iPaq screen reflections - anyone really happy with their solution?

On Tue, 09 Dec 2003 14:03:30 -0500, Tony Verhulst
wrote:
.... text deleted ...

Apparently, then, there is more than a little variability in the Mertins
mounts - quality wise. I was completely satisfied with the fit and
finish of the one I received.

Tony


Same here, I have been very satisified using my Mertins mount for the
past 6 months with my IPAQ 3635. At least at the time I was looking,
the TEKK mounts were not available for the older IPAQ's.

Bob

Funny!

Paul Remde

"Liam Finley" wrote in message
om...
Catfight!

"Paul Remde" wrote in message
news:4MbBb.477861$Fm2.467503@attbi_s04...
...
It is amazing the extent to which you copy my web site and take the
margin
out of selling the products. I see you even stole my "Add to Cart" and
"View Cart" buttons. I created those. I'd request that you remove them
from your site, but I guess I don't want to go that far. Feel free to
keep
using them. I guess imitation is the highest form of flattery...
Unethical is the word that comes to my mind. But we are in a free
market
economy and I accept that.

Paul, you might also want to send a nasty note to Jeff Bezos. He also
stole your "shopping cart" idea on Amazon.com.

Hi,

Points taken. I do sincerely regret my comments from last night. I have
certainly heard many good things about Richard's customer support.
Certainly he and I have a lot in common in regard to the products we have
decided to sell and support. I guess I was just tired and frustrated that
he is apparently able to get the iPAQ cradles for less money than I. I
don't blame him for publicising that fact. I would do the same.

It does frustrate me that he chose to take a lot of content directly from my
web site (I've been told that some of the cable descriptions are word for
word identical to my site) - that is plagiarism. The reason it frustrates
me is that I put many, many hours into my web site and included many wiring
details in the cable descriptions in hope of helping glider pilots - not
competitive vendors. I knew there were risks to putting all the details on
the web site, but I chose to do it anyway. Also, his power converter is (I
think) pin for pin identical to the one Larry Goddard designed. I suppose
it could be argued that the data connections dictated the design, but it is
a bit odd. I guess I can't blame him for going into the cable business.
Perhaps I would have done the same thing in his place... I don't know.
There, I've said what I needed to say and I'll probably regret it. I won't
mention it again.

I've never met Richard and I don't have anything against him. As I
mentioned above it is obvious that he and I have a lot in common and we are
both trying to help glider pilots get their toys connected together and
working - with little monetary compensation. I look forward to meeting him
at the SSA convention. I think I owe him a beer at the very least, but I
think he owes me one as well.

A little competition is always good for customers, but at times I wonder
whether all the work is worth it for a $5 profit on a cable sale.

Ultimately, the glider community is small and I sincerely desire to have a
very friendly relationship with all glider pilots and those vendors who
support them. I guess my posting last night was not very polite or correct,
and for that I'm sorry. Historically I have tried to be a person who
advocates friendly exchanges in this newsgroup, yet I've sent rude postings
on a few occassions - and regretted it.

I am a bit surprized at the negative comments on my web site. I really
don't think I know everything. Really. What paragraphs come off as cocky
and arrogant? I really want to know. Is it where I state that "I aim to be
the most friendly, fun and helpful vendor of soaring supplies."? Note that
it says I "aim" to be those things, not that I am those things. I have
tried to make the web site a resource for helping glider pilots. There is a
bit of a marketing slant on it of course. I put the personal information on
the site to make it more fun. I think it is more fun to buy things from
people, not companies.

I'm sorry that I didn't give you the customer support you were looking for.
I do "aim" to please everyone. I wonder whether you caught me on a day
where I was swamped with dozens of e-mails. In any case, I'm sorry.

Good Soaring,

Paul Remde


wrote in message
news
To start, let me state that I find posts of this nature completely
unprofessional! If you have an issue with another company for
infringement,
then take it up with them, not on here.

Let me share my experience with both of these vendors so the other side
can
be heard.

When I purchased my glider I wrote both Richard (Craggy Aero) and Paul
(Cumulus Soaring) the exact same email seeking help. I do not know either
of
them and have no other interest in them except as a prospective customer.

I included photos to assist them in deciding how best to solve my
problems.
After researching the sites they both appeared to offer a solution to my
problem of hooking up an Ipaq to a B50/Volkslogger.

Cumulus's web site certainly sells one on how experienced and wonderful
they
are (actually how wonderful he is), that's for sure. Craggy's web site
just
offer the basic info and pricing with little sales pitch. Actually it's a
bit spartan.

I received a very fast and extensive reply from Craggy within a day. It
included many suggestions including an offer to prewire everything and
ship
it to me within two days. I received prompt replies to further questions
and
basically he put up with the newbie trying to find an economical solution.
(What this thread is really about)

On the other hand, I never heard back from Cumulus and sent a second email
asking for advise and finally received what I would call a "simple" reply;
"OK, here buy this!." The 'tone' of that email what not unlike his post
here
attacking Richard. Nothing like I expected considering how the first page
of
the website reads! I mean really, this guy is really into himself and it
shows!

While I decided to wait for the SSA convention and see these mounts and
cables in person (as well as meet the respective individuals), I did order
an upgrade for WinPilot from Richard and have received excellent support.
I
also ordered a cable and it was not right and my return was treated very
promptly!

As I said, I find posts of this nature very unprofessional and for me
shows
exactly what kind of businessman you are, notwithstanding how wonderful
you
tell us you are!


"Paul Remde" wrote in message
news:4MbBb.477861$Fm2.467503@attbi_s04...
Richard,

The note below is my expression of frustration on a tired evening. Your
note below "asked for it".

Hi,

I do finally have a few TEKK cradles for older iPAQs (3100, 3600, 3700).

Paul Remde
Cumulus Soaring Supplies
http://www.cumulus-soaring.com

"Bob Gibbons" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 09 Dec 2003 14:03:30 -0500, Tony Verhulst
wrote:
... text deleted ...

Apparently, then, there is more than a little variability in the Mertins
mounts - quality wise. I was completely satisfied with the fit and
finish of the one I received.

Tony


Same here, I have been very satisified using my Mertins mount for the
past 6 months with my IPAQ 3635. At least at the time I was looking,
the TEKK mounts were not available for the older IPAQ's.

Bob

"Jim Kelly" wrote in message u...
wrote in message newsXjBb.6245
I find posts of this nature very unprofessional

This sounds like "the pot calling the kettle black" to me!


You only have to look back through this newsgroup's postings to see
how Paul has made a great contribution to supporting the gliding
community for years. Then look over his web site to see a vast array
of good advice and collective knowledge that you won't find
elsewhere. From my observations both Paul and Richard are capable
businessmen and are able to offer great help to the gliding
community. At the end of the day a man's got to get bread on the
table. From what you have described about your experience, it may
have been easy to see that you were a WinPilot man and Paul was
being asked to provide support with little hope of getting any
order! Time management is an important aspect of being a good
businessman too!

Yes, Paul's post may have been unfortunate, but that can be the
nature - and strength - of such an open forum . . it isn't easy to
be great every day, at every thing!

Chin up Paul!!

Cheers,

Jim Kelly.

Please do not drag me in to discussions concerning pricing strategies
of companies/individuals offering products to the soaring community.
The point of my post was to offer an alternative, which worked for me.
I spent many hours tinkering with pieces before deciding what I
wanted. Paul took the time to speak with me about my project, offer
valuable advice and supplied items I needed. He is top-notch and does
not deserve flaming.

The jumpers are ground jumpers, not power jumpers. Pin-out info was
obtained on the internet.

You correctly stated that it takes a skilled hand to solder
connections to the iPAQ 3835 connector, and some good eyesight. Many
of us could not successfully complete this job (which took several
hours). I had to tape Xacto blades to my multimeter, just to be able
to check for proper connections and shorts (look how thin the pins are
and how close together they are). Considering the amount of time I
spent on it, the cable pricing seems right to me. I purchased a cable
from Paul, learned from it, and then was able to make my own cable
(for my 2nd mount).

Well said Jim,

Paul has mad a significant contribution to enhancing gliding and
providing free and helpful information to anyone who ask's. His web
site is one of the best for gliderpilots I've come across. He has
always dealt with my queries quickly and to my satisfaction just as
I'm sure Richard would. We all have off day's and are entitled to the
occasional moan.

Keep up the good work Paul (and Richard of course.

Regards,

Andy Henderson




"Jim Kelly" wrote in message u...
wrote in message newsXjBb.6245
I find posts of this nature very unprofessional

This sounds like "the pot calling the kettle black" to me!


You only have to look back through this newsgroup's postings to see
how Paul has made a great contribution to supporting the gliding
community for years. Then look over his web site to see a vast array
of good advice and collective knowledge that you won't find
elsewhere. From my observations both Paul and Richard are capable
businessmen and are able to offer great help to the gliding
community. At the end of the day a man's got to get bread on the
table. From what you have described about your experience, it may
have been easy to see that you were a WinPilot man and Paul was
being asked to provide support with little hope of getting any
order! Time management is an important aspect of being a good
businessman too!

Yes, Paul's post may have been unfortunate, but that can be the
nature - and strength - of such an open forum . . it isn't easy to
be great every day, at every thing!

Chin up Paul!!

Cheers,

Jim Kelly.

My post below was in error. I purchased a cable from Richard at Craggy
Aero. I apologize for the confusion.

If you look at this from the perspective of how much is your time
worth, then you wouldn't bother taking the approach I took (making
your own mount and cable). It was winter, I wasn't flying and I
needed something to keep my mind on the sport.



Please do not drag me in to discussions concerning pricing strategies
of companies/individuals offering products to the soaring community.
The point of my post was to offer an alternative, which worked for me.
I spent many hours tinkering with pieces before deciding what I
wanted. Paul took the time to speak with me about my project, offer
valuable advice and supplied items I needed. He is top-notch and does
not deserve flaming.

The jumpers are ground jumpers, not power jumpers. Pin-out info was
obtained on the internet.

You correctly stated that it takes a skilled hand to solder
connections to the iPAQ 3835 connector, and some good eyesight. Many
of us could not successfully complete this job (which took several
hours). I had to tape Xacto blades to my multimeter, just to be able
to check for proper connections and shorts (look how thin the pins are
and how close together they are). Considering the amount of time I
spent on it, the cable pricing seems right to me. I purchased a cable
from Paul, learned from it, and then was able to make my own cable
(for my 2nd mount).

Funny how different folks have different experiences:

I emailed a question to Paul the other day and got a nice, useful reply
exactly 20 minutes later. The only soaring supplier that has beat that is
Mike Borgelt - about 10 minutes one time. Both are much better that I get
from other non-soaring businesses.

I've also had great service from Craggy.

I've got a couple of more questions for Paul before I buy the cables.
These questions are likely to push his and my patience to the edge! Gotta
get my panel layout in line first.

When I'm upset with service, I generally put at least half of the blame on
myself - How has my day been? Am I in too much of a hurry? Got a chip on my
shoulder about something else? Not getting the answer I want, so the other
guy is an idiot? and so on.

Dave R.
wrote in message
news
To start, let me state that I find posts of this nature completely
unprofessional! If you have an issue with another company for
infringement,
then take it up with them, not on here.

Let me share my experience with both of these vendors so the other side
can
be heard.

When I purchased my glider I wrote both Richard (Craggy Aero) and Paul
(Cumulus Soaring) the exact same email seeking help. I do not know either
of
them and have no other interest in them except as a prospective customer.

I included photos to assist them in deciding how best to solve my
problems.
After researching the sites they both appeared to offer a solution to my
problem of hooking up an Ipaq to a B50/Volkslogger.

Cumulus's web site certainly sells one on how experienced and wonderful
they
are (actually how wonderful he is), that's for sure. Craggy's web site
just
offer the basic info and pricing with little sales pitch. Actually it's a
bit spartan.

I received a very fast and extensive reply from Craggy within a day. It
included many suggestions including an offer to prewire everything and
ship
it to me within two days. I received prompt replies to further questions
and
basically he put up with the newbie trying to find an economical solution.
(What this thread is really about)

On the other hand, I never heard back from Cumulus and sent a second email
asking for advise and finally received what I would call a "simple" reply;
"OK, here buy this!." The 'tone' of that email what not unlike his post
here
attacking Richard. Nothing like I expected considering how the first page
of
the website reads! I mean really, this guy is really into himself and it
shows!

While I decided to wait for the SSA convention and see these mounts and
cables in person (as well as meet the respective individuals), I did order
an upgrade for WinPilot from Richard and have received excellent support.
I
also ordered a cable and it was not right and my return was treated very
promptly!

As I said, I find posts of this nature very unprofessional and for me
shows
exactly what kind of businessman you are, notwithstanding how wonderful
you
tell us you are!


"Paul Remde" wrote in message
news:4MbBb.477861$Fm2.467503@attbi_s04...
Richard,

The note below is my expression of frustration on a tired evening. Your
note below "asked for it".

I've never met Richard and I don't have anything against him.

Well I guess we can all meet each other in Atlanta!

In response to your question Paul:
I 'turn off the color' as a function of the Winpilot program. I don't
remember exactly but I think it is the topographic map display in one
of the setup windows. This feature sounded great when I bought
Winpilot Pro but really isn't necessary if I keep my eyes out of the
cockpit. Viewing the display is significantly improved in B/W vs.
Color.

In regards to comments by others: I do not understand why people are
so concerned about lookout when using a PDA. For me it is a lot easier
to use a PDA than a sectional for most common navigational purposes.

To me is seems all a matter of preparation no matter what you are
using in regards to outside the cockpit awareness. If you are learning
to use one or the other in the air you will not be as aware as you
should be.

Know your PDA's funcionality BEFORE you fly.














"Paul Remde" wrote in message news:lSvBb.486179$HS4.3733905@attbi_s01...
Hi,

I do finally have a few TEKK cradles for older iPAQs (3100, 3600, 3700).

Paul Remde
Cumulus Soaring Supplies
http://www.cumulus-soaring.com

"Bob Gibbons" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 09 Dec 2003 14:03:30 -0500, Tony Verhulst
wrote:
... text deleted ...

Apparently, then, there is more than a little variability in the Mertins
mounts - quality wise. I was completely satisfied with the fit and
finish of the one I received.

Tony


Same here, I have been very satisified using my Mertins mount for the
past 6 months with my IPAQ 3635. At least at the time I was looking,
the TEKK mounts were not available for the older IPAQ's.

Bob