PancakeBill
Well-known member
The POI's can tell you where the packy stores are.
Does Anyone Use GPS System in Their RV?
- Thread starter MikeDeason
- Start date
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If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
WileyClarkson
Active member
We carry three different GPS units with us when we travel. I personally prefer my Magellan Meridian color which is mounted left of my sterring wheel in my truck. My Meridian is programmed using Magellan topographic software. My wife has an Ilo that has a touch screen and voice that drives me nuts but it has come in handy occassionally. The third GPS I carry is a Meridian Platinum that I use when hiking. Same software. Before GPS, I used a laptop with Street Atlas. We also carry the laptop but it now has Delorme Topo USA instead of just plain Street Atlas. It has the capability of GPS hookup if I ever decide to purchase the Delorme receiver.
Alaskansnowbirds
Site Team
WileyClarkson said:
Why can't you hookup one of your other GPS to the laptop? It doesn't have to be a Delorme receiver to work with Street Atlas.
taoshum
Well-known member
jjhoneck said:
When I read about that, I thought I'd short Garmin stock... it's gonna put 'em in jeopardy business wise... just like the other GPS houses????
jeverden
Well-known member
I am about to buy the TOM TOM XL 340?S GPS any thoughts?? on this model?
Jason
Jason
O
Olcoon
Guest
Something to keep in mind when using a GPS is that its accuracy depends on the signals it receives from the satellites. Most of the ones available today will send & receive signals once every second to 12 satellites at once. The accuracy depends on how many satellites it's receiving, and how strong each signal is. I've seldom had more than about 7 satellites at one time. A GPS figures out where you are in the world by triangulation, so you have to be communicating with at least 2 satellites for it to work, the more you are receiving, the more accuracy. Also when it comes to proving if you've been speeding or not....DON'T RELY ON A GPS FOR THAT! I've turned mine on, and left the vehicle, and came back some time later, and it showed that my maxium speed was around 600 mph, and had traveled several miles, and it had never moved! Also the "bread crumb" trail looked like a 2 yr. old had been writing a letter to Santa-a bunch of zig zag lines on the screen. This was caused by the signals being received from the satellites, gaining/losing strength, adding and losing satellites . All in all GPS is a great system, and can help a lot, but like stated before it isn't perfect, and can't be relyed on 100%!
PancakeBill
Well-known member
Olcoon said:
They do not send, just receive.
I crack up when folks don't want GPS because they don't want 'others' to know where they are. No sense trying to explain it either.
I still have my old Garmin GPSIII, still works, but no directions at all.
jjhoneck
Member
taoshum said:
Actually, the investment guy on Mad Money said EXACTLY that last week. Smart Phones are now ALL including built-in GPS mapping technology that exceeds the performance of stand-alone Garmin units. Garmin has just introduced a smart phone of their own, in a (belated) attempt to stay on top of the market, which is rapidly changing.
My guess is that they will end up concentrating on their marine and aviation divisions, which require far more stringent standards than the Smart Phones can meet.
DonTom
Well-known member
WileyClarkson said:
You can use a lot of other units too. I use an old Garmin GPS 3+ with my Delorme Topo USA 8.0. You just need the data cable for your GPS unit.
Under "Earthmate PN-Series GPS exchange" there's a "use other device" on the bottom where you can select GPS units other than Delorme, such as Garmin, Magellan and others under "select device <GPS>" and then select the make of GPS you wish to use under "Device Settings".
-Don- Reno, NV
DonTom
Well-known member
PancakeBill said:
They are used in some rental cars. Sometimes without you knowing. Some rental cars are not to be driven out of the state they are rented in without an extra charge and this way they can tell where you have been. I think some people are confused with that.
BTW, I hear those Marine locator thingies do that too and can be used on land. I have heard of backpackers using them and they can even be programed to send E-mails saying "I am at W123.45678 N12.12345 (this part done automatically) and I am okay" and several other pre-programed messages. However, it cost money to be able to send the E-mails.
I mean these thingies (but this cheap one does not send the E-mails):
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/producte/10001/-1/10001/352495/377%20710/0/locators/Primary%20Search/mode%20matchallpartial/0/0?N=377%20710&Ne=0&Ntt=locators&Ntk=Primary%20Search&Ntx=mode%20matchallpartial&Nao=0&Ns=0&keyword=locators&isLTokenURL=true&storeNum=8&subdeptNum=52&classNum=53
-Don- Reno, NV
Gary RV_Wizard
Site Team
Things like Lojack and GM's Onstar system can indeed provide location information, but the info is not sent via GPS satellite. They use a plain old cellular telephone call to transmit the data obtained from a GPS position fix.
DonTom
Well-known member
RV Roamer said:
We have the Lojack in our newest car (which is now 8 years old and has all of 40,000 miles on it and still looks almost like new). It's always in a garage at our Reno home and is not used very often.
My understanding is they put out nothing at all until the car is reported as ripped-off and then it receives a signal that turns on the transmitter and it then sends the location through a cell system.
If the vehicle battery is disconnected, it still works for a while by its own internal battery.
It uses the cell system because it will work even if the car is in a garage, no need to see the sky. I think it does, however, use the GPS system to report its last known location (wherever the satellite signals could last be received).
BTW, I have seen it in operation from the other end. I work as a radio tech for the SF police communications where they can activate low jacks. But it was years ago when I saw it in action being used to locate a ripped off vehicle.
Lo jack can be added to other types of equipment too. It doesn't have to be a vehicle. Anything that can be ripped off that has a battery. The lo jack unit is only the size of a deck of cards and looks like a lot of other junk in most cars. And they put them in various locations. I never even found my own yet (installed by others), but I never spent much time looking for it.
-Don- SSF, CA
WileyClarkson
Active member
Alaskansnowbirds said:
I checked with Delorme a while back and none of their software versions will work with my Magellan Meridians or the Ilo my wife uses. The Meridians only work, as best as I can find out, with Magellan's MapSend Topo 3d software package. What is even more agrevating about this software is that Magellan copy protected the disk so that to run the software, the computer must have the install CD in the drive. The software does a basic install to the hard drive but will not start and run without the CD.
I love my Magellan Meridians as they seem to have alot more info that I need for my activities than other units on the market but the restrictions they have on their software are extremly aggrevating and restrictive. Of course, as old as mine are now, there is no support anymore.
At the present minimal cost of a basic computer only receiver from Delorme, it is more cost effective to just purchase the additional receiver, if I need to.
PancakeBill
Well-known member
My point was that the GPS (standard GPS, not cellphone deal) does not transmit location. The ones that can have cell service involved. LoJack works great for that, and during my stint selling GM I did have a couple folks not wanting LoJack. Of course, as pointed out, the transmit of location doesn't activate unless stolen, accident or some sort of trigger. My favorite item was the slow down feature when the police see it. (when stolen)
DonTom
Well-known member
PancakeBill said:
Yeah, true. BTW, I wouldn't care if they did.
BTW, all this makes me wonder why so many people want to hide where they are located!
-Don- SSF, CA
It's not so much that people want to hide where they are but where they aren't. Do a Google search on comerobme to read about a recent event that points out the pitfalls of posting your location on social websites like Facebook and Twitter.
PancakeBill
Well-known member
Don
Some of us even run APRS so that our friends can track our trips.
APRS Amateur Position Reporting System. Created by Hams, to interface GPS a Terminal Node Controller and a Tranceiver to report position. Has grreat advantage in public service events, track front an back of a race, a parade etc.
Some of us even run APRS so that our friends can track our trips.
APRS Amateur Position Reporting System. Created by Hams, to interface GPS a Terminal Node Controller and a Tranceiver to report position. Has grreat advantage in public service events, track front an back of a race, a parade etc.
DonTom
Well-known member
PancakeBill said:
APRS=Automatic Packet Reporting System:
http://www.cave.org/aprs/aprswhat.html
73, Don AA6GA
PancakeBill
Well-known member
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John From Detroit
Well-known member
[quote author=DonTom
BTW, all this makes me wonder why so many people want to hide where they are located!
Well, let me see.. You are sitting there in a rolling palace on wheels that cost over 100,000 dollars and which any thief worth his job title can make "Gone in, well perhaps 600 seconds (Takes a bit longer when you have to pull in slides and up-jacks) and you want to advertise where it's parked?
I may give you the general area.. but there are at least 3 places to park for a week within this area.
And some people just flat don't want to be "Bothered" by folks knowing where they are.
On the other hand,, One of these days I will set up APRS so when I'm involved with an event the NCS can track me (net Control Station in case you wonder)
BTW, all this makes me wonder why so many people want to hide where they are located!
-Don- SSF, CA
[/quote]Well, let me see.. You are sitting there in a rolling palace on wheels that cost over 100,000 dollars and which any thief worth his job title can make "Gone in, well perhaps 600 seconds (Takes a bit longer when you have to pull in slides and up-jacks) and you want to advertise where it's parked?
I may give you the general area.. but there are at least 3 places to park for a week within this area.
And some people just flat don't want to be "Bothered" by folks knowing where they are.
On the other hand,, One of these days I will set up APRS so when I'm involved with an event the NCS can track me (net Control Station in case you wonder)
