Using GPS
 

Hi there, I just got GPS for my handheld PDA and need to get maps. We will be leaving for Ireland on 10/16 and I was hoping to get some advice on the best software for loading maps of Ireland to use with my GPS. I just love new toys!! :-D

Any help would be immensely appreciated!!

alk.com sells routing software for EU.

I would love to hear how your gps system works. I called on one today that works in Europe. It was about a$1000. I don't know if it is worth it. What kind did you get?

I've used my GPS extensively in Europe (Garmin E-Map). I wouldn't go without it.

But realize, it won't work well in major towns (Rome, Paris, London) due to the buildings. If you are in an area where buildings are taller than 3 stories it is hard to get a GPS fix - and if you do, you often get an invalid location due to the satellite beams bouncing off the buildings.

But having said that, I love my GPS and don't leave home without it. With my Europe maps loaded in, I can quickly find the next town, site, etc. etc. etc.

I just have to laugh. On my most recent trip to France I was supposed to meet my friend [email protected], who posts on this forum, in the town of Goujounac in the Quercy. Well, I had the deuce of a time finding Goujounac coming from the Dordogne and had to stop and ask directions a few times as there were no signs. PBProvence, coming off the autoroute near Cahors, thought she could use her GPS system to guide her to Goujounac - no way. It kept telling her to "Make a legal U-turn NOW" and then deposited her at the dead end of a housing development. So much for the GPS.

avoirgold, I am going on a 16 week driving tour in Europe and would be very interested in your GPS experience.

The Mercedes I am using for the trip is supposed to be equipped with a system. But, like you, I love these toys!

When traveling in Ireland, the very best things happen as a result of getting lost.

Have to agree with MaryZ on that!
We would have missed the highlight stops of our trip if we had a GPS.

<b>Don't blame the GPS for the shortcomings of the software!</b>

The Global Positioning System receiver will output your latitude and longitude with a precision of a few feet (if the line of sight to the satellites is unobstructed). Whether or not your device puts you at the right spot on the display depends on how precise the map database is, and how well-written the software that produces the map.

You can get free maps for Microsoft Pocket Streets at

<b>http://www.microsoft.com/mappoint/business/pocket/mapdownload/psmapsearch.aspx</b>

You can buy Pocket Streets for $22.95 at

<b>http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00009Q6KO/qid=1087775342/sr=8-1/ref=pd_ka_1/104-3072897-0635155?v=glance&amp;s=software&amp;n=507846</b>

Several user comments suggest that MS&amp;T 2004 might not be as good as older versions; you can probably find an older version free, and convert the latest map files with a freeware program:

<b>http://www.pdastreet.com/articles/2003/3/2003-3-10-Convert-New-Pocket.html</b>

I have been successful in using this technique to display maps on my iPAQ h2250, and will post a full report on its GPS accuracy when I return from Europe.

&gt;The Global Positioning System receiver will output your latitude and longitude with a precision of a few feet ...&lt;

Ummmmmmmmm. Even military systems aren't that good.

&gt;Whether or not your device puts you at the right spot on the display depends on how precise the map database is,..&lt;

True.

Reminds me of the story (probably apocryphal) of the guy in his rented Benz who was watching the GPS plot instead of the road and drove off the ferry dock.

<b>Um, if you've been living in a cave, your GPS accuracy will be sub-optimal.</b>

But upon perusing the literature, I find that 2-3 meters is a fair running average. That is the metric equivalent of &quot;a few feet&quot; (1 Pet. 3:20).

<b>http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;q=%22gps+accuracy%22<b></b></b>

Robespierre: Actually it is not :)
At least whenever someone says a few x to me I translate that to 2-4 maybe 2-5 of the item in question. And that is just 1.5m so rather far from 2-3 meters :) I would actually say about 10 feet is closer to the real number. But since this is completely OT I'll shut up now :)

Sindre

Seems like a lot of money for something that paper maps do pretty well--at least they work for me. Of course, it would be a fun toy.

GPS is stupid and useless. Maps are so much better. You could never convince me to buy one of them. They make no sense...Now if you wanna buy me one and let me try it out...

GlobalSat BC307 - $75 (cheaper than some maps!)

<b>http://www.globalsat.com.tw/english/products_detail.php?main_id=5&amp;p_id=9</b>

Last summer a friend was using a GPS in Smolensk, Russia as part of a project she was doing. The park officials stopped her and confiscated it!

I've never met a map that I could buy for more than $10.00. Well, I've bought the Atlas Routier for under $15.00 in a maison de la presse. GPS is an expensive toy that may or may not work, and it's completely unnecessary,
I should explain that my inability to locate Goujounac on the map was because it was JUST below the reaches of the #329 Dordogne map and not visible on my Atlas Routier. Anyway, I found it, and a lot better than the GPS system did.
And who's interested in the software? My friend who was meeting me lives in France and was relying on the GPS system in the car she'd bought in France to get her there. One would presume that the software that came with her car, which was purchased in France, would work. It didn't. It was virtually useless. So don't tell me to blame the software - I blame the whole system.
I've never heard of anyone paying $75 for a map, by the way.

Yeah, but a map of the WHOLE WORLD? :)

Let me put it this way: with the five of us touring Europe this summer, the GPS cost a <u>lot</u> less than 1% of our travel expenses. Hell, that would about cover the tip at <i>le Jules Verne</i>.

We're BAAAAACK!

Well, the GPS worked rather poorly in cities. Only at the top of the Arc de Triomphe did I know I was in Paris. It worked well down the Thames and Rhine and at Omaha Beach, but in those cases I already knew where I was. Totally useless inside a train (which was expected). The one time it came in really handy was finding our way from the boat dock to the train station in Bonn.

If you plan to drive anywhere, it could be very useful to keep you oriented in the hinterland.