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Old 01-15-2004, 09:15 PM   #1
jgilliam1955
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Default Anyone using a GPS?

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? :
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Old 01-16-2004, 09:21 AM   #2
Bill
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Default Re:Anyone using a GPS? Moved from "Stories" section

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?

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Old 01-16-2004, 04:48 PM   #3
efelker
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Default Re:Anyone using a GPS?

Bill:

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

Ed
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Old 01-16-2004, 09:09 PM   #4
Denny_A
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Default Re:Anyone using a GPS?

[quote author=efelker link=board=1;threadid=1609;start=msg11384#msg11384 date=1074296916]
Bill:

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

Ed
[/quote]
I'm curious to see how Bill responds to this :.

Denny_A
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Old 01-16-2004, 10:31 PM   #5
Paul_Heuvelhorst
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Default Re:Anyone using a GPS?

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
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Old 01-17-2004, 09:38 AM   #6
G-V_Driver
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Default Re:Anyone using a GPS?

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.


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Old 01-17-2004, 10:59 AM   #7
Bill
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Default Re:Anyone using a GPS?

[quote author=efelker link=board=1;threadid=1609;start=msg11384#msg11384 date=1074296916]
Bill:

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

Ed
[/quote]

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

Bill
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Old 01-19-2004, 11:26 AM   #8
Larry_Loo
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Default Re:Anyone using a GPS?

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
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Old 01-19-2004, 01:36 PM   #9
borgman
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Default Re:Anyone using a GPS?

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
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Old 01-19-2004, 08:12 PM   #10
Windbreaker
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Default Re:Anyone using a GPS?

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.
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