Plotting a walk into a GPS

(Chris Malcolm) said:

The US stopped distorting civilian GPS data some years ago, have promised never to do it again, and
seem to have kept their promise. They now have better ways of confusing the forces of evil.

I thought the US were the forces of evil. ;-

Quoted message said:

Michael, I definitely want to use the unit to plot waypoints into in
advance. Of course I'm not planning to keep my eye on the unit throughout a
walk but I'd rather be kept on course than have to consult the GPS when
already lost! :o)

I might even try it out as a car passenger, pre programmed with junction information etc.

On more question... the 201 manual mentions that wayponts can (must?) also have altitude selected
as well as coordinates. Are these optional as that is a bit more difficult (though of course not
impossible) to work out from maps? My understanding is that altitude is necessary if only 3
satellites are located but isn't essenital with 4 or more satellites.

You can upload waypoints with, or without heights. If not uploaded, as far as I can see the only
difference is that the height is not displayed on the waypoint screen.

Another option is to upload a track to the GPS and then use the track navigate function to follow
the track.

When I floowed my own recorded track the other day - on a beach - I found that I was walking back
about 6 feet away from my previous footsteps which I could see in the sand.

Michael Chare

Daryl said:

Thank you all for the replies. I never expected this message to initiate such heated discussion!

You've obviously never read this group much then, this is nothing. Heated discussion? The
temperature is barely above zero. We're probably all too exhausted after all the arguments we've
had in the past. (Do a search on Google groups if you want to see what heated GPS discussion
really means.)

Quoted message said:

On more question... the 201 manual mentions that wayponts can (must?) also have altitude selected
as well as coordinates. Are these optional

There are two ways of entering a waypoint. One is to do it before you go out (either by hand or
through a computer program), or by "marking" a waypoint while you're out walking (simply press the
"mark" button). When you enter your own waypoints you don't need to enter an altitude, it has no
effect on navigation. When you mark a waypoint however, it will record the altitude.

If you record a track while you walk it will also record the altitude data for each point in the
track. If you have appropriate software, like OziExplorer, you can look at the altitude profile for
the track.

Paul
--
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Michael Chare said:

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

Quoted message said:

Michael Chare wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Whilst it is clearly possible to program waypoints into a GPS and then try and walk from one to
another, I would suggest that just using a GPS such as a Geko 201 to check your position and
perhaps record your track (with time stamps) whilst relying on an OS map for your main
navigation is a more practical proposition.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

You can suggest it, but I'll dispute it. :-)

Quoted message said:

So where do you walk? Normally I dont see many other walkers with GPSs, Let alone anyone apparently
tryinhg to follow one.

Well if you met me you would be unlikely to see me trying to follow it, because I only do that when
visibility is so poor that you wouldn't be able to see me doing it, if you see what I mean :-)

When I can see where I'm going it gets consulted only briefly at long intervals, and you'd have to
be pretty close to notice I was glancing at a GPS rather than a mobile phone.

If you see someone strolling along empty handed, how do you know whether they're navigating by map,
by GPS, or simply know the way?
--
Chris Malcolm [email hidden] +44 (0)131 651 3445 DoD #205
IPAB, Informatics, JCMB, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ, UK
["]http://www.dai.ed.ac.uk/homes/cam/]

Michael Chare said:

So where do you walk?

Wales.

Quoted message said:

Normally I dont see many other walkers with GPSs, Let alone anyone apparently tryinhg to
follow one.

I rarely try to follow it, except at night or in thick fog. When I do need it for navigation (in
unfamiliar areas) I usually just consult it occasionally, like a map. As with a compass it tells me
which direction things are after which I generally just use my eyes. It may be necessary to look at
it when I reach a confusing junction or need to locate a specific point that can't easily be seen,
but I certainly don't spend all day walking along staring at the thing.

Paul
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Chris Malcolm said:

That puts enough detail in the combination of non-mapping GPSR and my memory

Yes, that's the key point - memory! The mind is an amazing thing. A short while spent studying the
map beforehand can burn the general layout of the terrain into your mind and the GPS waypoints act
as mental triggers.

Quoted message said:

Of course I do carry a paper map in case my GPSR is struck by lightning.

I carry mine in case a cairn falls on it.

Paul
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Paul Saunders said:

Michael Chare said:

So where do you walk?

Wales.

Quoted message said:

Normally I dont see many other walkers with GPSs, Let alone anyone apparently tryinhg to
follow one.

I rarely try to follow it, except at night or in thick fog. When I do need it for navigation (in
unfamiliar areas) I usually just consult it occasionally, like a map. As with a compass it tells me
which direction things are after which I generally just use my eyes. It may be necessary to look at
it when I reach a confusing junction or need to locate a specific point that can't easily be seen,
but I certainly don't spend all day walking along staring at the thing.

The only time you would have seen me looking at the thing as I walked was just after I bought it. I
set a route with waypoints at every junction and stile and wandered along looking at it to see if it
really would lead me in the right direction. Ever since then I have had enough visibility to
navigate normally except once when we had to read the grid ref off the GPS to check how far we had
gone along the path between A' Mhaighdean and Ruadh Stac Mor.
--
Phil Cook looking north over the park to the "Westminster Gasworks"

Martin Richardson <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

Try joining a urw expedition. More cameras and GPSs than you can shake a stick at.

"Shake a walking pole at", don'tcha mean?
--
Gordon

Paul Saunders <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

Colin Castledine said:

All the comments in this thread seems to miss the blindingly obvious. Buy beg or borrow yourself
a Garmin Mapsource Metroguide for the area you prefer.

What good is that? Only useful if you want to walk along roads.

I bought an Etrex Vista on a trip to california, saving myself about 73 quid on the GPS
Warehouse price, and bought the US Metroguide for another $100/£59, then exchange rate being
good at the moment.

It was good fun following the drives my daughter took us on, and infuriating her by telling her
which shops and restaurants we were passing all the time. If we go again we will hire a car and be
more independent.

I installed the software on my SIL's laptop, so he will have a full streetmap of the US without
going online.

I loaded the UK Mapsource Roads and Recreation when I got home, and am pleased with it for
general car use.

It loses lock just like the Summit under trees, but I like the menus better, the 10 tracklogs, and
the choice of tracklog size.
--
Gordon

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

Quoted message said:

I loaded the UK Mapsource Roads and Recreation when I got home, and am pleased with it for
general car use.

There is a cracked version of Garmin World Mapsource at

Http://novasearch.net/?search=garmin&searchtype=sequential&what=torrents& section=-+all+sections+-
&sort=None&order=desc

if you know how to handle bit torrent files

--
Martin Richardson
216/284 Munros (34/34 'Furths'😉
217/89 Donalds 390/1552 Marilyns 439/439 Nuttalls

Martin Richardson <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

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

Quoted message said:

I loaded the UK Mapsource Roads and Recreation when I got home, and am pleased with it for general
car use.

There is a cracked version of Garmin World Mapsource at

Http://novasearch.net/?search=garmin&searchtype=sequential&what=torrents& section=-+all+sections+-
&sort=None&order=desc

if you know how to handle bit torrent files

^^^^^^^^^^^ Oooo-err! What's them?
--
Gordon

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

Quoted message said:

Martin Richardson said:

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

Quoted message said:

I loaded the UK Mapsource Roads and Recreation when I got home, and am pleased with it for
general car use.

There is a cracked version of Garmin World Mapsource at

Http://novasearch.net/?search=garmin&searchtype=sequential&what=torrents& section=-+all+sections+-
&sort=None&order=desc

if you know how to handle bit torrent files

I've no idea what bit torrent files are, but there are numerous copies of Mapsource on Kazaa.

With lots of viruses and very slooooow downloads.

--
Martin Richardson
216/284 Munros (34/34 'Furths'😉
217/89 Donalds 390/1552 Marilyns 439/439 Nuttalls

Chris Malcolm <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

Gordon said:

I bought an Etrex Vista on a trip to california, saving myself about 73 quid on the GPS
Warehouse price, and bought the US Metroguide for another $100/#59, then exchange rate being
good at the moment.

Quoted message said:

It loses lock just like the Summit under trees, but I like the menus better, the 10 tracklogs, and
the choice of tracklog size.

My Summit has 10 tracklogs...

Ooops! Two out of three ain't bad. :-)
--
Gordon

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

Quoted message said:

Martin Richardson said:

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

Quoted message said:

On Sun, 14 Dec 2003 19:19:16 +0000, Martin Richardson <[email hidden]> wrote:

>In message <[email hidden]>, Gordon <[email hidden]> writes
>>I loaded the UK Mapsource Roads and Recreation when I got home, and am pleased with it for
>>general car use.
>>
>There is a cracked version of Garmin World Mapsource at
>
>Http://novasearch.net/?search=garmin&searchtype=sequential&what=torrents& section=-+all+sections+-
>&sort=None&order=desc
>
>if you know how to handle bit torrent files

I've no idea what bit torrent files are, but there are numerous copies of Mapsource on Kazaa.

With lots of viruses and very slooooow downloads.

Anything big gets downloaded overnight until I get broadband. I have had one virus there, but it
was detected straight away.

KaZaa is still slow with broadband.

--
Martin Richardson
216/284 Munros (34/34 'Furths'😉
217/89 Donalds 390/1552 Marilyns 439/439 Nuttalls

Gordon said:

I bought an Etrex Vista on a trip to california, saving myself about 73 quid on the GPS
Warehouse price, and bought the US Metroguide for another $100/#59, then exchange rate being
good at the moment.

Quoted message said:

It loses lock just like the Summit under trees, but I like the menus better, the 10 tracklogs, and
the choice of tracklog size.

My Summit has 10 tracklogs...
--
Chris Malcolm [email hidden] +44 (0)131 651 3445 DoD #205
IPAB, Informatics, JCMB, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ, UK
["]http://www.dai.ed.ac.uk/homes/cam/]

Martin Richardson said:

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

Quoted message said:

I loaded the UK Mapsource Roads and Recreation when I got home, and am pleased with it for general
car use.

There is a cracked version of Garmin World Mapsource at

Http://novasearch.net/?search=garmin&searchtype=sequential&what=torrents& section=-+all+sections+-
&sort=None&order=desc

if you know how to handle bit torrent files

I've no idea what bit torrent files are, but there are numerous copies of Mapsource on Kazaa.

--
Paul

My Lake District walking site (updated 29th September 2003): paulrooney.netfirms.compaulrooney.netfirms.comOpen ↗

Phil Cook said:

The only time you would have seen me looking at the thing as I walked was just after I bought it. I
set a route with waypoints at every junction and stile and wandered along looking at it to see if
it really would lead me in the right direction. Ever since then I have had enough visibility to
navigate normally except once when we had to read the grid ref off the GPS to check how far we had
gone along the path between A' Mhaighdean and Ruadh Stac Mor.

I tend to use altitude to find out how far I'm along a path - preferably sloping!!

Mark Cavendish said:

Phil Cook said:

The only time you would have seen me looking at the thing as I walked was just after I bought it.
I set a route with waypoints at every junction and stile and wandered along looking at it to see
if it really would lead me in the right direction. Ever since then I have had enough visibility to
navigate normally except once when we had to read the grid ref off the GPS to check how far we had
gone along the path between A' Mhaighdean and Ruadh Stac Mor.

I tend to use altitude to find out how far I'm along a path - preferably sloping!!

It was fairly level there at the top of the bealach and as we all know GPS altitude is less accurate
than horizontal position :-\
--
Phil Cook looking north over the park to the "Westminster Gasworks"

Martin Richardson said:

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

Quoted message said:

Martin Richardson said:

In message <[email hidden]>, Gordon <[email hidden]> writes
>I loaded the UK Mapsource Roads and Recreation when I got home, and am pleased with it for
>general car use.
>
There is a cracked version of Garmin World Mapsource at

Http://novasearch.net/?search=garmin&searchtype=sequential&what=torrents& section=-+all+sections+-
&sort=None&order=desc

if you know how to handle bit torrent files

I've no idea what bit torrent files are, but there are numerous copies of Mapsource on Kazaa.

With lots of viruses and very slooooow downloads.

Anything big gets downloaded overnight until I get broadband. I have had one virus there, but it was
detected straight away.

--
Paul

My Lake District walking site (updated 29th September 2003): paulrooney.netfirms.compaulrooney.netfirms.comOpen ↗