Now you've got your GPS...

Quoted message said:

... could you bear to be without it?
Has it been as useful as you'd hoped, or, having tried it, are you just
as happy with map and compass?
I'm asking because while the bloke in me is telling me I've got to have
one but my sensible head is telling me I don't really need one..!

I tend not to use it by default. However, I find it most useful
when the path doesn't seem follow where it appears on the map.
I'm sure many of us have got to a point where we think the path
goes one way but the evidence on the ground points to something
else. I tend to get mine out and check my actual position against
the map for reassurance.

It only really came into its own while walking in the Yosemite
national park in the US. Trees, mountains, valleys and rivers. No
obvious trail and no other people! When you're in trees getting a
fix on a known landmark can be difficult, with GPS you always
know exactly where you are.

If I'm totally honest it's better in the car when paired with TomTom.

--
Regards

Nick

For most requirements, you don't need one. You can use a map and
compass.

However, if you want to go Geocaching, or record routes you've done in
electronic format, it's very useful.

druidh

i wouldnt be without mine
when used with memory map its really good
done a couple of walks over winter were the mist was down over most of the
walk
and the gps was a godsend
always have a map and compass as standby
just upgraded to a vista c
so i have a etrex vista for sale
mint condition if anyones interested

"druidh" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

For most requirements, you don't need one. You can use a map and
compass.

However, if you want to go Geocaching, or record routes you've done in
electronic format, it's very useful.

druidh

Quoted message said:

... could you bear to be without it?

Easily. I usually take it ski touring, I often take it kayak touring, I
rarely take it walking.

Quoted message said:

Has it been as useful as you'd hoped, or, having tried it, are you just
as happy with map and compass?

I'm happier with map and compass walking: it's the map that's the key
bit for me and that's my primary navigation tool, whether I otherwise
have GPS, compass or whatever. Walking I just don't find my particular
way of working particularly benefits from GPS, it doesn't really help
and doesn't add to my enjoyment of the day. But other people work
differently and find them a positive bonus, and it would be silly to
deny that.
Skiing, where traditional nav techniques break down far more easily, I
like to have it along. I can do without it, but I prefer to have it.
Again, the map is the primary tool, but GPS becomes very useful as a
supplement to it.

Quoted message said:

I'm asking because while the bloke in me is telling me I've got to have
one but my sensible head is telling me I don't really need one..!

"need" and "useful" are two different things, but either is a reason to
get one if you have the money and want one. What you shouldn't be is
snobbish about them: there is no shame in having or wanting a GPS. You
don't /need/ breathable waterproofs, but that's not a reason not to have
them.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

On 29 Mar 2006 06:33:42 -0800, [email hidden] wrote:

|... could you bear to be without it?
|Has it been as useful as you'd hoped, or, having tried it, are you just
|as happy with map and compass?
|I'm asking because while the bloke in me is telling me I've got to have
|one but my sensible head is telling me I don't really need one..!

They are really nice when the map and compass let you down in fog, or when
there are no good landmarks in sight.
--
Dave Fawthrop <dave hyphenologist co uk> Google Groups is IME the *worst*
method of accessing usenet. GG subscribers would be well advised get a
newsreader, say Agent, and a newsserver, say news.individual.net. These
will allow them: to see only *new* posts, a killfile, and other goodies.

Quoted message said:

... could you bear to be without it?
Has it been as useful as you'd hoped, or, having tried it, are you just
as happy with map and compass?
I'm asking because while the bloke in me is telling me I've got to have
one but my sensible head is telling me I don't really need one..!

I have had one for five years and would never be without it.

--
Regards, Kenneth.
www.kmiles.co.uk

Bitstring <[email hidden]>, from the
wonderful person Kenneth Miles <[email hidden]> said

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

... could you bear to be without it?
Has it been as useful as you'd hoped, or, having tried it, are you just
as happy with map and compass?
I'm asking because while the bloke in me is telling me I've got to have
one but my sensible head is telling me I don't really need one..!

I have had one for five years and would never be without it.

I've had one for two years (well, OK, I'm now on my third one) and
ditto. As someone else said, you need maps too (or else you need to load
some decent maps into the GPS). There's nothing quite like it for taking
you =back= to a stile/bridge/whatever buried in a hedge or a gully
(assuming you know it is there).

It's also an ace surveying and recording tool (not accurate enough for
real surveyors but fine for me).

What can it do that I didn't suspect beforehand .. hmm, I've used it to
note down phone numbers when I didn't have a pencil and paper (make a
waypoint!), it tells me when Sunset is going to be (but not when it'll
actually get dark), and it's nice to know what my actual speed, and ETA,
is (SWMBO gets mad if I'm late back for tea).

--
GSV Three Minds in a Can
Advert:
My (European model) Garmin 60C GPS is currently available for purchase via
amazon.co.uk. £240 (and falling)..

In message <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] writes

Quoted message said:

... could you bear to be without it?
Has it been as useful as you'd hoped, or, having tried it, are you just
as happy with map and compass?
I'm asking because while the bloke in me is telling me I've got to have
one but my sensible head is telling me I don't really need one..!

I now have three of them - and I don't to give up any of them.

--
Martin Richardson
509/1554 Marilyns - 67% to go 60/89 Donalds - 33% to go
61/211 Irish Hewitts - 71% to go 283/284 Munros - 0.35% to go

Quoted message said:

... could you bear to be without it?
Has it been as useful as you'd hoped, or, having tried it, are you just
as happy with map and compass?
I'm asking because while the bloke in me is telling me I've got to have
one but my sensible head is telling me I don't really need one..!

I just bought my first GPS and I'm enjoying it, mostly for recording my
actual tracks at the moment. I'll be repeating the welsh 3k's in July
so I'll most likely use it then, especially if the weather was as
unreliable as it was last year.

What would be interesting is how usefulness of a non mapping GPS vs a
mapping GPS (with full topo) compares because in theory, dare I say it,
the latter could replace the traditional map and compass (don't flame
me, I don't necessarily agree what that!). At the end of the day, if a
GPS is telling you exactly where you are and shows you on an on screen
OS map, what more do you need?

Bitstring <[email hidden]>, from
the wonderful person Dundonald <[email hidden]> said
<snip>

Quoted message said:

What would be interesting is how usefulness of a non mapping GPS vs a
mapping GPS (with full topo) compares because in theory, dare I say it,
the latter could replace the traditional map and compass (don't flame
me, I don't necessarily agree what that!). At the end of the day, if a
GPS is telling you exactly where you are and shows you on an on screen
OS map, what more do you need?

The current 'full topo' mapping shows about 10% of what you can see on a
1:25k OS map, so it'll be a while yet ... Garmin claim it's because OSGB
don't actually have all the data in appropriate digital (vector) format.

--
GSV Three Minds in a Can
Advert:
My (European model) Garmin 60C GPS is currently available for purchase via
amazon.co.uk. £240 (and falling)..

GSV Three Minds in a Can said:

The current 'full topo' mapping shows about 10% of what you can see on a
1:25k OS map, so it'll be a while yet ... Garmin claim it's because OSGB
don't actually have all the data in appropriate digital (vector) format.

Another major factor is the amount of that data you can see at any one
time, which is a small screen-load against a big paper sheet load. Even
with a map folded to a single panel you can see a lot more of what's
around you than you can on a handheld GPS screen, which is a very
significant factor in choosing a route.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Peter Clinch said:

GSV Three Minds in a Can said:

The current 'full topo' mapping shows about 10% of what you can see on a
1:25k OS map, so it'll be a while yet ... Garmin claim it's because OSGB
don't actually have all the data in appropriate digital (vector) format.

Another major factor is the amount of that data you can see at any one
time, which is a small screen-load against a big paper sheet load. Even
with a map folded to a single panel you can see a lot more of what's
around you than you can on a handheld GPS screen, which is a very
significant factor in choosing a route.

Pete.

I was just about to comment that there is a BIG difference between
mapping and non-mapping gps. It's not that the gps map replaces the
paper map (as Pete says you can see so much more on the paper map)
but with a map on the gps and a paper map it's a cinch to regularly
check from one to the other to see where you are, whereas I would
never bother reading the grid ref off a non-mapping gps and look it up
on the map (unless I was desperate - ie lost ...).

And yes, I did manage on the fells for 20 years without a gps, even
in thick fog. But I am glad I now don't have to.

Jim

Wouldn't be without it now. There's been a couple of times up on
the hills when the fogs closed in and not been able to see any
landmarks, GPS has been great to pinpoint exactly where we are on a
barren moor on the map. (so easy to become disorientated in those
conditions).

Always have OS map and carry a compass (Don't trust the electronic
compass in our GPS (Only works when your moving (uses the change in
long and lat to calculate direction) - as soon as you stop to look at
the map it has a tendency to spin!) - got caught out by that badly
first time in fog with GPS!

I assume / hope newer GSP's have a built in magnetic compasses to fix
this!

Only really use GPS to confirm exact position in bad weather or when
features on the ground don't mach the map - and also to log stats
for walk.

James
http:www.wheresthepath.com

WheresThePath.com said:

Always have OS map and carry a compass (Don't trust the electronic
compass in our GPS (Only works when your moving (uses the change in
long and lat to calculate direction) - as soon as you stop to look at
the map it has a tendency to spin!) - got caught out by that badly
first time in fog with GPS!

I assume / hope newer GSP's have a built in magnetic compasses to fix
this!

What you've got isn't a compass: GPS models with a compass have that as
an additional feature and it works from the magnetic field. It isn't a
case of "newer", it's a case of whether you want it and/or willing/able
to pay for it (been available for years).

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

In article <[email hidden]>, Jim Hutton
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

whereas I would
never bother reading the grid ref off a non-mapping gps and look it up
on the map (unless I was desperate - ie lost ...).

You don't have to be lost to take a grid ref from your GPS. You may
require an "accurate" fix from which to take a compass bearing on your
map.

Handy little gadgets eh?
--
Bill Grey
http://www.billboy.co.uk

I wouldn't be without mine. Fetched me off hills in zero visibility a couple
of times now. Was sucked in to buying Magellan Platinum because i thought
compass might be useful but it is PIA to set up and prefer to use my Silva

Jon

"Peter Clinch" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

WheresThePath.com said:

Always have OS map and carry a compass (Don't trust the electronic
compass in our GPS (Only works when your moving (uses the change in
long and lat to calculate direction) - as soon as you stop to look at
the map it has a tendency to spin!) - got caught out by that badly
first time in fog with GPS!

I assume / hope newer GSP's have a built in magnetic compasses to fix
this!

What you've got isn't a compass: GPS models with a compass have that as an
additional feature and it works from the magnetic field. It isn't a case
of "newer", it's a case of whether you want it and/or willing/able to pay
for it (been available for years).

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Hi.
Absolutely the best gadget ever.

As mentioned brilliant for use with memory map, fugawi OS etc.

I know use it to make walks which i send to walking world.

Talking of gadgets - MP3 players with built in recorders are great for
walking notes.

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

... could you bear to be without it?
Has it been as useful as you'd hoped, or, having tried it, are you just
as happy with map and compass?
I'm asking because while the bloke in me is telling me I've got to have
one but my sensible head is telling me I don't really need one..!

Dundonald said:

What would be interesting is how usefulness of a non mapping GPS vs a
mapping GPS (with full topo) compares

They compare very well. Obviously you've never used a non-mapping GPS, so
they probably sound pretty useless in comparison, but they're not. The key
is simply to load up a bunch of useful waypoints in advance. These create a
simple map and enable you to navigate from one waypoint to another without
ever needing to get the map out (provided you've marked all the key
locations that you may possibly visit). I've done this for years, a bit of
pre-planning and map study is all that's required. I've walked all day in
unfamiliar areas without ever needing to get the map out, unless I needed to
check some fiddly little details.

Quoted message said:

because in theory, dare I say
it, the latter could replace the traditional map and compass

So could the former, as it often has!

Quoted message said:

At the end of the
day, if a GPS is telling you exactly where you are and shows you on
an on screen OS map,

Or even if it doesn't show a map, but simply shows key waypoints.

Quoted message said:

what more do you need?

A backup. I always carry a map just in case, even if I rarely look at it.
In spite of an excellent reliablitly record, my GPS *could* fail one day,
and besides, a good map shows more details than any GPS yet does.

Paul

Peter Clinch said:

Another major factor is the amount of that data you can see at any one
time, which is a small screen-load against a big paper sheet load. Even
with a map folded to a single panel you can see a lot more of
what's around you than you can on a handheld GPS screen, which is a
very significant factor in choosing a route.

This is a common complaint, usually made by people who've never used a
mapping GPS I suspect. Unlike a paper map which has a fixed scale, you can
zoom out with a GPS. As you do so, smaller details are omitted, (for
example the 10m contours drop to 50m intervals, then 250m intervals), but
that's actually a good thing since it prevents the zoomed out map from being
too cluttered (and you can customise the detail level to a certain extent
too).

Basically, when you zoom out, you get a good overview. 50m contours are
ideal for showing the overall shape of a mountain area, and give a good
sense of where you are in the larger area. You are not limited to seeing
only half a kilometre around your current position, as you would be if you
were using a digital map (like Memory Map or Anquet) on a palmtop.

I often zoom out and find the overview very useful. Incidentally, mapping
GPS's have far better resolution than non-mapping versions, even if the
screen size isn't much bigger.

Paul