Toughbook

Last week we took the time to take some photos of sampling activities for future reference.  On of the things we photographed include the Panasonic Toughbook that I have been using as my principal field sampling guidance for the last few weeks.  My Toughbook is loaded with Global Mapper and I have been mainly using a Wintec wireless receiver with it.  Except for an incident where I broke the screen the computer seems pretty durable.  The screen breakage was strictly carelessness.  This setup seems to be a good alternative to good way to some of the more expensive ag specific products out there.  Toughbooks are available on Ebay for around $400 the receiver can be had new for about $60 and the Global Mapper is around $300 on some websites.  A Ram-mount is also needed.  My friend Kelly has 2 of them he he has been using with FarmWorks software for the whole spring season.  We agree that they seem to be very durable.  It has added to our available number of GPS units.  If I use a white background with no aerials.  It is very visible.  This is as close to paperless sampling as we have come although, I like carrying the photo, because it is faster than turning on the photo and squinting at it on the computer.  A last thought is that with the territory we cover, it is good to have a fully functional computer in the field.  We are only as far away from the Internet as the nearest McDonald's.    We are hoping that is setup will last a year or 2 at least.