DogFleazJR
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Posts posted by DogFleazJR
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The magnetic pole has moved about 700 miles into the Canadian arctic over the last 10 years.
Scientists are predicting that the magnetic pole is moving at such a fast rate that in the next 50 years it will move OUT of Canada and into Siberia!
Just so long as it doesn't affect the taste of the beer
A small diversion: I had an engineering professor in the mid '80s who insisted that slide rules were faster than digital calculators, especially with roots and logs. He would wager $1 bets on races to solve complex arithmetic - his slide rule vs a calculator. He usually won. As far as I know, none of his students gave up their calculators for a slide rule (or even learned to use one for that matter).
Those of us who are trained in orienteering probably have a need for that training and we will always choose a magnetic compass. If you are headed off grid - into Great Canada, the Great West, or out to sea - then precision and competence are essential.
For those of us seeking tupperware in a State or Provincial park ... the GPS compass and a good dose of common sense will get the job done. At that point, the choice of magnetic or true becomes a bit esoteric. My thoughts.
Have Fun - Be Safe!
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I keep my GPSR on North up when I am hiking. I don't like the map moving around when I stop on the trail. However, when on a long road trip, Track Up was better. That way I knew, without having to think about it, whether a cache coming up was going to be on the left hand side of the road, or the right.
The great thing about the GPS is you can choose which ever way you prefer.
I prefer to use the track up when I'm hiking. When I used to carry a map (back in the day) I kept the map generally oriented to the direction I was headed, so I have the GPS do the same. It helps me keep a general bearing on my next way point in perspective to what is around me.
I sometimes switch to North Up when I'm stopped to study the map and the GPS loses track of which way I am facing. Then I don't have to worry about the map moving around when I'm not. But 99% of the time it is in Track Up mode.
It is all a matter of preference and what works best for you.
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You have a perfectly good web browser in your BlackBerry so use it. The wap.geocaching.com site is nice and quick on a BB.
I totally agree about the web browser, I just had no idea that wap.geocaching.com even existed! I just found it on the website forum, duh!
Yes, this is news to me, too. Thanks for the heads up!
This is very handy (when there is cell service).
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When i print the cache page to PDF file how do i get the Additional hints to show Decrypted it works if i print the other way or will i have to get pen and paper out can anybody help me out.
Labrador Wild man
I use a program called CutePDF Writer (cutepdf.com) which acts as a print driver but prints to a .pdf file.
Since it is a print file, it shows the additional hints decyrpted.
I believe the basic writer is a free program
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more than anything i am surprised that GPS devices are not part of the "dont have on during flight" list.
However, a couple reasons GPSr's are not restricted any more than laptops, CD players and other similar electronics is due to the the fact that they don't transmit a signal and can't be used to detonate a device. Also they don't cause interference.
Any device with batteries can be used as a detonator.
Since a GPS can also act as an altimeter, in theory, it could be used to detonate a device at a specific altitude.
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I am a newbie to GPS. I have a new H2C0 c. I am still waiting for my mapping software to show up (mapcreate 7). I have two questions about the SD memory cards.
Is there any real reason for 1 gb cards over against 512 mb? That is, if I get 512 will I be kicking myself? For example can you put multiple map files on one card or is it more practical to have 1 map file for each card?
Secondly, for GPS units is there any practical reason to get fast SD memory (66x or above) or does it not make any real difference in this application?
I would appreciate help, I am about to buy some cards.
Thanks for the help.
The faster write speed is unneccessary for GPSs. Faster write speed disks can be an advantage in digital cameras that need to transfer a lot of data before the next photo is taken. GPSs read from the disk more than write to it.
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None of these are issues to me. There are other things I'd rather see added, rather than trivialities for people who like to play with their GPS on airplanes.
Yep, more and more planes these days have their own maps, speed, altitude, outside temp and so on available that carrying a GPS on board is less and less interesting.
I like my CSx, even the barometer, which I find much more accurate when hiking and backpacking and provides much more reliable tracks than the GPS altimeter.
I wish the unit beeped louder when auto routing and I wish the turn notifications came a little bit earlier, but I really wouldn't call any of these "shortcomings."
Just my thoughts...
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Thanks for your trick, Prime Suspect. I do not know how to put a default map, in lieu of detailed map . But I'll try. and feeback the result later here.
The Prime Suspect is refering to the how much map detail is displayed.
To check or change the level of map detail displayed on your 60CSx do the following:
From the map page, press MENU
Select Setup Map
Toggle to the first icon at the top, left of the screen, a compass rose for Map Set Up - General, select ENTER
Toggle down to Detail and select Normal.
See if that improves the page response as Prime Suspect suggests.
Good Luck!
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I am looking at getting a GPS as a gift, but can't really afford a huge amount of money. As a family member is coming over from the USA in the next month and the £to$ is so good at the moment I thought this would be a good way to buy.
I am looking at a Garmin Extrex Legend as this is the unit I use and am most familiar with, however the US unit comes with US rather than Europe base mapping. Anyway around this and what are the opinions about how important this is? Are there any reasonably priced european maps I could get to solve the problem or would it negate the difference in buying in the States?
I know the base mapping is not hugely important to me, but it is for a newbie and they might think it odd if it didn't have the European data.
Take advantage of the exchange rate and get a good deal (help support our American peso!).
As quigly points out, the base map is inherently useless, you will want to get additional maps anyway. Use the money you save on a good set of navigation-ready European maps.
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Unit: 60Cx w/ 2 GB MircoSD.
Loaded w/ City Nav NT 8 onto said card.
Now I have the Garmin TOPO MircoSD card (also).
How do I load the TOPO info onto my 2GB SD card in my unit?
Thanks much-
Riggs
The Frogman is correct. In mapsource, select CN from the drop down menu in the tool bar, then select all the map tiles using the map select tool. You will see the selected map segments listed in the map box on the left side of the screen.
Use the drop down list to switch to Topos and select the map tiles you want to download. These will be added to the list of maps on the left side of the screen.
Either copy this set of maps directly to your 2Gb card using a card reader (I don't have one, so someone else will have to explain this) or download directly to your GPS using the USB interface.
Remember, you are limited to 2025 maps ( or there abouts) and you will want to leave some memory for track logs. You can't fit all the Topos and all the CN maps on a 2Gb card because of the tile limit.
You have to switch between map sets (CN or Topo) manually. From the map screen on the GPS, hit MENU, toggle over to the "i" and hit MENU again, then select Hide City Navigator. Then the Topo maps will be displayed.
Good Luck!
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I have city navigator, which is very nice, but i do like having topographical i was thinking about getting getting Topo USA, but i have heard lots of bad things about it. Can i get some of your opinions?
Thanks
I have the Topo USA maps for my 60CSx. I don't find them particularly helpful. It is not the map or detail level per se, but rather the difficultly of using a topo map on a 2" x 3" limited resolution screen.
A topo map is supposed to show contours and water courses. Take any paper topo map and then cut out a rectangular "window" from a piece of paper the size of your GPS screen and place it over the map. This will give you a good idea of how hard it is to visualize topography on the GPSr.
I use detailed topo maps on my PC for trip planning - I will plot out my expected route as a track, include as many waypoints as necessary to identify key points and intersections, and then download this data to the GPS. When I get back, I like to upload the track data so I can evaluate it on the detailed topos.
When I'm way off grid I still carry a paper map and compass with me in addition to the GPS. My own preference.
Happy trails,
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Wow...thanks for the quick and thoughtful replies.
Maybe part of my problem is where I have my unit. I don't care for it on the dash as it blocks my view, but at least on the dash the amount I have to move my eyes isn't so much. I have been using it in a cup holder which sits down and to my right a little (I have an arm that extends up so it's not on the floor or anything).
I never though about using "next waypoint" for the next street name, and I could set up the data field to be one long field across so it might be easier to read.
But you all are making me feel better about getting more comfortable with just the handheld unit. And that could be what it boils down to...I just need to give it time to get used to it.
Any other thoughts you might have on how I can make it work better for me, please share.
I have noticed that with the Vista, it doesn't recalculate as quickly as I would like, but it's not the end of the world. On "best", though, it takes a solid 10 - 12 seconds to do a recalc. I might try putting it back a level to see if that helps improve response.
Have any of you used yours in a real congested area that you aren't familiar? How did it perform and how comfortable were you following it in that environment?
I have been using a handheld GPS for auto routing for six years now, first with a GPS V and then a year ago upgraded to the 60CSx. I travel frequently on business, to many new customers and clients all over the country and I always take my GPS with me, in my own car and in rentals.
Part of your comfort level will come from experience. I always keep in mind that the GPS may not take me the **best** way, but it has always gotten me to my destination. The GPS, regardless of which one you choose, is not perfect so you can't turn off your own common sense when using one to navigate.
Quality of maps can be an issue, especially when new roads are involved. I am still using my original set of City Select v4.1 (nearly six years old) and they work for me 95+% of the time. The other 5% of the time I have to rely on my own nav sense and the compass pointer.
One suggestion to consider - mount the GPS to the windscreen on the left side of the steering wheel (the right side if you are driving "british"). The GPS will be less obstructive of your view, the screen is closer to you and easier to read and the buttons easier to reach. If you want to run on car power vs batteries you will have to find a power cord long enough to snake under the dash and then up along the A column so it doesn't get tangled in your feet or the wheel. BrianSnat has several pictures posted on the forums of a nifty and inexpensive dash mount that he uses (mounts to the dash, not the wind screen).
I have had my share of frustrating moments using my GPS for navigating, but as I said, in the end it has always gotten me to my destination.
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This may be a stupid question Oz, but are you locking the card slot closed? With the metal Micro SD card cover in the locked position, the card should not shift even with the hardest bumps.
I had this problem this week driving across I-80 in western PA. At one point I noticed no detailed maps. Stopped for gas and then they were back again. Then no detailed maps. At first I thought maybe I was in an area where there is no map detail (not a lot of detail needed!). But then as we made our way off the interstate through towns into Butler, PA the lack of detail started bothering me. I checked the map set up screen and sure enough, no listing of CS NA.
I powered the unit down and back up, and we were back in business. I checked the card cover this morning based on the posts above and everything is secure.
I upgraded to a 2Gb Trancend card a month ago. This is the first I have ever experienced this.
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The solar panel I describe ( Brunton 2.2 ) will charge rechargable batteries if you have a connection on the charger that will would plug into a car cig. lighter socket. This solar panel won't run the gpsr on solar power only. Not sure on the length of time to recharge 4AA batteries but you would be lucky to get 10 hours of charging sun without clouds in one day. It would be better than nothing and dead rechargable batteries though.
Thanks for the reply. Based on your experience, the Brunton 2.2 will not work for my needs.
I was wondering if anyone had experience with chargers like these:
http://www.siliconsolar.com/shop/catalog/F...-2AA-p-138.html
Unfortunately, they don't provide the ma capacity of the panels or the mah rating of the batteries. Perhaps two 1500mah batteries in the 4AA would charge in 5-8 hrs in "reasonable" conditions???
Thanks for your help!
I purchased one of the flexible panels in the link above.
Waste of money, don't repeat my mistake. I'm trying to get the vendor to take it back.
Even in direct full sun the panel tops out at 150ma which would take 10 hours to charge a single 1500mah battery. So no truth in advertising there.
I am going back to plan B - stripping down the old solar patio lights. I left one out on the porch last week when I went to work with a fully discharged 1800mah NiMH battery installed. When I got home that evening, 1.47V on the battery. The porch sees full sun only part of the day. Not bad. I just need to figure out how to by-pass the LED light and strip it down to be compact for trekking.
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Working horses over trails, it would be very valuable to know the average and maximum speed that we've made.
I can't find any GPSr's that do this. Am I missing some?
Most GPS units calculate average and max speeds. They will also track moving vs stopped time so you can see your average speed while moving and your overall average speed for the trip.
This functionality is very valuable to me when kayaking. I like to set a pace and use the GPS as my speedometer.
Speed information is also captured in the track log data so you can evaluate it on the computer when you get back home. There has been some discussion here regarding this and speeds while skiing.
Most garmin units will allow you to customize the trip computer page so you can choose what stats you want to see.
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I recently purchases a garmin Vista Cx - I'm interested in the topo maps for it - the U.S. East maps. Anyone have or used these, are they worth the money? What kind of detail can I expect. The garmin website browse version of the maps has been broken the last couple of days.
My experience with topos on the GPS is perhaps a bit different that Timpat's.
Everyone is welcome to their opinion, here's mine, feel free to disagree.
I find the topos on the GPSr not all that useful. I think part of reason is the screen is too small to really get a good gauge of the topography. The 1:100k maps are a little sparse on details to begin with, and then cutting out a 2 x 3 inch piece of the map to show on the screen, you get even less.
Some trails are included in the Topo USA maps, but few of them are correct. There are more small streams marked in the topos than in the street maps, which has helped me out on occasion.
For trip planning and to look at tracks after the fact, I use more detailed topos on my computer (I am a big TopoFusion fan, but the National Geographic maps are also very nice). In trip planning, I will use the detailed topos on my computer to mark my intended course and then download this to the GPSr. I can then use that track as a guide. If we have to go off course, I still know where I have to get back to. When we are headed off grid, I take a paper map and compass with me anyway.
I’m sure many users find their topos very valuable. I’m indifferent to them. Nice to have, but I don’t use them as much as I thought I would before I bought them. Now a s 1:24 map set might change my mind …
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My ol' GPS V who is my kayaking buddy.
A 60CSx for everything else.
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I travel for business all the time. Since my ocmpany is to cheap to let us rent cars with Never Lost I use my 60CX to find my way around. My only issue is that I am using City Select version 6 and some of the roads have changed. I will be upgrading my software soon, but can tell you that it has been a life saver for me many times already.
Come on, NightStalker, you can make it few more years before upgrading! I'm still using CS v4. Every year I think it is time to upgrade. After 6 years it is a point of pride to see how long I can drag this out.
It's not that I'm cheap, just stingy.
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DogFleazJR, may I ask which solar device you went with? Could you post a link to the info on it? And, once you test it please let us know how it performs in regard to GPSsr use and operation.
I ordered the 4AA charger from the site below. Should be at home in a day or so. I will play around with it and let you know how it works out.
http://www.siliconsolar.com/shop/catalog/F...-2AA-p-138.html
I strippped down two old solar patio lights thinking they might work. But even in bright sun they max out at about 60ma, directly under a 100W halogen bulb they will do 80ma, which would take three days to charge a 1500mah battery (assuming the charge curve is linear).
I don't see how the flexible panel can charge 4AA batteries as fast as claimed. I figure the area of the flex panel is about 6X the area of the solar patio cell and much newer technology. So I'm hoping the new panel can deliver 6 times the ma, which would be about 400ma. That would charge two 1500ma batteries in less than 8 hours.
I will let you know how it works out under sun and cloud.
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Compare the bulk of a solar charger with the equivalent bulk of batteries, and you'll see that taking a charger doesn't make sense. If it was a considerably longer trip, then it might go the other way. But for 5 days? Nope.
Pragmatically, I agree. Three sets of new alkalines would more than cover me for five days, and would certainly be easy to pack and carry.
This is more a question of aesthetics. The Saranacs are one of the last truly pristine places on the US east coast. We are putting a lot of emphasis on our trip planning to leave no trace. Hauling home a half dozen spent, hazardous waste batteries just doesn't feel right, especially if there is affordable technology that can redress the concern.
I went ahead and ordered one of the 4AA flexible panels. This is a good opportunity to try a field test. They claim to charge 4AA 2000mah batteries in less than 8 hours. If it can charge 2 batteries in 8 hours it seems like a pretty workable solution.
BTW, the flexible chargers weigh less than 2oz (0.6oz solar panel plus battery compartment) and can be stowed easily. At 3 x 4.5 inches, hopefully I can easily attach it to the top of a hat or pack.
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The solar panel I describe ( Brunton 2.2 ) will charge rechargable batteries if you have a connection on the charger that will would plug into a car cig. lighter socket. This solar panel won't run the gpsr on solar power only. Not sure on the length of time to recharge 4AA batteries but you would be lucky to get 10 hours of charging sun without clouds in one day. It would be better than nothing and dead rechargable batteries though.
Thanks for the reply. Based on your experience, the Brunton 2.2 will not work for my needs.
I was wondering if anyone had experience with chargers like these:
http://www.siliconsolar.com/shop/catalog/F...-2AA-p-138.html
Unfortunately, they don't provide the ma capacity of the panels or the mah rating of the batteries. Perhaps two 1500mah batteries in the 4AA would charge in 5-8 hrs in "reasonable" conditions???
Thanks for your help!
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Thanks to you all for the input. I'll keep searching for more unique applications. We have a solar manufacturer called SunWize in our area that I plan to contact. Maybe they can custom build a panel that can be worn on a hat or outer clothing and supply the needed output. I know nothing about electronics and voltage, wattage, etc.
Any update on solar battery chargers?
We are working out the last details of a 5 day hiking and canoeing trip through the Saranacs this summer and would love to recharge the batteries for my 60CSx with solar. Has to be light weight, packable and weatherproof. I need to be able to charge 2 AA NiMH batteries (1500 - 2000 mah) in less than 14 hours in "reasonable" weather conditions.
Anyone out there have any experience with this? Do the flexible chargers really work, or do they take too long or too sensitive to cloud cover to be viable on the trail?
Any guidance on how to evaluate these things would be appreciated. I'm not an electrical engineer! I think I understand that to charge two 1500 mah batteries in less than 15 hours I a panel that generates at least 200 ma. How does this convert to watts, which is how many panels seem to be rated?
I saw the posting about the Brunton. I prefer to have just the battery charging compartment so I can leave the cable in the car. I can lay the panel out on the packs in the canoe and charge batteries for the following day.
If anyone can share more experiences with solar battery chargers it would be a great help.
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if i remember correctly from trig, for a 30 degree slope you would want to divide your indicated speed by cos(30)
which does in fact = 1.1547... as the previous post states.
1 / cos(30) = 1.1547
or 62mph / cos(30) = 71.59mph
so figure out the angle of the slope and your golden.
if you dont know the angle of the slope but you do know the height of the slope, you could figure out the angle by measuring the distance from top to bottom with your gps (this would still be horizontal distance or the base of the triangle), then calculate tan(height/distance) to give the angle.
The GPS calculates vertical changes as well - why the unit needs at least 4 satelite signals to complete its trilateration. The only problem is the vertical "accuracy" is lower than the horizontal.
There are a number of theads on the forum from hikers questioning the acent calculations in the units. I'm not sure of the source of the uncertainty.
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Btw, how do you ski in Tucson?!
Poorly.
Haha, northeast Arizona is where I work as ski patrol and then during winter break I'll go to colorado or utah for some really good snow. Amazingly I'm actually going skiing today.
I suspect the accuracy of reported speeds when skiing is dependent on how fast you are going - likely pretty accurate at "high" speeds and less so at slower speeds.
This **may** be the case due to the accuracy of the unit. When tearing down the mountain you are moving in pretty much a straight line and you cover the distance of the unit's meaurement uncertainty very quickly so it is very probable that the next point it measures is a new position.
At slower, carving speeds you are making a lot more directional changes and it takes longer to cover the area of uncertainty. It takes longer to cover the area of measurement uncertainty and the positional values recorded may not reflect your **true** path and hence distance covered.
This is further amplified in the recorded tracks, so looking back at your recorded tracks is really very cool, but they are only representative of your speed since they record value every so often. You won't see your carving in the recorded tracks.
We took our 60CSx skiing in Colorado in February for the first time. Zipped it in the chest pocket of my ski jacket. We have a very cool electronic diary of our skiing for each day, trails, lifts, distances covered. It is very cool to pull this up on a good topographic map.
I hope you weren't looking at the GPS when you were going 70mph! We did a geocache at the ski resort and tried this for a few hundred yards at 20 mph. This was even harder and weirder than skiing with a video camera.
60Cx on road/offroad Question
in GPS technology and devices
Posted
this may have to do with the "Lock on Road" setting being on. If lock on roads is set to on, it can be a problem especially if you auto-routed to the cacha area and the cache is near or along side a street.
Turning the Lock on Road setting off may solve this problem.