Exbal or LoadBase ?

[Broz]

Eaglet, I should know this but dont remember. What are you running your field use program on? Mine does not look like yours at all. I have never seen those pages.

Thanks

Jeff

 

[Broz]

Opps, sorry Eaglet I missed your last post that you have a Dell axim now. That is what I am using. But I think I must have a problem as LB opens slower that dirt on mine. Like 30 seconds to open the first page. Is this normal or do I have a problem with my Dell X50V? The only programs on there at all are exbal and LB3.0 and I only run one at a time.

Plus as I stated mine dos not have those pages.

Thanks

Jeff

 

[trueblue]

Looks like alot of imformation there, Eaglet.
I think there should be a college night course to teach LB
But in all seriousness, if there was a dedicated thread to teach some of these applications, I would be interested in buying the software. The way it stands right now, I don't know that I want to endure the learning curve on my own.
However, I am interested in getting a diferent setup than what I am running now, as my Dell axim batteries will not hold a charge even for a week. So, every time the batteries go dead, or I switch them, I have to reenter all my data, PITA!
I am interested in more imfo on how the kestrel and LB sync up and information is share instead of having to load it manually?

 

[ss7mm]

But I think I must have a problem as LB opens slower that dirt on mine. Like 30 seconds to open the first page. Is this normal or do I have a problem with my Dell X50V? The only programs on there at all are exbal and LB3.0 and I only run one at a time.

Plus as I stated mine dos not have those pages.

Thanks

Jeff

You will only see those new pages with the newest version of LoadBase Mobile.

LoadBase loads the way it does because of all of the processes that initially load.

I hear a lot of people say how slow LoadBase is to use in the field and that just blows my mind. I have both Exbal and LoadBase and, like Eaglet says, it's only as complicated as you want to make it. You don't have to use all of the functions and you don't have to use the multiple wind zones etc. etc. etc.

If you choose to use the simplest functions on LoadBase it's, for me, easier to use than Exbal.

I don't know how everybody else sets up their PPC and software when hunting but this is how I do mine, and how I did it all through deer and elk seasons.

Before sunup I have all of my environmental data entered into LoadBase on my Dell Axim. If I'm in an area where I have hunted before and know the distances where I'm likely to see game then I load that distance into the "Shoot Solution" screen. Then, if and when needed, I can simply dial in or enter the different yardages as needed. I also will sometimes then set the unit on the Charts page that shows the reticle in my NF and the yardages for the different hash marks. It's only one click from either screen to the other and works great for me.

Now, here is where I think maybe some people may do it differently than I do and possibly this is where some of the "slow" talk about LB comes in. When I have all of the data entered into LB and have the screen showing what I want, I simply reach up and touch the magic OFF button on the Dell. And....guess what??? When I need to access the Dell and LB all it takes is a quick poke of the power button on the Dell and I am instantly back to the screen where I left it. You don't have to shut LB down just shut down the Dell and you instantly come back to where you left it with just a one second poke of the power button. This is one of those places where Bill and his Windows environment and Gus with his great program take advantage of the quickest way to get us the shooting data we need when we need it.

I started LoadBase the opening day of deer season and didn't shut LB down until after elk season. I never had to do anything but hit the power button and it was there in the background ready every time I needed it and I used it a LOT. I do use a heavy duty battery on my Dell and have a charging cord in the pickup but it easily goes a week and still has plenty of charge left.

I do however, choose to probably use more of the available environmental capabilities etc. than some do but in the end, the data is all entered before I need it and I periodically update the info during the day so the little Dell and LB is just sitting there in my pocket fully updated and ready to go with just a one second poke of the button.

 

[Eaglet]

Opps, sorry Eaglet I missed your last post that you have a Dell axim now. That is what I am using. But I think I must have a problem as LB opens slower that dirt on mine. Like 30 seconds to open the first page. Is this normal or do I have a problem with my Dell X50V? The only programs on there at all are exbal and LB3.0 and I only run one at a time.

Plus as I stated mine dos not have those pages.

Thanks

Jeff

Broz,

I just tested my used Axim x50v and tested the time it took to reach the first page where you see all the modules.

1. 5.50 seconds
2. 5.39 seconds
3. 5.41 seconds

Average: 5.433 seconds to the first page. This is faster than my Asus PDA.

 

[Eaglet]

You will only see those new pages with the newest version of LoadBase Mobile.

LoadBase loads the way it does because of all of the processes that initially load.

I hear a lot of people say how slow LoadBase is to use in the field and that just blows my mind. I have both Exbal and LoadBase and, like Eaglet says, it's only as complicated as you want to make it. You don't have to use all of the functions and you don't have to use the multiple wind zones etc. etc. etc.

If you choose to use the simplest functions on LoadBase it's, for me, easier to use than Exbal.

Dead Center

I don't know how everybody else sets up their PPC and software when hunting but this is how I do mine, and how I did it all through deer and elk seasons.

Before sunup I have all of my environmental data entered into LoadBase on my Dell Axim. If I'm in an area where I have hunted before and know the distances where I'm likely to see game then I load that distance into the "Shoot Solution" screen. Then, if and when needed, I can simply dial in or enter the different yardages as needed. I also will sometimes then set the unit on the Charts page that shows the reticle in my NF and the yardages for the different hash marks. It's only one click from either screen to the other and works great for me.

Now, here is where I think maybe some people may do it differently than I do and possibly this is where some of the "slow" talk about LB comes in. When I have all of the data entered into LB and have the screen showing what I want, I simply reach up and touch the magic OFF button on the Dell. And....guess what??? When I need to access the Dell and LB all it takes is a quick poke of the power button on the Dell and I am instantly back to the screen where I left it. You don't have to shut LB down just shut down the Dell and you instantly come back to where you left it with just a one second poke of the power button. This is one of those places where Bill and his Windows environment and Gus with his great program take advantage of the quickest way to get us the shooting data we need when we need it.

I started LoadBase the opening day of deer season and didn't shut LB down until after elk season. I never had to do anything but hit the power button and it was there in the background ready every time I needed it and I used it a LOT. I do use a heavy duty battery on my Dell and have a charging cord in the pickup but it easily goes a week and still has plenty of charge left.

I do however, choose to probably use more of the available environmental capabilities etc. than some do but in the end, the data is all entered before I need it and I periodically update the info during the day so the little Dell and LB is just sitting there in my pocket fully updated and ready to go with just a one second poke of the button.

That's exactly the way it should be used! No doubt. Thank for posting.
Just Dead On!

 

[Broz]

Broz,

I just tested my used Axim x50v and tested the time it took to reach the first page where you see all the modules.

1. 5.50 seconds
2. 5.39 seconds
3. 5.41 seconds

Average: 5.433 seconds to the first page. This is faster than my Asus PDA.

Thanks Eaglet. I just tested mine to see.

Average when I hit LB from my start menu is about 11 seconds, then another 21 seconds to get to the ballistics tab open. That is if it does not toss up a window saying I need to licecse something. If I back out the next try it will not have this window and go on in to the ballistics page. I am beginning to think there has been a glitch in my LB program all along.

Thanks

Jeff

 

[bigngreen]

Thanks Eaglet. I just tested mine to see.

Average when I hit LB from my start menu is about 11 seconds, then another 21 seconds to get to the ballistics tab open. That is if it does not toss up a window saying I need to licecse something. If I back out the next try it will not have this window and go on in to the ballistics page. I am beginning to think there has been a glitch in my LB program all along.

Thanks

Jeff

That's about what mine runs to open also Broz, but I do like others and have it all set up and idling in the back ground till go time. I do the same thing with Exbal and I have two of the hot buttons set up so I can switch instantly between LB and Exbal.

Eaglet, I'm so jacked to use the Kestrel linked to LB, I'm also wanting to get a GPS adapter so I can link that in as well. I am curious about getting LB to rock a little faster on my Axim, I watched Broz play with his and it's plain slow, what processor speeds are you running on yours. I was thinking about trying to find something faster and more rugged and was thinking something like the Trimble Recon or Juno but I'm not techy enough to really know what to look for to know that I would be upgrading.

 

[jwp475]

I have the Trimble Nomad and they are as bullet proof as it gets. The batteries last for days and if you do run them down nothing is lost. They are not affected by rain or dust. Very very good product

If you get the Recon, you will not be dissapaointed. I bought mine from Nightforce

 

[Broz]

I do leave my Axim on idle mode with while running the exbal program and in the field. But after a time.... like 2 hrs or so when I press the button t turn it on it will show the program page for a split second then go to my start page.

Also with LB, when ever I enter certain things like the degree of angle for a shot or a different wind angle, it has to do its thinking thing again and takes 10 to 15 seconds to compute and I will have to enter my distance again or at least correct it. Guys, this is why I have said over and over that LB is slower than exbal. Mine is... I am not trying to, as eaglet said "toss dirt in the face of another program" I am stating facts. So in this case it is evident to me that LB does not run the same on everyones pda. Even if they are both dell Axim X50V's. The difference between BnG's , Mine and Eaglets proves this.

Eaglet, have you looked at "shooter" on a Motorola Droid X phone? This is what my son is using. It has coriolis, spin drift, choice of G1 or G7 BC's, the gps in the phone keeps track of the azmuth and you lay the phone flat and point it at the target and it gets the angle of the shot. If I go this route I will invest in a kestrel with bluetooth too. I am up for an upgrade on my cell plan and I am thinking of going this way. The thought of the kestrel laying there on and sending all the field conditions to the program seems like the easiest way to go. In just a few minutes of playing with "shooter" I was on to it. So for what ever reason it seemed easy to run to me. Eaglet, you are way above most of us on all these programs. I would like to hear your opinion of Shooter. I am sorry but LB just didnt work for me.

Jeff

 

[SHRTSHTR]

Good morning Gents, hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving.

I really like these threads. They are kept pretty civil but end up providing valuable information. I must state right off that I am not loyal to any name brand of anykind. I try to use the best that I can afford until something better comes along. In most cases there is always a new and improved something. Heck, I can remember when guys on this thread said that Swaro Range finders were the Cats behind. Now, a lot of these guys have moved forward and for good reason. Note: Not bad mouthing Swaro, never owned one.

At this time I use a Recon for my PDA. Battery life is not a issue with my Recon. I have left it literally on the bench for a couple months and it has never died on me. I have never powered this Recon down to conserve battery life or to store it. I have tried to power it down but all it does is re-boot itself. Anyway, no problems at all with the Recon itself.

I do not like having to carry all these electronics in the field. GPS, Kestrel, Recon and extra batteries. I have narrowed things down a little when in the field. I am always trying to be more efficient. When I get to my hunting area I get my Latitude from my GPS. I never have to mess with this again. I use a Suunto watch which has Baro, and Azimuth on it. It is also nice to see that baro reading from both, match eachother.

I have a routine I go through every morning. I get all my enviro info entered into my PDA before the sun comes up or I'm ready to hunt. I update this info throughout the day. i have a Kestrel 4000 but it does not have BlueTooth. I see a new Kestrel coming from Santa this year . I hope this does not mean that I am disloyal to my old Kestrel.

If I am in a hurried hunting situation, I do not worry about Azimuth out to a 1000 yards. My firing solution is affected less than 1/4 moa (.200 moa) at a 1000 yards, no matter which direction I am shooting. This only applies to Colorado and Wyoming. I am sure it will be different in other parts of the world.

I also have what I call a comfortable kill zone. For me this is 700 yards. The only thing I have to do is get a wind reading. One click of the button and I have my drop chart in front of me with a 10mph wind factored in. I find using this method out to 700 yards is very fast and I can be ready to shoot in seconds.

For shots further than 700 yards, I gather a little more info. So far, I have had the time needed to do this. The furhter away I am the more time I have to make sure everything is right before breaking the trigger.

As far as Ballistic programs go, I have LB and Exbal in my PDA. LB is my go to program. I must say that without Eaglets and Phorwaths help, I would have givin up on LB. Eaglet spent countless hours and weeks walking me through LB. Just about the time I thought I had everything figured out, we would have to start all over again. It was quite a learning curve but I am a slow start anyhow.

I do not know everything about LB but I know what I need to know to get the job done. I too think that LB is faster than Exbal, the way I do it anyway. LB has not let me down yet if I do my job right. Oh yea, I timed my Recon when loading LB from the start menu.
12 seconds from Start menu to load LB.
34 seconds to open Ballitics Tabs
07 seconds to change Azmuth, wind, etc.
The 1st two time studies mean absolutely nothing to me, because I do not have to do them in the field.

I will continue to use LB and Recon but will always look for better ways to make myself more efficient in my longrange quest.

I guess the biggest reason I made this post is to publically Thank Eaglet for not giving up on me when I really, really wanted to quit! Javier you are a true gentleman and a Man of Honor in my books! Did I mention friend? If not, Thank You friend!

Ray

 

[Eaglet]

That's about what mine runs to open also Broz, but I do like others and have it all set up and idling in the back ground till go time. I do the same thing with Exbal and I have two of the hot buttons set up so I can switch instantly between LB and Exbal.

Eaglet, I'm so jacked to use the Kestrel linked to LB, I'm also wanting to get a GPS adapter so I can link that in as well. I am curious about getting LB to rock a little faster on my Axim, I watched Broz play with his and it's plain slow, what processor speeds are you running on yours. I was thinking about trying to find something faster and more rugged and was thinking something like the Trimble Recon or Juno but I'm not techy enough to really know what to look for to know that I would be upgrading.

bigngreen,

PDAs need certain maintenance as PC's do. We all have experienced our PC running mighty good and all the sudden it's very slow... We do many different things until we get them running well again. If it's necessary we'd format the hard drive and re-set it up again.
With the PDA it's possible to have Memory problems, registry problems or the combinations of both. Sometimes we put the blame on a certain Application and we may be looking in the wrong direction when the problem resides in the PDA.
Some times I have had to do a Hard Re-Set where everything is erased and it starts all over again. At times you only need a Soft Re-Set which is a good idea to do with certain frequency.

I'm using the same processor as Broz since I believe he's running a Dell Axim x50v which is 624 MHz; my former Asus MyPal A626 had a processor of 312 MHz and was doing pretty good considering.

I would not be concerned with getting a faster processor but with getting a newer OS (Operating System). For the GPS software to run we need to have WM 5.0, WM 6.0, or higher. Windows Mobile 2003 does not incorporate that facility.

 

[Eaglet]

I do leave my Axim on idle mode with while running the exbal program and in the field. But after a time.... like 2 hrs or so when I press the button t turn it on it will show the program page for a split second then go to my start page.

Also with LB, when ever I enter certain things like the degree of angle for a shot or a different wind angle, it has to do its thinking thing again and takes 10 to 15 seconds to compute and I will have to enter my distance again or at least correct it. Guys, this is why I have said over and over that LB is slower than exbal. Mine is... I am not trying to, as eaglet said "toss dirt in the face of another program" I am stating facts. So in this case it is evident to me that LB does not run the same on everyones pda. Even if they are both dell Axim X50V's. The difference between BnG's , Mine and Eaglets proves this.

Eaglet, have you looked at "shooter" on a Motorola Droid X phone? This is what my son is using. It has coriolis, spin drift, choice of G1 or G7 BC's, the gps in the phone keeps track of the azmuth and you lay the phone flat and point it at the target and it gets the angle of the shot. If I go this route I will invest in a kestrel with bluetooth too. I am up for an upgrade on my cell plan and I am thinking of going this way. The thought of the kestrel laying there on and sending all the field conditions to the program seems like the easiest way to go. In just a few minutes of playing with "shooter" I was on to it. So for what ever reason it seemed easy to run to me. Eaglet, you are way above most of us on all these programs. I would like to hear your opinion of Shooter. I am sorry but LB just didnt work for me.

Jeff

Jeff, I've had it for over 3.5 months. It's a very cute application that I have on my phone "HTC Evo" and learned how to run it. I do like it and it's as accurate as it can be for the method used which is "Point Mass". I'm pasting the following from the post "Ballistics and Predictions".
[The Point Mass (3DOF) method is used by the following free and commercially available ballistics programs: JBM (web), Berger, Litz, RSI, Ballistics FTE (iPhone), iSnipe (iPhone), BulletFlight (iPhone), Shooter (Android), FieldCraft (ex ABC by CheyTac), Balistika, Quick Target Unlimited, JBallistics, BigGameInfo (web) plus many others. The algorithm is well known and free computer code is available to download from the Internet. ]
This method as well as the Pejsa method are not as accurate as the method used by LB3.0.
So, I like shooter for it's always with me on my phone but when I want my confidence in place you know LoadBase is my choice.

 

[Eaglet]

...I will continue to use LB and Recon but will always look for better ways to make myself more efficient in my longrange quest.

I guess the biggest reason I made this post is to publically Thank Eaglet for not giving up on me when I really, really wanted to quit! Javier you are a true gentleman and a Man of Honor in my books! Did I mention friend? If not, Thank You friend!

Ray

You are very welcome, friend!

It humbles me to read your writings about me, I don't think I deserve the honors you're giving me. I will say this, it was my honor to be able to do a little something for you. I enjoyed all of the many conversations we had and did also learned a few things from you.

Ray (SHRTSHTR), I've been thinking more than normal about trueblue's idea of a dedicated thread about LB as a tutorial(instructional). I know there are knowledgeable people here that could do a great job and I'm kind of waiting to see if anyone will step forward.

Thanks again Ray! God Bless!