GPS Navigation

I am on my third and would not travel without one, each one was better than previous. Buy a Garmin spend $100 to $150 bucks or so , it is all you need and as mentioned before in this thread just buy a new one every 2 or 3 years they keep having better features. Also as mentioned before do not trust 100% they do make mistakes. Built in units are fabulous till it breaks out of warranty and they want $1000 to fix it plus I keep cars 8-10 years I will go through 2 or 3 GPS units in that time each with better features.

Dick
 
Possible trouble for GPS

Saw an interesting doco about GPS on TLC the other night. The GPS satellites are in deep earth orbit to get the coverage. The most expensive and difficult orbit to get to. The military don't use this system any more and will not be maintaining it. NASA don't have any planned missions to repair or replace these satellites if in fact they get another program going. As the satellites fail from radiation decay without anything else who is going to keep them going. Eventually there will not be enough of them servicable for the system to work. I think private enterprise will choke on the cost being about $27,000 per pound to get up there.
I wait to see who is going to fix up this one.
Andy.
 
I just use my phone... HTC Evo. Works like a charm and good enough for what I need to do although its not used that often.
 
Andy's post about the future of GPS should be a worry. This was new to me.

I have used Tom Tom, Magellan and Garmin. I will never again by anything other than the Garmin. Good product with good software that I can understand.
 
Andy Cross said:
Saw an interesting doco about GPS on TLC the other night. The GPS satellites are in deep earth orbit to get the coverage. The most expensive and difficult orbit to get to. The military don't use this system any more and will not be maintaining it. NASA don't have any planned missions to repair or replace these satellites if in fact they get another program going. As the satellites fail from radiation decay without anything else who is going to keep them going. Eventually there will not be enough of them servicable for the system to work. I think private enterprise will choke on the cost being about $27,000 per pound to get up there.
I wait to see who is going to fix up this one.
Andy.
Click to expand...

If this is true , by the time it happens there will be some new technology in place. Then I will buy that $150 unit.
there will be a $2500 upgrade for your built in dashboard systems.
 
I remember back in the early1900s (I was just a wee lad), my dad decided to use his savings to purchase the latest horse drawn buggy, complete with rubber covered wheels and a fringed canopy. Neighbors scoffed at him. "The military doesn't use this system any more and you'll soon find no one who can make repairs when necessary. Buggy makers will become dinosauers. Who is going to keep them going? You'll play hell finding hay to feed that horse. Eventually there will not be enough of them servicable for the system to work."

They were right. My dad died when that buggy was hit by a semi on the Interstate! He shoulda listened to them.

The end is near. Where did I put my tin-foil hat??
 
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Garmin with lifetime maps and traffic. There are other services available for it, but if you get it to last three years, just buy another instead of buying the extras.
 
I got a Garmin 260 and the "ONLY" thing I do not like about it is, you cannot delete one saved spot. You have too delete all and start over again, (or I am not reading the instructions right)
 
Glenn Chism said:
When GPS technology fades there will always be alternatives. Thanks Ron.


Glenn
Click to expand...
At my age by the time GPS's become obsolete I probably will not be driving. On the other hand I spent most of my life without a GPS I would not lose a lot of sleep if mine all quit working tomorrow.
 
When I first got mine I thought it was just another expensive gimmik, like a moon roof or heated seats. But, one day, the wife and I had to meet one of our daughters in downtown Las Vegas. Now, trips like that usually end up in a big fight with a lot of screaming and hollering, but the sweet-talking lady in that GPS led us right to the front door, without a hitch. And, it also got us out of Vegas too!

Ray
 
Andy Cross said:
Saw an interesting doco about GPS on TLC the other night. The GPS satellites are in deep earth orbit to get the coverage. The most expensive and difficult orbit to get to. The military don't use this system any more and will not be maintaining it. NASA don't have any planned missions to repair or replace these satellites if in fact they get another program going. As the satellites fail from radiation decay without anything else who is going to keep them going. Eventually there will not be enough of them servicable for the system to work. I think private enterprise will choke on the cost being about $27,000 per pound to get up there.
I wait to see who is going to fix up this one.
Andy.
Click to expand...

I have not seen the TLC show, but I can not find any evidence about the GPS being abandoned, do a Google search..
Barry
 
Andy Cross said:
The military don't use this system any more and will not be maintaining it. NASA don't have any planned missions to repair or replace these satellites if in fact they get another program going.
Click to expand...
Military not using it? Hardly. At least six US weapons systems presently use GPS for some or all of their guidance.
JDAM: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joint_Direct_Attack_Munition
Small Diameter Bomb: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GBU-39_Small_Diameter_Bomb
Small Diameter Bomb II: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GBU-53/B
Standoff Land Attack Missile: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standoff_Land_Attack_Missile
GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MOAB
GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massive_Ordnance_Penetrator
 
Ok lets be optimistic

Dick Grosbier said:
If this is true , by the time it happens there will be some new technology in place. Then I will buy that $150 unit.
there will be a $2500 upgrade for your built in dashboard systems.
Click to expand...

Yep there probably will be but it can't be with satellites or the same issue will arise.

And to another reply about the military not using gps perhaps I should rephrase. They do use a gps system but not those satellites. Haven't for some time. One of the reasons is because they know they cannot be upgraded or serviced which will need to be done periodically.
Andy.
 
On another note...I read some customer reviews about the newer Navigation systems that are bought thru retail outlets...have been loaded with advertisements that pop-up on screen at unopportune times and they cannot be removed...has made a bunch of buyers very unhappy...
 
eww1350 said:
On another note...I read some customer reviews about the newer Navigation systems that are bought thru retail outlets...have been loaded with advertisements that pop-up on screen at unopportune times and they cannot be removed...has made a bunch of buyers very unhappy...
Click to expand...

Wow! that sucks ! where will this crap end ?
 
Technically, the military no longer uses the GPS satellites that our devices run on. They have some that are 100 times more accurate than these. Think my Magellan says accurate to within 5 meters; that works for me.
 
ReedG said:
Technically, the military no longer uses the GPS satellites that our devices run on. They have some that are 100 times more accurate than these. Think my Magellan says accurate to within 5 meters; that works for me.
Click to expand...

Technically, care to support that assertion?

This wiki will get you started, then you can refute it?

al
 
Garmin not what it use to be..

I bought a Garmin 3+ years ago. It was a great device. I bought many extras for it and interfaced it with my computer and 7 1/2 minute maps. Well 15 years later it crapped out (copper top batteries leaked) and I was told it could not be repaired. I replaced it with a Garmin Oregon Model 450T preloaded with topo maps of the US. I bought the inland lake maps, blue water charts and advanced maps of Canada. My Garmin 3+ was spot on accurate. I could find my survey property stakes, waypoint them and return to them repeatedly. The Oregon model 450T on the other hand is never spot on no matter what settings or maps I use. I have called Garmin and their tec support is less than desired.He was condesending and I am not sure I did not know more about the product than he did. I am about to send it back to their corporate CEO and tell him to stick it where the sun does not shine. My $250 smart phone is spot on and interfaces with many maps and satalite maps. It uses both GPS and cell phone technology. I think the GPS manufactures are on their way out. It is amazing, I get cell service in the remotest Canada, Alaska, even better than here in North America.
Nat Lambeth

p.s. I hope this gets passed on to Garmin corporate as they seem to be insulated from the real world. Just try to call them and you will find out.
 
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