New Use For Gpsr

[+Team FUBAR]

I wsa just curious if anybody else uses their GPS for anything other than the standard geocaching or hiking.

 

For instance I use my GPS in my truck when I snowplow. I mark hazards in the parking lots such as holes or raised sewer grates, broken light pole bases, parking stops, before the snow falls. I can then set a proximity alarm for them or just leave the unit in mapping mode when I plow. This way I have a moving map on my dashboard of anything hidden under the snow that could make my night expensive or painful.

 

Just curious if anybody else finds quirky uses for their units.

[Tahosa and Sons]

I use mine to make maps for the USFS, and have most of the local micro brewerys on board for a quick stop and refresh.

[+Niss Feiner]

I use it to mark Tim Hortons waypoints so i know where to get a fresh cup of coffee...... finally a use for technology!

[+BuckToothMoose]

I use it to mark Tim Hortons

 

Dang I miss Tim Hortons....

 

I've used mine to plot trails, and survey stakes back home. Around here, I track the trails, and re-plot on NG Topo (just 'cause I like maps)...

[+TotemLake]

I'm using mine to mark the Elms that have to be pre-treated for Dutch Elm's Disease and in the order they need to be treated for best efficiency. It's coming in handy on the golf course we're doing this week.

 

I also use it to mark where the water sources are for this treatment.

Edited August 18, 2004 by TotemLake

[+NightPilot]

I use mine for driving directions, connected to my Palm running Mapopolis. Plus, I use it for getting lat/lon for the USGS as a volunteer for the US Map Corps.

[+Milbank]

I use mine to help make crop circles at night.

 

Edited to add: ok, no crop circles are being made in South Dakota, yet

Other then geocaching I use my gps for hiking in the refuge.

I also use it in the boat to mark fishing spots.

Edited August 18, 2004 by Milbank

[WH]

I once heard of a woman who hid a GPSr in her husbands car with the track log on so she could figure out where he was disappearing too all those long evenings.

 

Here are some other uses Ive heard of:

 

Monitoring speed in a car with a broken speedometer.

 

Finding ones current position while on a flight.

 

Remembering the good fishing spots.

 

Connecting it to a laptop and using it as an in-car navigation system.

 

Sending out a broken one as a TB.

 

 

*edited for typos*

Edited August 18, 2004 by WH

[+Robespierre]

paperweight

[+Divine]

Monitoring speed in a car with a broken speedometer.

Done that. Well, not with totally broken speedometers, but to compare the speed shown by GPSr to the speedometer speed, so I can find some information about a possible meter error.

 

Finding ones current position while on a flight.

Done that too, it was above Iran.

 

I've also heard people marking good mushroom or berry spots so they can find them the next year again. And boaters marking underwater rocks so they know to skirt them.

[+briansnat]

I used mine for trail building and relocation. We had to relocate a hiking trail around private property, so I went to where we wanted the new section to end and marked the waypoint. Then we drove to the other end and I followed the arrow to the new junction and, making minor adjustments for terrain, flagged the route. I was followed by a guy with loppers, one with a weed wacker and another with a chainsaw and we had a mile section of hiking trail cut through the forest in about 4 hours, when it would normally take two days.

 

I've also used it to mark my car in crowded mall parking lots.

[+Search1128]

I used it to track my distance walking while mowing my lawn. I found out that I walk just over 2.5 miles each week walking back and forth and back and forth across a 1/4 acre lot.

 

I found out that planes go faster when going west to east than they go from east to west.

 

I found out that my wife doesn't like 5 minute updates of our current speed, direction, elevation, distance to the waypoint, etc. while driving from Salt Lake City, to St George (this drive takes approx 3.5 hours). She would much rather hear "Are we there yet?" from the kids in the back seat every 15 min...

 

The GPS is a useful tool.

[+mogolloyd]

I've used mine to mark the truck when I used to do a lot of trail riding. When it gets close to hunting season I mark where I see sign when I'm out scouting, finding long lost caves in my area( they are usually with a soring on the topo), and to mark possible entrances and exits when doing urban exploration.

[+Zartimus]

After watching the devastation in Florida and seeing an interview with someone who mentiond insurance adjusters can't find houses properly to assess damage because the street signs have been ripped away. Man, mark your loc and send it to them and tell the boys at Prudential to bring a GPSr.

 

Hope it all gets better soon down there. Of course this only works if your house is in the same place I guess, and not carried away down the street a few football fields away.

[+Eric K]

I've also used mine to mark parking spaces at concerts and events.

 

It really came in handy one year we went to a drag race and the parking area was a big field with no reference points.

 

By the time the racing was over it was pretty dark and we were able to go right to our vehicle and got to enjoy watching multitudes of people walking around trying to find their cars.

 

I do a lot of travelling so it comes in handy to mark my hotel when I go out driving around.

[+Doc-Dean]

paperweight

Been there, done that!

 

We use it on vacation all the time as our main map. Of course being able to see where the nearest geocaches are in relation to our travel is just a fringe benefit!

[+Gonzo-YT]

- Mapping trails and old roads for hiking, skiing and skijoring. I also determine distances and elevation plots for routes that my girlfriend trains on when she is running.

- Hunting and fishing, marking locations and such. I'm currently creating a special map for my Garmin for hunting that will show game management zones, native land selections and park boundaries.

- Plotting driving distances when travelling by road

[+zoltig]

Used it plenty of times while on vacation but I have used it at work as well.

After having underground utilities located and "potholed", I will locate the line/pothole with the GPS and transfer it to my mapping programs for later use when the marks are gone.

Also since working near an airport runway, I have used it for reporting crane setup locations to Flight Ops. In the request form from the FAA, they need Lat and Long. info with Datum, Direction, Elevation (AMSL) and Distance to operations. All done easily with the GPS.

[+sept1c_tank]

A GPSr makes a great electronic journal while traveling. It provides a date/time stamp with the location and allows for a short note or description.

 

For instance, I have a record of my sailing journey in the Galapagos, including my crossing of the equator. And it was very helpful when I got lost walking on the streets in Nairobi (a kinda scary place) and there was no one around to re-direct me to my hotel.

[+zoltig]

A GPSr makes a great electronic journal while traveling. It provides a date/time stamp with the location and allows for a short note or description.

 

hehehe THAT'S FOR SURE!!

We were making a trip across Texas last year and I decided to sleep in the back while the GF drove.

Just nodding off (you know, that nice fuzzy feeling before you sleep) and a heard this very loud "OH S&!T"!!

She got pulled over by the State Patrol. Well Barney Fife walked up to the car and greeted us with a welcome and asked "Ma'am. Do ya'all know how fast you were traveling?"

GF said "Yes! 72 MPH"

He said "Well the speed limit here is 70MPH. I think you were going a bit faster than that but I'll just let you go with a warning."

Well, knowing that the GPS was recording the trip, we took off again andI settled back in to sleep. Once we got to the hotel, I grabbed the GPS and laptop and proceeded to download the info onto the mapping. hmmmm!! "Well let's see

just how fast you were really going, Honey!"

"Well I'll be! 82MPH" "You got out of that ticket. Did you flash him a little skin??"

Needless to say, she was a bit miffed

hehehe LOOOVVVVVEEEEE THE GPS

[+hmarq]

Wardriving .... wigle.net