Ot Bought A New Toy Yesterday

[Don Coatney]

I have wanted a GPS unit for a long time. Yesterday I bit the bullet and bought one. I got the GARMIN Street Pilot c330. Dont know how many of you have one of these but so far I am happy with it.

I told Lisa this was her birthday present as her birthday was Friday.

[Brad Lustig]

I have a Garmin myself. My mom has the same model you have and loves it. The maps aren't always the most accurate around here, but you should get to where you want to go. For instance, the numbers on my street are all backwards. It has my house at the start of the street instead of at the culdesac. That's probably the biggest issue, but can be a big pain when driving clients around a new area and getting lost. Now you just need to get into geocaching. Much easier with a handheld gps. The Nuvi by Garmin is really slick but uber expensive.

[Guest Nelsons Ply]

Don at least you wont get lost.Travling the USA it will come in handy.

Wishing you save travling out on these trips.

[Charles Furman]

Don,

I have the Garmin Sea/Land version which I can take between my car and boat. Unfortunately, it is a 12 volt system, so I can't use it in my old 6 volt Dodges.

Charles

[Don Coatney]

Don' date='

I guess you are going thoroughly modern. A couple of years ago the cleaning robot, now GPS. Myself, I'm stuck in the dark ages and will probably remain there. I still have the old fashioned tv with local channels only (no cable or HBO etc.). Don't carry a cell phone. Do not use Map Quest either, like the old fashioned paper maps better. Plus all my service manuals are still paper books and do not have them on CD's. Do not use check cashing cards or automated tellers either.

What ever happened to the old saying; "Real men don't need directions"?[/quote']

Norm;

Are you still using one of those phones where you have to turn the crank or have you up-graded to a rotary phone?

[thedahmer]

I have a Magellan Roadmate and I LOVE IT

[Don Coatney]

Norm;

I bought my new toy in Manasses. However if you check the paper maps you used on your trip to Manasses you will find they are way out of whack. The correct location of Monticello is located in Albemarle County in the Piedmont region of Central Virginia a long way from Manasses.

I had no problem finding my way from Manasses back to my motel in Dulles even before I connected my new toy. I simply kept a close look at the moss on the trees and steered accordingly to insure I was heading north. I once got a bit lost but I simply observed the direction of the shadows after stopping beside the road to get a new reading on my sun dial so I could calculate the angle the sun would cast the shadows. This of course was accurate enough for the next two minutes and that got me out of trouble. Other than that it was a very plesent and enjoyable trip.

[D25_Steve]

Do not use Map Quest either, like the old fashioned paper maps better

I couldn't imagine having to have all those maps, find the right one, keep them updated (streets change, construction closes roads, etc), find the right part of the map, not to mention folding the bloody thing back up. Maps.google.com works perfectly for me.

[Normspeed]

Don, you can use your GPS to check the accuracy of your speedometer. I'd like to get one myself, they are handy in boats as well. My P24 is original 6 volt but I did install a 12 volt step up unit to run my satellite radio, and I could run a GPS off that source too.

[blueskies]

I have wanted a GPS unit for a long time. Yesterday I bit the bullet and bought one. I got the GARMIN Street Pilot c330. Dont know how many of you have one of these but so far I am happy with it.

Don-

How does your street pilot mount? Can you move it from car to car easily?

I have a Garmin Etrex Vista Cx handheld GPS, and it's great. I have a western states map chip in mine, and it has map info for every creek, canyon, road, topo info, etc. It's pretty cool to see your self moving across the map in real time, something you cannot do with a paper map. That, and I have very detailed maps of all the western states stored on a chip the size of my thumbnail, leaving the glove box for all the other junk that collects there. Mine unit has tracking, trip computer, altimeter, real time compass, a whole list other things that I haven't yet learned how to use.

Since the handhelds don't come with a mount system, I bought one from RAM mounts, and am very happy with the way it works. It's a universal mounting system for any type of GPS, camera, etc. I bought a suction cup for use in all my cars, and a handle bar mount for my dirt bike. The mount is rock solid, no vibration or movement at all.

[blueskies]

Pete' date='

What did we all do before computers and GPS systems? Better yet, how did the native indians get from point a to point b before we got here? The didn't even have a paper map to go by and no roads either.[/quote']

Sure, Columbus managed to get to the new world with the stars. And, of course you can navigate across the state without a GPS. That said, the technology in a tiny little hand held GPS is really amazing. Why not use it to your advantage?

I use mine for more than traveling down the freeway. And it tells more than where you are on the map. The unit will calculate your current position, tell you when, at your current rate of speed, you will arrive at your destination, your altitude, your change altitude over time, etc. All very valuable when you are hiking in the back country, for example. It's amazing how easy it is to get turned around in a heavily wooded forest, even when you are completely confident that you know where you are. With a GPS, there is no question. You can mark your car, go for a hike, and have a route back to the same spot right in your hand, even when it's dark and you can't see where you are going. There are no road maps for getting lost in the woods.

Beyond that, the unit will do things like tell you from your current position, at a specified radii, how many exits are near you on the freeway and what services you will find at each of them. It tells you the best fishing days based on the moon, sunrize and sunset, etc. Another advantage to the GPS maps is that you can change the scale of the map from less than a half mile to the whole country, giving you the ability to see an area in great detail, something you cannot get out of a paper map with a fixed scale. The closer you zoom in on the map, the more info you get, like names of creeks, ridges, canyons, etc. Not only do you know where you are physically, you know the names of the places you are in.

As for map accuracy, digital media is far easier to update than traditional paper maps. Updates are available via download at any given time, so your GPS can be armed with the latest map data available in the click of a button.

I can't imagine travel without my GPS now that I own one. And I won't step foot in the Idaho back country without it for sure. I used my gps extensively over the weekend driving back country roads with my dad looking for an elk. I marked all the good spots on the map for later use, and found roads that we didn't know existed, like the one pictured below. Nobody else had been there in a long time. You can see how dense the forest is, and how difficult it would be to find your way out if you had a problem. And if you had a serious problem, you could tell the life-flight or rescue teams exactly where to find your buddy with a broken leg, etc.

The technology isn't for everyone, but camparing the awesome power of GPS to a paper map is like comparing Columbus' journey across the Atlantic to someone on the Concord. Apples and oranges.

Pete

[Chester Brzostowski]

I have wanted a GPS unit for a long time. Yesterday I bit the bullet and bought one. I got the GARMIN Street Pilot c330. Dont know how many of you have one of these but so far I am happy with it.

I told Lisa this was her birthday present as her birthday was Friday.

Best investment I made.., Now Melissa & I no longer argue about which way to go. Except I do get yelled at when I don’t listen to the GPS. The wife says see.., she’s right.

I guess the point is that it takes two women to keep me on the right path.

Chet… Enjoy

[Don Coatney]

Pete;

I am still in a learning mode but I agree with all you have said. I used to do a lot of deer hunting and more than once I found myself lost in the woods even though I carried an antiquated magnetic coumpass. Being right handed I have come across my own tracks in the snow while attempeting to walk a straight line only to discover that my natural clockwise walking rotation ultimently catches up with me. Another benifit is it will display with a degree of acturatcy the names off all the streets you approach while driving. And if programed correctly it will show the names of all eaterys, gas stations, businesses, and anything else of value near to your location.

How did I ever live without it? Will it work well with the almost flat windshield in my P-15?

[blueskies]

Pete;

I am still in a learning mode but I agree with all you have said.

How did I ever live without it? Will it work well with the almost flat windshield in my P-15?

Don-

It took me a while to learn the functions I use most, but the Garmin operating system is very intuitive and easy to use. And, my 8 year old son has figured it all out without reading the book...

My gps works great in all my cars, and my Jeep and Plymouth both have flat windshields. The Jeep's is almost vertical to boot, and the unit has no problem finding the satelites.

Side note: In my post above I stated that the scale of the map on my gps can be less than half a mile... It actually will go down to a scale of 20 feet.

Pete

[Normspeed]

Norm, yes, it will still tell you where you are. The LED screen will flash "LOST". Actually I think they will run off internal batteries or a source like a cig lighter.

[Young Ed]

Just a quick question on the GPS. Will it still tell you where you are if you have a dead battery to operate it from?

That's the same as asking will your compass still work if you fall and smash it on a rock.

[grey beard]

I'll start savin' my old Sears catalogs for yer outhouse. Guess I'm just as far behind the cutting edge as you - still no gps or cable or dish - mebby we'll start a new trend - back to basic TV, huh? :)

Regards,

[BobT-47P15]

Norm, now that shake-em-up flashlight -- that's kind of a pain. Guess they are all right if you have time to keep them shook. But when they sit, they lose all their charge. And you gotta have way too much fun to get it shining again. I have one warming the shelf in the garage.....it probably won't get much use under normal circumstances.

Now dish tv, hi speed internet, DVD, and cell phones we got. But it took us a while to arrive there. I think I'll get the son-in-law a power bench grinder for Christmas.

[Don Coatney]

Norm' date=' If it's too dark to see the moss on the tree or read the map, I can pull out my new handy dandy MODERN flashlight that never needs batteries. If it runs down, just shake it and it charges back up again.Have to give ole Don a hard time once in awhile because he does it to me.[/quote']

Norm;

What happens if you fall and brake both of your arms. How you gonna charge that "modern" flashlight then? You best stick with rubbing two sticks together to light a fire if you can find any that do not have moss on them

[teardrop puller]

Don

I have had a GPS for 6 years and still love it. I have saved many a trip from being longer than it should by knowing which way to go.

My old Garman still works, I wish it would quit so I can get a new one with color. If you get the service out ou yours that I have, you will be a Happy Canper.

kai

[blueskies]

Don

I have had a GPS for 6 years and still love it. I have saved many a trip from being longer than it should by knowing which way to go.

My old Garman still works, I wish it would quit so I can get a new one with color. If you get the service out ou yours that I have, you will be a Happy Canper.

kai

Kai-

The color versions are terrific. My former employee had the same model Garmin as the one I have, with the exception of the color screen. The color screen is far easier to read. The black and white version relys on line widths and levels of grey, which all looked the same to my eye at a glance. With the color version, eveything is clear at a glance.

Sounds like you need a new toy too...

Pete

[blueskies]

Don' date=' I will then put the flashlight between my feet and shake the flashlight to charge it.[/quote']

I have one of those shake up flashlights, and hope I never need to use it in an emergency... It takes alot of shaking to keep it bright, and it's not that bright when it's going full steam. It's in a drawer somewhere in the house, and it's the last one I look for when I need a light and can't find the others.

Pete

[Normspeed]

I have one of the crank type flashlights in my car. The crank drives a gear drive charger and it charges up in a minute or less of cranking. I like the idea that it will always be usable in an emergency even if I need to crank it for a minute or two.

[BobT-47P15]

How about a light/radio combo that will charge your cell phone by cranking.

Or this gadget that even has an alarm siren.

Modern science is just wonderful, ain't it?????

[Dennis Hemingway]

Those lights work great, I have one in each car, one at work and two in the house. We bought ours at COSTCO.

Dennis:cool: