jfitzpat
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Posts posted by jfitzpat
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Poindexter, Anders,
My understanding is that the firmware in most units applys a lookup table correction based on deviation from 'standard' temperature. But, my source on this was someone in GPS Avionics, not low end handhelds, so I could be totally wrong.
Regarding source of error, my physics recollection would agree with Poindexter, EMR travels different speeds in different atmospheric conditions.
-jjf
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Since the company spells out exactly standards the durability is rated for, gives examples of the practical limits of those standards online, in manuals, and in the one sheet print add I see at REI, happily replaces the unit under warrantee even when it is used in bizarre and pointless ways, I'm not sure I understand what the beef is.
Let me see if I can apply the same reasoning:
Since the measurements cited are pointless and inaccurate, should the US Government and assorted contractors be held liable because the technical limitations of the GPS sat. system don't meet the original poster's understanding based on a one paragraph blurb?
-jjf
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Although I always get blasted by Magellan diehards, I've mentioned this before. I've yet to see a Magellan handheld not get funky somewhere around freezing, say 25 F.
The Garmin eTrex units all seem to stay sane until about 0 F. My compass has worked flawlessly down to about -25 F, which is why I'll always take it!
You can coax the handheld receivers to give you readings when it is chilly by warming them with body heat. But reading accuracy will suffer. Most units use an internal temperature sensor to help correct for atmospheric conditions.
-jjf
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FWIW, we have an inhouse application for Palm VIIx called Lo2Go. It basically gives wireless access to GNIS database searches and LostOutdoors aerial and topo maps.
The image quality is so-so on the Palm VIIx, which is 16 levels of gray. But the images look great on new color palms (320x320, 65K colors). As for storage, the aerials don't get much smaller than they are (LostOutdoors already delivers them as JPEG). However, storage isn't the problem that it was. Newers Palms take the same little memory cards as Magellan receivers. PocketPC units generally support compact flash, and many have card slots as well.
All this said, I tried PDA loaded maps once. Then decided it was too much and too fragile outside. I went back to my Silva compass, my eTrex Vista, and printed maps and photos...
-jjf
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FWIW, there is no pure mathmatical conversion to NAD27, you have to use the ellipse, then the tables of empirical data.
That said, most GPS units will get you pretty close. The same with TRUE/MAGNETIC conversion. To really get it right, you should use the most recent published surveys, but most receiver firmware comes pretty close.
-jjf
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You can capture a mapsource view to the clipboard with . Then paste the image into Paint, or another graphics program for editing. You'll probably want to save it as a JPEG file for emailing.
I think that Mr. Cox's nice USAPhotomaps program saves views as straight JPEGs/BMPs, suitable for emailing.
You can email waypoints, but not tracks, directly from your GPS using LostOutdoors.com.
I hope that the above helps.
-jjf
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I'd have to agree. If you are going to put yourself on the line for concealed, assault-with-a-deadly..., and arson charges, why not at least arm yourself with a slightly less useless weapon (like a big Maglight flashlight or toenail clippers)?
Face it, if you are 10' away, you are going to miss. Any closer, you are as likely to get burned and injured as your would be attacker. Leave the flare at home, buy a signal mirror, and choose 'flight' over 'fight' whenever possible...
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I know that a fair number of you use http://www.lostoutdoors.com to generate aerial and topographic images, or to email waypoints from your GPSr using the waypoint exchange. So, I thought that some of you might be interested in trying a weird activeX control that I've hidden on the site:
http://www.lostoutdoors.com/flyme.html
If you are running Internet Explorer, this will take you to a page with a "FlyTrack" control. The control lets you download tracks from your Magellan or Garmin GPS and convert them into Flight Simulator 2002 'Flight Videos' which you can play back using FS2002.
It actually started with displaying a track from my Garmin Vista that I captured while flying a Cessna 172RG around Catalina and the Channel Islands. Then someone suggested it might be fun to 'fly' other tracks, so we added an elevation offset and some relative velocity logic. We've now 'flown' car trips, hikes, a ride on the Blue line, and even a sky run. It is pretty fun.
If someone has Flight Simulator 2000, and is interested in getting it supported, drop me a note. The reason it isn't currently supported is that I only have FS2002.
Enjoy,
-jjf
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quote:
Originally posted by gnbrotz:I agree with the suggestions made by Black Dog Trackers. Although I wouldn't personally use the directional sorting, (I use a map with ExpertGPS) I can see where that would be helpful. I also agree that having a marker on the map (LostOutdoors.com) is much more user friendly than the Terra Server page.
I wouldn't count on Geocaching.com ever linking to LostOutdoors. If nothing else, Jeremy would have to pay me the $30 he owes me...
Seriously, Jeremy needs to make a living and there is a financial incentive to link to sites like Topozone. I don't offer incentives because I don't look to make any money off my site.
However, I do try to make it easy to copy and paste direct from sites like Geocaching. And, if anyone is interested, I have an Internet Explorer plug-in toolbar I did that searches pages for anything remotely resembing a coordinate and makes a one click link to a topo or aerial. Of course, once you are at the map, you can download directly to your Garmin or Magellen, just like LostOutdoors.
I did the toolbar for some aviation pages I use, but I'd be happy to clean it up and give it away if there is enough interest.
-jjf
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Black... (sorry, forgot the handle!)
You should be able to save the images directly from LostOutdoors. I deliver both Topos and Aerials as JPEG files with the markers embedded.
One other tip, the 'printer friendly' page delivers the image at a higher Q factor. That is, it takes longer to download, but is higher quality.
-jjf
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I've been pestering Mr. Cox about adding Topographic support. Terraserver delivers Topo tiles in GIF, which can be a little problematic.
Each time I pester him, he reminds me we have a deal. I don't heckle him about programming, he doesn't heckle me about flying
(For the record, his programming is much better than my piloting - but, fortunately, if you weave and yaw enough, other pilots learn to stay away...)Seriously, I'm sure he will get to it. In the mean time, you can do some limited stuff on my web site, http://www.lostoutdoors.com
You can pick the Waypoint Exchange and fetch waypoints from your GPSr, then map them on topo or aerial. Or, you can go to the map maker and enter waypoints manually and plot them on an aerial or topo map. Not as flexible as USAPhotomaps, but it does do topos, and unlike Topozone, works in the same map datum as most GPS receivers.
Good Luck,
-jjf
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I've been pestering Mr. Cox about adding Topographic support. Terraserver delivers Topo tiles in GIF, which can be a little problematic.
Each time I pester him, he reminds me we have a deal. I don't heckle him about programming, he doesn't heckle me about flying
(For the record, his programming is much better than my piloting - but, fortunately, if you weave and yaw enough, other pilots learn to stay away...)Seriously, I'm sure he will get to it. In the mean time, you can do some limited stuff on my web site, http://www.lostoutdoors.com
You can pick the Waypoint Exchange and fetch waypoints from your GPSr, then map them on topo or aerial. Or, you can go to the map maker and enter waypoints manually and plot them on an aerial or topo map. Not as flexible as USAPhotomaps, but it does do topos, and unlike Topozone, works in the same map datum as most GPS receivers.
Good Luck,
-jjf
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First, Jolly B Good, I hear you, but many won't. I'm sure that there are moderate points of view on access issues, but not many speak up on these forums.
Second, just to set history straight. Lewis and Clark did follow established trails. If the trails had not existed, and if they had not been guided by locals, they would have lost more than one man.
Third, for all the flag waving folks in the audience, what about property owners rights? If I am reading the message correctly, private property owners have specifically complained. It is not "our" land, it is "their" land. It is quite possible that the county is dependant upon private granted right of way for access.
One of the problems with standing on principle is that it is easy to be a hypocrit if you don't apply it both ways.
-jjf
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First, Jolly B Good, I hear you, but many won't. I'm sure that there are moderate points of view on access issues, but not many speak up on these forums.
Second, just to set history straight. Lewis and Clark did follow established trails. If the trails had not existed, and if they had not been guided by locals, they would have lost more than one man.
Third, for all the flag waving folks in the audience, what about property owners rights? If I am reading the message correctly, private property owners have specifically complained. It is not "our" land, it is "their" land. It is quite possible that the county is dependant upon private granted right of way for access.
One of the problems with standing on principle is that it is easy to be a hypocrit if you don't apply it both ways.
-jjf
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I'm with criminal. It's hard to go wrong with a Silva Ranger. I personally don't set the declination (I just leave everything in magnetic and mark the map (if it isn't already marked)).
The sighting mirror is good for things other than accurate reads. I've used it to signal a friend, shave, and pull a splinter out of my ear.
I also use the inclinometer quite a bit, but that is one feature that many users could probably skip.
-jjf
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The subject line says it all. As about a hundred of you noted in email last weekend, the map server had a brief outage while I was on vacation. I'm doing a server upgrade tonight.
-jjf
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I don't recall knocking cachers, in fact, I've stated many times that it is, with some constraints, a reasonable public land use.
As for being obsessive, I think that the fact that I pursue other activites besides climbing, even ones that dont' spin my wire, shows that I approach my hobbies with more balance than some folks (not a personal comment, general!)
Climbing is a great access example. A potentially high impact sport pursued by a small (though dramatically growing) segment of the population. To keep access open, several things have had to change.
First, the sport has had to get very serious about impact. Even aid climbing if often now done 'clean' (no pins or bolts). Everything from waste disposal (you don't want to know about a p@@p tube), to the color of webbing and hangers.
The sport is much cleaner than it was, but we'll have to get cleaner still as the number of participants grows. I think that our next big adjustment will be chalk. Some areas have a no gymnastic chalk ethic (I don't bother with it myself, I think it is a placebo for most climbers). But, even though it is not permanent or particularly damaging to the environment, it is unsightly. Popular sport and bouldering areas look terrible.
All national and international climbing organizations (AMGA, AAC, UIAA, IFMGA, etc.) have gotten very serious about environmental impact. "Leave no Trace" is definately becoming more than lip service for many professionals.
Second, climbers got organized. Many popular climbing areas have a 'friends of' non-profit made up of climbers. By getting organized, and building relationships with local land management (staging cleanup days, trail building, facility improvements, etc.), these groups usually get a seat at the table when rules are proposed.
Climbers are also organized at the national level, for example, the Access Fund. Again, while these groups negotiate with public and private land owners, etc., a big emphasis is on educating climbers so that, as a group, we are lower key, lower impact. A few bad apples can really screw things up for everyone else. Hueco Tanks would be a good example of this for climbers.
While local climbers were negotiating rules with the Park, a few self absorbed types flaunted the temporary bolting ban, and intentionally targetted areas that rangers considered especially sensitive. Net result, extremely limited access. A lot of climbers complain, but, I think it is a tribute to the land managers that there is any climbing access at all, given the circumstances.
-jjf
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I've mentioned many times that, if it weren't for my daughters, I wouldn't cache at all. All in all, I'd rather be climbing.
But, I think that the activity is harmless enough that it should be given reasonable access on public lands, particularly parks and recreational areas.
That said, you die hards had better get a clue. If you get worked up because you don't like being portrayed as driven by Happy Meal toys, you really should relax. The fact is, from the outside world's point of view, being obsessed with the hunt, is little better.
Regardless of rather it is the trinket or the hunt, the point is that some supposedly sensitive areas are being visited, not for their own sake, but purely for the pursuit of a game.
People here can hem and haw, but when you have cachers going out at night, by headlamp, to get the 'first' certificate from a new cache, it is pretty clear that, for some, the surroundings are secondary (if they matter at all).
Why should this matter? Math. There are hundreds of millions of people in the US, billions of people on the planet. Most public 'natural' areas would be eradicated if every single person exercised his/her legal right to visit them and perform whatever activity he/she felt like. So, land managers have to balance keeping something of what makes the area worthwhile and allowing people to enjoy it. To them, distinguishing between people who are there to look and enjoy, and those who are just passing through to find a tinker toy is, without cooperation, education, and support, a reasonable point of view.
Granted, math is easily dismissed. After all, if people were better at it, Lotto wouldn't be popular. So folks yak about animals making trails without ever stopping to consider that there are probably 10-20 times more people in the LA basin than bears on the whole planet, and than most other large mammals in North America combined.
But, land managers, as imperfect as they are, can't ignore math. They are, for the most part, trying to preserve what they are responsible for and keep access as far away from the 'habitrail' experience as supply, demand, and budget will allow.
Now, you can all vent that the problem is the stewards, and say the problems they see don't exist, in which case, you will continue to have access problems and bad press. Or, you can take a clue from the other activities that have successfully used advocacy and cooperation to maintain (and, in some cases, expand) access on public lands.
-jjf
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Well, the article did bother to solicit feedback from local enthusiasts, and quoted other agencies as not having observed any problems.
If the core assertion, that despite geocaching.com's rules some caches are at archeological sites, then you better save your breath complaining about the stewards and do a better job of self policing...
-jjf
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Markwell,
First, great picture, I was just thinking of Calvin and Hobbes the other day...
Second, FWIW, since LostOutdoors only covers the US, I try to be forgiving about entry. For example, I treat all longitudes as negative (entering 117 and -117 is the same thing). You should be able to just copy and past lon/lat from Geocaching.com directly into the mapmaker and hit 'map'. Just be sure to delete the degree symbol. I used to accept it, but some browsers get very confused URL encoding it before it is submitted to the map maker.
I'm trying to squeeze in an update this week (before vacation). Amoung other things, you will be able to enter in UTM as well as LL.
-jjf
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I forgot, another way to do aerial photos (like lostoutdoors) would be Mr. Cox's nice USAPhotomaps.
-jjf
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Having setup http://www.lostoutdoors.com I can't comment
If you use http://www.topozone.com be sure to convert your coordinates to NAD-27 or your makers can be quite a ways off.
For printing maps, I use the National Geographic software myself. It is a little pricey, but the maps are nice.
-jjf
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Having setup http://www.lostoutdoors.com I can't comment
If you use http://www.topozone.com be sure to convert your coordinates to NAD-27 or your makers can be quite a ways off.
For printing maps, I use the National Geographic software myself. It is a little pricey, but the maps are nice.
-jjf
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quote:
Originally posted by wmas1960:I don't think that is anywhere near the majority feelings that I have seen written...
No, but all the "sarcastic" remarks I used are pieced together from real quotes from this forum. That's the point. Land managers can always point to extremists and a few bad apples (not nec. the same thing), and justify harsh limitations on all.
That is not conjecture, that's oft repeated history. The only answer I've seen work is to form an advocacy group that promotes a leave-no-trace ethic, forms relationships to other groups, (ex. Sierra Club, etc.) to get a larger collective voice, and works with land managers to secure and maintain access.
-jjf
eTrex Vista vs. Meridian Platinum opinions desired
in GPS technology and devices
Posted
If you are primarily using the unit in a vehicle, go with the Magellan. eTrex units are intended for one hand, but not one finger operation. (Though if you are primarily a vehicle user, I'd consider a unit with an ext. ant. connector).
If you are doing heavy duty backpacking, climbing, kayaking, or whatever. Go with the eTrex.
Personally, I think that the whole memory thing is over rated. That is, I think that the biggest plus to the SD cards is they can be loaded with a writer that is faster than RS-232 speeds. But, even so, I find maps nice, but not as useful as you might think. The scale is small, the screens are small (the Meridian has a slightly larger screen, but much lower resolution)... I just don't find them a substitute for a good paper map.
-jjf