Are the GPS packages really any good? The GM thing can apparently be
miles off or slow. Same difference.
The stand alone ones run $400-600 so at that price one may as well get
a laptop based one - with a GPS package. What works? Did a google
and found nothing useful.
joe

"Joe Lauton" <JL@Lauton2000.com> wrote in message
news:aafpl21logro5u6qub9sajek6h0i8g0nvf@4ax.com...
> Are the GPS packages really any good? The GM thing can apparently be
> miles off or slow. Same difference.
> The stand alone ones run $400-600 so at that price one may as well get
> a laptop based one - with a GPS package. What works? Did a google
> and found nothing useful.
> joe


Looking at a laptop while driving. There's a good idea. You, too, can drive
like an 18 year old, forever.

How about a paper map, and investing two minutes to look at it?

On Thu, 16 Nov 2006 19:44:45 GMT, "JoeSpareBedroom"
<dishborealis@yahoo.com> wrote:

>"Joe Lauton" <JL@Lauton2000.com> wrote in message
>news:aafpl21logro5u6qub9sajek6h0i8g0nvf@4ax.com.. .
>> Are the GPS packages really any good? The GM thing can apparently be
>> miles off or slow. Same difference.
>> The stand alone ones run $400-600 so at that price one may as well get
>> a laptop based one - with a GPS package. What works? Did a google
>> and found nothing useful.
>> joe
>
>
>Looking at a laptop while driving. There's a good idea. You, too, can drive
>like an 18 year old, forever.
>
>How about a paper map, and investing two minutes to look at it?
>
Grasshopper - they talk to you these days <grin>. Not the bulky maps.

"Joe Lauton" <JL@Lauton2000.com> wrote in message
news:u1gpl2ptfi37hudm0nqqpjk5copgmbhmb2@4ax.com...
> On Thu, 16 Nov 2006 19:44:45 GMT, "JoeSpareBedroom"
> <dishborealis@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>>"Joe Lauton" <JL@Lauton2000.com> wrote in message
>>news:aafpl21logro5u6qub9sajek6h0i8g0nvf@4ax.com. ..
>>> Are the GPS packages really any good? The GM thing can apparently be
>>> miles off or slow. Same difference.
>>> The stand alone ones run $400-600 so at that price one may as well get
>>> a laptop based one - with a GPS package. What works? Did a google
>>> and found nothing useful.
>>> joe
>>
>>
>>Looking at a laptop while driving. There's a good idea. You, too, can
>>drive
>>like an 18 year old, forever.
>>
>>How about a paper map, and investing two minutes to look at it?
>>


> Grasshopper - they talk to you these days <grin>. Not the bulky maps.

I understand that. A friend of mine still stops to check his visually
because it tells him to take a right when there's nothing but ditches to the
right, or curbs.

"JoeSpareBedroom" <dishborealis@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:yj37h.5686$ya1.2403@news02.roc.ny...
> "Joe Lauton" <JL@Lauton2000.com> wrote in message
> news:u1gpl2ptfi37hudm0nqqpjk5copgmbhmb2@4ax.com...
>> On Thu, 16 Nov 2006 19:44:45 GMT, "JoeSpareBedroom"
>> <dishborealis@yahoo.com> wrote:
>>
>>>"Joe Lauton" <JL@Lauton2000.com> wrote in message
>>>news:aafpl21logro5u6qub9sajek6h0i8g0nvf@4ax.com ...
>>>> Are the GPS packages really any good? The GM thing can apparently be
>>>> miles off or slow. Same difference.
>>>> The stand alone ones run $400-600 so at that price one may as well get
>>>> a laptop based one - with a GPS package. What works? Did a google
>>>> and found nothing useful.
>>>> joe
>>>
>>>
>>>Looking at a laptop while driving. There's a good idea. You, too, can
>>>drive
>>>like an 18 year old, forever.
>>>
>>>How about a paper map, and investing two minutes to look at it?
>>>
>
>
>> Grasshopper - they talk to you these days <grin>. Not the bulky maps.
>
> I understand that. A friend of mine still stops to check his visually
> because it tells him to take a right when there's nothing but ditches to
> the right, or curbs.

So that's why SUV's are so popular now!
--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

"Joe Lauton" <JL@Lauton2000.com> wrote in message
news:aafpl21logro5u6qub9sajek6h0i8g0nvf@4ax.com...
> Are the GPS packages really any good? The GM thing can apparently be
> miles off or slow. Same difference.
> The stand alone ones run $400-600 so at that price one may as well get
> a laptop based one - with a GPS package. What works? Did a google
> and found nothing useful.
> joe

Try asking over in newsgroup sci.geo.satellite-nav. It would be polite, of
course, to download all the headers you can and see if someone else has
already asked the question or one similar and then ask followups if it's
already been addressed.

Or try this web site:

www.gpsinformation.net

One of the first few items on that page is a link to an article about "my
first gps for automobile" and the utility of the site generally is high.

My $.02 - paper maps are the better value, unless you go so many different
places you'd need a trunk full of them.

The screens on those auto units are kind of small and I also think there'd
be an unfortunate tendency to start an "IFR driving style" (i.e.,
principally watching the screen, rather than the road), which could lead to
"adverse outcomes in automotive itinerary execution."

As for the systems themselves, in decent conditions, GPS technology, with
WAAS correction, can tell you "you are here" with impressive accuracy (to
within 10 feet - or little more than the width of your lane). At least,
they do so MOST of the time. Sometimes, not so hot. In the city, with tall
buildings and obstructed sky views, you might have accuracy and multipath
problems and your GPS could start lying to you. I have a handheld unit for
walking and biking and, one day, it was entirely wrong by about a half mile
for a portion of a 3 mile trip and my peak speed was about 1000 mph. Wow!
That's pedalling!

Then there's the quality of the map database. If the map source is wrong,
then you'll get interesting results from routing and directions. Mostly, I
guess they're pretty good, or you'd hear more about their errors. New roads
might not show up for a couple of years (I don't know) and closed roads
might not go away for a couple of years (ditto).

Try those two resources. Good luck.



--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

On Thu, 16 Nov 2006 19:40:12 GMT, Joe Lauton <JL@Lauton2000.com>
wrote:

>Are the GPS packages really any good? The GM thing can apparently be
>miles off or slow. Same difference.
>The stand alone ones run $400-600 so at that price one may as well get
>a laptop based one - with a GPS package. What works? Did a google
>and found nothing useful.
>joe

I use a laptop loaded with DeLorme Street Atlas software.

I was using the DeLorme Earthmate GPS LT-20 USB GPS receiver. That
SUCKS!.

Now my GPS driving the laptop is a Magellan Meridian running thru a
serial/USB converter.

It is an excellent system.

--

Scott in Florida

> Are the GPS packages really any good?

Yes, auto ones are better if you dislike the need to remove the stand-alones
and lock them up somewhere out of site so you won't have to buy a new window
when they break it and steal it. Standalones have better features, imho,
like the ability to do a route or trip at your computer and load it into the
stand-alone. You need to sit in the car to do most of the built-in routing.
Some will run on their own batteries as well.

Regarding paper maps, most will not tell you the address numbers. Many of
the new gps units will. They'll also locate the nearest fuel stops or food
locations where archaic paper maps won't.

I got 7 of the things now, fwiw. Never ending improvements yearly to all
models.

Mack

DH wrote:
> "Joe Lauton" <JL@Lauton2000.com> wrote in message
> news:aafpl21logro5u6qub9sajek6h0i8g0nvf@4ax.com...
>
>>Are the GPS packages really any good? The GM thing can apparently be
>>miles off or slow. Same difference.
>>The stand alone ones run $400-600 so at that price one may as well get
>>a laptop based one - with a GPS package. What works? Did a google
>>and found nothing useful.
>>joe
>
>
> Try asking over in newsgroup sci.geo.satellite-nav. It would be polite, of
> course, to download all the headers you can and see if someone else has
> already asked the question or one similar and then ask followups if it's
> already been addressed.
>
> Or try this web site:
>
> www.gpsinformation.net
>
> One of the first few items on that page is a link to an article about "my
> first gps for automobile" and the utility of the site generally is high.
>
> My $.02 - paper maps are the better value, unless you go so many different
> places you'd need a trunk full of them.
>
> The screens on those auto units are kind of small and I also think there'd
> be an unfortunate tendency to start an "IFR driving style" (i.e.,
> principally watching the screen, rather than the road), which could lead to
> "adverse outcomes in automotive itinerary execution."
>
> As for the systems themselves, in decent conditions, GPS technology, with
> WAAS correction, can tell you "you are here" with impressive accuracy (to
> within 10 feet - or little more than the width of your lane). At least,
> they do so MOST of the time. Sometimes, not so hot. In the city, with tall
> buildings and obstructed sky views, you might have accuracy and multipath
> problems and your GPS could start lying to you. I have a handheld unit for
> walking and biking and, one day, it was entirely wrong by about a half mile
> for a portion of a 3 mile trip and my peak speed was about 1000 mph. Wow!
> That's pedalling!
>
> Then there's the quality of the map database. If the map source is wrong,
> then you'll get interesting results from routing and directions. Mostly, I
> guess they're pretty good, or you'd hear more about their errors. New roads
> might not show up for a couple of years (I don't know) and closed roads
> might not go away for a couple of years (ditto).
>
> Try those two resources. Good luck.
>
>
>
I print up a set of paper printout maps, long shot, medium, close-up,
etc. from my CD-ROM of Streets and Trips. They work out very well,
including a distance indicator at the bottom border. Cheap, portable,
and accurate. There is also a version called Autoroute that covers most
of Europe.

I can't verify it, but I read a while ago that a fellow was driving his
new big Mercedes-Benz car in Germany, and the talking nav. system told
him to make a turn and then go straight. He did, right into the Rhine
River. Whoops.

Good luck.

Morton Linder

On Thu, 16 Nov 2006 20:01:16 -0500, Morton Linder <mort@cloud9.net>
wrote:

>DH wrote:
>> "Joe Lauton" <JL@Lauton2000.com> wrote in message
>> news:aafpl21logro5u6qub9sajek6h0i8g0nvf@4ax.com...
>>
>>>Are the GPS packages really any good? The GM thing can apparently be
>>>miles off or slow. Same difference.
>>>The stand alone ones run $400-600 so at that price one may as well get
>>>a laptop based one - with a GPS package. What works? Did a google
>>>and found nothing useful.
>>>joe
>>
>>
>> Try asking over in newsgroup sci.geo.satellite-nav. It would be polite, of
>> course, to download all the headers you can and see if someone else has
>> already asked the question or one similar and then ask followups if it's
>> already been addressed.
>>
>> Or try this web site:
>>
>> www.gpsinformation.net
>>
>> One of the first few items on that page is a link to an article about "my
>> first gps for automobile" and the utility of the site generally is high.
>>
>> My $.02 - paper maps are the better value, unless you go so many different
>> places you'd need a trunk full of them.
>>
>> The screens on those auto units are kind of small and I also think there'd
>> be an unfortunate tendency to start an "IFR driving style" (i.e.,
>> principally watching the screen, rather than the road), which could lead to
>> "adverse outcomes in automotive itinerary execution."
>>
>> As for the systems themselves, in decent conditions, GPS technology, with
>> WAAS correction, can tell you "you are here" with impressive accuracy (to
>> within 10 feet - or little more than the width of your lane). At least,
>> they do so MOST of the time. Sometimes, not so hot. In the city, with tall
>> buildings and obstructed sky views, you might have accuracy and multipath
>> problems and your GPS could start lying to you. I have a handheld unit for
>> walking and biking and, one day, it was entirely wrong by about a half mile
>> for a portion of a 3 mile trip and my peak speed was about 1000 mph. Wow!
>> That's pedalling!
>>
>> Then there's the quality of the map database. If the map source is wrong,
>> then you'll get interesting results from routing and directions. Mostly, I
>> guess they're pretty good, or you'd hear more about their errors. New roads
>> might not show up for a couple of years (I don't know) and closed roads
>> might not go away for a couple of years (ditto).
>>
>> Try those two resources. Good luck.
>>
>>
>>
>I print up a set of paper printout maps, long shot, medium, close-up,
>etc. from my CD-ROM of Streets and Trips. They work out very well,
>including a distance indicator at the bottom border. Cheap, portable,
>and accurate. There is also a version called Autoroute that covers most
>of Europe.
>
>I can't verify it, but I read a while ago that a fellow was driving his
>new big Mercedes-Benz car in Germany, and the talking nav. system told
>him to make a turn and then go straight. He did, right into the Rhine
>River. Whoops.
>
>Good luck.
>
>Morton Linder

All well and good if the roads are clear and no accidents happen ahead
of you. Then GPS saves you!


--

Scott in Florida