AshGPS: Firmware, Software Update Notification
for Spectra Precision, Ashtech, Magellan Professional, Thales Navigation
Tuesday 16 July 2015
In This Issue:
SP60 - the 80's little brother; FAST Survey / SurvCE Training Conference
 
Please checkout the disclaimer under 'This AshGPS Mail List' below.
You can click on the link at the bottom of this message to get removed, it really does work! 
SP60
I have mine!
Well, I now have my very own SP60 RTK receiver. The SP60 is kind-of the little brother of the SP80, but it hits a nice size and perhaps a unique price point.

Actually it hits several price points because it is simultaneously a replacement for the ProMark 120s (which were a replacement for the ProMark 100, which replaced the ProMark 3 which replaced the ProMark 2 which replaced the Locus) and an all-around companion to the SP80.

It is really lightweight like the ProMark 700, but it also accepts the bolt-on UHF radio so you can use it in a UHF Base Rover pair configuration.

I will do a more complete review over the next few weeks, but if you are interested in pricing here are the details:
104234-00  SP60 L1 GPS Single Receiver Kit           $5,450
104234-01  SP60 L1 GNSS Single Receiver Kit        $8,200
104234-03  SP60 L1/L2 GNSS Receiver Kit  $10,950
104234-50  SP60 L1/L2 GNSS Receiver Kit with UHF $12,450

One obvious pricing note is the L1 GPS Single Receiver is going to (I suspect) eventually replace the ProMark 120 ($3,950) which is a 38% price jump!

At the top end, the SP60 L1/L2 with UHF is a nice alternative to the SP80 with UHF ($14,990).

Some of the cool features of the SP60:
  • Long Range Bluetooth enables Bluetooth as a correction backhaul so you can have a construction site base rover pair, using unlicensed radios with a 200 meter range.
  • L-Band antenna built in – enables RTX real-time corrections for 4 cm horizontal real time accuracy (RTX subscription is required.)
Missing on the SP60 (when compared to the SP80): Wi-Fi, Internal GSM modem, SD Card memory expansion, dual batteries. Again, a full review in a week or two after I do some demos and have my feet held to the fire.

FAST Survey / SurvCE Western User Conference
If you are a field user of ‘FAST Survey’ or Carlson SurvCE/SurvPC we are offering a two day training course this February (2016) in Las Vegas Nevada!

Past conferences/trainings have all been in the east and have been (in my opinion) pretty dang expensive for Western folks.

This ‘Go West’ conference is VERY reasonably priced and is in an easy-to-get-to location where a full-figured guy in a 3/4 ton pickup truck (that would be me) will be welcome and have plenty of room to park for free.

It won’t be as much of a conference as it will be a targeted training for field and office operators.

We have a very knowledgeable group of lecturers, with plenty of time between sessions for one-on-one interaction with the presenters. Covered topics in the Field Track are:
  • SurvCE/SurvPC/FAST Introduction
  • Field to Finish (Feature Code Lists)
  • Advanced Roading
  • Localization, Grid-to-Ground and LDPs (I am the presenter for this session)
  • Data Transfer
  • Stakeout
  • SurvPC – ESRI Integration
There will be a dedicated session for the Carlson Hardware GPS & Robotic TS products.

There is also a Carlson Desktop track with these sessions:
  • Precision 3D (Bruce Carlson will present this session)
  • Office Fundamentals
  • Surface Modeling
  • Road Networks and Lotnet
  • Volumes and Profiles
  • The Office side of Field to Finish
  • Pad Templates
  • Output Sheet
You can mix up tracks and sessions as you like.
 
This conference is limited to a reasonable number of attendees, and is very reasonably priced. (The venue hotel group rate is only $49 / night!) Flights to Vegas are inexpensive and the hotel is literally across I-15 from from the airport.
 
There won’t be any famous speakers (other than Bruce Carlson) and we won’t have a band or banquet dinners with rubber-chicken dinners. This is a Working Guy’s Learning Event. Not a rah-rah conference. (Of course it is in Vegas, what could possibly happen there?)
 
There are full conference details available on our CAD Store [ here ].

iGage is offering discounted registrations to customers who have purchased FAST Survey or SurvCE from us any time and I am extending this offer to everyone who is a current subscriber to this mail list.
 
Use this link -> [ Marks Special Training Deal ] <- to sign up on the iGage ‘Mark's Mail List deal’. I may have to withdraw this offer when the boss finds out about it Wink

Make up your mind quickly, as I believe this event will be sold out soon.
This AshGPS Mail List
NOTE: This mail list is NOT produced, distributed or endorsed in any way by Trimble or Spectra Precision. The information presented does not reflect any official company viewpoint nor is it a reflection on them. This mail list is generated by me (Mark Silver,) I am just a person and not a company, it contains my personal observations. Any trademarks listed are the property of their owner and are only listed so we can talk about things in less-than-general terms.
 
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to email them to me or call me. I will do my best to get you an answer. 
 
Hopefully you will continue to find these notifications a valuable resource, however if this message has found you in error, you can use the link at the bottom of this message to get off the list (really, it does work.) 
 
There is a complete list of all of the past notifications [ here ]. If you know of anyone with GPS equipment who might benefit from these update notifications you can add them to this list with this link: [ Add or Delete a user ].
 
If you would like a real-time, slightly less refined, more gossip oriented experience my BLOG at http://ashgps.wordpress.com might do. 
 
Good survey and mapping to you all! 
 
Mark Silver,
 
iGage Mapping Corporation, 1545 S 1100 E STE 1, Salt Lake City UT 84105 USA
http://www.igage.com  ms@igage.com, +1 801-412-0011 x16
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