Data Acquisition For (Almost) Any Budget
September 5th, 2006
With the introduction of its MQGPS products, MaxQData has truly made GPS-based data acquisition an affordable option for just about any racer. For a couple hundred bucks, a driver can use the device in conjunction with a Pocket PC PDA or laptop to perform flight recordings. During “flight†mode, real-time status can be displayed on the recording device. Some of the key recording elements are lateral/longitudinal g’s, speed/distance, and lap/segment times. The supplied software plays back recordings of driving paths along with corresponding performance data, and offers playback/charting customizations. The base MQGPS is wired, however for a bit more, a bluetooth version can be purchased. This makes the device more convenient and portable. Because the GPS unit is based on common standards, it can also be used with most off-the-shelf navigation software to help get you around town.
This is an awesome product. I’m not aware of anything that can beat it for the $. I use the MQGPS with my Sprint PPC-6700 PDA and am very impressed. I am able to capture lap/segment times and replay to know exactly what was going on at any given point on the track. It’s also nice to know how fast I am really going, since my speedo seems to lose accuracy at high speeds. I did have a couple setup issues, but the staff was very responsive and got me right on track. The GPS unit also comes in handy for around town navigation. I purchased iNav iGuidance software/maps to go with it. Works great.