Trackstick - An inexpensive GPS Track Recorder Hello, My name is Dave, and I'm a Farkleholic. Hi Dave! You may remember that I procured a Star-Traxx Transceiver before Ride About 2007 so I could post my daily route tracks and so those who are interested could follow along my route. The Star-Traxx system is Top Drawer all the way, but a little on the expensive side to procure and requires a subscription to their service. Being the Techno-Farkleholic by nature, I'm always on the lookout for Cool, Functional Farkles (Accessories). To this end, may I present you the Super TrackStick GPS Logger. This is a powerful, functional and relatively inexpensive GPS Track Recorder on steroids. Don't let it's 4 1/2 X 1 1/4 X 3/4 fool you, it has 2.5 meter horizontal accuracy and 4Mb flash memory records months of location histories. Powered by Two "AAA" batteries, it incorporates integrated Vibration Detector for ultra long battery life. (4 weeks typical) Beside recording all of the typical GPS Data it has a built in temperature recorder. (-10°C / +14°F to +60°C/140°F +/- 1°C) With the software you download from the manufactures site the TrackStick is Integrated directly into Google EarthTM for worldwide use. While these devices were developed for and are in use by Law Enforcement, the general public also has access to them and have found many uses for the technology. I suggest that this is the perfect solution for those of us that enjoy long distance riding and want the rides documented in such a way that it's easy to share the routes with others via the Internet. The Application Software you download from www.TrackStick.com includes the appropriate USB Drivers and the TrackStick Manager software allows full control of the device with the ability to download tracks, clear the internal memory and export the track log data into several formats such as Google Earth Fly-through, timeline and pushpins; Rich Text Format, Comma Separated Value, GPS Exchange Format and HTML . This photo shows the bits & pieces of the Super TrackStick. Here is a link to an HTML track log that interfaces with Google Earth. This is a Google Earth formatted file. Here is a GPS Exchange Format of the above track. Here is a link to the Product PDF, and Here is where I purchased the TrackStick. When the TrackStick arrived today via Farkle Fairy (Big Brown Truck), I opened the box, installed the batteries, switched on the unit and tossed it in the tank bag of the R1200GS and took a short Test Ride After the ride I plugged the TrackStick into a USB port of my laptop after downloading and installing the software. Click a button and the data is downloaded to the application where you can view the data in raw format or rendered on Google Maps, Google Earth and others. Pros: Small, Light weight, powerful capabilities and inexpensive. Cons: None found as of yet.
Couldn't find the price anywhere. How much is it? Is it really cheaper than say a Garmin 60Cx, which will record your tracks and do a whole bunch of other stuff too?
I've been looking at this thing for a while, too. It's pretty neat and the best thing about it is when you're in a country that your GPS doesn't have maps for, this thing will still track where you've been without having to purchase add on maps if all you're looking for is to record where you've been, not where you want to go. LR and I plan to visit Mex, Belize & Guat this winter and I would like to have one of these on the trip. My GPS does not have maps for anywhere there & the Trackstick would be cheaper to purchase(and much easier to use!) than buying maps and having to worry about all the crap that goes with changing out cards to load different ones and such. Google Store has the Personal Trackstick on sale right now for $179. I found the Trackstick Pro here for $199 and the Personal for $189. More info for their site: [SIZE=-1]Tracksticks<sup>TM</sup> are small GPS location recorders capable of continuously logging their own location histories for extended periods of time. These detailed recordings include time, date, location, speed, heading and altitude. Built-in flash memory and long battery life allows for the storage of months of travel information. How it works The Trackstick<sup>TM</sup> receives signals from twenty-four satellites orbiting the earth. With this information, the Trackstick<sup>TM</sup> can precisely calculate its own position anywhere on the planet to within 2.5 meters. All recorded history can be outputted to the following formats: [/SIZE] <table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td width="16%">[SIZE=-1]KML[/SIZE]</td> <td width="84%">[SIZE=-1](Google<sup>TM</sup> Earth file) [/SIZE]</td> </tr> <tr> <td>[SIZE=-1]GPX[/SIZE]</td> <td>[SIZE=-1](GPS data Exchange) [/SIZE]</td> </tr> <tr> <td>[SIZE=-1]RTF[/SIZE]</td> <td>[SIZE=-1](Detailed text file with .h<sup>TM</sup>l map links) [/SIZE]</td> </tr> <tr> <td>[SIZE=-1]CSV[/SIZE]</td> <td>[SIZE=-1](Comma Separated Values) [/SIZE]</td> </tr> <tr> <td>[SIZE=-1]HTML[/SIZE]</td> <td>[SIZE=-1](Web page with graphics and maps)[/SIZE]</td> </tr> </tbody></table> [SIZE=-1] Histories can also be outputted to most mapping services, including: maps.google.com mapquest.com virtualearth.com Microsoft<sup>TM</sup> Streets and Trips<sup>TM</sup> Encarta<sup>TM</sup> Where it works The Trackstick<sup>TM</sup> will work anywhere on the planet Earth. Using the latest in GPS mapping technologies, your exact location can be shown on satellite-based maps and 3D geographical terrain. The Trackstick's<sup>TM</sup> micro-computer can even calculate how long you have been indoors. While visiting family, friends or even shopping, the Trackstick<sup>TM</sup> can accurately time and map each and every place you have been. [/SIZE][SIZE=-1]Route Tracing When histories are viewed, Trackstick<sup>TM</sup> overlays a red line on the map indicating where you've traveled. The location and length of each stop is clearly indicated on each map making it easy to see each and every place the Trackstick<sup>TM</sup> has been.[/SIZE]
a very cool device i'm a farkleholic as well i'm going to buy the Super Trackstick today http://www.amazon.com/Trackstick-Tracking-Preservation-Powerful-Software/dp/B000RBH1B8
I paid $200.00 for it. The unit won't replace a GPS but the software it's bundled with has some powerful capabilities enabling the user to easily share the data in several formats. jm2cw
I use the I-Blue 757 solar powered bluetooth logging gps module. http://www.amazon.com/i-Blue-757-Solar-Bluetooth-Receiver/dp/B000N75ZAK It works good and doesn't have to be connected to any other device to log, just flip the switch to logging and it will log based on time/distance or whatever you set it for. Once you get it home you can dump the log file using the usb cable and the software can even load the log into google maps and show you your tracks. I paid just under $100 for it off ebay a few months ago. It works great if you have a windows mobile pda and can connect using bluetooth and run google earth mobile while riding to see where you are at. If you don't have a pda the logging part is still real good and is very simple and reliable and you can always use it on a laptop or whatever later on. For the price it currently is I don't think there is a better setup.
Reading in a nerd mag about a little device called a Trackstick, tiny thing that sits in your pocket, activated by vibration, records your travels then you download when you get home, looks pretty cool, especially when interfaced with Google maps. Anyone got one, seen one, opinions? Burnie?
Heard of them but have not tried one Seem to be designed to put in your kids/wives car and then download the tracklog afterwards to see were they have been .
I purchased a Trackstick Pro about 2 months ago. I wanted a track recording device that I could take on a long trip and be able to save the entire trip without downloading to a computer. I set it up to record one waypoint per minute and I would take it everywhere I went. I tried it on the dash of my truck and behind the windshield of the ST, in one hours time I would be lucky to have 5 waypoints recorded. It took two emails to the company to get a response and they suggested I change record times to 15sec intervals which only worked slightly better - about a 17% capture rate. At that point I contacted the store that I bought it from and they agreed to exchange it. I sent it back and when I didn't have the replacement in over a week I contacted my credit card company and they showed that I had just been given a return credit - which was fine by me. In fairness I may have had a defective unit and I didn't get to try a 2nd, but I was a little uncomfortable with the Trackstick company - website has no phone number and no address - also the tech service was poor at best. I really don't think they even read my email before sending a response to record at 15sec intervals - I needed it to record for 2 1/2 weeks and 15sec recording memory would be full in a couple of days. Anyway I am currently looking for a track device that works and I wish you good luck in your search.
Perhaps a bit -my, but I'm curious if anyone out here owns one, or has used something like it. Clearly not for navigation, but if you like to simply log your location over time, it seems ideal. Cheap. Easy to use. What say ye? http://www.gearthstore.com/products/gps/trackstick/trackstick2/details.html
Shoot - you could buy a 60cx from Sam's for $263, add a big SD card and be just a few buck over the stick model. Dave
No info on how long the cheap one will run on two AA's and 12VDC one costs as much as a GPS, so why bother. There are some posts her about GPS logging devices. I would only use something like this to hid on my kid's car or body cavity.
And Phil takes the prize for the ulterior motive discovery. Actually, I was thinking back to the Viking's use of GPS along the road, and how difficult it was to get good tracklog when all he wanted was to find the next town. Then after the fact, a tracklog was desired. For a long trip where a good, consistant record is desired, something like this might be the thing. They also make a "pro" version, that I think takes 12V... business owners and their trucks, for instance... but my teenager is definately on the hitlist for this item.
I have one of these: http://e-worlddirect.com/Sony-Gpscs1-GPS-Device-for-Cybershot/M/B000HDIYEO.htm I record tracks for geotagging photos. The benefit of this over my garmins (emap and 2610) is they have a single track log of about 10 hours. This will hold close to 1 month of continuous (15 sec interval) tracks in NMEA format. Also, it will run 15 hours on a single AA. Finally it's very light. I stick it in my tank bag or latch it to my camera bag when on foot. It's not perfect, but at $75 it does what it does as well as I could expect. Geof
Realise that this thread is a bit dead but I bought one of these gadgets off ebay last year and used it successfully on a trip through India, so I think it's worth giving it a good review. I think the unit justlookin bought must have been faulty because mine operated just as expected (once I had played with it a bit and worked out how the configuration software worked). The management software is small and easily installed on a USB stick so if you have access to a computer every week or so on a trip you can install the software, extract the data from the stick and then what I did was keep a copy on my USB key and email a copy home for safekeeping. A pair of AAA lasted 3 or 4 days on the road. The accuracy was about equivalent to that of the data which the TomTom rider can store. I have also created tracks in the past using a Magellan Meridian GPS. This unit was power hungry and had limited data storage before it started to overwrite old data, however its tracks seemed to be much smoother and less jagged than the tracks created by either the TomTom or Trackstick. I guess they store more decimal points which results in much smoother results in Google Earth.
Any body tried one of these? It is a USB stick and records everything you do on a trip start, stop, speed,altitude,temperture and more. Motorcycle,car and walking/hiking. Download Goggle Earth and it will show your route and how long you stop for. Free softwear download from company. No monthly fees. www.trackstick.com
Why not just get a regular handheld GPS? They do the same thing and so much more.... Guess I just don't see the advantage to not having a UI...