How Many GPSs Do You Travel With?

Two vehicle GPSs, Notso! Two in one vehicle, or one in each of two vehicles?

:-)

Cheers

Yes well the one in the BT50 is so Sh@#full that you need a back up.

I haven't owned my BT50 long enough to have run into any problems with its Satnav.
It did take me on a weird shortcut through a state forest recently. I ended up not getting to the campsite I had planned on, but found another on the diversion that turned out to be spot on, so I forgave it for that little foible.
Lucky I had 10 other GPSs to monitor where it was taking me! LOL

I guess it's passable but way out of date. $199.00 to update it.

The Garmin is way ahead of it and has lifetime map updates so no contest really.

Yes, generally updates for in-car nav systems are unreasonably expensive, IMO. It's just mapping data that's often available FOC or cheaply for other systems from the same supplier - Whereis, Navteq, etc.

In the BT50 it's an SD card, easily accessible. I tried some fairly sophisticated back-up :-) utilities to help a mate out but none would do the job. I didn't want to push the boundaries too hard and risk my own card, so my efforts were less than determined. There's some pretty serious protection in there.

Only two, John. You need more toys :-)

Cheers

Five. Not bad, Ian.

Seven, Chris. Now we're getting somewhere. Plus the brain, of course - how many is that?????

Cheers

I don't know why I have so many GPS's as I can't get lost because I don't care where I am .

Good point Chris.

With eleven GPSs I suppose should know exactly where I'm lost at ! :-)

But do I really care??

Cheers

This is most embarassing. There is also a facility in the dash cam in the city car to say where we are and whar speed/height etc. I forgot another Frank. Not awake as yet. But we don't have one in the 4WD.

:-)

Cheers

Well, there's another question, johnat. How many clocks do people travel with. I'll bet the number is up there with my 11 GPSs :-)

But in my defence, I obviously don't use all my GPSs at once - they are just "there", collected in my travelling kit over time.

At any point in time probably only one or two are in use.

In my tablet, one GPS serves two purposes - it drives OziExplorer with my collection of maps which gives me the big picture and the ability to zoom in, mapping permitting, and to record my track so I can backtrack if necessary. Also, if it's appropriate, it simultaneously drives my turn-by-turn navigator which can be handy. (My TBT navigator has excellent coverage of minor roads and tracks).

Haven't figured out how to use the GPSs in the cameras yet. Maybe take a photo of a flower or bug, upload it to the lappy and then read the metadata. A bit desperate, yes?

Cheers

Camera!! That's a point I may check it later.

"Haven't figured out how to use the GPSs in the cameras yet. Maybe take a photo of a flower or bug, upload it to the lappy and then read the metadata "

Hi

Several (numerous?) programs out there that will read gps metadata on geocoded photos and plot them on a map showing location where picture taken. No idea what they all are....but I use a program called Compegps Land (made by TwoNav crew) to plot photo locations on map of choice. Very handy for work and play.

Unfortuantely this program is not free but would assume there are freeby programs out there. One free image viewing program, Irfanview allows you to plot the position of pictures on Google Earth by use of gps metadata.

Cheers
Greg

Thanks Greg, good info.

Cheers

Frank

No worries

Going OT but there are also programs that utilise gps track logs (specifically from OziExplorer - but suspect any track log converted to Ozi *.plt format would work) that match time Photo taken to Ozi track log point time (and hence position) to create waypoint file of photo location to open in OziExplorer et al. (i.e. dont need a GPS equiped camera). Two examples are

OziPhoto Tool

and

OziPics

OziPhoto Tool has several other good functions (e.g. kml/kmz creationion for Google Earth and you can also "watermark" Photos with coordinates and other info. The program is not longer maintained (not updated since 2008) but may be useful for some.

Cheers
Greg

Greg,
Those "time matching" programs imply that the clocks on both devices (the camera and the GPS) are synchronised, in the same time zone, and reasonably accurate.
I had the unfortunate experience of trying to use one of these time match progs to locate photos I'd taken on a trip to Japan. Trouble is the GPS changed to Japan time, the camera was on Eastern DS time, so the locations wouldn't "compute" - and no amount of fiddling with photo metadata would correct it - so I gave up!

Methinks it would be easier just to add the location to thje file name. Then it doesn't matter how the photos are viewed. Do we really need such accuracy.Well you people may but not our mob. Surely whether we are on the eastern or western side of the MCG wouldn't really matter would it.

That's what I have done to all our photos which are stored under one folder and subsequent directories depending on who, when, why etc and all added to Picassa. Anyone logged onto the home wireless LAN, including the TVs, can see them and you don't need a link to the internet to do it.

Luckily I started back when we got Picassa about 15 years ago so they are all named. Including all the slides and old family photos going back to a few oldies from one ancestor - James Tyson.

Hello

@johnat

Good trick is to photograph the GPS Time page...you then have Photo time and GPS time so you can determine exact time difference. The programs I mentioned then allow you to enter this difference and they will automatically apply the difference to ensure correct match.

@vk1dx

"Methinks it would be easier just to add the location to thje file name"

Fine..if you can remember where you took the picture :) Easy if there is a recognisable landmark..if not, why not use available technology to figure it out for you and then label your pics?

Obvioulsy being within a few metres is irrelevant for many peoples needs but if the accuracy is there and you need it I cant see the problem. I would never buy a camera without GPS these days...way too handy.

Cheers
Greg

Thanks Disco.

An outback travelling mate of mine said you should always have two methods of navigation wherever you are.

Eg, paper map and GPS, Paper map and local knowledge, local knowledge and GPS, etc.

Have to agree. The most valuable contribution the GPS has made to my travels has been the ability to use OziExplorer to accurately backtrack in confusing terrain/tracks, re-orient myself and subsequently proceed as planned.

So, as you, not really lost, just not where I thought I should be.

Cheers

Is that 7 Webers or 7 GPSs ? :-)

7 GPSs is reasonable (sort of) :-), but 7 Webers??

You can only cook so many spare ribs :-)

Cheers

Yes...we use every one of our webers...1 for each.. baby q for the caravan & Tvan...2 x 200 for the "Man cave" and our original.. (first).. purchase for the house. later a Family Q. A kettle and Summit hooded bbq.....we can cook tasty ribs to our stomachs content :)

I forgot one - the dashcam has a GPS for recording speed and location. So that brings my count up to 12. Lol.

But. Mark, if I read you right you're on 13!

I dips me lid :-)

Ain't that the truth. Love it, cobber. Thanks

Don't be too hard on me, vk1dx :-(

As I've written elsewhere in this thread, the collection wasn't planned, it just sort of happened.

While on the road only three would be on and working at any time - the tablet for navigation, the Spot for tracking and the dashcam.

When we bushwalk there would be just two working, the Magellan and Spot, with the EPIRB in the backpack.

Sunday's as good a day as any for a little digging :-) They are all GPS receivers, aren't they.

Cheers

GPS receivers. Maybe GPS signal receivers. I will accept that. I don't think the actual satellite system would fit in ours.

No worries mate. Far be it for me to criticise abbreviations (to those who know me - hush up )

We just aren't techno-mad as most. I worked in a very high end electronics environment for communications, surveilance, computing aerospace and systems/data analysis for 40+ years, so the last thing I want is technical junk in the house or car. We don't even have or take a laptop, ipad, tablet etc and no smart phones to be found in our house or car. We don't wear a watch and only one TV in the house. Not even a games box etc. One desktop each and that's it. The old Nokia (non smart) is usually left at home.

For example; We don't have any tyre pressure monitors - I prefer to stop every now and then and check, and maybe even get under and make sure there isn't any grass caught up on the exhaust etc. Good cuppa time. And like a lot recommend - "smell the flowers". So no techo stuff mate.

We go away to get away, if you know what I mean so we don't need any live tracking - No way! The more isolated the better. And that suits the places that we are keen on visiting.

But I see and understand why, it would be easy for people to accumulate lots of electronic gadgets, and not only for 4WD/touring.

Just a bit OT I know, but I thought that I would share why we don't have it all.

I hail from a technical background in aviation. My ex-industry is full of TLAs - Three Letter Abbreviations, of which "TLA" is one :-)

Horses for courses and each to their own, of course. I like to have or build a few toys and use them, but despite my 11 or 12 "accidentally collected" GPS receivers, I too welcome the simplicity and solitude of travelling and camping as a solo couple well off the beaten track. We don't do it to the extent you perhaps do, but I do appreciate where you're coming from.

Cheers

Oooh, Sigmund. Smartphones and tablets, both in the plural. You could be up to 9!

Cheers

Hi Doug,

Yep, I wrote in another part of this thread that a mate of mine said you should always have two methods of navigation. Choose two of GPS, paper map, local knowledge, other people's knowledge. Wise words.

Those who rely on satellite nav alone can get into trouble as the software and mapping in the end product can be pretty crap.

Just recently I was flagged down by a mum and her lovely daughter who were trying to follow the in-car navigator's instructions to a well-known destination. They were driving a Corolla and instead of using the highway were being directed onto "the old coast road", miles out of the way, presumably because the navigator thought it was the most direct route. Unfortunately for them "the old coast road" is now a 30km long sandy fire trail in a National Park and closed!

They had no paper map and no idea of alternative routes. I sent them on their way with a sketch map. Without that they would have had to backtrack and rejoin the highway which would have been about a 100km penalty.

Cheers

PS I enjoy your Sunday History Photos, Doug.

That's really it, Mactrolpod, GPS is a standard inclusion in so many consumer devices now so it's easy to end up with a collection of the things.

Of the 12 that I have, I only set out to buy 4. The Magellan Explorist was the first, years ago and for a long time was all by itself. Then came the Spot, then the GPS enabled tablet for remote and off-road navigation and finally the EPIRB.

The other 8 just came as inclusions in the box.

Cheers

Hah! But I reckon you're getting close, WBS, maybe closer than you think!

Those two iPhones - if they are GPS equipped then that adds two to the count, even if you don't use them, making 9 :-)

Cheers

Thanks Robert.

Our Globalstar satphone does not have a built-in GPS but can provide an approximate position using triangulation from the satellite constellation, accurate to about 5km.

But with 12 other real GPS positions, I think we are covered :-)

Haven't really tested the Mazda's GPS for accuracy, but am reasonably impressed with what it does. It's only a month old, so not really tested yet on any out-of-the-way roads and tracks.

Cheers

Yes, Phil.

I think you're a GPS tragic like me!

Cheers

Bob,

5 working, maybe 5.5 if you count that half-smart phone :-)

You're on the way to being a GPS tragic, but as yet still in the "safe zone" :-)

Cheers