Customer Reviews

VGPS-900: Visiontac VGPS-900 Bluetooth GPS Data Logger (microSD Slot, Voice Recording, 51ch. MTK)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I bought this geologger to be able to geotag my photos after the fact.

When I bought this, and probably still at the time of this review, this is one of the few geologgers that utilizes removable media for log files. This was a bog plus for me as I was going on a long vacation in Europe. $20 got me (3) 2GB microSD cards (the max this device will interface with) which gets you millions upon millions of waypoints. Since I had 1000's of photos strung out over a period of weeks, it was necessary.

This logger boasts one of the most sensitive of GPS receivers. There were a few odd jumps when walking through cities with tall buildings, or inside buildings and ships, but it was still able to track even in these harsh conditions.

I'm sure I'll put the voice notes and spy modes to use at some later date, but I didn't have much use for them at the time.

The included software lets you export KMZ (Google Earth) files and do time lapses within the application. The default files the logger saves are a non-standard CSV (comma separated value) file that most geotagging software for pictures will misinterpret. I ended up having to download a beta of GPSBable that actually supported this filetype, export the CSV files to a normal filetype, and then use software called HoudahGeo to tag my photos in my Aperture library.

People reporting problems with number of recorded waypoints, frequency, battery use, time settings, etc. should know that you have to use the bundled software to adjust the settings on the unit. This cannot be done without it being connected to a computer. So when you have an instance like I did where you're changing through 8 timezones and you want to geotag photos, it's best just to keep the camera on whatever timezone you're logger is set to. Then you can easily tag photos, and then time shift the photos after the fact.

For it's useful features, quality reception, and industrial design, I'd give this logger 5 stars. For the hassles of using the data it generates outside of the bundled software, I take it down a star

This is the same product as the Columbus V-900 Bluetooth GPS Data Logger (microSD , Voice Tag for POI), which has a better rating on Amazon.
PRO:
- Thin and small, easily fit inside the top pocket of my camera bag
- Removable microSD flash card
- High sensitivity
- Mini-USB charger works interchangeably with my Motorola mobile phone
CON:
- Mini-USB is for charging only, not an interface with a PC or upload
- Multi-path susceptibility
- Accuracy on foot is not as good
I bought the Visiontac VGPS-900 GPS Data Logger to geo-tag my photos while on vacation. With a different hotel every night, it is impractical to lag a laptop along. Of all the GPS loggers, only this one accepts a Flash card to provide sufficient capacity for days of logs. Prior to our tour of Japan, I tested it on the freeways of L.A. and on a short trip to Las Vegas.
The MTK chipset is optimized for vehicle navigation. While on the freeway with steady direction and speed, its accuracy is good enough to show which lane I was in. It is not as accurate tracking me on foot. It has multi-path problem in Vegas' CityCenter, which has several high rises with highly reflective surfaces. Sometimes, it shows me on the wrong side of a building. When indoor with partial view of the sky through a window, its multi-path problem can make its location jump by almost a mile. I will test it more on our next trip to Hong Kong, a city with dense high rises.
Its sensitivity is excellent. While on a tour bus or the Shinkansen bullet train, it sat inside my camera bag on the overhead luggage rack. It had no problem receiving signals through the metal skin of the high speed train. BTW, differential GPS works in Japan.
To geo-tag my photos, I use the open source BT747 to convert the logs from CSV to GPX format. Then I use Jeffrey Friedl's excellent LightRoom plug-in. My photos are posted on PBase. The link is in my profile.
I did not test how long the battery last, but it works as a logger for 14-16 hours. Charging the battery is an overnight operation.
As for the southern hemisphere bug mentioned here, someone on the Internet wrote that it has been fixed. I cannot verify this until I take a trip to Australia. If you have the defective firmware, the only recourse for this problem is to return the unit to the factory. The firmware cannot be upgraded by users.

Edit on Jan 2012:
Since I got my Android smart-phone, I have stopped using it. The usefulness of a standalone GPS logger is coming to a close. Even without a data plan, my phone still can log in foreign countries. I can get precise GPS time from it to set my camera's clock. With pre-cached Google maps, it also doubles as a guide. Except for battery life, there is no reason to carry an extra piece of electronics. When we went to Australia, I only took the phone. Sorry to say that I cannot report whether they fixed the southern hemisphere bug or not.

Compact. microSD allows expandable output capacity. User-configurable tracking density. Impressive battery life. Tested fine in America and the Middle East. But in Australia and New Zealand, satellite LED is mostly steady, showing that it's getting a fix about 1% of the time. South African and Peruvian experiences from other reviewers seem to confirm that it has problems in the Southern Hemisphere.

I m surprised to see the other comment, but one of the reply is maybe the solution, it says it doesn't work fine in the south emisphere, and I didn't test yet there.
I used that device for several trip and because of the MicroSD it is one of my favorite as I simply don't need to export the log with a computer for several weeks.
at least the log are easy to find, but I suggest another software to use to have a better experience of the phototagging and trip management :
[....]
it is a freeware and their forum provides a review about the columbus / visiontac gps

I bought a Visiontac GPS 900 unit - its new. Problem is it does not log gps coordinates most of the time. When it does, it is eratic, no speed is recorded, the altitute is wrong, etc. Went to Visiontrac website to fing their email address for technical support is wrong. Found an email address after searching on the net for customers with similar problems. Sent them an email - no respone. My problem is not unique as many Visiontac custmers complain about the same issues.

I have been using the VisionTAC VGPS-900 every day for the past 6 months or so. The tracker is about 2/3s the size of my iPhone in length, width and depth. and comes with a velveteenish carry pouch that is open on one end allowing the unit to slide in. Aside from protecting the unit form scratches, it is effective in keeping from slipping around should you place it on the dash of your car.

The unit itself is simple with only two buttons. It has two modes, logging GPS readings to an MicroSD card (not included, limited to 2GB) and as a bluetooth GPS "dongle". The unit can operate in both modes at once writing to disk and providing a bluetooth phone/camera with live coordinates. The device allows you to explicitly mark a waypoint on the MicroSD card with the press of a button. In another interesting, but mostly untested by me feature, you can record a geo-coded voice note to the card with the built-in microphone. I did use this once to note the location of my sons first model rocket launch. It functions as advertised.

On the software side, the unit ships with Java-based software that runs cleanly on my Mac. It has features such as geotagging photos based on matching the timestamps of the photos with the timestamps on your recorded GPS track. There is integration with Google Maps. However, I have only used the software for two things. First, to write the device configuration out to the MicroSD card. The syntax is simple enough that you don't need the software to do this (standard ascii txt file), but the file syntax is undocumented. The only other function I have used is the export function. The takes the CSV formatted text files on the MicroSD card and exports them in several formats including GPX and KML.

The reason I have selected this specific GPS tracker is twofold. First, and paramount, it outputs in a standard CSV file. I dont NEED any extra software to read the data. Secondly, and nearly as important, it records DOP (Delusion of Precision) or accuracy along with every GPS log entry (configurable). This way I can not only quantify where I was at a given time, but how accurate that reading is. So many of the QS tools I use record me drinking coffee in the middle of an empty field.

In the 6 months that I've used the device, I've accumulated just 427MB of data, 1.4MB of which is WAV files. I don't keep careful track of battery life, but my circumstantial estimate is about 20 hours with bluetooth disabled and spending a very good portion of that time indoors. It seems to do some power and data storage space saving when indoors as your position isn't changing.

There is one counterintuitive part of the design, which isn't that terrible, is that you can not read the MicroSD card while it is in the device. The device is charged by the now nearly universal mini USB connector, but data can not be read from this connection. It is for power only. Thinking through the design decision a little, it does make sense. When the card is in and the device is on, it's logging to the card. Writing to a device which is mounted by another device (your computer) isn't a good idea.

If I had a direct line to the engineers, the only thing I'd ask of them is to include the ability to log the battery level along with the other information the device logs. I'd like to be able to plan for power feeding on long excusions based on past battery performance.

All-in-all, the most difficulty I have with this device is remembering to turn it on when I put it my pocket at the start of every day. I highly recommend it.

This is presumably the same device as Columbus V-900 Bluetooth GPS Data Logger (microSD , Voice Tag for POI, Driverless, Push to Log, 25 millions waypoints*, XP/Vista/ Linux/Mac OSX Compatible)

I bought this device so that I could take it with me on my trip to Peru (I am still on that trip).

In non-mountanous areas it would have at best accuracy on the order of *miles* and would fail to log data for minutes at a time. It often logs my altitude at 150m, which is simply wrong (altitude should range from 2800m-4000m). The plot of my data on Lake Titicaca is horrendous, yet there was absolutely no sky abstruction.

I am assuming right now that my device is messed up. I have emailed Visiontac support twice so far with no response.

I have a seperate Bluetooth GPS (Holux, the one that is just a receiver) which has not failed me yet, but it isn't a 'data logger'.

I am very disappointed and rather pissed off!