GPS Talk (Relocated from another thread)

[mthead]

I copied mthead's post from another thread.

I will say up front that this may seem off topic at first-...,Ever had the wife buy you a tool or "Toy"[which for many of us could be a really expensive tool] that you not only didn't ask for but specifically tried to discourage them from even thinking about it?
As a musician ,I've got to buy my guitars-as an electrician I want to pick my cordless drill-as a guy I want to pick my boots..
Then I became an inspector.
So that xmas the wife bought me a GPS for the work car.
I hadn't been getting lost before as far as I know.!
I know how to use mapquest at the start of my day and in an attempt to stave off alzheimers I think ocassional use of the rand mcnally when in doubt is almost like a booster shot.!@#$
So...2years later-The GPS is still in my office in the basement...,in case I get lost down there-and I guess its working fine .
It could be me...,maybe I'm just mentally constipated.@#$

[iwire]

I understand and agree with all you said until you got to the part about leaving the GPS in the basement. :)

Maybe you live and work in an area with few roads but where I am my GPS is a huge time saver. I keep my maps in the truck but they get darn little use.

I may know the quickest way between my house and customer 'A' and the quickest way between my house and customer 'B' but the GPS knows the quickest route between A and B. 8-)

Keep in mind my last service call was 240 miles round trip.

[TOOL_5150]

I will say up front that this may seem off topic at first-...,Ever had the wife buy you a tool or "Toy"[which for many of us could be a really expensive tool] that you not only didn't ask for but specifically tried to discourage them from even thinking about it?
As a musician ,I've got to buy my guitars-as an electrician I want to pick my cordless drill-as a guy I want to pick my boots..
Then I became an inspector.
So that xmas the wife bought me a GPS for the work car.
I hadn't been getting lost before as far as I know.!
I know how to use mapquest at the start of my day and in an attempt to stave off alzheimers I think ocassional use of the rand mcnally when in doubt is almost like a booster shot.!@#$
So...2years later-The GPS is still in my office in the basement...,in case I get lost down there-and I guess its working fine .
It could be me...,maybe I'm just mentally constipated.@#$

I really like my GPS, I used to print off google directions every day but why waste the paper and ink? The printed directions arent going to help you when youre at someones house and you need to find the nearest home depot or supply house, the GPS will.

~Matt

[electricalperson]

i like GPS but sometimes my GPS is the helper with a map or mapquest directions

[LarryFine]

So that xmas the wife bought me a GPS for the work car.
I hadn't been getting lost before as far as I know.!
So...2years later-The GPS is still in my office in the basement...
Meathead, I never got lost either, I have a great sense of direction, and I can read a map as well as Rand Mcnally can. (I can even re-fold sheet maps!) I wasn't interested in a GPS for years, either.

Last year, my mom bought two Navigon 2100's for about $80 each, from Staples. We started using ours right away, exploring the menus and setting preferences. It's a fantastic tool, and we love it.

Like you, mom's stayed in the box for almost a year. After experiencing ours a few times, she finally asked us to show her how to use it. After a few rough starts, she's gotten used to it, and she loves it, too.

It really is one of those things you didn't know you needed until you use it. It's faster than MapQuest, and you don't need a computer. It talks to you, alerts you to upcoming turns, and names streets.

It also contains searchable 'points-of-interest' for thousands of locations, you can add your own by storing any location, and automatically recalculates the route for missed turns and forced detours.

"Try it; you'll like it!" :smile: If you try it and don't like it, I'll buy it from you.

[JohnJ0906]

It really is one of those things you didn't know you needed until you use it. It's faster than MapQuest, and you don't need a computer. It talks to you, alerts you to upcoming turns, and names streets.

It also contains searchable 'points-of-interest' for thousands of locations, you can add your own by storing any location, and automatically recalculates the route for missed turns and forced detours.



Also, it is difficult to read a map/directions when you are driving. I don't always have a passenger/helper.

I love my Garmin. :grin:

[nakulak]

I thought the gps's were a waste of time and a bunch of bs, but then my wife got one for xmas. I'm hooked. I always used to take side trips and just find my way by navigating (sun/moon/north/south), but the gps really does make it easy (especially when you might not want to take all day getting somewhere). I have a garmin nuvi, and I'm even learning a little chinese, too.

[ohm]

I mounted my laptop in my van on a small TV wall mount.
I use MS "Streets & Maps GPS program" which I bought for $125 at Wal-Mart.

Works great plus I have all the computer and printing capability.

[mivey]

I have the Garmin Nuvi and I like having it even when I know where I'm going. The ETA readout is very handy.

Sometimes distractions can make me miss a turn (hate that!...wound up in the wrong state one time :roll:) but with the Garmin, the audible turn instructions help keep me on track.

It is still no substitute for knowing where you are going because sometimes the unit can send you on a wild goose chase (hate that too!). I find the wild goose chases to be rare as compared to the good directions.

I have found it will get you very close, but many times you will find you are a block away, or on the wrong side of the street. Close enough for govn't work.:smile:

[ultramegabob]

I got one of those 99 dollar TomToms for Christmas from my dad, I love it, it has way more than paid for itself in time spent looking for addresses....

[iwire]

I have the Garmin Nuvi and I like having it even when I know where I'm going. The ETA readout is very handy.

Ditto. Mine stays on 24/7 and I use it almost every trip.

I find the wild goose chases to be rare as compared to the good directions.

I agree and now can usually sense when it is about to send me round and round.

Another thing I like is it takes me on routes I would never have seen, I got to cruise through some nice farm lands in CT while going to about 50 supermarkets across the state. I told the GPS to avoid highways and I was sightseeing.

[hillbilly1]

They are indespensible during hurricane season, after a hurricane, many roadsigns are down or missing, makes navigating an unkown town or city much easier.

[boboelectric]

I first got Magellan for Christmas which beat phone directions,and MapQuest. Now I have OnStar,which is the best.Sometimes I have to OnStar to find my way back home.(I Can't find My Way Back Home.(Cream)

[JohnJ0906]

Sometimes I have to OnStar to find my way back home.(I Can't find My Way Back Home.(Cream)

Right guitarist, wrong band. ;)

Blind Faith

[mthead]

Ok,ok-I give-I'll charge it up and update it and try it--but I still want to buy my own guitars and boots.

[iwire]

but I still want to buy my own guitars and boots.

Understand entirely, I have a lot of well meaning tool gifts from my wife.

Here is one :D

http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/productImages/300/5d/5d052ce9-0562-45e6-aaf8-636b1d3d7ef3_300.jpg



Battery Powered Tape Measure (http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053&productId=100081220)

She meant well8-)

[Twoskinsoneman]

GPSs are useless toys for people with too much money... Then you actually use one a few times and don't know how you lived without it so long :smile:

[mivey]

GPSs are useless toys for people with too much money... Then you actually use one a few times and don't know how you lived without it so long :smile:Yeah, I got the "look" when I bought mine. Now she likes it.

[ptonsparky]

I had handheld Garmins for several years that were more toys than tools although they worked well if you had the time to squint at the screen. Wife wouldn't even look at them. Bought a Garmin Nuvi and within an hour the wife had it figured out.

My wife can't read a map unless we are traveling in the direction she is holding it and I point to where we are. Kind of hard while you are driving in heavy traffic in unfamiliar cities. Makes traveling so much easier.

[electricalperson]

Understand entirely, I have a lot of well meaning tool gifts from my wife.

Here is one :D

http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/productImages/300/5d/5d052ce9-0562-45e6-aaf8-636b1d3d7ef3_300.jpg



Battery Powered Tape Measure (http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053&productId=100081220)

She meant well8-)
they are giving those things away on that website. do you use yours?:grin:

[K8MHZ]

I have used GPS for years.

I have a laptop with a 15" screen in my van connected to my Magellan GPS unit. It's great. Using a program called USA Photo Maps I can see where I am on both satellite pics and government tropo maps.

GPS was essential when we were working for Verizon. Some of their sites use GPS coordinates only for location. Very handy unless the engineer screwed up the coordinates.

There are several sites that will give you GPS coordinates by entering an address. That is a great resource.

How many of you have experienced short battery life in hand held GPS units? Mine would burn up a set of alkalines in just a few hours. Lithium batteries just last and last. Well worth the extra money.

[ptonsparky]

Copper tops were my choice for handhelds. Never did advance to the lithiums. 4-5 hours generally unless I remembered to turn off the radio features, then longer.

[iaov]

I've done a lot of work around Milwaukee this summer and the GPS has taken all the stress out of navigating. I love it.:D

[ohm]

I've even drove pastureland leaving a trail to get distances, then draw up a powerline for the POCO poles & underground. If I was waiting for them I would still be waiting.

[K8MHZ]

Understand entirely, I have a lot of well meaning tool gifts from my wife.

Here is one :D

http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/productImages/300/5d/5d052ce9-0562-45e6-aaf8-636b1d3d7ef3_300.jpg



Battery Powered Tape Measure (http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053&productId=100081220)

She meant well8-)

The one in the picture looks like it is calibrated in centimeters.

[LarryFine]

The one in the picture looks like it is calibrated in centimeters.
That's the lower scale; the upper is barely visible. If you look closely, you can see the 1 and the 2.

[mivey]

That's the lower scale; the upper is barely visible. If you look closely, you can see the 1 and the 2.I zoomed in as close as I could, and used the reverse-distortion plus enhancment & scaling tool in Photoshop, and it looks like the line next to the "1" is approximately over the point that would be 2.54 cm. I may be a little off, but that was as close as I could get with the grainy original.