Couple stranded 3 days after GPS leads them astray

[gryffynklm]

Don't trust all that GPS tells you. Keeping a winter emergency kit the car not just a good idea.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091228/ap_on_hi_te/us_stranded_motorists;_ylt=Aidf_iEKuNyV4LzeGByWgE2 s0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTNwdGJrYzY4BGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMDkxMjI 4L3VzX3N0cmFuZGVkX21vdG9yaXN0cwRjY29kZQNtb3N0cG9wd WxhcgRjcG9zAzgEcG9zAzUEcHQDaG9tZV9jb2tlBHNlYwN5bl9 oZWFkbGluZV9saXN0BHNsawNjb3VwbGVzdHJhbmQ-

[Camp10]

We have GPS units in our bucket trucks at work and they are always trying to get us to go down through discontinued roads that we know dont go through anymore. Many of these roads have been deadends for decades!

[crashdive123]

I'm convinced that my GPS "cops a tude" every now and then just because I don't always listen.

[Rick]

Yep. I am well versed with, "Recalculating." "Recalculating."

[Camp10]

I'm convinced that my GPS "cops a tude" every now and then just because I don't always listen.

We joke about that also..it seems everytime "she" says "recalculating" she sounds angrier!:)

[Pal334]

I don't trust them for "roadtrips". Can't beat a map and common sense

[hunter63]

I don't trust them for "roadtrips". Can't beat a map and common sense

I totally agree with that.
DW got me one, got real "creative" on some routes I have used for a long time.
So far as I can tell, its just stupid.
Also good a telling me where I been.

I have to question logic of any one that would just blindly follow a GPS, and not check a map.....and end up getting stranded.

I can see where it could happen as things can go badly fast, no matter how well you prepare.
Happened to me last sat, just going 40 miles to my brothers house.

Took older truck (didn't want to get new one dirty).
Left and ran into blizzard conditions, frozen water under fresh snow.
4 wheel drive quit working, (first time, stll waiting to see what happened)

Cell phone battery low, charger in new truck, DW's at home.
True enough, truck is outfitted with all kinds of supplies, so no matter what, had it covered.
But it was disconcerting, that the stuff you trust suddenly went south with in minutes.

[gryffynklm]

I used to be good with directions, maps and such. I can tell you that I have gotten lazy with that GPS. That thing has tried to take me places I didn't want to go. Bad neighborhoods and such. It took me down a logging road that didn't connect to the pavement. I could see it from 200 ft up but sure couldn't get to it. It got stolen from the car last month. I'm going back to analog.

[hunter63]

Friend has "On star" on his caddy, when it talks to him, reminds me of "Hal" on "2001 A Space Odyssey".
Creepy

[madmantrapper]

I have always been good with directions and have an outstanding sense of direction. I also have a GPS that I love to play with. I don't think of it as a toy necessarily but it is fun. You can program it for the shortest distance, fastest time, or something else I think. You can program it to avoid toll roads. I find it a good tool, but I would not bet my life on it.

[Rick]

I like the GPS for places I've never been to. I do check a map but plugging in the coordinates or the address is pretty easy stuff. And if you have to reroute because of construction or an accident then it's a snap.

[Stairman]

Ive never had one for driving. Only a handheld for hunting spots and to get back to the truck. If I get one for driving Ill back it up with a map though. A CB radio comes in handy for getting directions but again not 100% correct.

[crashdive123]

Having to go to unfamiliar addresses almost daily, it has saved me a lot of time. I still keep a map book in my vehicles, but the GPS has really proven to be a valuable tool. The trick is to upload updated software from time to time. Chloe (my wife named it) gets confused when there are new roads.

[Stairman]

My house is tough to find but an old buddy pulled up sunday after giving him my address. I think theyre good to have if you have a backup plan.

[Rick]

Not to mention all the company vehicles so equipped. Right after the company put GPS in our trucks one of our tecs was caught 50 miles from the job in a porn shop. I mean, really.

[hammer24]

I used my GPS for a trip from South Carolina to Washington state and it worked fin the whole way. i had my trip mapped out in an atlas as a back up though. it always helps to have a good idea of the area you are driving through either by knowledge or using a map.

[aflineman]

Quote from a friend who knows the area.


Actually forest service road #28 starts out as a nicely paved divided road ( Co. Hwy 4-12 / E Bay rd.). Nice flat terrain, goes by a a little air strip, so I could see making the mistake of turning onto it. After a mile or so after passing the landing strip it becomes apparent, even in summer, this would not be the way to go.
They're dumb ****s, but not until a little further down the road does it becomes apparent.


Don't turn here.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=silver+lake+or&sll=43.07265,-120.850725&sspn=0.035926,0.066175&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Silver+Lake,+Lake,+Oregon&ll=43.103364,-121.062298&spn=0.071816,0.132351&z=13&layer=c&cbll=43.127905,-121.054936&panoid=ucYoI1pR9eYWcoyUGDw7sA&cbp=12,199.22,,0,9.1

[Nativedude]

My GPS. . .the sun. I've never heard it say "recalculating - recalculating"!! :excl: :eek: :excl: :clap: :excl:

[rwc1969]

I used my bros gps this spring when morel hunting in an unfamiliar area. The compass kept getting off and to recalculate it you spin around in a circle. As if you weren't lost already, now you're dizzy to boot.

luckily I had a compass, knew my basic directions, rememberd landmarks and such so I was only using it to find terrain features.


I don't use em in a car. I've had enough driving type jobs and maps to take care of that.

[Rick]

The compass kept getting off and to recalculate it you spin around in a circle.

That's funny. I love it. The only way a GPS can know your direction is if you keep moving. It compares one point to another to another and so on. If you stop and turn then the compass will not show a true bearing. It will stay "stuck" until you move again. But I like your explanation a lot better.

[rwc1969]

This GPS has a mode which acts like a magnetic compass. You don't have to be moving in order for it to adjust direction. To calibrate you slowly turn 360 degrees while stationary until it lets you know it got the fix.

I still don't know why my gps keeps getting off.

[mcgyver]

Compass and maps!
Never failed me as a Boy Scout, in the military, or backpacking in the mountains.
I have a good assortment of maps under my passenger seat, and a good compass mounted to my dash.
I do agree that the new technology is convenient, but convenience breeds laziness.
When a gizmo is wrong, you have to be skilled enough to know it.
I'd prefer relying on my skills in the first place.

[aflineman]

Compass and maps!
Never failed me as a Boy Scout, in the military, or backpacking in the mountains.
I have a good assortment of maps under my passenger seat, and a good compass mounted to my dash.
I do agree that the new technology is convenient, but convenience breeds laziness.
When a gizmo is wrong, you have to be skilled enough to know it.
I'd prefer relying on my skills in the first place.

Kind of how I am. I use the computer to help me find places that I am unfamiliar with, and a rough idea how to approach them. I use the GPS to help confirm that I am where I think I am. But the map and compass is normally how I find my way.

These new dash mounted GPS have a thing called "get home by the scenic route". I know a few folks who use it, but they also make sure they have a map and compass (plus winter supplies) and a full tank of gas. But then again, these are folks who would actually ENJOY and thrive on getting stuck for a few days in the woods.

[mcgyver]

After re-reading my reply, it sounds pretty blunt.
I really didn't mean to sound so authoritative on the subject.

A large part of my job involves testing and finding bugs in application software.
No, I'm not talking video game stuff, I'm talking military grade stuff here.
That is part of the reason I'm such a big fan of low tech.
Although the SAT feed is pretty tried and true (known faults included), the various brand GPS units are all software driven, and only as good as someones computer code.
If most people knew how deeply embedded the bugs found in computer codes were, I'm not sure they would have any more faith in high tech than I do.
My co-workers always joke with me about the fact that It takes a guy that builds fire with a bow drill to find fault with high-tec software.:sneaky2:

[Rick]

It's even worse when you figure out the programmer graduated last of his class!!!

[crashdive123]

I'm a big fan of technology. While I agree that being able to do things without it is important, I still am amazed at the techno advances that have been made. One of my jobs in the Navy was navigation. We had to be accurate. Not so much to get from point a to point b, but rather to tell the Submarine Launched Intercontinental Ballistic Missile where it was. Navigation from point a to b was just a side benefit. Loran C and Satellite Navigation to verify the Ships Inertial Navigation System (SINS) progressed to GPS, Bottom Contour Navigation, Gravity Sea Sensing Navigation, Electrostatically Supported Gyro Navigation, and on, and on. When all else failed, we still carried a sextant.

[Rick]

Yeah. What he said. What?!

[trax]

What nativedude said, basically. I've never used a GPS, not gonna start any time soon near as I can figure. Sometimes I'll check maps of an area before I go,sometimes I draw them when I get back.

Note to you youngsters out there: Trax is a trained idiot,don't try this at home.

[Rick]

I sure hope the Wild Turkey comes after the map drawin'.......just sayin'......