Anyone using a GPS?

[jgilliam1955]

8)I should of posted this here. Got good replies where it was though.
;DWife bought me a Garmin StreetPilot 2610 GPS for Xmas. I think it will keep her from killing me in my sleep.
You know the drill..."YOU were the one who was holding the map upside down NOT me!" Seems the blame game gets played alot. We plan to do a lot of traveling this spring & summer in our TM, so looking forward to using this thing.
Anyone out there have any luck with these things? How good are they? ::)

[Bill]

I have wanted to get a handheld GPS set for years, but guess what? My wife is one of the few people on the earth that is truly excellent with maps! We NEVER get lost. My one chance is to follow Wyoming Rockhound's example, and carry one into the backcountry where the maps don't give enough detail. We've never been lost there, either, since we seldom leave posted trails - but hey, its worth a try! Sometimes the trail signs get pretty thin. My argument will be "The problem with getting lost is you never plan to do it, so when you do, it's too late to go the store and buy a GPS". Think it'll work?

Bill

[efelker]

Bill:

... do you rent her out???????

Ed

[Denny_A]

Bill:

... do you rent her out???????

Ed

I'm curious to see how Bill responds to this ::).

Denny_A

[Paul_Heuvelhorst]

We are never lost either. My wife used to be an excellent navigator, but the years are catching up with her. However, when we are on the road, she knows where I am and I know where she is, no matter which one of us is driving!

We have taken lots of interesting, unplanned side trips, however! ;D

[G-V_Driver]

We have the same situation. My wife and her girl-friend (or so I'm told ;) ) have traveled together for 20+ years, all over Europe and other places, with my wife acting as navigator. As a result she thinks she's good at it.

She's not bad at it and is very conscientious, but she's not as good as she thinks, or as she once was (an analysis of my declining driving skills will not be a part of this post) so we find ourselves doing more head-scratching and re-tracing. I have also found that as years pass I am less likely to see all the signs that I'd like to think I used to see. Whether that is a sign of aging, tunnel vision or simply paying more attention to the driving is something I can't evaluate. A gradual but pronounced decrease in multi-tasking functionality, the modern behavioralists might say.

In addition, the signage isn't all that good in many places, especially with the proliferation of orange cones that seems to precede us on every trip. The GPS has solved a lot of those problems for us. Being able to see our position on the moving map is a huge advantage, and there are no edges to the map so we don't get lost while shuffling pages. Bottom line for us is that we don't leave home without it.

My profound grasp of the obvious also causes me to notice that the most popular option on the new luxury vehicles is the factory installed GPS navigator. Maybe there's a reason.

[Bill]

Bill:

... do you rent her out???????

Ed


NO! NO! Of course not! Never!
(She's reading over my shoulder ...)

Bill

[Larry_Loo]

I purchased a GPS unit, a Garmin StreetPilot III, about 18 months ago before we took a 30 day long drive from California to Atlanta and back. The moving map equipped Garmin GPS unit came with a City Navigator CD that provided minute details about roads within most U.S. cities and towns. Before that trip I programmed the GPS unit with all of the RV parks that we were considering stopping at across the county. The GPS unit performed very well. Most of the time it led us right to the door or entrance of the place we were looking for. On a rare occasion it got confused and gave misleading directions. This was undoubtedly due to the fact that sometimes the GPS' data conflicted with the actual location of a highway, turnout or street. This occurs with all GPS units because they are only as accurate as the maps that are inputted into them. Since new streets and highways don't appear on paper maps for about 2 to 4 years after they've been constructed, GPS databases have a built in error due to this time lag.

But it was wonderful to be able to drive through unfamiliar parts of the country with a navigator who knew that particular part of the countryside like the back of her hand (I say "her" because our GPS unit has a female's voice). We didn't even have to look at the moving map if we were too busy because her voice prompts came very frequently whenever we approached a turn, turnoff, highway change or our destination. It never failed to shock us how accurate the thing was. For example, on a side trip to the Tallahassee, FL area to visit my brother-in-law, the GPS unit led us out into the countryside, down meandering narrow one lane roads right to the mailbox of my brother's house! Another feature of our unit that comes in handy is its ability to locate the nearest services. We can be on a highway away from any cities and towns and with the pressing of a few buttons, find the nearest gas station, hospital or restaurant. And, with the pressing of a couple more buttons, the unit will lead us directly to the gas station or restaurant of our choice.

Garmin has come out with a newer model of my GPS unit, but, mine still works marvelously. I've made mounting plates for it so that we can switch it from one vehicle to another. The only downside to owning a GPS unit is that new streets and businesses are always being put in; one has to purchase a new CD database every year or two in order to keep a unit's database current. It's time for me to purchase the new CD that came out recently; I believe it costs about $130 - $140.

For those of you who haven't experienced the pleasure of driving into unfamiliar territory with a capable GPS unit, driving with one will literally knock your socks off. My wife and I no longer argue about my refusal to stop and ask for directions at a gas station. And, I've noticed that she's calmer and more relaxed during our trips because of the knowledge that we'll never get lost - well, at least not lost within plus or minus 30 feet. ;D ;D

[borgman]

Another big advantage to having a GPS when enjoying out-of-doors recreation is the ability to record where you are when you find something real nice relative to your interests. I first encountered this as a professional geologist (and recreational rock hound) when the University I was teaching at (Univ. Wyoming) begin using GPS as a standard tool in field geology for recording locations of outcrops in the field notebook. At first, the GPS were quite expensive. But when they got down in price to a reasonable level, I purchased one for personal use in my recreation.

They are handy to mark a stretch of stream discovered to be good for flyfishing, the start of a good point of ascent for a mountain, hunting locations found when moving around cross country, and, of course, locations discovered to be good for lapidary and rock hobby material. Years later, you can return to the same spot by referencing your field notebook for the GPS coordinates.

This works even if time has changed the appearance of the area. An area in deep snow cover can look quite different than it does in the summer. Also, the ability to immediately find where your car is located relative to your position can be an actual lifesaver. We occasionally have hunters and outdoorsmen killed in sudden Wyoming winter storms, when they can't find their way back to their car in the abrupt "white-out" conditions that can arise rather suddenly in a snow storm when the wind is blowing hard.

All in all, I believe that a hand-held GPS is a good investment for anyone engaging in outdoor activities, for both fun and safety.

Best Wishes,
WyomingRockHound

[Windbreaker]

Rocky and Larry I would like to thank you guys for your post have changed my wife's mind and she now thinks one might come in handy. We love getting lost on country roads but sometimes find them to be too rocky for the trailer of dead ends that can be a major pain when pulling a trailer.

A few questions, 1) do they list logging roads? 2) just how small of roads do they list? county?

Rocky, I'm guessing you are hard rock? My first degree was in geology but slanted to oil, always liked the hard rock better but couldn't see much money in it. Then the seventies hit and I ended up making no money. Needless to say I haven't done the geology thing for some time.

[borgman]

Regarding small roads, we have a portion of the Medicine Bow National Forest about 15 minutes east of where we live (Laramie) which was a military training area during WW2. It is criss-crossed with old road tracks that have been officially closed and abandoned by the forest service when they took over. Many of these, along with the official "numbered" National Forest Service roads, show up on the MapSource/Garmin US Topo software which I use a lot. This is particularly convenient, since the old abandoned roads are wonderful hiking trails, and it adds interest to come upon gun emplacement pits deep in the outback.

Actually, the problem is not with the old small roads (which are usually shown), but rather with new road changes that often do not appear. About 10 or 15 years ago, the Happy Jack road from Laramie to Cheyenne through the National Forest was re-routed and made into an all weather State Highway. (The prior road was a narrow gravel one to a small local ski area, a State Park. and on to Cheyenne.) Anyway, the MapSource Topo maps still do not show the re-routing, but just give the old road placement. I guess that I am echoeing what Larry said, that it takes a few updates of the software before changes find their way into the maps.

As to my geological background, -- no, my background is not hard rock. I graduated from the Colorado School of Mines (class of 1953) in Petroleum Geology and went to work for Shell Oil in Houston. Shell put me to work in the newly developing offshore oil area and told me to become an "Ocean Engineer". I went on to get a Master's degree in Mathematics (Univ. Houston, night school) and a PhD. in Statistics (UC Berkely). Ultimately, I ended up as a University Professor, specializing in geomathematics and environmental geostatistics. Although I retired from university teaching about 5 years ago, I still do quite a bit of consulting in ocean wave and coastal storm risk methodology.

Back to the GPS topic, I think that you will enjoy using it. Garmin puts out a VHS video providing instruction for just about every model they sell. The videos are an excellent introduction to all the features built into the GPS and are a "good buy".

Incidently, the forest service roads in the "Pole Mountain" portion of the Medicine Bow National Forest (all shown on the MapSource Topo maps) permit disseminated camping anywhere within 100 feet of an officially "numbered" road. This provides a vast and uncrowded camping area for those TM Owners that like to "boondock".

Best Wishes,
WyomingRockHound

[Larry_Loo]

Windbreaker, you'd be surprised at how many very insignificant roads are included in the GPS databases like Mapsource's City Navigator. Another thing that you can do is to input a forest service map showing the areas in which you're planning to travel into your GPS. There are quite a few, inexpensive software programs written for GPS units (mainly Garmin, I've found) that allow one to scan in a map, load it into the GPS, and finally plug in a few latitude and longitude coordinates to give the GPS unit reference points. Then you can navigate offroad with that particular map and it will show on your moving map - if you're using a unit equipped with one. I purchased a $30 program over a year ago but haven't made the time to try it out. If you're contemplating doing this kind of offroad travel, it's best to research the GPS units - and software written for them - before you purchase your new GPS. I will find the GPS information site that I used in the past and post the link to it later. Finally, there are some reputable Internet dealers who will sell you a GPS unit at a big discount. I ourchased my StreetPilot III for $770 from an Internet store when our local stores were selling it for $1,000 to $1,200.

One final consideration: the color screen, moving map GPS units consume a lot more electrical power than the handheld ones with a black and white screen. If your GPS usage is primarily for vehicular navigation, then a color, moving map GPS will suit you fine. It will be happy on its diet of DC power emanating from the cigarette lighter's outlet. Take it out of the vehicle for a hike, however, and you'll discover that it will only last about 5 or 6 hours on its onboard batteries. If you need a GPS unit for both vehicular navigation and backwoods hiking, you might compromise on a handheld unit that will run for a long time on its own batteries. The handheld unit, however, won't have all of the additional, unique features that can make highway GPS navigation such a pleasure. ::) ::)

[Larry_Loo]

Here's the link to Joe Mehaffey's site that contains more information about GPS navigation than you'd ever believe existed:

http://gpsinformation.net/

It's worth spending a few hours reading about the various GPS units and the reviews of them before you actually plunk your money down. The links to software programs that allow one to input scanned maps into their GPS units is at the bottom of this very long first page.

[Windbreaker]

Thanks guys, very useful information. I figure I just got my $12 dollars worth in the last 4 or 5 post here. Thanks again.

[arknoah]

Boy GPS sounds better and better still. We haven't had the need for one yet, but I said the same thing about Palm Pilots four years ago, and you can imagine what happened after that. I especially didn't know about using it to record location when you find somethine really neat while camping or hiking.

Thanks for the link, Larry. I'll check it out soon.

[kdrickard]

Has anyone here used a handheld GPS for Geocaching? http://www.geocaching.com I've heard about it for a while, and am beginning to get the bug to buy a GPS for this -- seems like it may be fun for the kids (and for me! ;D ). Curious...

Thanks,

Kevin

[Happytrails]

In my business, we get "points" similar to camel bucks, or marlbouro miles for buying product. We've never cashed in on all the points we had aquired, so we all split up half the points to 200,000 points apiece, to get whatever we wanted. I got a Garmen Etrex Legend with my points, and I'd have to say they've come a long way since my last GPS unit which was a Lawrence. It retails about $212.00 or so, and does show most roads, as well as tell you what services are available at the next exit up ahead. I've been VERY pleased with this unit, and is MUCH more accurate, (down to 15 feet on a good day). It also supports the WAAS system, and if put in that mode, is accurate down to 3 feet if the correct satalites are available. That is every bit as accurate as the military GPS units that aren't fooled by the Selective Availability of the satalites. (Which is in place to fool civilian GPS units on purpose). For those of you that are familiar with military grid, it does support MGRS. For those of you that have never used a military GPS, or "slugger" as we affectionally called them in the infantry, they do not have any fancy screens or maps, they simply show your grid coordinate, and it's up to you to find yourself on the map in your pocket. At any rate, if anyone in here is looking for a decent GPS, at a decent price, I highly recommend the Garmin Etrex Legend, you really get a lot of bang for your buck, and it will go for hours and hours on one set of batteries. It's very small, smaller than my cell phone, and just an all around good unit. You can find this GPS at any Wallmart Store in the sporting goods section. You can also use all the Garmin software with it. Hope this helps people!


Happytrails.......

[camp2canoe]

Hello, old and new friends - we used to be frequent posters until October of 2012 when I became a SOB (some other brand) owner. My question is whether any of the truck or RV specific GPS units advise as to whether service stops are RV friendly? We've all been there where we fuel up and then DW has to hold up traffic on a busy road so you can back out or you are stuck waiting for 20 minutes while someone inside who is parked JUST where you need to be to pull out finishes his coffee. Thanks. - Camp2Canoe

P.S. We are co-hosts of the Charter Chapter Trailblazer rally in Keiler, WI, this June and you are ALL invited to join us!

[Larryjb]

Wow, talk about dredging up golden oldies! (15 years later!)

Anyway, last year I got the Garmin RV-GPS device because we were going to be travelling to Disneyland. That meant going through LA.

It worked beautifully. It shows an almost photo quality image of the exits, along with arrows showing what lanes you need to be in for the route you are taking. That was extremely helpful to us. I knew I didn't want to be doing the backup up routine in LA. Not cool.

We didn't get the traffic subscription, but it does get some traffic information. I'm not sure how it all works, it wasn't perfect for traffic, but good enough for us.

There were a few times I forgot to take it off RV mode and it would take me through long routes just to go across the street. So, if you are unhitched, you need to remember to switch it to car mode, then switch it back to RV mode when hitched up.

[Larryjb]

Ah, to be more specific, I didn't get into trouble with any service stops, but most of them on the I-5 are truck friendly anyway. It will warn me sometimes that it doesn't know if a route is truck friendly, though.

[tentcamper]

We have used GPS's since about 2002. I'm very good with maps but find them nice when driving.

I away plan my route ahead of time and review the gps route. Many times the gps does not have the best route. I truly love the traffic avoidance feature.

Many of times we will use the garmin and google maps on the cell phone and get difference directions. Google maps about 90% of the time has the better route and beter traffic avoidance.

Camping there has been many times when we leave a CS to head out and we can not load google maps because of service and the garmin works.

About 2x yearly I download new maps on my garmin. But any road changes are not made to garmin for about 6 months after the construction is completed. We have driven across garmin's virtual fields and across rivers without bridges.

Back when you had to pay for map updates: One trip with about 5 year old gps maps, we traveled about 50 miles through gps fields.

I love google maps on my cell phone for new bike rides, using the bike route feature. I do a lot of 20 to 70 mile bike rides and when riding new routes it finds the low usage roads, trails and the hidden rail-to-trail bike paths with step-by-step directions. These trails and bike paths have poor signs and can have many path intersection without signs. Without the gps these trails and bike paths can be a challenge to navigate and the next thing you know your on a busy 4+ lane. And with people texting they don't see how fast they are closing in on a bicycle.