Hi list,
While we are back onto gps problems, here,s my one for you.
My 276c is still showing a reduced, but slowing down of road speed when I am stopped at traffic lights. It will eventually read zero after 2 min standing still.
Any ideas anyone?
Kieran Walsh



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I've experienced something similar in the past.

They will also place you on the wrong side of a dual carriageway at times

Its down to the number and quality of fixes they are getting I suppose.

Despite all you read they are not the be-all and end-all and are subject to
errors.



Paul Mc Cann



On 08/01/2008, Kieran Walsh - Tully Services
wrote:
>
> Hi list,
> While we are back onto gps problems, here,s my one for you.
> My 276c is still showing a reduced, but slowing down of road speed when I
> am stopped at traffic lights. It will eventually read zero after 2 min
> standing still.
> Any ideas anyone?
> Kieran Walsh
>
> I use BullGuard Spamfilter to keep my inbox clean.
> It is completely free: www.bullguard.com/freespamfilterhttp://www.bullguard.com/tracking.aspx?affiliate=bullguard&buyaffiliate=smtp&url=freespamfilter
>

Reply Quote

SOG filter, ( is it in marine mode)

dave

I love simple solutions. So rare in computing !

> SOG filter, ( is it in marine mode)
>
S.

Hi Dave,
Thanks for your suggestion.
I checked the mode, it was in automotive, but I noticed the speed filter was ON with a delay set for 60 seconds.Duh...
Will try it tomorrow out on the road.
Kieran

glad to help

just as a comment, yes these things you mentioned can happen ( though 2 minute delay is a SOG filter setting), most automotive mode GPS units actually use "snap-to" functionality to put the cursor where it beleives you are. If you can try running your automotive maps with teh snap to turned off and see how really accurate or not the maps are.

Nobody suggest GPS is the be all and end all, however the current set of GPS units with EGNOS/WAAS diferential is capable of of 1-3 metres accuracies and that is generally better then the mapping accuracy. I 'd view that as the be all and end all.

dave

When housed in a car it can be dificult for the unit to get a fix without an external ariel, even the windscreen is blocking the link. It may be worth experimenting moving it arround on the dashboard to get the best fix - keep checking the main reception page for best results - probably not worth getting a dedicated ariel for the car.

Cheers

Brian

"Magellan"


waterways[AG]iwai.ie wrote:

>

Yes but capable of 1-3 metres accuracy doesn't mean guaranteed 1-3metres
accuracy but I really am not inclined to re-open this whole can of worms
that was let loose the last time satnavs came up


Paul Mc Cann



On 08/01/2008, watertalk wrote:
>
> just as a comment, yes these things you mentioned can happen ( though 2
> minute delay is a SOG filter setting), most automotive mode GPS units
> actually use "snap-to" functionality to put the cursor where it beleives you
> are. If you can try running your automotive maps with teh snap to turned
> off and see how really accurate or not the maps are.
>
> Nobody suggest GPS is the be all and end all, however the current set of
> GPS units with EGNOS/WAAS diferential is capable of of 1-3 metres accuracies
> and that is generally better then the mapping accuracy. I 'd view that as
> the be all and end all.
>
> dave
>

Reply Quote

My unit is fitted in the car. It came pre-installed when I bought the car so
moving aerials about is not an option.

In passing I might mention I also have a handheld satnav via a Dell personal
organiser. I have Tom Tom City Maps installed in it which covers nearly all
of the major European cities. While to use it as a satnav requires a
separate aerial I have found it very useful when in a foreign city and on
foot. One can input the nearest street junction, enter your required
destination, which in my case tends to be some shop selected by the 'Boss',
and it will give you the pedestrian route required. I had intended to use it
in hire cars etc but have since found it more convenient to specify one when
hiring the car. It will then have all the latest maps for the area being
visited.

Paul Mc Cann

On 08/01/2008, bbfitz[AG]eircom.net wrote:
>
> When housed in a car it can be dificult for the unit to get a fix without
> an external ariel, even the windscreen is blocking the link. It may be worth
> experimenting moving it arround on the dashboard to get the best fix - keep
> checking the main reception page for best results - probably not worth
> getting a dedicated ariel for the car.
>
> Cheers
>
> Brian
>
> "Magellan"
>
>
> waterways[AG]iwai.ie wrote:
>

Reply Quote

In car sat nav has come along way,and in my opionion is better then stand-alone units. ( And I suspect satnav will go the way of user installed radios in a few years).

The system I have has 6" LCD screen, with ambient backlight sensing, navteq maps thats are updated ( if you want to ) every year , so I have 100% ( or as near as damit) coverage of ireland and europe, The satnav is never actually turned off as the car keeps the receiver powered up and I get virtually instant GPS lock , ie by the time I've put teh seatbelt on. in addition it has an integral compass and speed sensor so it can run a reasonable dead reckoning through tunnels etc, ( works quite well through the port tunnel, its quite strange to see the GPS signal fail and teh cursor to follow the underground route, though the road isnt on the map yet)). The upgrade maps run to about 180 euros which is market competitive.

IN reality the cost of providing incar satnav is peanuts and i suspect within 5 years everyone will have it ( remember when you bought a car and had to buy teh radio!) Also it will force business supplying to motorists to ensure their POI's appears. (


As you know , I'm a bit of a GPS head case anyway ( I have a GPS sat compass on the boat, a prototype capable of about 3- 8 cm ( yes cm) of accuracy!!). and I currently own 5 gp's, all give a different perspective, some are good for walking, others l like the route66, the one in the SWIMBO's car are excellant where an in-car doesnt exist, We were in sweden recently and used it to great effect with a hire car ( its has one of the biggest screens around)

In relation to pauls comments about hire car satnavs, I have the directly opposite experience, both in france and the USA recently the hire companies satnav was out of date and had been programmed up bizarrly by the previous hirer. In my epxerience bring your own, (a) you undertsand fully how to work it and (b) you will at least know where you are on the update state of play. IN teh route66 unit I have , I keep it upto date with europe wide stuff for this reason.

Secondly I would contradict Paul perspective on having to carry a paper map, in practice a satnav is providing you with dozens of maps at all scales,( since when does anyone carry a large scale OS map for the rat rusn for example) and in my experience printed maps are even more out of date than satnavs ( Still lots of printed maps around showing the southern part of the M50 missing!). Even for route planning I use the internet.

The only big issue with Satnavs is that if you follow them blindly ( like in a foreign country) then you become disconnected with where you actually are and can find yourself in some backwater wondering how the hell you got there, I had this recently in the US, where the garmin in the hire car was set to only local roads only and we went through some "interesting" neighbourhoods before we released why it wasnt selecting the interstates, ( and the map was out of date and it sent us on a 22 miles detour).

Mind you I have had some enjoyable detours because of saynavs, one fine summers day I followed its suggested route Dublin to Portumna, we got a beautiful drive through boreens ( which surprisingly are R roads) over the slieve bloom mountains!

Dave

We generally only hire from Hertz and in Europe the units appear to be
identical. But of course one has to set it up to ones own requirements. That
is necessary with all units. You have to set your preferences for preferred
type of route (Quickest, shortest etc), avoid or otherwise toll road, and
avoid or otherwise motorways. In Europe of course one also has to set up for
preferred language. I think you must have got a little excited if you
omitted this basic step when in America. Always best to rtfm.

We always find Hertz maps up-to date.

We were in Pontevedra recently and due to the discovery of the remains of a
Roman bridge the normal route to our Hotel was blocked. Sat nav not worth a
curse as it kept trying to send us around to its route. A copy of the
Michelin red book helped solve the problem. But really how can you set up
your preferred route if you can't get a look at a map to envisage the
terrain. Its a great help to see that setting it up to use motorways might
find you travelling from Mullingar to Belfast via Dublin which I had once
suggested to me.. You won't know this is madness if you are a total stranger
and don't take a look at a map.

And please don't ask me to start zooming and out whilst moving a cursor on a
tiny screen as a means of emulating a paper map.In theory perhaps its
possible but in reality no way.

Restaurant guides ? O/K if you have a separate guide to help you pick the
restaurant first and then use the satnav.

Same with hotels.

Scenic routes ? Need a map.

Viewpoints ? Need a map.

Points of interest ? Map and good guide book.

(I'm aware that the Michelin units offer a lot more of these facilities than
the standard units do but you would still need a map to evaluate what they
were setting up.)

Ability to spot , to you personally, an interesting sight within a stones
throw of your projected route ? Need a map.

I have to agree that using satnav to get you to a particular address makes
it difficult to find the route again without the satnav. Generally if I go
over a route once I will remember it even after a long number of years..

In reality satnavs are extremely useful in particular circumstances but are
not the answer to everything.

We'll just have to agree to differ.

Incidentally I can remember when car heaters and screenwashers were an
optional extra and heated rear screens unheard of.

( ........................and 3d would buy you a tram ticket to the aZoo,
and your entrance money, and a bag of chips, and still enough change to take
your mott to the pixtures. )

Actually my father claimed that in his day he could get into the pictures
for a jam jar. I never knew whether he was in jest or not.


Paul Mc Cann



On 09/01/2008, watertalk wrote:
>
> In car sat nav has come along way,and in my opionion is better then
> stand-alone units. ( And I suspect satnav will go the way of user installed
> radios in a few years).
>
> The system I have has 6" LCD screen, with ambient backlight sensing,
> navteq maps thats are updated ( if you want to ) every year , so I have 100%
> ( or as near as damit) coverage of ireland and europe, The satnav is never
> actually turned off as the car keeps the receiver powered up and I get
> virtually instant GPS lock , ie by the time I've put teh seatbelt on. in
> addition it has an integral compass and speed sensor so it can run a
> reasonable dead reckoning through tunnels etc, ( works quite well through
> the port tunnel, its quite strange to see the GPS signal fail and teh cursor
> to follow the underground route, though the road isnt on the map yet)). The
> upgrade maps run to about 180 euros which is market competitive.
>
> IN reality the cost of providing incar satnav is peanuts and i suspect
> within 5 years everyone will have it ( remember when you bought a car and
> had to buy teh radio!) Also it will force business supplying to motorists
> to ensure their POI's appears. (
>
>
> As you know , I'm a bit of a GPS head case anyway ( I have a GPS sat
> compass on the boat, a prototype capable of about 3- 8 cm ( yes cm) of
> accuracy!!). and I currently own 5 gp's, all give a different perspective,
> some are good for walking, others l like the route66, the one in the
> SWIMBO's car are excellant where an in-car doesnt exist, We were in sweden
> recently and used it to great effect with a hire car ( its has one of the
> biggest screens around)
>
> In relation to pauls comments about hire car satnavs, I have the directly
> opposite experience, both in france and the USA recently the hire companies
> satnav was out of date and had been programmed up bizarrly by the previous
> hirer. In my epxerience bring your own, (a) you undertsand fully how to
> work it and (b) you will at least know where you are on the update state of
> play. IN teh route66 unit I have , I keep it upto date with europe wide
> stuff for this reason.
>
> Secondly I would contradict Paul perspective on having to carry a paper
> map, in practice a satnav is providing you with dozens of maps at all
> scales,( since when does anyone carry a large scale OS map for the rat rusn
> for example) and in my experience printed maps are even more out of date
> than satnavs ( Still lots of printed maps around showing the southern part
> of the M50 missing!). Even for route planning I use the internet.
>
> The only big issue with Satnavs is that if you follow them blindly ( like
> in a foreign country) then you become disconnected with where you actually
> are and can find yourself in some backwater wondering how the hell you got
> there, I had this recently in the US, where the garmin in the hire car was
> set to only local roads only and we went through some "interesting"
> neighbourhoods before we released why it wasnt selecting the interstates, (
> and the map was out of date and it sent us on a 22 miles detour).
>
> Mind you I have had some enjoyable detours because of saynavs, one fine
> summers day I followed its suggested route Dublin to Portumna, we got a
> beautiful drive through boreens ( which surprisingly are R roads) over the
> slieve bloom mountains!
>
> Dave
>

Reply Quote

funny both my hire cases were Hertz too with garmin units. I find it easier to bring my unit, I know how it works, i keep it updated and I dont have to pay to rent a satnav
dave