+zpyder Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 This might have been asked before. I did a quick search to see if it had. I've found one other site mentioning it. Basically, here in the UK, in school I was taught to use metric (metres, cm, mm) yet roadsigns and distance always seemed to be imperial with miles being used. Feet and inches were NEVER used except in reference in technology lessons by an oldshool teacher! This has resulted from the use of metric measurements on small scales, but measuring speed and larger distance in miles. I'm sure others must have the same problem. This problem is carried across to GPS units where they often seem to only allow you to work in imperial or metric. I'd absolutely love to be able to see how fast I am moving in miles per hour, and see distance to next bearing in metres! And accuracy in metres! I'm guessing such things aren't possible in the Garmin gpsmap 60CSX (I've search for ages), but I was wondering if other units allow it, and also if I am alone in this viewpoint? Quote Link to comment
+apersson850 Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 They have some settings, where you can select different units for distance and elevation, but as speed is distance over time, I don't think anyone at Garmin anticipated that anyone using km for distance wouldn't also use km/h for speed. Quote Link to comment
+Red90 Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 Ummmm, I think you should complain to your crazy government, not Garmin........ Quote Link to comment
+zpyder Posted February 23, 2008 Author Share Posted February 23, 2008 Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. More just stating the randomness of the system in the UK from my experience. Older generations may be used to miles, feet and inches. But us youths have been shortchanged somewhat, all road signs etc are in miles and speedometers show MPH as the main speed unit. As such, we're forced into using MPH and miles as the units for travelling. But at the same time, we're educated in school to use metric measurements! I guess at a push using imperial units may be better as knowing accuracy in feet will be better than metres...I'm just being picky I suppose. Now I just want some reassurance that I'm not the only person in the world that is in this (minor) predicament! Quote Link to comment
+lonelocust Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 You're not the only one. I was raised here in the US and although all my life (except for one short time in the 70s) I've been taught the imperial system. I still prefer to mark physical distances using the metric system; however, I find it impossible to wrap my head around distance/time measurements. I think it is because actual measurements can be mentally visualized but speeds are slot more abstract. Very few people can accurately estimate speeds. (personally, I'm happy the British use imperial speeds otherwise I'd have no clue how fast a bowler Fredie Flintoff is. I have no idea how fast the Australians bowl.) To be on topic: I've tried and there's nothing on Garmin units that allows distance and speed to be different that I can find. Quote Link to comment
Suscrofa Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 This might have been asked before. I did a quick search to see if it had. I've found one other site mentioning it. Basically, here in the UK, in school I was taught to use metric (metres, cm, mm) yet roadsigns and distance always seemed to be imperial with miles being used. Feet and inches were NEVER used except in reference in technology lessons by an oldshool teacher! This has resulted from the use of metric measurements on small scales, but measuring speed and larger distance in miles. I'm sure others must have the same problem. This problem is carried across to GPS units where they often seem to only allow you to work in imperial or metric. I'd absolutely love to be able to see how fast I am moving in miles per hour, and see distance to next bearing in metres! And accuracy in metres! I'm guessing such things aren't possible in the Garmin gpsmap 60CSX (I've search for ages), but I was wondering if other units allow it, and also if I am alone in this viewpoint? This non sense has been around for years in the UK while others managed it properly (Canada, Australia, Ireland, South Africa) ! Normaly the UK should switch soon but some retards in governement are draging their feet ! So don't waste your time with miles, just look at your GPS and don't give a dadgum about road signs. BTW, in the UK you use "yards" to intersections for example while in the US, they use fractional miles then all of a sudden feet. So ? Quote Link to comment
+qlenfg Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 So what do you want the speed to read, furlongs in a fortnight? At least your pints are bigger and the beer is better. We went through the same thing here. The metric system was rammed down our throats in the 70's. I was in the 6th and 7th grade and had to learn all this nonsense because the world was changing. Inches and Miles would be dead within the year. Still waiting for that to happen. I used the metric system in physics and chemistry, and now I use it working on the car. Otherwise its still feet and inches. Quote Link to comment
+julianh Posted February 24, 2008 Share Posted February 24, 2008 So what do you want the speed to read, furlongs in a fortnight? At least your pints are bigger and the beer is better. We went through the same thing here. The metric system was rammed down our throats in the 70's. I was in the 6th and 7th grade and had to learn all this nonsense because the world was changing. Inches and Miles would be dead within the year. Still waiting for that to happen. I used the metric system in physics and chemistry, and now I use it working on the car. Otherwise its still feet and inches. I have always been a big fan of the FFF system http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FFF_System - distance in furlongs, time in fortnights, mass in firkins, speed in furlongs per fortnight, area in square furlongs, etc. It makes total sense to me, and annoys me no end that I can't set my Summit HC to use these units! Quote Link to comment
Suscrofa Posted February 24, 2008 Share Posted February 24, 2008 (edited) So what do you want the speed to read, furlongs in a fortnight? At least your pints are bigger and the beer is better. We went through the same thing here. The metric system was rammed down our throats in the 70's. I was in the 6th and 7th grade and had to learn all this nonsense because the world was changing. Inches and Miles would be dead within the year. Still waiting for that to happen. I used the metric system in physics and chemistry, and now I use it working on the car. Otherwise its still feet and inches. None of the countries were metric has been made mandatory regrets it today. A bit of moaning at th time , yes. It is a dramaic failure for the US that will hurt more and more US compagnies not producing in metric because of growing international competition. Double inventory of everything (tools, balls bearings, fasteners..., numerous mistakes in translation as science is in metric cost a lot. US scientists have been pushing metrication in the US for more than 150 years ! Teaching US units in school is a waste of time that could be better used. Despite this teaching, just consider the weird question on this forum involving distance computation, scales, prejections ... Most of the confusion coming for miles, feet... It was so serious that the US army went to metric during the Vietnam war ! Too bad conscription is not mandatory anymore, I bet the US would be metric now. Big companies have made the switch and the Caterpillar, John Deer, Ford, GM, Haas, IBM, HP... saved more than they spent for metrication due to inventory reduction. Except for a few niches like aeronautics due to current lack of compettion. The smaller one are doomed if they try to sell overseas. If you fix yourself your car, motorbike, bike, you can see it by yourself, you have tow of every tools, metric and inch. And cook cooking requires metric ! PS: I am not french, have some US relatives and spent more than 5 years in the US. Edited February 24, 2008 by Suscrofa Quote Link to comment
+geobernd Posted February 24, 2008 Share Posted February 24, 2008 Same challenge here.. As a transplant from Germany to the US I have a challenge visualizing/judging distances in feet and prefer meters - but since all the road since are in Miles I want miles... I have my caching GPS (60CS, being replaced on the next caching trip by a Colorado 300) set to metric and my driving GPS (a cheap MIO that was easily hackable to allow waypoint upload) set to Miles+Yards - the Yards are close enough to meters so it doesn't make a big difference and the Miles+Yards combination is perfect - matching the Miles with the road markers, tachometer, etc... and the Yards with my ability to visualize on the road ahead.... Did you try using yards on your Garmin? That should to the same....? Quote Link to comment
+zpyder Posted February 24, 2008 Author Share Posted February 24, 2008 Yeah. I've admitted defeat and switched from metric back to yards. I'm slightly confused as to the difference between statue and yards though? I will just have to cope with the fact that 10 feet is 3 metres and try to visualise that way hehe! It made life easier whilst driving and walking however which is good Quote Link to comment
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