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Author
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Topic: GPS, TomTom, Map programs
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TheMoMan
BlabberMouth, a Blabber Odyssey
Member # 1659
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posted July 10, 2010 18:11
____ GPS, TomTom, Map programs, and seat of your pants driving.
____ Okay I will admit that all of these programs are good, some not so good as others. However if you are traveling in a caravan of campers make sure that that days leader has his set for the biggest unit. So Friday we set off from Harrisburg East Campgrounds heading West to Michigan. The Lead Camper a pickup pulling a pop up is using a TomTom. This unit does not allow you to enter camper type, Mine does, it has settings for Large Truck and Bus, plus a slew of others. So as we are nearing State College Pa. My unit is warning me that the grades are too steep, and to take the Truck-By-Pass. One grade was so steep that I had the Coach floored and could only do thirty five up the incline. Mean while every one else has blasted ahead out of range of the CBs and FRMS radios, oh goody, I see a road sign Truck By Pass I take it and end up getting onto I-80 farther East than every body else.
____ Next scheduled stop the days leader is all over me about following the group, I say if you can't read road signs don't take the leaders position. I drove off with the Mrs, and we beat them home.
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If it don't glow it ain't Ham Radio
Posts: 5088 | From: Just South of the Huron National Forest, in the water shed of the Rifle River | Registered: Sep 2002
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fs
Solid Nitrozanium SuperFan!
Member # 1181
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posted July 11, 2010 01:01
I like that story.
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I'm in ur database, makin' moar recordz.
Posts: 1973 | From: The Cat Ship | Registered: Mar 2002
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Xanthine
Solid Nitrozanium SuperFan!
Member # 736
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posted July 11, 2010 01:20
Those things are meant to pick the fastest route for a passenger car. They take into account things like total mileage and speed limits. They do not, however, take into account what your vehicle might be capable of, the season and how it affects passabilitiy of roads, and general propensity for traffic jams. They're also good for driving around in a strange town and helpful in finding things like food and lodging within the vicinity (not everything has good signage). But for a GPS to work properly, you still need to have all the other factors that affect your trip in place - if the GPS gives you bad directions because the GPS doesn't know that little mountain shortcut is a one-way path to hell in the winter time, or a road gets closed, or your vehicle can't handle the grade or that gas station actually doesn't exist anymore, you're going to be driving by the seat of your pants. Also, if for some reason you can't get satellites (like in some parts of Seattle) you're going to be driving by the seat of your pants. That's why kreziserb and I like to back our Garmin up with a good old fashioned paper road atlas and some good old-fashioned common sense (rule one: try to stay on interstates and US highways in the winter; rule two: if you're going to break rule one, only break it for a road you've been on before...in the winter)
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And it's one, two, three / On the wrong side of the lee / What were you meant for? / What were you meant for?
- The Decemberists
Posts: 7665 | From: the lab | Registered: Mar 2001
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TheMoMan
BlabberMouth, a Blabber Odyssey
Member # 1659
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posted July 11, 2010 03:39
_____ Xan, Oh do I agree. Street Atlas, TomTom, Roads & Trips are car units.
____ Garmin Street Pilot, The Truckers Co-Pilot and one through Good Sam, all have grade and height blanks, Do you have Hazmat, are you carrying propane (tunnels) for the soft ware.
____ Six times my unit warned me to get off that road, we passed five road signs that stated "Truckers take by-Pass to I-80"
____ Now on Monday through Thursday everyone availed them selves to our units Air Conditioning, Flush Toilet, MicroWave. all the things they did not.
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If it don't glow it ain't Ham Radio
Posts: 5088 | From: Just South of the Huron National Forest, in the water shed of the Rifle River | Registered: Sep 2002
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TheMoMan
BlabberMouth, a Blabber Odyssey
Member # 1659
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posted February 15, 2012 13:06
For the past year I have been afraid that the FCC would approve the use of LightSquareds ancillary network for broadband internet and 4G networking. However the powers that be have actually looked at the PHYSICS involved and said no to LightSquared.
Lets talk about the "L" band of frequencies, five decades ago they were set aside for weak signal, space to ground communications. SkyTerra, Iridium and others used those frequencies to provide Satellite cell phone service. there is no problem with that use and GPS. However there was a little kicker in the lower "L" band that a satellite phone company could use an ancillary ground network to fill in dead spots. LightSquared bought SkyTerra and it's band width and only wanted to use the ancillary network portion of the license. The ancillary network would involve 40 thousand 1500watt cell towers, I really feared that we would all be cooked. Remember that most Microwave ovens are 900watt. Also SkyTerra sold high precision GPS signals and gear to surveying companies and farmers.
That much power would totally overload the front ends of the GPS receivers and prevent them from getting a fix.
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If it don't glow it ain't Ham Radio
Posts: 5088 | From: Just South of the Huron National Forest, in the water shed of the Rifle River | Registered: Sep 2002
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GrumpySteen
Solid Nitrozanium SuperFan
Member # 170
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posted February 15, 2012 13:48
TheMoMan:
the powers that be have actually looked at the PHYSICS involved and said no to LightSquared.
Minor correction: The powers that be did not look into the physics involved. They allowed a limited trial which produced unsatisfactory (but completely predictable) results and acted on those results.
I provided a link to a rather good article about it in that other topic.
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Worst. Celibate. Ever.
Posts: 6296 | From: Tennessee | Registered: Jan 2000
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TheMoMan
BlabberMouth, a Blabber Odyssey
Member # 1659
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posted February 15, 2012 14:33
I used the word PHYSICS to mean EXLAX. Truthfully the more accurate the device the more it was jammed. Yup they bought SkyTerra's spectrum and tried to make a killing by re-purposing the band.
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If it don't glow it ain't Ham Radio
Posts: 5088 | From: Just South of the Huron National Forest, in the water shed of the Rifle River | Registered: Sep 2002
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