gps

[william#]

i have been in the past prone to gadget buying while i was in asia using boats a lot and the odd treck in the jungle i found the gps useful sometimes.
when i got back to the uk i found out that my handset was not the european version (grrrrrrrr)
so i bought another handset for the uk
its never been out of its box.
can anyone tell me is there any real practicle use for gps in the uk that i am completely missing ?

 

[Tadpole]

i have been in the past prone to gadget buying while i was in asia using boats a lot and the odd treck in the jungle i found the gps useful sometimes.
when i got back to the uk i found out that my handset was not the european version (grrrrrrrr)
so i bought another handset for the uk
its never been out of its box.
can anyone tell me is there any real practicle use for gps in the uk that i am completely missing ?

To be honest, unless you drive to new places everyday, or are a delivery driver, I can see no earthly use for GPS. Handheld devices do not seem that accurate, car mounted ones seem only to show roads and not so much else few if any of the contours.

If I were to go for a satnav I’d go for the Satmap Active 10, as you get to use 'ordnance survey' maps, showing pretty much everything that you get on a 1.25k map, or for slightly less money 1.50k map. As I don’t do a lot of driving (something like 14k pa,) and tend to know well in advance where I will be going, I use autoroute 2007 and print out my route beforehand, or use an up to date paper map, a new one each year costs about £7

 

[Chainsaw]

geocaching?

Emergency use, stuck in mist, where the heck am I... Ah OK I'm there on the map so I can go down there on that bearing....??

Cheers,

Alan

 

[william#]

can remember on one hand being lost and ive walked all over the uk tbh i hardly ever get the compass out .
i found that you can make very good route plans with the ordanence survey maps on my lap top which is great for quick route cards
you can yhen transfer the data to the handhelds and follow a route
but after i was sent south 30 to 40 miles while driving with a gps when it was set to take me north im kinda reluctant to use .
lol so essentially i have spent almost 800 pounds for a couple of useless devices which seem to be hurtling down in price as people realize that your brain and a map is not only cheaper but more reliable and accurate.

 

[Wallenstein]

I love my satnav when driving - if you use it with google earth to plot exact long/lat you can guarantee arriving at your destination.

They are particularly useful if a road is blocked - traffic jams, accidents etc - click a button and it'll find a new route without stopping to check a map.

I use my Garmin when walking as a backup device - compasses can break, maps can get waterlogged / blown away - most trips I'll use it once or twice to confirm location but only to save time.

GPS is most useful in the UK on moors / high fells etc, when there can be fewer landmarks against which to orient yourself. Faced with a totally featureless expanse of moorland in the mist, it can be dead useful to know to the metre what your position is.

Like any other tool, however, you need to know how to use them effectively - in inexperienced hands they can cause trouble, but the same can be said of a map and compass.

 

[boisdevie]

Compared to a map and compass, GPS is very expensive and can fail. What's wrong with old fashioned technology?

 

[Wallenstein]

Compared to a map and compass, GPS is very expensive and can fail. What's wrong with old fashioned technology?

So presumably you use a sextant and draw your maps on vellum?

After all, the old ways are the best

 

[crazyclimber]

can anyone tell me is there any real practicle use for gps in the uk that i am completely missing ?

For me:
* walking / climbing: used mostly as a backup for a map / compass admittedly, but when you're cold and wet and the weather's s***e it's definitely nice to have
* driving: yes I often drive to places I've not been to before, I can phone where I'm going to, get their postcode, type it in and go. Yesterday I drove mid Wales to Aberdeen and back (18 hours driving) using GPS alone. It's a godsend
*flying: especially in light single pilot non stabilised helicopters, and more especially when the weather's crap, the pax are in a hurry and you're in controlled airspace making radio calls and changing frequencies twice a minute. And don't get me started about why the Americans are using them for GPS approaches while we're still taking multi million pound aircraft into airports at night based only on a single crappy radio beacon (NDB)...

GPSs definitely have their uses!

 

[Tiley]

Only ever use one as a back up to map/compass and, occasionally, altimeter. I do like the idea that, when I am utterly lost, a GPS will give me a rough idea of where I am. I do not like the dependence on battery operated nav gear - and before anyone passes comment on my altimeter, it's a Thommen aneroid barometer one - and really enjoy the process of planning a route using a map rather than just programming a series of coordinates into a small box. Do I prefer the sextant and parchment approach? Yes, I do simply because it is reliable and a lot more fun in planning and execution.

 

[memoryweaver]

I love to navigate, when out walking, with a map but bought a GPS to record where I'd been -- the track logging feature can be downloaded onto a computer to show where you've been, how fast you were going, how many miles you went for, etc.

The other day, I was out for a long walk, following a route I'd carefully worked out on the OS map beforehand, when I found myself in the middle of a field (yes, that's usually what you'd blame a sat-nav for!) -- the OS map clearly showed a footpath running to a farm building, but there was no trace on the ground -- at this point, you really start to doubt your sanity, and the GPS provided a useful check to say yes, I am where I thought I am, the map *is* wrong.

Certainly wouldn't want to rely on a GPS -- it looses its signal in heavy wooded cover, and you can never be quite certain when the battery's going to die on you. It can, however, be good fun to use, as can a 'proper' map. It's nice to have a go with both.