Origin b2 unbiased opinion

I'm reasonably new to this "newsgroup" stuff so i hope this is ok.

I've seen a reasonably priced Origin b2 on ebay (
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...tem=5743391042 )

Is the unit as good as the reviews ? can anybody give me an unbiased opinion
on this as whatever dealer I speak to they suprise suprise tell me the one
they sell is the best.

Does the origin pick up ALL cameras ?
how long does it take to get the sattelites working ?
does the laser detector work ?
has it saved anybodies licence here ?

Thanks for your help

Andrew

In article <41e560f7$0$241$cc9e4d1f@news.dial.pipex.com>,
"Andrew C" <i_luv_broncos@-delete-hotmail.com> wrote:

> I'm reasonably new to this "newsgroup" stuff so i hope this is ok.
>
> I've seen a reasonably priced Origin b2 on ebay (
> http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...tem=5743391042 )
>
> Is the unit as good as the reviews ?

Yes.

> can anybody give me an unbiased opinion
> on this as whatever dealer I speak to they suprise suprise tell me the one
> they sell is the best.

Depends on how 'unbiased' you think the opinion of an owner is.

> Does the origin pick up ALL cameras ?

Depends on what you mean by ALL cameras. The unit will notify you of all
cameras that it knows about. With any of these systems, it will only
ever be as good as the database. That is what you are really buying, the
hardware would never justify the price. The origin database is certainly
one of the best and, AFAIK, they are pretty fastidious about checking
and coding new sites. They are pretty quick to remove cameras that no
longer exist too. The last thing you want is false alerts. I have had
just one false alert at a disused camera site and I marked it as such in
the unit. Next time I went through there, a couple of weeks later, it
was gone from the database.

> how long does it take to get the sattelites working ?

It depends on a number of things. The longest I have seen is about 2
minutes to get a lock. Usually it's only a few seconds. The lock on is
MUCH faster if you are stationary whilst it is establishing the locks.

> does the laser detector work ?

Don't know for sure. I believe that it won't really matter anyway. If
you get tagged directly then it's already too late to slow down, you're
buggered. For laser sites your only hope is that you can pick up some
scatter from cars tagged ahead. I don't put too much faith in this
happening so consequently I am not that bothered about it.

> has it saved anybodies licence here ?

Generally, I see the cameras before the alert but on one occasion it did
warn me of a camera that I simply missed. I knew it was there but for
some reason would have sworn that it was further up the road. Make of
that what you will.

I chose the origin over the [old] angel [the new one didn't exist at the
time] because of the feature set and the display. It's *much* more
comprehensive and easy to read.

Was it money well spent? I think so. Besides... I like gadgets :-)

--
Mark Foster, Brighton, Sus***, UK
E-mail: m.e.fosterREMOVEMEFIRST@sus***.ac.uk
PGP Fingerprint: 3342 C02C 7BE8 3FE4 AAC5 8BB2 03B7 9263 DDF2 04C1
--------------------------------------------------
"There are no such useless words as...'I didn't have a chance.'"
[Driving, HMSO]

Andrew C wrote:
> I'm reasonably new to this "newsgroup" stuff so i hope this is ok.
>
> I've seen a reasonably priced Origin b2 on ebay (
> http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...tem=5743391042 )
>
> Is the unit as good as the reviews ? can anybody give me an unbiased
> opinion on this as whatever dealer I speak to they suprise suprise
> tell me the one they sell is the best.
>
> Does the origin pick up ALL cameras ?
> how long does it take to get the sattelites working ?
> does the laser detector work ?
> has it saved anybodies licence here ?
>
> Thanks for your help
>
> Andrew

I reviewed this unit two back in 2003 and was impressed. It and others like
it will never detect all cameras as they are not camera 'detectors'. They
contain an internal database of reported and known locations and alarm when
the GPS reports one is near your current position. As with any camera
database they are only as accurate as the locations added to the database by
Origin and the frequency of the updates to users.

The time to aquire a fix is dependent on many factors, expect anywhere
between 30 seconds and 2 minutes in day to day usage. Laser detectors are a
waste of time, unless you are lucky enough to pick up scatter off an
unfortunate victim ahead then your speed will already have been captured by
the time the unit alarms.

It remains the best I have tested to date.

http://www.pocketgpsworld.com/originb2.php

--
Darren Griffin
PocketGPSWorld - www.pocketgpsworld.com
The Premier GPS Resource for News, Reviews and Forums

Hello,

You're better off buying a TomTom Navigation system. That can have a
database of speed cameras installed. I use mine to point out where the
speed and traffic light cameras are when I am driving - for amusement
purposes as I think inappropriate speed kills. Either during navigation or
just on normal mode it shows anything you set as a point of interest. You
can set it to show anything and all the databases are updated on a regular
basis. Plus you get a lovely navigation system. Staples were selling the
HP pocket PC version for £269 before Christmas. That was before they put
the price up just before Christmas so it could be reduced again in the
"sale" to the normal price after Christmas.
Getting back to the devide you looked at - if it was that good, the owner
wouldn't be selling it. Don't forget it is only as good as the database
info. It can't detect mobile cameras as they move all the time. It doesn't
detect police cars marked or unmarked with speed measuring devices either.
It's just fixed position cameras.
Personally, I think it's a waste of money, the same as radar and laser
detectors - by the time they alert you there is already a photo printed out
with your speed on it.


"Andrew C" <i_luv_broncos@-delete-hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:41e560f7$0$241$cc9e4d1f@news.dial.pipex.com.. .
> I'm reasonably new to this "newsgroup" stuff so i hope this is ok.
>
> I've seen a reasonably priced Origin b2 on ebay (
> http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...tem=5743391042 )
>
> Is the unit as good as the reviews ? can anybody give me an unbiased
> opinion on this as whatever dealer I speak to they suprise suprise tell me
> the one they sell is the best.
>
> Does the origin pick up ALL cameras ?
> how long does it take to get the sattelites working ?
> does the laser detector work ?
> has it saved anybodies licence here ?
>
> Thanks for your help
>
> Andrew
>

Mark Foster <m.e.fosterREMOVEMEFIRST@sus***.ac.uk> wrote in
news:m.e.fosterREMOVEMEFIRST-AD660D.19355212012005@ptn-nntp-
reader01.plus.net:

>> has it saved anybodies licence here ?
>
> Generally, I see the cameras before the alert but on one occasion it did
> warn me of a camera that I simply missed. I knew it was there but for
> some reason would have sworn that it was further up the road. Make of
> that what you will.

Depends who you are.

Some people will say your observation was rubbish full stop.

Some people will say your observation was where it should have been, so its
understandable to miss the odd camera.

Some people will say it only goes to prove your observation is rubbish,
because in all probability this is not the first camera or other item you
have missed, in X years of driving.

MrBitsy

"Andrew C" <i_luv_broncos@-delete-hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:41e560f7$0$241$cc9e4d1f@news.dial.pipex.com.. .
> I'm reasonably new to this "newsgroup" stuff so i hope this is ok.
>
> I've seen a reasonably priced Origin b2 on ebay (
> http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...tem=5743391042 )
>
> Is the unit as good as the reviews ? can anybody give me an unbiased
> opinion on this as whatever dealer I speak to they suprise suprise tell me
> the one they sell is the best.
>

I haven't tried any systems other than my Origin b2 bt I believe they are
all pretty similar - I picked the b2 because at the time it was considered
the best in a selection of the comparitive reviews I read.

> Does the origin pick up ALL cameras ?

As with all of them, it's only as good as the database - in 2 years of
driving and 30k miles since I got the b2, it's only missed one - and by that
I mean that it was still warning of a Gatso that had been removed from the
A92 between Stonehaven and Aberdeen the month prior - I clicked the Delete
button and updated the unit online it later that day - the next time I went
along that route (a week later) it wasn't being picked up.

It also picks up the DS2 locations though I've yet to see a parked car at
any of them. Some of the other reviewed at that time ddn't pick these up.

> how long does it take to get the sattelites working ?

Varies - if it's been undocked and switched off for a while, it can take up
to 2 mins - quicker if you are stationary. If you've stopped, turned
ignition off, popped into the shop and come back out in a few mins - it
usually picks up pretty quickly.

> does the laser detector work ?

Yes but as has been pointed out before - it's pointless. Amusing
nonetheless - I seen a police car travelling down a hill coming in the
opposite direction to me and got the laser alert.. perhaps the passenger
was pissing about with the laser gun..

> has it saved anybodies licence here ?

I would have to admit it did probably save me from some points - in
Nottingham city centre before my current car with built-in Sat Nav, I was a
tad lost and before I knew it was on the ring road covered by SPECS
speed-averaging cameras... I don't think I would have noticed those had I
not had the b2 installed. My view that if it even does this once, it's more
than worth the cost.

>
> Thanks for your help
>
> Andrew
>

"MrBitsy" <ray.keattch@nowhere.com> wrote in message
news:Xns95DD613BD37B5raykeattchnowherecom@217.158. 240.12...
> Mark Foster <m.e.fosterREMOVEMEFIRST@sus***.ac.uk> wrote in
> news:m.e.fosterREMOVEMEFIRST-AD660D.19355212012005@ptn-nntp-
> reader01.plus.net:
>
>>> has it saved anybodies licence here ?
>>
>> Generally, I see the cameras before the alert but on one occasion it did
>> warn me of a camera that I simply missed. I knew it was there but for
>> some reason would have sworn that it was further up the road. Make of
>> that what you will.
>
> Depends who you are.
>
> Some people will say your observation was rubbish full stop.
>
> Some people will say your observation was where it should have been, so
> its
> understandable to miss the odd camera.
>
> Some people will say it only goes to prove your observation is rubbish,
> because in all probability this is not the first camera or other item you
> have missed, in X years of driving.

It's not possible to observe 100% of everything that is happening on and
beside the road. One has to realise this fact and manage your attention
appropriately.

Mark Hewitt wrote:

[...]

> It's not possible to observe 100% of everything that is happening on and
> beside the road. One has to realise this fact and manage your attention
> appropriately.

Yup.

Just think how much safer we would all be without the distraction of
cameras and speedometers.



A

--
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