What GPS Timer

olboy · Postby **olboy** » Sun Nov 09, 2014 7:55 pm

Hi
I'm going to buy a GPS timer for track day use at WP and SMSP
Which one should I get
Racechrono looks good but you know how it is
After you buy it everybody says what did you buy that one for

Olboy

Magpie · Postby **Magpie** » Sun Nov 09, 2014 8:17 pm

Qstarz LTQ6000
Racelogic Perfermance Box, VBOX Lite/Pro
iQ3 logger dash
Racepak G2X/Pro

Trackphotos · Postby **Trackphotos** » Sun Nov 09, 2014 9:07 pm

Racechrono is just the app, it's pointless without an external GPS. I use a Samsung Galaxy S3 with Racechrono, paired with a Qstarz 818xt gps receiver. Phone stuck to the top of the windscreen for split times, gps stuck behind the rear view mirror. Has only ever missed one session where it recorded zero data, not sure if that was the fault of the receiver, the phone, or the app. If you do choose to use a Qstarz unit, it will default to either 10Hz or 1Hz depending on the switch position. You really need to connect it to your pc, download the software for it, and configure it to run at 5Hz when it's on the 1Hz position, and with DGPS enabled. The accuracy on cloudy days depends largely on whether you have DGPS enabled or not, and it can only be enabled up to 5Hz.

TIFF · Postby **TIFF** » Mon Nov 10, 2014 9:44 am

Try Track Addict http://racerender.com/TrackAddict/Features.html
There is a free version and a paid version
Have fun!

Postby **beavis** » Mon Nov 10, 2014 11:01 am

Trackphotos wrote:use a Samsung Galaxy S3/any Android with Racechrono, paired with a Qstarz 818xt gps receiver.

THIS!

wasabi · Postby **wasabi** » Mon Nov 10, 2014 2:25 pm

My mate has the Qstarz GPS timer which I've used a few times & have to admit it's pretty good.

Race Logic V-Box Performance Box has been a bit of a standard (This is what most motor magazines use for testing) but was turned off by the fact you need to supply it with power as opposed to having a battery like the Qstarz unit.

V-Box also has a Sport model which has a better GPS unit (20htz vs 10htz in the Performance Box & Qstarz) & links to your phone. Unfortunately I wasn't able to find any in depth reviews when I was looking earlier in the year as it was pretty new. Everything that I found seemed to suggest it was a good thing though.

MattR · Postby **MattR** » Mon Nov 10, 2014 9:06 pm

Just bite the bullet and go a Motec C125 race logging kit, comes with GPS will give splits and delta tmes and enough sensors to log anything you may want to......

Will just have to sell your first born......

Magpie · Postby **Magpie** » Tue Nov 11, 2014 8:02 am

I would have to pay somebody to take any of my kids!

Magpie · Postby **Magpie** » Tue Nov 11, 2014 8:36 am

Also DGPS, it's accuracy is dependent on other variables and factors
http://www.amsa.gov.au/navigation/services/dgps/

Dan · Postby **Dan** » Wed Nov 12, 2014 11:08 pm

Like a few people mentioned, on a budget an external GPS like a Qstarz and software such as Harry's lap-timer or Racechrono is a good start since it is pretty accurate and you can export your sessions into .VBO files and interpret the data Circuit Tools which is the same software you'll use to do analysis on an $800 Performance Box. The downside is that it isn't a single unit and you probably won't get exactly the same quality GPS Signal but it's cheap as chips. Mounting the Windscreen to the satisfaction of some event organisers might also be a bit of a pain.

For a relatively cheap standalone logging tool people have already mentioned the Performance box so I won't talk about that but I am using an AIM Solo DL and love it. They are considerably cheaper than the PBOX ($404+GST for the basic model without OBDII functionality) and they have a battery inside them (can also connect to 12v). The software is very powerful however arguably not as easy to use as Circuit Tools, but they have some great documentation and tutorial video's available for free online. Also cool is that it comes with a mount so you can fix it to the dash if you don't want to use the optional suction mount (it has a magnet and screws which secure the unit to the mount to satisfy scrutineers).

I sprung for the more expensive DL version since it has OBDII functionality which allows me to pull information from the ECU like RPM, Accelerator/Brake position, Steering Angle etc... which works on both my cars, but since the NA6 doesn't have the connector you probably only need the cheaper non-DL version unless you intend to use it in different cars with an OBDII connector at some point or you have another car.

Here's where you can get some more info and where you can buy them from here in Aus:
http://www.aimsports.com/products/solo/index.html
http://aimsportsystems.com.au/store/pro ... ucts_id=34

Also here's where I fixed mine to my dash so I don't need a suction cup (that's the OBDII/Power Wire sticking into the bottom).

wasabi · Postby **wasabi** » Thu Nov 13, 2014 10:11 am

Forgot to mentioned, the Vbox Sport which connects to your smart phone, can also be used for other GPS / timing apps to give you more accurate times.

If I was going to buy something right now though, I'd probably still go towards to Qstarz unit... Some place up past Newcastle is selling them for around $400.00 last time I checked for reference.