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WHEN MARK Hinze began operating a computer-based office out of his pickup truck in the mid-1980s, he was among the first agronomists to adapt delicate computer electronics to the harsh field environment.
After more than two decades of trial and error, he has honed his office into a system that allows him to capture scouting data and print reports for customers in real time, with a minimum of fuss and breakdowns.
Hinze, who operates a crop consulting and custom application business in Juniata, NE, has learned that an enclosed wood cabinet isn't necessary to protect laptop computers, which he originally perched on the front seat of the pickup.
However, keeping the pickup window rolled up when driving along a field windbreak populated with walnut trees can be important. Last fall, just days before his fall work season concluded, a branch bushed against his truck as he drove alongside the windbreak. A walnut came whizzing through the window and whapped the laptop computer screen.
“It cracked the screen,” he says.
Walnuts aside, Hinze says he gets several years of use out of laptop computers and printers. Other equipment, such as inverters and two-way radios, has a longer service life.
Hinze has run up to a half-dozen mobile offices at a time for his team of crop scouts, although he is scaling back that side of his operation as he builds his custom application business.
The core office in each of his trucks includes a laptop computer, a color ink-jet printer with two-sided printing capability and a two-way radio to allow field scouts to relay information directly to the pickup for entry into the computer. A power inverter to allow the computer and printer to operate on alternating current (AC) is another pivotal part of the system. “There isn't a laptop computer out there that has a battery that works as long as you need it,” Hinze says.
Over the years, Hinze regularly upgraded computers as old laptops wore out, and he bought a cutting-edge two-way radio system a few years back. He's been using the same ink jet printer model for several years and hopes the manufacturer doesn't phase out the model, since it is such a solid performer. The same goes for his longtime AC power inverter.
But technology marches on. Here is a look at some of the new computers and radios that offer the latest features, plus a look at the printer and inverter workhorses that have proven their mettle for Hinze.
Ruggedized notebook
Most of Hinze's laptops are off-the-shelf consumer models, although he invested in a Panasonic ruggedized model a couple of years ago for one of his trucks.
Among consumer brands, Panasonic has been the market leader, but Dell Computer recently entered the market with its new Latitude ATG (All-Terrain Grade) D620 notebook computer. The computer has an extra-bright screen, a shock-mounted hard drive, a spill-resistant keyboard and port covers, and high-durability paint — all designed to withstand challenging working environments.
The computer's 14.1-in. LCD display is more than twice as bright as that of most mainstream notebooks for better viewing in sunlight. A lit keyboard assists with operation in low-light situations. In its base configuration, the Microsoft Windows Vista-capable computer features an Intel Core 2 Duo 1.66-gigahertz processor, an 80-gigabyte hard drive, built-in wireless connectivity and a CD/DVD drive.
A few years ago Hinze purchased a commercial two-way radio system from Motorola, the Radius CT200. Introduced in 2003, today the radio system is the best-selling commercial two-way radio system in the world, according to the manufacturer.
Hinze says a two-way radio system is faster than communicating via cell phone and allows him to talk with a range of scouts simultaneously. Each crop scout uses the system to relay scouting data to his or her partner in a mobile office for immediate entry into the laptop computer.
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