I Found a Problem With GPS

[CigarNut]

First, let me say that I use GPS navigation systems in my cars and love them. They usually get me where I want to go with little fuss and few or no mistakes.

However, I recently made a trip to Eugene, OR (about 100 miles south of where I live) for a few days to drop my son off at college and discovered a problem (for me) with using GPS. I have been to Eugene several times, usually for just a few hours. This trip was a couple of days.

Normally, when I drive someplace I check out a paper map -- although they can be difficult to find, AAA always manages to help me out. However, for this trip to Eugene I did not have time to get a map, but I figured "I have a Nav system, it will be fine".

While I did not have any problems per se, I realized in my driving around the city of Eugene that I did not have any spatial awareness of the city itself. In traveling between a number of different locations (by using GPS to locate and navigate) I came to realize that I had no idea where I was in relation to my destination or where I was heading or to my hotel.

This was a real problem for me. I was not concerned about locating the destination, but I had no feel for the transit itself or the transit times like I would when say traveling from home to work, or from home to the local cigar bar.

I decided that in all future travels I need to check out a map so that I have that extra comfort of spatial awareness.

[/RANT=OFF]...

[markem]

So you didn't find a GPS problem, but a user problem. This is a well-known problem with GPS systems.

Me, I use google maps to print maps for areas where I want more information. You can also just load something like MS Streets and Trips on a laptop and use that. You can also connect your GPS (if portable) to your laptop and use that.

I used to rely heavily on my GPS when wandering through the Coast Range but always had a paper backup plus a compass - once a mountaineer always a mountaineer, I guess. I leave the altimeter at home, now that I have that function in the GPS.

[CigarNut]

Sorry that I was not clearer -- yes it was my problem as a user of the GPS system. Unfortunately, I did not have anything larger than my iPhone screen with which to view a map...

As I said I normally do get a map of some kind and this time I did not have a chance to do so... Lesson learned!

[pektel]

I actually like the fact that I don't have to worry about where exactly I am. But my nav system in the car (Kenwood KNA G510 hard drive nav, connected to my Kenwood Excelon DDX7015 6.5" in dash double din screen) will show up larger (obviously, because of screen size), so it's like having a paper map. I can adjust zoom and level of detail, it will show the highlighted route to the destination, and I always have it set to 2D mode, North up. Which means the map doesn't rotate, the arrow does. And with trail mode on, it shows a dashed line for everywhere I've been previous.

I don't know how it works on the iphone, as I've only had it for a week.

[Eleven]

I use my GPS as a teacher, not a leader.

My wife does the opposite.

I use it once or twice to get somewhere and after that I am golden. The wife has yet to learn how to drive my son to hockey practice without the GPS and he has been skating with this team over a year and a half.

I loved maps as a kid (Thank you Mr. Fetty from Schaefer Jr. High School!) and used AAA maps to get around before GPS. So the transition to GPS was great, but as the OP said, I love 'seeing' the way, not being told the way.

[68TriShield]

If I'm going somewhere I am not familiar with,I will look at Mapquest or some other software to get a visual.
That is usually enough.

[shilala]

I always want to know where I'm going and where I'm at. I use GPS to get me through cities and downtowns that I'm not used to. I pay close attention to the routes, distances, and road names on the GPS. It teaches me.
I think it's cause I grew up in the hills. Here at home, I can always tell where I am and where I'm going cause I'm always up on a hill or mountain. It's easy to get spatial awareness. When I hit the flatland, it drives me nuts.
I can't stand being in NYC because I can't even tell what direction the sun is coming from.

If there's any device that's made me stupid, it's my cellphone. I know one phone number, and that's mine. I even have a tough time recalling it when I need to. I have no idea how I'm going to call anyone if I lose my phone. I'll be totally SOL.

[T.G]

I have a Garmin Nuvi 265WT GPS and with like 2 taps on the screen I can have a full overhead "paper map" type view of the route. Another tap and I can see the area...

[Lumpold]

Originally Posted by T.G

I have a Garmin Nuvi 265WT GPS and with like 2 taps on the screen I can have a full overhead "paper map" type view of the route. Another tap and I can see the area...

This is what I like about my Garmin, too.

That being said, before I go anywhere, Google Maps will show me the street layout, and let me get some idea of where I'm going. At least for you guys, you don't really have to worry about language changes - driving round Europe quite a bit, you'll find that what we call 'So-and-so Street' is actually just called And-so-so. Most of the time, a basic grounding in said language will help - I can get round name changes in Dutch, German, French, Spanish and Italian... send me to Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary, and I tend to get it all a bit wrong, and have to rely on the SatNav... I've not tried to check street names anywhere where they don't use the Latin Alphabet, but I'm not planning on trips to countries who use the Cyrillic or Arabic alphabets just yet...

[neoflex]

Originally Posted by Eleven

I use my GPS as a teacher, not a leader.

My wife does the opposite.

I use it once or twice to get somewhere and after that I am golden. The wife has yet to learn how to drive my son to hockey practice without the GPS and he has been skating with this team over a year and a half.

I loved maps as a kid (Thank you Mr. Fetty from Schaefer Jr. High School!) and used AAA maps to get around before GPS. So the transition to GPS was great, but as the OP said, I love 'seeing' the way, not being told the way.

Same here and my wife is the same. I will use GPS to get there the first time. Second time I try to go off memory and will use GPS in case I screw up and end up being somewhere that I am unfamiliar with but usually two times and there is no need for it. I will also sometimes map it out in MapQuest and use GPS as a backup in case I get lost or feel like I may be off course. I have always been really good with navigating around. We have only been living here in NC for 4 years and many times we will be somewhere that we may not normally go and my wife will always ask "How do you know your way around and know where your going?" Which I usually respond, "Well, I was here once so I kind of know where we are." It amazes her every time, whereas she has driven to friends of ours that live an hour away a bunch of times and still couldn't get there without GPS. At least one of has a sense of direction.

[Skywalker]

Originally Posted by T.G

I have a Garmin Nuvi 265WT GPS and with like 2 taps on the screen I can have a full overhead "paper map" type view of the route. Another tap and I can see the area...

[BigFrank]

I just print directions and maps off of Map quest and I'm good to go...