Toughbook or is there something better
 

I'm the Commo Chief for a new LRS company at Fort Hood. I've used Panasonic Toughbooks and PDAs as data devices to replace what we used to use KL-43Cs and DMDGs for. My question is -

Is there something better out there now?

I've looked at OQOs as a possibility but am worried about their durability for R&S.
I know that I've crunched up a couple CF-18s in the past and don't think that a OQO will survive.

Since we just stood up I have the opportunity to fight for what I want instead of what big green wants to give us. Any help you guys can provide will be appreciated.

~ Chance

Search button hard for you to find?

TR

I searched... "toughbook", "data device" "DMDG" and "OQO". I didn't see anything that answered my question. I did see some info on the OQO but if it doesn't fill the requirement what does?

Funny, "Toughbook" gives me five hits, did you read through all of them?

At least one concerns the durability of the Toughbook in a deployed environment, and its alternatives.

We cannot discuss crypto applications on this unclassified board.

TR

Here's an article about a hand held, pricey ($2,500) , but supposedly very rugged computer/navigator/communicator.

And the web site: http://www.trimble.com/ps_nomad.shtml

Nomad is a wonder for wanderers
GCN Lab Review: The Trimble Nomad 800LE packs Microsoft Office, a GPS receiver and more into a tough shell.

By Trudy Walsh

It's not a question of what the Trimble Nomad 800LE can do. The real question is what can’t it do? The rugged handheld computer has a built-in Global Positioning System receiver that gives longitude, latitude and wind speed. It runs the Windows Office suite. It can take pictures and video. It can scan bar codes. It links to the Internet via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or a virtual private network. It plays your favorite songs.



It sends e-mail. It transcribes your poor penmanship into legible text.

And ruggedized is almost too mild a word to describe it; Rambo-ized would be a more accurate description. The Nomad handled every form of abuse the GCN Lab threw at it with nary a blip. We practically played kickball with it, and it still performed its many functions beautifully.

The school-bus-yellow unit is a little bigger and heavier than the average BlackBerry personal digital assistant, but the Nomad is packed with features most BlackBerrys don’t have. The unit weighs 21 ounces, including a rechargeable battery.

Setup was easy. The Nomad’s stylus has a Phillips screwdriver at one end, which came in handy. We plopped in the lithium ion battery and screwed the cover tight, and, voilà, the Nomad came to life.

Charging the device initially was the hardest part of setting up the Nomad. It comes with four different adapters so there’s no excuse for not finding a compatible socket. It took a few hours for the indicator light to go green. But that was really the only waiting we had to do. The Nomad’s 806 MHz processor made it a zippier computer than many laptop PCs we’ve used. Once charged, the battery lasted just fine throughout the week or so we spent testing it.

The Nomad runs on the Windows Mobile platform, so it comes loaded with Windows Media player, Internet Explorer, PowerPoint, Excel, Word and synchronization capabilities with Outlook e-mail systems.

The box includes a CD to help get started and sync e-mail. We also loaded some favorite tunes from Windows Media onto the Nomad, using the included USB connection.

This led us to our one real criticism of the Nomad: It didn’t include earphones and had a small audio jack. We combed through our whole collection of earphones, and they were all too big for the audio outlet. To listen to our music, we had to hold the Nomad’s built-in speaker up to our ear like an old transistor radio. Our suggestion to Trimble: Include earphones that will work with the Nomad in the next version or simply go with a standard-size jack.

The transcriber software, however, worked like a charm. Admittedly, when we used the stylus to write “Works like a charm” on the device, it translated our chicken scratchings as “Works like a chain.” But that’s still a better comprehension level than most people have when they try to read our handwriting.

At the top of the unit is a bar code-reading laser light, which cast a powerful red beam when we activated it, using the built-in Scan- Agent tool. User need to download software for their specific bar code application. But ScanAgent still did some rudimentary logging of bar code data. It scanned our driver’s license bar code and the bar code on the back of a biography of C.S. Lewis we were reading, and it noted both our driver’s license number and the book’s ISBN number accurately.

The GPS directions and documentation are built into the unit, so there’s no fumbling with a paper manual. To test the receiver, we took the Nomad for a stroll around the wooded glen that surrounds the GCN Lab. The unit displayed a graphical representation of the heavens and showed that about 12 satellites were orbiting above us, about half of which were being used, shown in blue.

It took a minute or two to register our latitude and longitude. The numbers went up and down in a most gratifying way as we walked east and west, north and south. The Nomad also noted the wind speed, which varied from about 0.8 mph to 6 mph. The temperature was in the mid-30s, and our hands got stiff clutching the Nomad, which wasn’t affected at all by the cold.

The screen stayed clear and legible despite the bright afternoon sun, which is important, considering the outdoors work that most Nomad users will probably be doing.

Back inside the lab, we subjected the Nomad to a series of ruggedness tests.

Trimble’s literature states that the Nomad series meets the Mil-Std-810F standard for drops, vibration and temperature extremes.

We say, amen to that.

With no signs of distress, the Nomad ably survived the GCN Lab’s rain forest environment test, which consisted of 30 minutes in a sealed box with temperatures of 120 degrees F and 100 percent humidity. We thought the rain forest might at least steam off the removable plastic screen protector that came with the unit, but it didn’t.

We then dropped the Nomad onto plywood over concrete from various heights, on its front, back, sides, top, bottom and all four corners.

At the two-foot drop, the unit bounced a little, especially on the black rubber end pieces.

At three feet, the black rubber showed a bit of wear, but the Nomad carried on, its reassuring deep-blue Windows interface still glowing. At five feet, the Nomad was still working fine. Because the bottom of the unit is heavier than the top, the Nomad turned during the fall like a cat falling out of an apartment building, but it always landed just fine.

At $2,499, the Nomad is a bargain, if you consider what it would cost to buy all these functions separately — a GPS, PDA, MP3 player, tablet PC, digital camera and scanner.

Anyone who needs to know location — such as people who work in surveying, construction, fleet management or public safety — would do well to bring along the Nomad. The multitasking nature of the Nomad would make it a great addition to the toolbox of government employees who work in agriculture, homeland security, transportation, law enforcement or any job that requires data collection outdoors.

I understand that it can be a rough world for a FNG; but I didn't attempt to discuss anything concerning crypto, SOPs or software used. I've sat back and scanned the forums for a couple weeks and did a lot of reading before posting. I think I have a pretty good understanding of how unclassified these boards are. Trust me TR, I wouldn't do anything to jeopardize my ability to gain information from the wealth of knowledge here. I only mentioned the KL-43 and DMDG because only people who know what those things are would have the knowledge/experience to help me.

I must be doing something wrong with the search function. I only got 4 results and none of them came close to answering my question.

Obviously size and weight are an issue... does anyone here have any experience or input on the GD Itronix GoBook MR-1? What I'm looking for has to go in an RTO ruck; there's no room for an average sized notebook in a pelican case.

Clearly, you have some strong opinions about what you want to do and believe that you are correct in your course of action.

Let me just point out that the difference between a DMDG and a notebook is all of the other things that a notebook can be used for, and the limited ability to store anything other than message traffic on a DMDG.

Any notebook (or thumbdrive, for that matter) is going to wind up with photos, email, PowerPoints OPORDs, etc.

When the notebook falls into the wrong hands, as one invariably will, and has already happened with at least one SEAL team, what happens to all of the mission related (and sensitive non-mission related) data on it?

TR

X2
Laptops are for the rear area and when you launch on a mission (RECON/etc) your communication device should be the secure/Zero capable data device. Toooooo many things can be recovered from a Laptop/Palm. Base Camp Operations are different. You have a large force, you are fixed and dug in and will be able to destroy or extract critical data equipment when needed. Keep it simple and your rucksack will be lighter.

I appreciate the guidance from both you and TR. I have better visibility on some problems that you guys have pointed out. But my teams still have a requirement for data burst. I'm listening and an extremely receptive to your advice. I need more than a problem identified, I need to find a solution. Obviously I need to put more thought into the security side of the devices contents. I know what I've used in the past (this is my 3rd LRS assignment) accomplished the mission but did so in a less that perfect way. I was just hoping to find something better.

Real time imagery is one of the reasons why we got rid of our DMDGs/KL-43 in the late 90's. I don't think that I was focused enough on the security side. Thanks for the realignment TR.

I think that I've found what suits my needs and in-case this topic ever re-emerges I'll answer my own question...

http://www.gd-itronix.com/index.cfm?page=Products:MR-1

I have contacted the manufacturer and will do some testing and evaluation. Hopefully it works out for us.

chance-alot,

Commo is one of those subjects we're not going to get into too deeply on here.

Intel, commo, demo, tactics, techniques and procedures, current operations etc we're just not going to answer some questions.

TS

rugged Computers
 

Is Grid computers still around??

field computers
 

I have looked into a mini computer made by General Dynamics, I don't have the info here with me but if you goto their site it is only about 4x4x2in and is wireless, gps, and usb capable this might meet your needs in replacing the CF-18, alos if I were to take a laptop I would carry the CF-74 it is a little better and has many more options..

brushingham:

Appreciate the input, but you need to reread your registration message and comply with the instructions before posting again.

An introduction in the right place would be a good start.

Thanks.

TR