Vector 21/23 and Timble with FFS

[SkyScrapin]

Anyone have experience with this type of setup? Looking to bluetooth pair the two (and a Kestrel), but there is not a lot of data out there on the good-bad-ugly. If you have experience with a similar setup, even with the PLRF25, I'm interested in hearing from you.

 

[northern50]

Skip the Bluetooth, run the cable with the remote trigger in it. Put the laser on a gearhead and go to town. I run a vector vi and a Trimble with ffs it's fun. Real fun. Since mine is the older plug for the vector I did some research and built my own cable. Finding the plug was the hardest part, not bad though. The wiring diagram for the old ones as well as the new ones is in the manual if you want to save a buck. There is no "ugly" to this setup.

 

[SkyScrapin]

@northern50 Good feedback.

Why do you say skip the bluetooth? Does it kill batteries or have trouble connecting? I hate cables but will use it if I must.

 

[northern50]

It's hit an miss with the connection. A friend has a 21 and a Trimble we messed with the Bluetooth for a while, ended up right back at the cable. No connection issues and you know when it's connected, real easy. The remote trigger is kick ass for small targets a long ways away. Mine doesn't have the extra pins in the plug so no remote trigger for me.

 

[CoryT]

BT is a waste of time, energy and battery life. I use the cable and remote trigger, works perfectly, with GPS you get the target grid. Takes just a few minutes to make a target card. You will not regret it.

 

[TheGerman]

More trouble than its worth. Not only would you have the Kestrel battery dwindeling down much faster than you need, the connection itself is meh. More importantly, you are not going to want to use any wind data directly from the kestrel (unless you modify it in FFS) and having up to the second environmental data is next to useless as you would need a good temperature and/or DA shift for it to even register a change in ballistics.

 

[AIAW]

Been a while! Windows Mobile BT driver stack generally only supports 1 simultaneous BT session at a time also. A second device will interrupt the first (disconnect it) depending on the transceiver vendor used. Back and fourth, disconnecting and reconnecting. BT radios also go into sleep mode.

Probably not a better resource here than Cory and Das German on this stuff either. Can't beat a hard connection, both in efficiency and functionality.

 

[ZiaHunter]

Tried the BT connection with my 25C but the connection was intermittent and a PITA to set up. Trigger cable is the way to go.

 

[SkyScrapin]

@AIAW It has! PM inbound.

All, thanks for the responses. It's clear that the trigger cable is the way to go. I'm guessing that the folks who sell FFS can get me squared away on which trigger works with the 21/23 unless someone can reference which cable is needed.

 

[CoryT]

Vector 21 data cable

Only one option for the cable, you'll also need the 9 pin serial boot on your Nomad