What do you think of GPS units?

[leealanr]

GPS in the Deserts of Jordan are extremely useful. However it is also essential to know where you are on the map.

It is just too easy to rely on electronic technology and when that goes down you haven't a clue where you are, and you do not want to stray across any of its borders with its neighbours without meaning to!

Alan L.

 

[ArkAngel]

I have a Garmin Oregon 550 that i bought cheaply from a friend who works for Garmin, along with the full UK mapping at 1:50 000. It's an utterly fantastic piece of kit. No way would i have had one of i had to pay full price for it (over £600 including the mapping card) but i wouldn't be without it when i'm out and about.

I still have a compass and map in the bottom of my rucksack as a backup but one set of batteries will easily last all day (even in the cold) and i quite often just have a couple of spare sets in a battery box.

 

[Harvestman]

One thing that a GPS will do that a map can't is if you are lost, it will tell you where you are, and that is mainly what I use it for when driving back roads in the car. I also find them useful when walking for telling you when you reach a turning that may not be obvious on the ground. It prevents missed turns.

On the whole though, I don't use mine much, although it usually comes with me.

 

[Tiger Eyes]

I have a GPS In my PPC I have memory map loaded onto it (same as ordanace survey maps) this allows me to see where I am exactly on an ordanace survey map. I don't use it constantly but if I'm unsure of exactly where I am or the footpath signs arn't accurate I can use it to pinpoint my position. It is brilliant to use with the children. It is invaluable when canoeing too, I can tell accurately how far I have travelled and what speed and I can save my routes for future reference. All that said I would NEVER advise anyone to reley soley on a GPS unit, always have a map and compass, they will work in all weathers and don't need batteries.
If I wasn't a geacacher I probably wouldn't have ever tried one!!!

 

[MSkiba]

Where can I buy an accurate map for my (or other) area's ? As in the physical map not a software map ?

 

[WeThePeoplexfbm]

i dont trust them, i like maps ^^ just feeling better to use plus maps are lot cheapper ^^

 

[rik_uk3]

Where can I buy an accurate map for my (or other) area's ? As in the physical map not a software map ?

http://leisure.ordnancesurvey.co.uk...e=7180593180&gclid=CI7lxeXyr6YCFQJO4QodyUqrZw

 

[santaman2000]

I can see why they aren't as popular there as they are here. OMG 600 pounds!!! They're range from $150 to $250 here. I think at the current exchange rate that's about 100-180 pounds.

 

[santaman2000]

Depends on what you want to do. I expect most people will never be in deep wilderness where they need either. Usually if you get lost it's best to shelter in place and wait for rescue as someone already suggested. No matter whether you have a GPS or a map and compass the real test is going to be your knowledge and skill with that particular piece of equipment. That brings us back to why we're all here anyway; TO HAVE FUN LEARNING NEW SKILLS!!!!! If you can afford it then by all means get both, learn both and ENJOY!

 

[Col_M]

I tend to use them for route tracking and looking at your route on a computer, they're also handy to have for emergencies. I can navigate without one though so I'm indifferent to using them for navigating, it's a handy tool to have either way.

 

[greensurfingbear]

I like my gps, got the basic etrex, I only really upload my days route onto my laptop when I get home. I usually turn it on at start of walk and leave it in top pouch of my pack. Can't remember the last time I actually used it for figuring out where I was.

 

[santaman2000]

FYI, the error that the US military originally put into all civilian GPS units has been removed, so they're all now the same accuracy :biggthump

They're sorta the same. If you're near a military base that error still shows up.

 

[santaman2000]

i dont trust them, i like maps ^^ just feeling better to use plus maps are lot cheapper ^^

Depends on where you are. We still have areas of the US where maps haven't been revised since the 1970s and the responsible agency (US Geological Survey) hes announced they're not going to revise paper maps anymore. They're going completely digital here. Hopefully paper maps can be printed on demand from the digital record but unless you have access to a very big printer, the scale is going to be suspect. Maybe we'll still be able to buy the DMA (defense Mapping Agency) maps. They have mostly the same topo symbols but they're in military 100 metre grid instead of the civilian "section" lines from the Homestead Act. Also their elevation and hydroscopic depths are give in metric instead of feet. I like both, just hope I can keep getting accurate ones.

 

[santaman2000]

Depends on where you are. We still have areas of the US where maps haven't been revised since the 1970s and the responsible agency (US Geological Survey) hes announced they're not going to revise paper maps anymore. They're going completely digital here. Hopefully paper maps can be printed on demand from the digital record but unless you have access to a very big printer, the scale is going to be suspect. Maybe we'll still be able to buy the DMA (defense Mapping Agency) maps. They have mostly the same topo symbols but they're in military 100 metre grid instead of the civilian "section" lines from the Homestead Act. Also their elevation and hydroscopic depths are give in metric instead of feet. I like both, just hope I can keep getting accurate ones.

Sorry, I meant 1000 metre grid not 100.

 

[santaman2000]

You are right AH, they have. Still strikes me as funny that the US troops still get lost with it, I'd hate to think what they are like with maps

You ain't never been lost til you've been lost at mach 3!

 

[santaman2000]

Just like a computor, "garbage in=garbage out!"

 

[santaman2000]

Mostly agree with you but there are a few exceptions below.

I believe GPS to be an excellent tool enabling an unskilled person, who has taken a couple of hours to get to grips with it, to navigate in unknown terrain with little to no assistance.

And this is where the problem lies, untrained people out in a possibly hazardous enviornment. Just imagine the possible outcomes:

Ooops, didn't put fresh batteries in before I left - Result, totally lost.

REPLY=Oops, didn't keep my metal kit far enough away from my compass - result, totally lost


Oops, I've just dropped the damned thing and the screen is totally knackered -Result, an unscheduled night out in the woods.

REPLY=Oops, just dropped my compass over the cliff - result Oh Sh**


And besides from relying on it and getting lazy with our core map reading skills, it takes some of the enjoyment away from the walk. Constantly looking down at a screen instead of the panoramic view in front of you whilst taking a bearing is not my idea of fun,

REPLY=Learning new skills with new gadgets can (and should be) part of the fun; after all our ancestors thought real navigation was by the stars and only a fool needed that newfangled compass.


and waiting for a satellite fix when you could have got a map out and done the job just as quickly

REPLY=If maps of your area exist; accurate ones don't exist for some of the areas some of us go and also the closer you get to the Arctic regions, the less accurate a compass is.


seems like a good way of holding yourself up. Maybe I should get my brew kit out at the same time!

I spoke to a guy in Currys when I bought my PDA who said they were great because you can put a GPS on them and you have all your navigational needs. Wrong attitude matey.

I do think GPS has a place in bushcraft and all outdoor pursuits, and I own a Garmin 12 which is still in a brand new condition (possibly due to me not relying on it), but people should consider that if they own a GPS but not a map of the area and a compass, then they shouldn't be going further than the local shops.

Again, if you're bushcrafting in areas where accurate maps are available (and for that matter where there are local shops) then you might consider if you're truly bushcrafting are just having a Sunday romp.

 

[Magentus]

While I can see the benefits for wilderness situations etc, my big problem with them is the de-skilling aspect - people who have them in their cars and follow them blindly rather than learning to navigate properly. I bet there will be a huge proportion of the younger generation who grow up unable to read maps.

 

[santaman2000]

:dedhorse: In my opinion, not knowing where you are is a scenario that should never arise. I accept that it could despite all efforts, but the chance of that happening coinciding with a fog that switched on like an electric light are about five million to one.
And if you've a very poor map, the answer is simple - don't go out. I accept that many foreign maps have much less detail; the great majority of my walking has been abroad.
That said, I'm not trying to get at you, I just think that traditional skills are and will always be the best.

The very reason we go out is to explore UNMAPPED areas. That's the definition of a true explorer.

 

[santaman2000]

I find it a useful tool for measuring how far we've walked through forest, or other places where it is cross-country and you make your own path.
My main concern though, is that the sun is entering a more active phase. This could result in two things: 1. solar flashes which can totally blank out the signal for periods of hours, and 2. general increased activity in the ionosphere, which hinders the time stamp signal and thus reduces accuracy.

Let me try this again, the computor just booted me. Undoubtedly due to that solar activity. LOL. No, seriously I hope they have compensated for that because ALL our world transportation now depends on GPS. Merchant shipping, private ships/yachts as well as naval ships because the L.O.R.A.N. stations have been abandoned. Likewise with commercial airlines and private/general aviation as well as military aircraft because likewise the Tach.A.N. stations have been abandoned. Dead reckoning really ain't that accurate at over 350 knots per hour. I suppose it's a little better than the S.W.A.G (Simply A Wild Assed Guess) method or the T.L.A.R. (That Looks About Right) method