Project "HB Donut"

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Originally Posted by Skidz

".he told me basically the same thing that my garmin gps does his lowrance does. once you slow down or stop it just starts moving all around.the only difference with the hummingbird is that the software they have just shuts down at low speeds so as to keep you from this incorrectness. ive tryed useing my garmin at these speeds.it kindof looks like it works but it really doesnt do very well

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How does the competition work around the "Donut" in a price competitive unit...??

Rickie (an almost satisfied HB owner)..."
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Rickie,

From what you have just said, it looks as though the competition has not actually "worked around" this problem. They are just showing our doughnut using a different visual icon. If I read it right, Low and Garmin still have an arrow, but it doesn't really seem to know where to point. Since it's basically spinning a circle, it's just another type of doughnut such as the HB units show. It really looks to me as though no manufacturer has the ability to track at the speeds we are looking for accurately at this time.

Am I interpreting this right?

Skidz[/QUOTE]

"How does the competition "work around" the donut in a price competitive unit"...

I don't think anyone in the conversation has been able to positively answer this question as of yet...we may never get the answer due to proprietary info of the manufacturers...

We have a possible explaination in this link provided by CP...
http://julien.cayzac.name/code/gps/

This guy's study has determined that "fairly accurate guessing" of direction below speeds of 1mph can be accomplished using the correct algorithms.....and that is exactly what the definition of an "algorithm" is.....educated guessing....but still...fairly accurate...

So what we try to understand is that the issue of any "directional tracking icon" (circular, boat shaped or otherwise) ....is the following...:

Displaying a "directional shaped icon" (at slower speeds) has more to do with algorithmic math calculations than it has to do with GPS accuracy or data refresh rate...

We know that the GPS is still working because the digital speed still registers and the coordinates change during slow movement...

It just seems that HB has decided NOT to program the adequate algorithms into the software to allow "fairly accurate guessing" (algorithm) of the boat direction.....

What the focus of "Project HB Donut" is trying to identify is...

The competition seems to accomplish (somehow) a directional tracking icon at slower speeds that is fairly accurate...then...why can't our "Birds....?

Rickie (an almost satisfied HB owner)

Oh...and I forgot to mention....

I kind or like the idea that someone posted on one of the other forums......

HB could make the "directional tracking icon"....user selected...."round donut" OR "boat shaped" (with adequate algorithms)....

Some people (as Doug V as already shown) actually find the round shaped icon as an advantage.....

I see no reason why HB could not satisfy both sides of the discussion of the icon...

Just give the user the option to select either one....

Rickie (an almost satisfied HB owner)

Ok, I do see what you are getting at here, thanks for the clarification.

I also agree with you that at the very least, we should have a choice. I know that I have experienced the doughnut on my unit, but it wasn't as bothersome to me as I wasn't trying to hold onto a certain spot. Either way though, it does seem like the algorithms could and should be updated to keep a more precise location and direction standard.

Thanks for your thoughts,
Skidz

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Originally Posted by Skidz

Ok, I do see what you are getting at here, thanks for the clarification.

I also agree with you that at the very least, we should have a choice. I know that I have experienced the doughnut on my unit, but it wasn't as bothersome to me as I wasn't trying to hold onto a certain spot. Either way though, it does seem like the algorithms could and should be updated to keep a more precise location and direction standard.

Thanks for your thoughts,
Skidz

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I appreciate your questions skidz....

This is how we learn...

You (or anyone else) may have questions that we haven't even considered yet....

Discussion is good...:)

Rickie (an almost satisfied HB owner)

Still looking for a donut driver to step up to my challenge.

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Originally Posted by Cane Pole

Still looking for a donut driver to step up to my challenge.

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I accept your challenge. But ya gotta come up to PA to do it, and you'll need to bring your ice boat, cause the lakes are frozen. HA! Another option would be for you to box up all your Lowrance gear and send it to me for testing. I'm in between jobs now due to a slight accident I had at my last job, but I promise I'll take real good care of your stuff.
Attachment 55426

The way you handle that 1000 pounder makes me a little nervous. ha

Has HB confirmed the existence of the donut yet, and/or agreed to give us the direction indicator? If not, the creation of a donut website might be the next step. With the proper keywords, it could show up in the first page of google searches for HB.

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Originally Posted by mduncan62

Has HB confirmed the existence of the donut yet, and/or agreed to give us the direction indicator? If not, the creation of a donut website might be the next step. With the proper keywords, it could show up in the first page of google searches for HB.

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mduncan...this from your post #287 in a response from HB....
Dear Sir,

Thank you for contacting Humminbird. We appreciate your interest in our products.

Thank you for contacting Humminbird. We appreciate your support of our products and have forwarded your concerns to the appropriate department for further review. While the design of the unit at a very slow trolling speed will give the cursor instead of the boat with the directional icon this is standard performance for the operation of the system.

If we can assist you further on this subject or any other Humminbird related questions please feel free email us again or contact our Customer Resource Center at 1-800-633-1468 to speak with a Customer Service Representative. Our hours are Monday thru Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Wednesday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

And this from a jsplinter post #290 in a response from HB...

Dear Josh

Thank you for contacting Humminbird. We appreciate your interest in our products.

We are aware of this thing "donut" if you are moving very slow drifting the gps can not tell your direction of travel so it turns your boat to a red donut. It is something our Engineers are ware of
however i can promise when there will be software fix for this at this time.

These 2 "NON-canned" responses from HB would indicate a few things...
1. HB is aware their units show the "Donut" below 0.5mph and not a directional icon...
2. HB is aware of the "Donut" concern and conversation going on about it....
3. "Engineers" (HB's words) are looking into it...

I think the second response from jsplinters post has a typo in the last sentence of the response....I think the sentence from HB was supposed (I'm guessing here)to say....
It is something our Engineers are ware of
however i can(NOT) promise when there will be software fix for this at this time.

Now, does that mean HB is going to address the issue...??
I do not know...but we sure hope so....

I would suspect (note my word..suspect )....

I would suspect HB has watched the comparison video, kept up with "Project HB Donut"... and they (HB) are trying to decide if the loss of sales to the competition due to the "Donut" can be offset by the monetary investment of paying programmers to write the adequate algorithms to make HB units do what the competition already does.....

Corporations think in $$ dollar signs..that's their root focus....

Mind you this is just my opinion of what is happening in the halls of HB right now...

I think it would be interesting conversation for some other opinions be brought out into the thread in regards to the responses from HB above....

Rickie (an almost satisfied HB owner)

You are right on about the focus point. However HB could do a temporary software patch for those requesting the pointer if they really wanted to do it. Economics is also why no foot pedal is provided for the V2 with Ipilot. There is just not enough demand to justify the cost of production. I understand this.