Buying advice for a Cf 29

Hello all,

Was wondering if I could get a bit more advice, since my last question on here. I know everybody probably gets tired of newbies bugging everybody, but I figured there is probably no better sources of information than you guys, so here goes..........In a nutshell, I have decided to purchase a CF 29. I initially planned a budget of $500 but now I am thinking I should put up some more funds and get something more expensive with more options.

I guess what I am asking, is it better to buy a 29 that already has all the stuff I would like, i.e. nice hardrive, good amount of ram, wi fi, gps, dvd rw, etc, or is it preferrable to buy one that does not have all that stuff and piece it together?

I keep seeing units pop up on ebay, but am not knowledgeable enough to know whether or not it is a good deal or not.

I am willing to spend more closer to a grand than 500.00. so if any of you guys can get me on the right track, it would be greatly appreciated.

Scott

 

If you can afford it, it is better to get one with the options you want. That is, unless you ENJOY to tinker and mod the toughbook yourself. If you are not technically or mechanically inclined, or don't have the patience or fortitude to crack open the case and dive right in, then I think most of us would recommend getting one with as many of the options you want already installed.

 

I agreee unless you really like messing around with stuff just front the money and get the one with everyone you want. I've found that in the long run the cost of buying one with everything I want is almost the same as the price Id pay to buy everything in pieces, myabe slightly more but its worth that little bit more to save you all the work of working on the unit yourself. Just my .02

 

Scott


If you want all the items on your list
And you want the best quality components
And you want it pre-built
You will spend closer to $2000 or more for them
That’s a fact

If you see a cf-29 on ebay with all the items on your list for about $1000 beware
I get a laugh out of what some sellers are trying to sell unknowing buyers


Spend some time reading the faq and gps mod threads on the cf-29

With that info, you will know that the standard cf-29 gps is unreliable. so pass on any cf-29’s you find with the stock gps

You are better off using a usb SiRFstar III gps reciever , or the sarantel/em-408 built-in unit

Look for a fairly complete unit like the latest cf-29 for about $500 in the buy and sell section

Then decide on priorities
You won't get everything you want for under $1,000

But most of your options are easy to do



Alex

 

Thats not always true, my stock GPS in my 29 works awesome I've actually never had a problem getting it to work until I am below ground, The 28 gps sucked but I guess it all depends on the area and terrain you're using it in. I agree SiRFstar works better, I just wouldn't say totally dont buy a stock GPS one, again its going to depend on the environment you're using it in. Mine works awesome but I live in a$$ nowhere on the plains of Colorado where the biggest hill is the trash pile waiting to be picked up by the garbage truck and the highest building is the grain elevator

 

Hey now Woober, don't be afraid to post a few questions......I'm pretty new here my-self and a little low on the tech side but I for one don't mind trying to help a fellow-joe out, and as for the built or to build toughbook...I would also go with the all built or at least the major componants that you would like after all...you can almost always add more down the road as long as your base system is what you are happy with.

 

I will clarify my main point (GPS)

To spend between $250 to maybe $500 extra on either a cf-29 with standard gps ,or to buy a used cf-29 standard gps and add it to get gps on the cf-29 is crazy on a $1000 budget

A usb high quality model cost’s less than $70
The built-in upgraded sarantel/em-408 gps that uses the great antenna and good chipset cost’s less than $150 for parts

Not knowing how and where the gps is going to be used makes me think of the worst-case scenario

I bought a handheld garmin gps about 4 years ago , and gave it as a gift to one of my clients for his yacht tender
This summer he offered to give it back to me as he had purchased a new model that locked into the sats quicker had less dropouts and was more accurate

That 4 year old gps was state of the art then, now he has given it to his 8year old son to play with

The standard gps in my cf-30 is fine but my cf-29 sarantel/em-408 has a lock on more sats


Alex

 

Woober... First of all... Welcome to the Panasonic Forum on Notebookreview.com. We don't flame anyone here... A RARITY on the Internet these days. Everyone here like to talk about Toughbooks almost as much as they do modifying them.

You are right to up the amount to get what you want. But again... It depends on what you will be using this for. It also depends on your skill level with microsoldering and things of that nature.

As far as adding a hard drive... That's easy and there is a DIY on that here. RAM is the easiest upgrade. Adding a DVD Rom or R/W is as easy as pushing it in the side. All of these can be done in bits and pieces as upgrades as you get the money.

Now we get to the GPS portion of today's show. I agree with Tomcat. While the CF-29's stock GPS is a huge improvement over the stock CF-28's GPS... It is still outdated technology... But it does work. You can plan on getting 3-6 satellites at just about any time. I have had issues, as have my customers, with the GPS dropping out from time to time. This can be a minor annoyance or a life threatening issue... It all depends on what you will be using the GPS for. If it is just as a cool toy or street navigation then you may be okay with it. If it is for marine navigation or something that you MUST have always on or the have it be the most accurate... Then I would go with the EM-408 coupled with the Sarantel GPS antenna. You just can't beat this combination! I was shocked when I tried my first EM-408 in my basement and got 4-5 satellites. My shop is 1 floor below ground and surrounded by concrete. If anyone else would have told me I would have thought they were lying to me.

I sell my complete systems on ebay for $2k+ on a regular basis and people love them. These are usually people who don't have the time or skills to modify them themselves.

So... What will you be using the laptop for? What are your skills? Do you have the time? Most of the mods are easy but there are a few that if done incorrectly can turn your laptop into a brick... Though we haven't had anyone do that around here in a long time. There are too many people willing to help out!

Hope this helps...

 

I just picked up my first CF-29 yesterday. I was looking at the $800 and under price range. All I have to do is upgrade the hard drive and that is it. Mine already had the full amount of ram and a perfect battery and all the other goodies. As far as the GPS goes you can add that later. Mine was $700 total with shipping and it was without a mark on it. I would try to buy one that had everything working(like wireless) and maybe you just have to buy a battery or new hard drive down the road. Note: mine didn't come with a dvd drive as I already had one.

 

Thanks to all of you guys for your time and input. I have read and reread your posts, and everybody has great advice.

I saw a member had a CF 29 for sale at a good price, so I am going to check with him. It seems that my best move is to get a good working unit, and then add upgrades as I go. I think the only thing I really need at this point is a DVD player.

Thanks again to everyone.

Scott

 

Would you be able to recommend a reputable seller?

Thanks!

b

 

Altecsales is good and so is pdadr.

http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&userid=pdadr&ftab=AllFeedback

http://myworld.ebay.com/altecsales


This one looks good.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Panasonic-Tough...yZ177QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l1262