A reason not to rely on GPS systems

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Witch Doctor 01, Jun 15, 2011.


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  1. Witch Doctor 01

    Witch Doctor 01 Mojo Maker

    Witch Doctor 01, Jun 15, 2011
    #1
  2. wags_01

    wags_01 Monkey+

    Apparently GPS disables your brakes...
     
    wags_01, Jun 15, 2011
    #2
  3. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    No GPS disabled her driving skills (Brain)..... Must have been a "Blonde...."
     
    BTPost, Jun 15, 2011
    #3
  4. Mountainman

    Mountainman Großes Mitglied Site Supporter+++

    Gee, if your that stupid just do us all a favor and stay in the SUV while it goes under water.
     
    Mountainman, Jun 15, 2011
    #4
  5. Sapper John

    Sapper John Analog Monkey in a Digital World

    Sounds like a good candidate for the Darwin award...
     
    Sapper John, Jun 15, 2011
    #5
  6. ghrit

    ghrit Bad company Administrator Founding Member

    +1

    Driving too fast for conditions, or putting on makeup, or texting ---
     
    ghrit, Jun 15, 2011
    #6
  7. Tracy

    Tracy Insatiably Curious Moderator Founding Member

    ... just stupidity. :rolleyes:
     
    Tracy, Jun 15, 2011
    #7
    dragonfly and Falcon15 like this.
  8. Tikka

    Tikka Monkey+++

    After being released they rented another vehicle and drove off. Somehow there is really something wrong with that picture.
    :D
     
    Tikka, Jun 15, 2011
    #8
  9. Seawolf1090

    Seawolf1090 Retired Curmudgeonly IT Monkey Founding Member

    My buddy Bob sends his GPS - "Jeepus" as he callls her - into fits sometimes. He wants to go one way, and she wants him to go her way! She finally gets exasperated and sighs, "Recalculating..." :rolleyes:

    Another buddy and I were out in the forest on our trusty KLRs. His GPS showed 'ROAD' for the little deer trail we were on, and indicated it connected to a highway further on. It did. After we ended up in some feller's back yard. Ah well, we were out 'adventure riding' anyways, so it was all good! [beer]
     
    Seawolf1090, Jun 15, 2011
    #9
  10. IceNiner

    IceNiner Monkey+

    I just heard a bit about this on local talk radio (KIRO-the Dori Monson show) and he stated that the women who were driving the car could not speak English. Given that Washington is one of 3 states that gives illegal aliens drivers licenses and 'legal' ID cards, its being theorized that this was a car full of illegal aliens. Yet another reason why Driver's license tests should only be given in English as well.
     
    IceNiner, Jun 15, 2011
    #10
    Falcon15, BTPost, STANGF150 and 1 other person like this.
  11. chelloveck

    chelloveck **BANNED** Banned

    Ideas for the amphibious SUV

    I believe that the car hire company is fitting its SUVs with a less user friendly ship's compass, chronometer and sextant navigation system when the Costco convention comes to town.....perfect for the drivers that are all at sea.

    On a different note.....I wonder how the "I was only following my GPS" defence might have worked for Teddy Kennedy??? : O
     
    chelloveck, Jun 15, 2011
    #11
  12. Seawolf1090

    Seawolf1090 Retired Curmudgeonly IT Monkey Founding Member

    They had GPS back then.....? WOW! :rolleyes:

    There have been other stories in the news over the past few years of people blindly following what the gadget tells them. One German fellow drove into a building. Danged stupid thing to place on a road........ [ROFL]
     
    Seawolf1090, Jun 16, 2011
    #12
    Tracy likes this.
  13. Kingfish

    Kingfish Self Reliant

    Ive been using G.P.S on my boats for several years. They are really a god send when you are in fog or the dark. Still no one should run on plane at top speed when you cant see whats in front of you. I have been out on Lake Michigan when the fog was so thick you could not see a boat length in front of you . G.P.S is nice when in those types of situations. The truth is though that they are not 100% accurate all of the time. Many times mine have shown my boat on land when I was 50 feet or so out from shore. This is more a map problem though.

    Military (W.A.S.S) IS BETTER. My Lowrance units pick it up about half of the time. Its way more accurate. One way to test the accuracy of your unit is to sit in one place and watch you cursor. If it moves around while you are sitting still you can judge the distance in feet that its off or fluctuates. When I have good connection mine are pretty close (within 5 feet or so).

    I own three Lowrance 3500C color units. These are older ones that require the little white antenna . These things are great for precision trolling (fishing) We use G.P.S. for returning to weed edges and certain hot spots on lakes that we fish. On Lake St. Clair where we fish for Muskies using a G.P.S. is one of the most important tools we have in the arsenal. Otherwise its all guesswork. Kingfish
     
    Kingfish, Jun 16, 2011
    #13
  14. -06

    -06 Monkey+++

    My wife uses the danged thing but I refuse to. Just old fashioned I guess. If I do not know where I am I simply stop and look at the map(why should you be without one?????). Even on long trips the map books cover most every road. I keep several state maps in my briefcase and two states in all the glove boxes. Also in my brief case are about a dozen detailed county maps that show even small streams, churchs, grave yards, etc. There are some folks who NEVER get off the beaten paths either to the grocery store or other normal places to go. My MILaw was one mile from her home when we came in a different way and asked, "where are we". My wife is almost as bad when I go a different way. She says, "what if we get lost"--what better way to find out the roads and their relationships to each other.
     
    -06, Jun 16, 2011
    #14
    Falcon15 and Tracy like this.
  15. Kingfish

    Kingfish Self Reliant

    I dont use them in our cars. I would never trust one with my life on a road. But stopped and used for locating your approximate position is a good way to find out where you are if lost. I have one portable unit called a H20 by Lowrance that I use in the woods so I dont get turned around and lost. KF
     
    Kingfish, Jun 16, 2011
    #15
  16. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    In my world, GPS is a tool, just like any other tool. (FireArm, Knife, Hammer, Saw, etc) I have lots of them, and have used them for a very long time, after upgrading to GPS, from Loran C, and Loran A, before that. I used to carry Maps in my vehicles, for years, when on Road Trips. (Rand/McNaley, Flying A, and Chevron, etc) I now carry my Road Maps, and GPS in three Electronic devices. (iPad2, iTouch 3G, and Mommas iPhone4) Saves a lot of GloveBox room where all those maps used to live. When we are on a Road Trip, we set the next days drive, before retiring for the night. By doing our Route Planning, before we get on the road, I, as Navigator, then just do the route checks, and let her know how far to the next Town, Turnoff, or Hysterical Site. We ALWAYS stop at Hysterical Sites. If the GPS goes down, we still have our Maps, and Routes, to work with, and can "guesstimate" our location, using Dead Reckoning. The old adage " Three is Two, Two is One, and One is None, applies to all my tools. We ALWAYS have two, and somethings three..... Our travel thinking is done, before we get on the road. .... YMMV....
     
    BTPost, Jun 16, 2011
    #16
    Falcon15 and chelloveck like this.
  17. Seawolf1090

    Seawolf1090 Retired Curmudgeonly IT Monkey Founding Member

    My little GPS is the Magellan eXplorist 200- bare bones and severely outdated today - got it in 2006. Batteries only, no up/download ability - what it has onboard is ALL it has, mapwise. Monochrome screen, and it only goes down to highway and major city street level - no rural roads or trails. For my use on the M/C, it's fine. It is rain (and hail!) proof, and has bounced off the road a couple times - the early self-made mount self-destructed! Shows my accurate speed and heading, and keeps me going the right way - I can see much quicker if I get offtrack than by stopping 20 miles further on and pulling out a paper map. But, I ALWAYS carry a map and compass too! It's a tool, and I will NOT bet my life on it.
     
    Seawolf1090, Jun 16, 2011
    #17
    ghrit and BTPost like this.
  18. TexasAggie

    TexasAggie Monkey+++

    This is just an excuse so that some money grubbing lawyer can get wealthy sueing all of the GPS companies.
     
    TexasAggie, Jun 20, 2011
    #18
  19. Shanna_Redwind

    Shanna_Redwind Monkey+

    My parents have a GPS and I found it especially handy for driving in a city that I know to locate an address. It's kind of nice not to have the paper with the address in one hand, trying to read it while driving down the road.
     
    Shanna_Redwind, Jul 2, 2011
    #19
  20. STANGF150

    STANGF150 Knowledge Seeker

    I can be at the stop sign across from my house with the GPS set for Home, & it'll be telling me "Turn Left, Turn Left". Wanting me to go a mile down the road. Coincidentally Google Maps has me living a mile down the road too. Just in the Other direction from my home!! LoL
     
    STANGF150, Jul 3, 2011
    #20
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