio would normally go and that two Otterbox 3000's (one single Otterbox 3500 can also fit) would fit with room to spare inside of the compartment normally used for the fire shelter. The plastic shell that fits inside the main compartment provided a rigid platform upon which to work. In one Otterbox I had our Iridium Satphone. In the other I had the extra batteries for the RECON, extra camera batteries, and a few odds and ends. I was able to squeeze in my binoculars, topo maps and compass as well plus a few GU energy packets which keep me going on long hot hikes. The extra space provided with the chest harness distributed my overall load nicely and gave me access to lots of critical gear. I could easily take off my day pack and still have all of that essential gear strapped on to me. It was surprisingly comfortable too. The best thing was that it freed up my right hand and gave me much better stability as I walked through the jungle. The RECON had no problem picking up signal and I could easily access all of its functions and enter data with no major problems. I will upload photos so you can see how it all looks. In the coming months I will be sure to post about our continuing efforts in Mexico and Belize. Stay safe out there.
