1. Introduction
Apart from GPS devices, Evermore also manufactures GPS loggers. These are stand alone devices that can log your route, and afterwards be used to show valuable information through software like Google Earth. We had the chance to test Evermore's flagship, the DL-200BT, a dual device since it is a BT GPS and a data logger at the same time.
- Evermore DL-200BT
The DL-200BT has a wireless interface and uses the Global Positioning System (GPS) to record vehicle
movement, speed, route and duration of stops. The DL-200BT is driven by a 12-channel EverMore chipset, capable of storing up to 25,000 waypoints with WAAS/Egnos support and BT compatible interface.
This information can be displayed on
GIS mapping with MapInfo format or data can be downloaded to a P.C. so the user can
view vehicle activity in more precise detail. Additionally, the device can be used for navigation as a BT enabled GPS device.
- Features
- Supports Wireless interface to PC/Notebook
- Built-in patch antenna
- Receiver, Twelve parallel tracking channels
- Fast TTFF and low power consumption
- On-board rechargeable battery sustained real-time clock and memory for fast satellite acquisition during power-up
- Automatic cold start with no user initialization required
- Large capacity for continuous records for 25,000 positions
- Lithium-ion rechargeable battery, lasts for more than 6 hours of use
- Applications
- Land/Marine Navigation
- Telematics
- Fleet Management
- Asset Tracking
- Timing Reference
- Used chipset
Evermore has developed the main chipset in-house, which has the following specifications:
| General |
L1 1575.42MHz, C/A code, 12-channel, Carrier-Aided with HWTrack |
| Sensitivity |
-143 dBm minimum |
| Update Rate |
1Hz |
| Accuracy |
Position : 15m CEP without S/A
Velocity : 0.1 m/sec without S/A |
| Acquisition |
Cold start : < 120 sec (typical)
Warm start : < 45 sec (typical)
Hot start : < 15 sec |
| Dynamics |
Altitude : -1000m to 18000m
Velocity : 500 m/sec
Acceleration : 4g |
| Reacquisition |
<100 msec |
| Datum |
219 standard datum, default WGS-84 |
| DGPS |
WAAS/EGNOS |
| WAAS Accuracy |
Position : 5m CEP
Velocity : 0.05m/sec |
| Protocol |
NMEA-0183 v2.2 , 8-None-1
Auto Adjustment Baud Rate 4800-115200 bps |
| NMEA Message |
GGA, GLL, GSA, GSV, RMC, and VTG |
| Operation Temperature |
-20oC to +70oC |
| Storage Temperature |
-40oC to +90oC |
| Operating Humidity |
5% to 95% non-condensing |
| Antenna |
Built-in Patch Antenna / Option active antenna, MMCX jack |
| Interface |
Wireless Interface |
| Current Consumption |
150 mA |
| Operation Time |
Up to 6 Hours after full charge |
| Power Switch |
System power switch except charge unit |
2. Package
For our testing purposes, Evermore sent us the retail package that includes:
- The DL-200BT GPS receiver
- A cigarette lighter adaptor (with USB output)
- An AC/DC adapter
- A mini USB cable (for charging from the PC)
- A Li-Ion battery
- A CD with manual and test software
The current price of the product is around US$147.00, as found around the net.
The DL-200BT is almost twice the size of the Globalsat BT-338.
On the front, there are several LEDs (explained later on) indicating among other things, GPS status. At left, there is an antenna MMCX jack, while on the right, the on/off switch, an AC/DC jack and a mini din 6 pin port (used to connect with USB interface, however this cable is not provided in the retail package)...
The Li-Ion battery is rated at 1100mAh 3.7V:
The external dimensions are 98x47x31mm
with a weight of 95gr. There are four leds, with the following blinking behaviour:
Something else included in the package, is an anti-slide rubber mat. You can put the mat on your car dashboard, to help keep the device from sliding about. However, from our experience, and we've seen this with other devices that have had the same mat, at least in our BWM 320, the device was more stable without the mat. Again it depends upon where you plan installing it.
3. Installation
The installation of the device is very simple. After charging for about 3hours, you can install it on either your PDA or BT enabled laptop. Remember, the pair key is four zeros (0000), in case the application asks for it. All tests were done with an ASUS A6JA laptop. We recorded all produced data for a pre-selected route with VisualGPSX and later analyzed it with GPSLog.
In order to measure the TTFF ("Time to First Fix" which is the time it takes for a GPS to determine its current position), we used GPSInfo "Cold Start" function. All tests ran simultaneously, under the same environmental conditions with the device installed in a BMW, model 320, 2006. We will be comparing the DL-200BT with the BT-338 from Globalsat.
By using EMT GPS View v1.70, we are able to connect to COM4 and check if our device is working properly.
Evermore provides GPSView v1.80 on their official website, which we suggested downloading.
- Tests Day One
The first day we tested the device under a clear daylight sky and 35°C.
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Average Signal Level (in dB)
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The DL-200BT showed average performance with the most obvious problem the low % of 3D Fix, indicating a possible problem when tracking four or more satellites. It also had a low average in use satellites count, with only 3.70 (average), hence the problems with the 3D fix which requires 4 satellites. The average in-view satellites is nice and healthy at 11.09, while the signal levels per satellite were very good.
- Logger functions
If you intend buying the Evermore DL-200BT, more than likely it will be for its logging features. The device can store up to 25,000 points in its built-in memory. In order to get those points in a workable format, so that they can be exported to Google Earth or another similar application for example, you need to use Evermore's Datalog Analyzer. Evermore ships with version 2.70, however there was a newer one that was used for most of our tests (v3.0.1.4.)
From the main screen, you can select the COM Port and Baud Rate. After pressing Connect, the software will look at the selected port and to find the DL-200BT.
This is the main screen of the software. Here you can Dump/Erase Way points and set several interesting features, like logger function on/off, time to log and distance to log.
By pressing Dump Way points, you save all information in a .dat file, which can be used with either the Evermore DataLog Analyzer or other mapping software, like Google Earth:
The software will prompt you to launch google earth
and here is what you will see, your route overlayed on a google earth photo.
The software can be used as a Virtual GPS feeder for software that supports functions like e-map or Microsoft's Autoroute:
The third tab offers something interesting, Waypoint Analysis. You can select time, speed and reduce the margin for evaluating your driving performance.
The software is capable of displaying graphs as well, savable in bmp format.
- Overall impressions
Evermore's DL-200BT uses a custom chipset that had difficulty in matching the performance of SiRF III based GPS devices. While the receiver signals are very good, the overall tracking features are rather limited, with not very good 3D Fix %. In order to use the logging features of the DL-200BT, you need to install Datalog Analyzer, which is able to convert the saved data into various formats for use with your favorite mapping software. The software is constantly being improved by Evermore, and will prove an invaluable asset in evaluating your driving performance.
4. Conclusion
The DL-200BT is an interesting device, combining two function, that of GPS tracker and logger. The device can be used either stand alone (logger) or connected to a PDA/Laptop with the BT interface for GPS tracking. The retail package is complete, with all needed software and cables. On the performance side, Evermore uses a custom chipset that compared with SiRF III GPSs, offers much lower performance. While the satellite signals were very high, the overall tracking was average with around 60% 3D Fix. This may improve with the addition of an external antenna.
The retail price (~US$150.00) makes it higher in price than an ordinary BT GPS device, but this is justified since the devices is also a logger. Obviously then, the device is targeted at people who wish to track their routes, logging them so that they can analyze them at a later time. If you have this need, the Evermore DL-200BT device is just what you need.
The Positive
- Dual function device (GPS tracker and logger)
- Supports WAAS/Egnos
- Good retail package
- Includes mini-USB port for charging
- CD with manual and testing software included
- Car charger is included
The Negative
- Used chipset doesn't offer best GPS performance
- Bulky in size
- Doesn't support any automatic power on/off mode