From: ritpg on
I'm on my 3rd one of these. Bushnell provided number 2 when the first
one I bought failed and number 3 when number 2 failed. I guess that
tells you something about the quality of the product. I can tell you
that the set-up was ridiculously difficult. The documentation that
came with it frankly stunk.

The problem is, the thing won't power on. I had this problem with #2
so Bushnell sent #3 and wouldn't you know it had the same problem. I
put both aside and then one day I picked #2 up and it powered on. I
then used it for a couple of months and the same problem returned. I
can't power on either #2 or #3.

I have not replaced the battery in either. #3 was never used so I
would think it's battery has some life in it. And I used #2 for only
about 6 rounds.

I would think in this day and age, the product would have over-charge
protection. Maybe it doesn't. Also, if I remember correctly, every
time the thing has failed it was after I unplugged the charging cable
from the AC outlet and left the unit connected to the cable for a long
period of time. Could this be a coincidence? Who knows?

Has anyone else had the same problem with this product and did you
figure out how to fix it? I bought this product from Amazon.com who
simply told me to go back to Bushnell. I had to write a check to
Bushnell for $10 to get them to send me the 3rd unit after the second
one failed (amazing!!!).

I paid only $100 for the thing after a $50 rebate. I guess this is a
case of getting what I paid for.
From: John van der Pflum on
On Mon, 21 Dec 2009 10:18:20 -0800 (PST), JohnO <johno1234(a)gmail.com>
wrote:

>I've given up on GPS altogether. Laser range finders are more
>accurate, give you the distance to any object of interest, not just
>those on a gps map, know the distance to wherever the pin is cut on
>the day, and don't require a special map to be downloaded or purchased
>for any golf course.
>
>Get a Bushnell PinSeeker.

Will your laser tell you how far it is to the creek on this hole?

http://www.pbase.com/jpflumjr/image/100968170

or this one?

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_TJ5GWigrqas/Sgtr5Z8mBFI/AAAAAAAAApk/XX5YuCndBmE/s288/CIMG0126.JPG

Or this one?

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_TJ5GWigrqas/SepDttA1s1I/AAAAAAAAAhk/BXJMvIzE6xo/CIMG0045.JPG
--
jvdp
Hey Annika, you'll never hold these:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rockpyle/3940732311/

http://www.rsgcincinnati.com
From: Dave Lee on


"John van der Pflum" <nowhammymyspammy(a)bite.org> wrote in message
news:7blvi5tjuaerdisqvbttkl8tmrkd81bmup(a)4ax.com...
> On Mon, 21 Dec 2009 10:18:20 -0800 (PST), JohnO <johno1234(a)gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>>I've given up on GPS altogether. Laser range finders are more
>>accurate, give you the distance to any object of interest, not just
>>those on a gps map, know the distance to wherever the pin is cut on
>>the day, and don't require a special map to be downloaded or purchased
>>for any golf course.
>>
>>Get a Bushnell PinSeeker.
>
> Will your laser tell you how far it is to the creek on this hole?
>
> http://www.pbase.com/jpflumjr/image/100968170
>
> or this one?
>
> http://lh3.ggpht.com/_TJ5GWigrqas/Sgtr5Z8mBFI/AAAAAAAAApk/XX5YuCndBmE/s288/CIMG0126.JPG
>
> Or this one?
>
> http://lh6.ggpht.com/_TJ5GWigrqas/SepDttA1s1I/AAAAAAAAAhk/BXJMvIzE6xo/CIMG0045.JPG
> --
> jvdp
> Hey Annika, you'll never hold these:
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/rockpyle/3940732311/
>
> http://www.rsgcincinnati.com

John, I'm curious about your perspective on GPS vs. laser. I have tried both
(started with GPS). I found that

1) The GPS technology can be flakey. After I learned how to use it properly
I would change to to 'flakey on rare occasions'. But it was still just
flakey enough to always have me wondering 'is this one of those rare times
when the thing is 15 yards off?'.

2) I just don't run into all that many blind targets (be they greens or
lay-up/carry points). I run into more cases of (for example) being out of
position and needing the carry or lay-up distance to some oddball object
(like how far is it to that tree over there that would never matter except
there is another tree in the way and I don't have a shot to the green).
Unless you get lucky with the mappings (or maybe one of the 'fly-over
devices' might address this), GPS doesn't handle this.

3) My #1 requirement (by a bunch) is accurate yardage TO THE PIN from inside
100 yards. Laser wins hands down here. Heck, when I am more than 150 yards
out, I would rather know front/middle/back than I would yardage to the pin.
But those yardages inside 100 yards are absolute primary for me.

So I ended up a laser guy. What path put you onto GPS?

dave

From: JohnO on
On Dec 22, 9:14 am, John van der Pflum <nowhammymyspa...(a)bite.org>
wrote:
> On Mon, 21 Dec 2009 10:18:20 -0800 (PST), JohnO <johno1...(a)gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> >I've given up on GPS altogether. Laser range finders are more
> >accurate, give you the distance to any object of interest, not just
> >those on a gps map, know the distance to wherever the pin is cut on
> >the day, and don't require a special map to be downloaded or purchased
> >for any golf course.
>
> >Get a Bushnell PinSeeker.
>
> Will your laser tell you how far it is to the creek on this hole?
>
> http://www.pbase.com/jpflumjr/image/100968170
>
> or this one?
>
> http://lh3.ggpht.com/_TJ5GWigrqas/Sgtr5Z8mBFI/AAAAAAAAApk/XX5YuCndBmE...
>
> Or this one?
>
> http://lh6.ggpht.com/_TJ5GWigrqas/SepDttA1s1I/AAAAAAAAAhk/BXJMvIzE6xo...
> --
> jvdp
> Hey Annika, you'll never hold these:http://www.flickr.com/photos/rockpyle/3940732311/
>
> http://www.rsgcincinnati.com

Looks like you'd have to walk a few yards and then it would.
Alternatively you could just shoot a distance to a spot on the other
side as long as you have a club that will hit that far.

But this is a situation that is somewhat rarely encountered. Most of
the times in such a case you can see the opposite bank if not the
water. In the more common cases, such as those I mentioned, the laser
wins out.

The most common situation encountered where the GPS wins is where you
have an obstruction such as trees between you and the shot target.

I used a GPS for a few years, then got the Pinseeker. I wouldn't go
back for all the ProV1's in Massachusetts.

From: JohnO on
On Dec 22, 11:12 am, "Dave Lee" <DaveLe...(a)ix.netcom.RemovE.com>
wrote:
> "John van der Pflum" <nowhammymyspa...(a)bite.org> wrote in messagenews:7blvi5tjuaerdisqvbttkl8tmrkd81bmup(a)4ax.com...
>
>
>
>
>
> > On Mon, 21 Dec 2009 10:18:20 -0800 (PST), JohnO <johno1...(a)gmail.com>
> > wrote:
>
> >>I've given up on GPS altogether. Laser range finders are more
> >>accurate, give you the distance to any object of interest, not just
> >>those on a gps map, know the distance to wherever the pin is cut on
> >>the day, and don't require a special map to be downloaded or purchased
> >>for any golf course.
>
> >>Get a Bushnell PinSeeker.
>
> > Will your laser tell you how far it is to the creek on this hole?
>
> >http://www.pbase.com/jpflumjr/image/100968170
>
> > or this one?
>
> >http://lh3.ggpht.com/_TJ5GWigrqas/Sgtr5Z8mBFI/AAAAAAAAApk/XX5YuCndBmE...
>
> > Or this one?
>
> >http://lh6.ggpht.com/_TJ5GWigrqas/SepDttA1s1I/AAAAAAAAAhk/BXJMvIzE6xo...
> > --
> > jvdp
> > Hey Annika, you'll never hold these:
> >http://www.flickr.com/photos/rockpyle/3940732311/
>
> >http://www.rsgcincinnati.com
>
> John, I'm curious about your perspective on GPS vs. laser. I have tried both
> (started with GPS). I found that
>
> 1) The GPS technology can be flakey. After I learned how to use it properly
> I would change to to 'flakey on rare occasions'. But it was still just
> flakey enough to always have me wondering 'is this one of those rare times
> when the thing is 15 yards off?'.
>
> 2) I just don't run into all that many blind targets (be they greens or
> lay-up/carry points). I run into more cases of (for example) being out of
> position and needing the carry or lay-up distance to some oddball object
> (like how far is it to that tree over there that would never matter except
> there is another tree in the way and I don't have a shot to the green).
> Unless you get lucky with the mappings (or maybe one of the 'fly-over
> devices' might address this), GPS doesn't handle this.
>
> 3) My #1 requirement (by a bunch) is accurate yardage TO THE PIN from inside
> 100 yards. Laser wins hands down here. Heck, when I am more than 150 yards
> out, I would rather know front/middle/back than I would yardage to the pin.
> But those yardages inside 100 yards are absolute primary for me.
>
> So I ended up a laser guy. What path put you onto GPS?
>
> dave

Yes, good point about the GPS variability. I too noticed that
sometimes it would wander about when the satellites were not located
in an ideal arrangement.

But the biggest problems to me with GPS are
- There are more points of interest on the course than are generally
included in the GPS maps.
- No distance to the actual pin

So I changed over for pretty much the same reasons as you.