After David rekindled my interest in geotagging blog posts with Google Map integration, and Dave's photo tracking experiences convinced me to revisit geotagging photos, I posted An ABC of geotagging photos on the Mac. In that article I considered questions relevant to selecting an automatic geo-location system, naming most of the few Mac-compatible devices available. I recently purchased a data logger to overcome the pain of manual photo geotagging and dispense with the hassle of a DIY solution.
See also Geotagging with the Mac-friendly GlobalSat BT-335 here, which includes comparisons to the M-241.
There's lots to like about the Holux M-241 on paper—despite some concerns as noted in Richard's detailed review. The device's appetite for AA batteries will be the decider for some people. We usually pack a recharger for my wife's noise-cancelling headphones when we travel anyway, so using rechargeables is no big deal. In fact I prefer something I know I can replace, as I don't want to end up with yet another working but unusable device due to a tired non-replaceable lithium battery (like my 1st iPod, Palm, mobile phone).
The Qstarz BT-Q1000P was my original choice and could be obtained in the UK via eBay, but at nearly twice the price of the Holux. I have to say I like having a built-in display on the logger very much. This gives access to the M-241's 6 operating modes:
- Track Log Mode (the default; use Start and Stop (Enter button) to begin/ end a track logging session);
- Time Mode (useful display of UTC time for camera sync; can specify UTC offset for your time zone);
- Show Position Mode (displays current GPS coordinates; record waypoints using the Enter button);
- Show Speed & Altitude Mode (speed, altitude, and heading);
- Measure Distance Mode (recording current distance "as the crow flies" from a point of origin—not a pedometer);
- Setting Mode (change settings, erase logs, etc.)
Bluetooth paring to the Mac
With the Mac's Bluetooth turned on (I keep it off for security) and the Holux likewise turned on, choose Set up Bluetooth Device from the Bluetooth menu (or click the + in System Preferences > Bluetooth if Bluetooth isn't shown in your menu bar). Run through the Assistant entering the specific passkey 0000 when prompted. On successful pairing the Holux should be listed in System Preferences > Bluetooth along with any other Bluetooth devices you may be using:
Bluetooth pairing the Holux with the Mac
Setting up BT747 on the Mac
The open source BT747 Java software provides a way to access, download and convert track logs, as well as configure device settings for several data loggers. This ugly duckling can be used in conjunction with USB to UART Bridge Virtual COM Port drivers that can be downloaded for OS X (Universal Binary) for USB connections (instructions). It can also facilitate connection with your Mac over Bluetooth—without the need for installing drivers.
Thanks to Jan's excellent tutorial, getting the Holux to work with your Mac via Bluetooth is not too challenging. For my own record I'll briefly paraphrase the essential steps here (after pairing):
- Download the latest release of BT747 here, rename the expanded folder to "GPS" and move it into /Applications;
- Replace the file bt747_macosX.command within /Applications/GPS/ with the edited version below;
Download a pre-edited bt747_macosX.command script here.
- Rename the directory rxtx-... within /Applications/GPS/ to rxtx;
- Open a Terminal window and run the following command, entering your root password when prompted;
sudo mkdir /var/lock && sudo chmod 777 /var/lock - Open bt747_macosX.command in Terminal and click the BLUETOOTH button in the Con tab of the waba.applet.Applet that opens;
- In the applet's File tab change Output dir: to /Applications/GPS then click the Apply&Set the above values button.
If you require more details please refer to Jan's tutorial.
Retrieving and converting logs using BT747
If BT747 is not already running, open bt747_macosX.command in Terminal and click the BLUETOOTH button in the Con tab of the waba.applet.Applet that opens. A successful connection is confirmed by the presence of the Bluetooth icon on the Holux display, a "connected" Bluetooth icon in your Mac menu bar (if Bluetooth status is shown), and the presence of data in the Con tab (note that the software should automatically jump to the Log tab after connection):
Bluetooth port closed (left) and open (right) using BT747
In the Log tab, clickGet Log to begin the download via Bluetooth:
Downloading the track log using BT747
This will download a binary file to /Applications/GPS/ called BT747log.bin. Once this is done you can convert the file into usable formats from within the applet. For example:
- Click the To KML button to produce a GPSDATA-YYYYMMDD.kml file for viewing your tracks in Google Earth;
- Click the To GPX button to produce a GPSDATA-YYYYMMDD.gpx file for use in geotagging applications.
Click thumbnail to enlarge image
Matching GPX tracks to NEF images in GPSPhotoLinker
You can download logs from the Holux via Bluetooth even with no battery in the device, providing it is drawing power from your Mac over USB.
Using the Holux with Mac GPS software
As well as functioning as an independent device, the Holux can provide GPS data to other devices via Bluetooth or USB (confusingly referred to as "GPS mouse" mode). For example, the adware app GPSUtility could be used on MacBook to plot your current position:
Using the Holux with Windows GPS software
This was my introduction to the supplied Windows software when connecting via USB (it refused to connect via Bluetooth):
A Mini GPS Viewer is also available for download (the only viable option, since the supplied mini CD is incompatible with trayless drives). However, despite successful pairing and connection via Bluetooth the utility would not report a position (I wasn't able to get a USB connection to Mini GPS Viewer, despite getting the Holux Logger Utility to work intermittently over USB):
How typically Windows: the unsupported Mac solutions prove more reliable!
Using the Holux with Palm GPS software
Pairing the M-241 with my Palm T3 and using it with GeoNiche was not at all difficult:
Using the Holux with Windows Mobile GPS software
I easily paired the M-241 with my Dell Axim X50v and TomTom was able to use it for in-car navigation:
I didn't bother installing the downloadable Mini GPS Viewer for PPC.
Comparison to an in-car system
Using this solution I was able to directly compare the track log made by the Holux to that of one created using my 4 year old Navman in-car navigation GPS unit (with a 12-channel SiRF chipset). The 4.4km test route I walked used only pavements and paths and thus any deviation could be clearly identified in Google Earth.
Click thumbnail to enlarge image
Navman (red), Holux (green and blue)
The track recorded with the Navman (red) was near perfect. A recording made at the same time using the Holux (green) was exceptionally disappointing, especially after a seemingly accurate performance in the Peak District. However, at the end of the route the low battery symbol was flasing, and it may be this—or potentially interference—that caused the Holux to perform so poorly.
I walked the route again this time using only the Holux (with a fresh battery) and the track was much improved, almost overlapping that of the previous day made by the Navman. I think we can lay to rest the myth, however, that newer units will always out-perform older models designed primarily for in-car use. It would have been most interesting to see how the Qstarz BT1000P compared using the same route as above.
I can provide no objective figures, but the Holux (with 1 AA battery) dose have a lot less stamina than the Navman (with 3 AAA batteries). I have 2100mAh rechargeables lined up to try so we'll see how those go.
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![[Photo of Bruce McKenzie]](data:image/jpeg;base64,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)
Interesting how the Holux matched the Navman on the second time around.
I didn't think battery power level would harm the performance of a GPS unit (digital yes/no thing), but maybe it does? Or just (slightly) different atmospheric conditions?
Any difference in the positioning of the Holux? Antenna up, clear view of sky?
Certainly the second results for the Holux are encouraging and show it can record a track accurately.
You're probably right about the battery not being the cause icerabbit; the symbol was only flashing... it hadn't died. As for atmospheric conditions they were the same for the Navman which did well. I really can't explain why it was so off one day and fine the next.
In both cases I wore it with the correct side up on a lanyard and although the route includes some sparse tree cover there were no tall buildings to obstruct signals. Heck, the Holux can even get a signal inside sitting at my office desk—unlike the Navman.
Considering the typically poor Windows software, I guess the most likely explanation is great hardware let down by poor programming i.e. firmware bugs. A bug is the only reasonable explanation for inconsistency when other conditions are unchanged, isn't it?
Even the bad track is still better than manual geotagging.
Thanks for doing all this research Bruce, it's going to make my life easier when I come to make a decision on a purchase.
I suppose in the situations I generally find myself wanting to record the position of a photograph, the accuracy of the Holux is not going to be a problem.
Maybe not, but the battery life will be. I was severely disappointed during our 6 days in Prague: I went through 5 batteries—one per day I used it, 2 of those high-capacity 2100mAh rechargeables. I'm not even sure you can count on getting 3 hours of run time (a typical walk in the Peaks for us). Now it is possible that the batteries I took were too old (having sat in a draw at least 18 months), but the recharageables were freshly topped up and certainly should have had plenty of cycles remaining. I think I will buy some new Energizers before making a final judgement, but anyone reading this should be warned that battery life is much more of an issue than I anticipated. With the Holux in the pocket of my camera bag I had no way of knowing when it died; it definitely went from showing full charge to dead after just 2 hours on one occasion!
hmm.. methinks I shall await an iPhone integrated solution.
Thanks for the update Bruce.
It sounds like it might be a combination of batteries and a power hungry Holux.
I am not confident any more that the Energizer and other A brand rechargeable are as great / last as long as they used to be / to do. Plus the lack of memory effect doesn't help with storage necessarily.
I've got some 1 year old Li-ION bricks for pro tools that you're supposed to store charged and keep cool (basement, closet) when not in use for a prolonged time and I just took them out of storage (4 months) and their indicator lights were flashing empty (0/4). So much for holding power. At least these have a lifetime replacement warranty.
Last year I sent a batch of Energizer 2500 mAh back under warranty. They had been marked (permanent marker colored rim per set of 4 (helps to keep track of batteries and separate out different mAh types)) used for a couple months exclusively on a digital camera with mild use, where the camera was used a couple of times a week for a few shots. Charged exclusively with their charger without leaving them plugged in for days at a time. The things wouldn't hold a charge for days without using them. Charge during the week. Pick up the camera on the weekend and a x number of shots later the camera is out of juice.
The other thing we have noticed along that, we think, is that the AA 1500 - 1850 range held up for more months that the newer 2100 and certainly the 2500 series do. We've used the older kind extensively with cameras and anything that uses AA batteries on car trips, and the batteries certainly seemed to hold a good charge for probably a hundred charge cycles and thus lasted several years. Now, the newer new 2000+ ones start flashing in the charger = kaput after a couple dozen cycles.
Of course one can argue that different cameras have different power needs, the chargers changed from whole day to 8 - 4 - 1 - 1/2 hours. We're happiest with the 2100 mAh and 1 hour and 1/2 hour chargers. Which are no longer available :)
Anyway. Didn't hear back any details on that from Energizer (not that I expected it). They were going to analyze my batteries in the lab and gave me two discount coupons for new batteries.
I'm still using the new 2500s with our 'old' 1/2 hour charger that came with 2100s. I'm thinking the 'new' charger was to blame. Or just a fluke where they forgot to put the right mix in a batch of batteries. Who knows ? :)
Another battery update. I took out the Engerizer in my Holux: it had Jul 1998 written on the side. Opps! So in went a brand new Engerizer Ultimate ("Use by 2013"); I turned on the logger and left it to die:
First time stamp: 9 May 2008 11:34:14
Last time stamp: 10 May 2008 01:00:50
That's 9841 track points consuming 7% of available storage, covering approx. 13.5h and costing £1.25 (not including environmental damage!). That's more like it.
I can only assume my lightly-used Uniross 2100mAh rechargeables are either rubbish, or that they too deteriorate after a few years.
1998 = as good as new ;)
Ah, Uniross 2100s? I have a set of those and they really are rubbish. I got a set of 1800mAh Olympus-branded AA batteries with my camera and they are so much better than these, in the same application. But then I think I bought the Unirosses on eBay and have been stung with sub-standard goods from eBay before - either fakes or stuff that didn't pass the manufacturer's quality tests.
Thanks for this extremely informative article. I wish, however, that there was a more user-friendly and attractive solution to getting the tracks off the unit and onto a Mac. LoadMyTracks does a great job getting the data off a number of devices, but I don't think it supports this. I wish the device simply mounted as a disk on the desktop when connected and files could be dragged off of it.
You're right Maria, LoadMyTracks doesn't support the Holux. Once the BT747 software is set up it is easy (if not especially pleasant) to use, and I've found it to be stable and reliable. In terms of an OS X GUI there is Mac Travel Recorder, which did allow me to connect to and control my Holux. However, it seems to closely duplicate the functionality of BT747 which is open sourced, yet this is shareware—so I'm not quite sure what's going on there.
The only GPS device I know of that mounts directly on the OS X desktop as a USB mass storage device is the AMOD AGL3080. No Bluetooth, however.
I got my M-241 yesterday (old firmware) and used it on my 10-mile cycle commute to work today. I used the Windows logger utility (will be using Linux anon) to generate a KML file and found that it seems to have a "western hemisphere" bug as well - the first longitude value was correct (negative) but all the rest were positive. I got the same results using the old and the new logger utility. I mangled the file to make the rest of the values negative and then it was fine. It didn't seem to miss a beat, apart from a bit of drifting when I was stationary, which I gather is normal. I'll see what happens on the way home this evening, with the new firmware and one second logging.
Just to confirm - the new firmware (1.11) has cured the "western hemisphere" bug. Last night going home it was raining and it took a couple of minutes to get a fix and start logging. There were also a couple of dodgy jumps.
Many thanks for your review of the Holux M241, Bruce. The information you provided for connecting the device with Bluetooth to my Mac save me hours. More likely, I would have never been able to do it. Now I'm going to try getting it to work with my Palm Treo.
Just to revisit Maria's plea (#10) for a Mac-friendly interface for downloading logs, I've just had the pleasure of reviewing the GlobalSat BT-335 with OS X native GlobalSync software for data extraction and device configuration. Mac-based geotaggers rejoice!
Hello Everyone!
I Bought my 241 a little more than 2 weeks ago after a very unsatisfactory experience with another data logger ( and the seller ). After reading around I was concerned with the battery life so I also ordered a 4 pack of 2700mah AA batteries from a e-bay merchant. Also picked up a 4 pack of enegizer e-lithium batteries to test with it also.
My test method was far from perfect but probably close enough for you all to get a general idea of what to expect. What I did is simply erase the units memory, and let it record data points at 1 point a second until the battery gave up. Then put another battery in the unit, recorded how much memory was left, and subtracted that from the total memory available. This gave me the total number of seconds the unit had been on and recording and by extraction how many hours and min it was running and recording.
Of course I'm sure there is some error that creeps in.. but the idea was to get some kind of baseline and expectation for people thinking about getting this unit.
Oh. Unless otherwise noted with ( BT ). The unit was NOT transmitting via Bluetooth. If there is a (BT) notation I was using the MiniGPS application while logging to see how much the Bluetooth transmitter added to battery drain..
Ready for the results? Ok.. here we go....
Memory Left // Hours Running // Battery Type
105300 7.149 hrs ( old 2000mhr battery)
Just got the unit and popped in the first charged battery I could find. Not really a fair result as I was playing around a lot with it, Stopping the logging to download data and activating the backlight.
96810 9.5-10.5 ( new 2700 battery #1 ) first discharge ( played around here too )
87415 12.1 ( new 2700 battery #1 ) second discharge
94249 10.21 ( new 2700 battery #1 ) third Discharge
101318 7.14 #1 (BT) With bluetooth transmitting
121800 2.56 ( 2700 battery #2 ) first charge
61965 19.18 ( 2700 battery #2 ) Second Charge
98716 8.97 ( 2700 battery #2 ) Third Charge
91136 11.08 ( 2700 battery #3 ) First Charge
90651 11.21 ( 2700 Battery#3 ) Second Charge
91966 10.85 ( 2700 Battery #3 ) Third Charge
92733 10.64 Fourth charge
96875 9.48 #3 (BT) W/ Bluetooth
91944 10.85 ( 2700 Battery #4 ) First Charge
96389 9.62 ( 2700 Battery #4 ) Second Charge
67481 17.65 Energizer E-Lithium Disposable
81676 13.71 Energizer E-Lithium
The results with battery #2 were very strange and I have no idea what the cause was.
As far as the units performance goes.. overall I would say.. 'Fair' It is less accurate than my old bluetooth mouse ( 2 years old ).
Accuracy is a drawback. as is the software that comes with it. The included software is bad. I mean really bad.. The only thing I could get it to do was to download the wapoints and to covert them to other formats. I have yet to be able to get the software to to actual geotagging.
However using the Locr GPS Photo software I was able to properly geotag my photos. Yes, it's an extra step.. but.. as long as it works. right?
The Unit has a few other weak points in my opinion.. Weak battery door, backlight does not stay on when plugged into the USB port, Battery indicator is too small.
BUT.. the LCD display trumps nearly all of this ( except for the weak software ). having the ability to look down see whatever data you want ( speed, distance, position etc.. ) and to know you have a satellite lock and that it is recording is so useful and reassuring. MUCH better than the other unit I bought where I have to remember what it means when this light blinks, this one is solid.. and the other has no light at all.. Also nice that it does not draw attention to itself by blinking LED's ( can cause a little trouble around paranoid airport / metro workers ).
Oh.. also the Bluetooth. The other 2 GPS units I have have a particular quirk that I have learned to deal with. When I used them on ( 1 Sony 2 HP notebooks ) with MS Streets & Trips. If I get out of Bluetooth range ( or turn the unit off ) I have to restart the GPS unit, then reboot the notebook to get it to connect again. what a pain in the $$$$. No such problem with this unit..
So,, overall I would say this unit is definitely a buy. Yes.. it has some problems but not so much I would wait for the next version.
Hope you don't mind that I didn't go into name brands of the batteries or other GPS units I own. I'm not here to promote one brand of battery over another or to berate other GPS units. But, if you would like the details I'll be happy to post them upon request. Also. will be posting this under a few other blogs.. Just to save the time of writing it again..
Hope it helps someone
Brian
Thank you, Bruce for posting this info about Holux, it's really help me out to get better idea of device! And thanks everyone who shared their experiences with m241!
I was looking for GPS data logger which help me to tag my photos on Linux and this seems to be a good choice.
Regarding battery problem I can share my own experience, maybe it would be useful to someone (as I've used battery brands mentioned here).
I've KM Dimage Z3 camera which is known to be power hungry. I've used GP 2300, Energizer 2500mah and Uniross 2300. GP and Uniross was one of oldest and Energizer newest. All of them were charged with Maha charger which doesn't have discharge function, and since camera drain batteries not equally only one battery was discharged fully and the rest didn't go through fully cycle which leads to capacity lost.
So I can tell that Energizer was first out of run, it worked barely few months before become able to hold charge only for one day...
Same happened later to Uniross but it lasts about 3 years and GP gone after 3-4 years also. At one point I was simply not able to use batteries if they weren't charged today...
Later I've got myself LaCross 700 charging unit which is able to measure battery capacity and discharge them individually. This totally solved battery memory problem(with new batteries, old ones wasn't able to regain charge for long time).
Now I'm constantly track capacities of batteries used in my camera and other appliances and can tell that Energizer is really not good performer from what it's appear, it loosing charge very quickly.
The best battery I was able to find till now are GP ReCyko which goes for ~$14 (shipping included) for 4 pack, it's pretty cheap comparing that in our country you can buy one battery for 10$. I can tell that for 4 months of using it, this battery is my favorite, it's not have so high mAh as others, but it's not discharging like others when not in use... with other brands if they spend few days in camera indicator goes to half and after short shooting session camera is dying, with this one I've got full charge even after three weeks.
From what I know other companies also have similar type of accumulators like Sanyo Eneloop or Duracell Precharged but I didn't tried them because of high price.
You can read about those brands of batteries and some reviews here.
Also descent NiMH charger with discharge function is must have to maintain good life of batteries you're using, probably it's not the case if device require only one battery as it would probably drain it and there would be full cycle anyway.
Hope this info helps a bit. If anyone got some data about using this device on Linux I'll appreciate if you share it here. Also would like to hear feedback about accuracy of M241 in Eastern hemisphere.
Greetings to everyone!
Thank you all for those elaborate reviews and hints! I am thinking about buying one myself.
Has anyone tested it with Nokia's locationing? I would like to connect my Nokia E61 to the M-241 for navigating. Some sources warn me the Nokia's built-in locationing service does not support the Holux (programs that talk to the M-241 directly have no problem). I find it odd!
References:
Comments in Richard's Tech Review
Complaints at Nokia forum
I have raised this issue on GPSPassion forums (excellent topic, with Nokia support and with Holux Europe.
@Joris: it depends what you mean by "support". The self-contained logging functions of the M-241 are distinct from its functions as a NMEA-compatible GPS receiver via Bluetooth or USB. The latter requires provision of the necessary communication drivers on the host operating system, plus NMEA-compliant mapping/ navigation software. I have successfully connected the M-241 to NMEA-compliant navigation software on Mac, Windows, Palm, and Windows Mobile, so I think it's fair to say that the device's standards support is good.
I'm not personally familiar with the S60 Symbian-based E61, but believe it to be using the Java JSR 179 Location API. Although this API supports GPS over Bluetooth, apparently implementations are often non-standard. That said, according to this Nokia page you can do on-device logging with "any Bluetooth enabled GPS module known to work with your phone". From the comments in the links you provided, it would seem that the ability to use the M-241 with the E61 or not depends on how a particular program is utilizing this API. It looks like you already have tabs in the right places to find a definitive answer—if there is one!
Thank you very much, Bruce!
I did realise the dual functionality of this device, or actually tripple: that is the main advantage to me. I hope to use it to measure my speed on bike, geolocate my photos and navigate on my cellphone.
I think you are half right on JSR-179. Aside from the 'native' Mac syncing, Symbian phones can run Symbian C++ programs besides J2ME programs. Many great navigation utilities have been written for S60 release 3: they use the Symbian Location Based Services API. One neat feature is cross-application Landmarks: the waypoints in Nokia Navigator show up in Google Maps. As far as I understand things, the Operating System parses all NMEA data and gives simple data to the applications that abide to the LBS specs.
Plumbargains sells the M-241 for a good price, they claimed Nokia phones are working. Yes, as I commented to their post: does it work with the API?
A rechargeable battery (2500 mAh) lasts an operational day in my case (put it in in the morning, lasts until end of day). I guess that is at least 10 hours.
There are a lot of differences in the batteries - the ones from Sony that I got with a digital camera are the best - others with the same rating bought 'cheap' in a supermarket are not so good.
Even if the reported capacity may be respected, the most important for these devices is the voltage discharge profile. As soon as the voltage drops too low, the device no longer works. In phones, advanced techniques are used to get all the energy out of the battery despite their low voltage and this is not the case for these GPS devices.
By the way, BT747 runs on Mac, PC, Palm and Windows Mobile. The script on Mac does not require modification anymore (as far as reported).
Interesting comment Mario re voltage; perhaps that explains why the Holux stopped logging all too quickly after showing the low battery symbol?
[quote post="912"]The script on Mac does not require modification anymore
True; I discovered that in a more recent post, also noting that BT747 is now capable of distinguishing M-241 waypoints from track points.
Hi,
I just wanted to let you know that I successfully connected a Nokia e51 with the Holux M-241 v1.11. It did not work at first (I tried Nokia Maps, GPS data app, SportsTracker etc.) and I was all ready to give up, but then I tried to use it with Google Maps app and it worked. Then I fired up Nokia Maps, GPS Data app, and Sports tracker and shortly they all picked up on it. It's as if it helped it register it on the system. Prior to that the bluetooth connection would not even hold. I'll test it out further shortly but for now it's working.
Hope this helps to potential users having trouble. I almost gave up!
Marko
There is a new firmware version 1.12 available on the official Holux download page:
http://www.holux.com/JCore/en/products/products_download.jsp?pno=341
New feature are:
1. Backlight time ~ add new option "Always On"
2. Display function of heading numeral (0' - 359')
3. Log Height ~ change the standard of coordinate system from
"WGS84" to "Sea level".
4. UTC time ~ add the option "Minute"
5. Add Bluetooth turn on/ turn off function (Including TC,SC,DE,
FR,EN String)
English : Bluetooth, on,off
German : Bluetooth,EIN,AUS
French : Bluetooth, allumez, éteinez
Can this unit log and nav at the same time, that is, can I record a log on the unit while at the same time view the navigation on my laptop over bluetooth?
@Wilber: Yes, the M-241 can record a track log and function as a GPS receiver simultaneously.
gpsbabel now supports the M-241. The command line makes it really simple (and fast!) to read data off and output it in KML or GPX. On the mac:
gpsbabel -t -r -w -i m241 -f /dev/tty.HOLUX_M-241-SPPSlave-1 -o kml -F `date +'%F-%H:%M'`.kml
(replace kml with gpx to get gpx)
I bought the M241 some months ago for geotagging of a hike and it lasted between 7 and 10 hours with Sanyo Eneloops which I'd recommend to anybody because of the low self discharge. They're like a general recommendation in most photo forums here in Germany, I'd totally agree.
I used it with the software supplied connecting it via USB to my PC and was quite satisfied with the results. I used geosetter (http://www.geosetter.de/en/) to tag the photos - it didn't work with the kmls but the converted gpx files did the job.
Concerning the accurancy loss with low batteries: afaik the GPS-Antenna receives analog signals needing to be amplified before converting them for digital use. Lower voltage might affect the on-die-amp resulting in poor performance.
Anyway: I'd recommend the Holux after my experiences with it. Though it's not weathersealed it resisted light rain, cold and rough treatment. The accurancy was satisfactory for me and the built-in display is a gift when you want to know how much you've hiked. The ability to use AAs is very nice, too.
NiCad/NiMH batteries are a bad idea in a device such as this. They output 1.2v nominal versus the 1.5 volts a fresh alkaline cell can provide. A device like this most likely uses a boost circuit to raise the voltage to 3.3 (or perhaps even 5v) internally. Systems such as this fare extremely poorly when driven with 1.2 volts, regardless of the amp/hour capacity of the cells.
Despite it seeming to be counter-intuitive, you would likely get 2-3x the life out of plain old alkaline cells. The disposable high-cap lithium (1.5v) cells might work well here.
Hi,
I recently bought Holux M-241. Despite its firmware is up to date (v 1.12) and found out from some reviews that in the latest firmware, such as v 1.11, that issue about corrupting log files if it's not closed before running out of battery, log files are still corrupted. I did it on purpose: after I noticed that battery runs out of energy by seeing its indicator, I didn't close the GPS to see what will happen. After the battery was dead, I did replace it with a new one, but unfortunately I noticed that I have some more memory, like I didn't use it before. Also, the mem. counter was not working anymore. The only fix I could apply (I had no computer by that time) was to ERASE all data from its memory by using its own user interface.
Well, could somebody tell me whether this issue was really fixed in the latest firmwares? .. or I was wrongly informed about this fix?
I have this nightmare: going to a long trip, logging each and every day and - by the end of the trip - forgot to check device/replace the battery .. all data is gone and replaced by a huge frustration :(
Many thanks,
dec
@dec you can contact Holux support here for a definitive answer. The latest firmware mentioned on the Holux website is 1.11; I see no download link for 1.12. Also looks like there's a new product, the M-241c—which probably means they'll loose interest in fixing any issues with the M-241!
@Bruce thank you for idea to contact directly Holux
Actually there is a link to download the latest firmware, v 1.12, http://www.holux.com/JCore/en/products/products_download.jsp?pno=341
M-241 Firmware V1.12 update package (New) 2008-10-27 .rar
Actually, the M-241c is just the M-241 without bluetooth.
in the meantime, Holux m-241 firmware 1.13 is published as well, which allows you to disable bluetooth, hopefully increasing the battery lifetime.