Don't throw away your map and compass

On Wed, 20 May 2009 16:33:53 +0100, Motzarella wrote:

Bernard said in

I recently arranged a weekend away with a groups of friends. Those
who got lost on their way to the bunk house were those relying on
satnav in their car. It was so funny.

That's the trouble with relying on it ... If you use it as an aid to
navigation and keep a mental eye out for stupidity it's a positive boon to
most people.

Trouble is, the stupidity doesn't stop with the satnav - any one who'll
follow instruction in to a canal/field/railway isn't fit to be loose in the
first place!
--
Peter.
You don't understand Newton's Third Law of Motion?
It's not rocket science, you know.

Bitstring , from the
wonderful person PeterC said
On Wed, 20 May 2009 16:33:53 +0100, Motzarella wrote:

Bernard said in

I recently arranged a weekend away with a groups of friends. Those
who got lost on their way to the bunk house were those relying on
satnav in their car. It was so funny.

That's the trouble with relying on it ... If you use it as an aid to
navigation and keep a mental eye out for stupidity it's a positive boon to
most people.

Trouble is, the stupidity doesn't stop with the satnav - any one who'll
follow instruction in to a canal/field/railway isn't fit to be loose in the
first place!

Hey, I turned left (downstream) at a ford once (well, more precisely my
driver did). Of course we were rallying in the dark, at the time, and
blue lines on OS maps don't show up very well by dim red light, and we
were travelling quite fast at the time.

This was just after we'd missed the existence of a hump back bridge
(same problem - same stream in fact) 30 feet before a '90-left', and
Mini Cooper's turn out to corner =really poorly= with no wheels on the
ground.... luckily they were very sturdy. 8.

--
GSV Three Minds in a Can
14,375 Km walked. 2,662 Km PROWs surveyed. 48.1% complete.

In message , Motzarella
writes
Bernard said in

I recently arranged a weekend away with a groups of friends. Those
who got lost on their way to the bunk house were those relying on
satnav in their car. It was so funny.

That's the trouble with relying on it ... If you use it as an aid to
navigation and keep a mental eye out for stupidity it's a positive boon to
most people.

I certainly find it so. It has occasionally taken me a little way
around the houses in order to use A roads rather than "local roads", but
lost?
Never.

It is at its most useful when you are on a longish familiar journey and
suddenly the familiar route is blocked and you have to divert.
To have to grab a map and decide on the route changes which the Sat Nav
can do almost instantly was a pain.
--
Gordon H
Remove "invalid" to reply

In message , Martin Richardson
writes
In message , Bill Grey
writes
In message , Peter Clinch
writes
Yoss1960 wrote:

rhetorical
And does anybody *seriously* believe that there are no plans to replace
those that do fail?
/rhetorical

"It is uncertain whether the Air Force will be able to acquire new
satellites in time to maintain current GPS service without
interruption," said the report, presented to Congress. "If not, some
military operations and some civilian users could be adversely affected."

Let's hope the devotees get off the hills before it happens :-)

At least we wont fall over any more cliffs now

That made Oi larf.
--
Gordon H
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"Bernard" wrote in message
...
According to a Guardian article, GPS satellites could start failing next
year.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology...e-to-breakdown

And their follow-up article from Thursday's paper
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology...re-satnav-maps
:-)

"OG" wrote in message
...

"Bernard" wrote in message
...
According to a Guardian article, GPS satellites could start failing next
year.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology...e-to-breakdown

And their follow-up article from Thursday's paper
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology...re-satnav-maps
:-)
Thanks for that, I missed it, it was very good.

On Wed, 20 May 2009 15:37:02 +0100, Fellwalker
wrote:

SatNav for Gidleigh Park Hotel in Devon leads you to the middle of a
farmers field. Its not too unusual.

or put the postcode for Honister slate mine and get seatoller. It was
amusing at the time my mate who was driving said were here and I said
no you got that big hill to climb first ;-)
--
Gwyn.
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"Gwyn" g@ wrote in message
...
On Wed, 20 May 2009 15:37:02 +0100, Fellwalker
wrote:

SatNav for Gidleigh Park Hotel in Devon leads you to the middle of a
farmers field. Its not too unusual.

or put the postcode for Honister slate mine and get seatoller. It was
amusing at the time my mate who was driving said were here and I said
no you got that big hill to climb first ;-)
--
Gwyn.
Remove rem if replying


That's why I needed a sat-nav with OS grid references.


Jhimmy

In article , Bernard
writes

"OG" wrote in message
...
And their follow-up article from Thursday's paper

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology...llite-failure-
satnav-maps
:-)
Thanks for that, I missed it, it was very good.

It is misleading. It says a minimum of 24 satellites is required to keep
the network running. The system was planned with a capacity of 24
satellites but the specifications are for 21 operating satellites. Three
of the planned 24 are effectively in orbit spares.

Sure additional operating satellites increase the accuracy of the system
but the system does not suddenly stop working when the number falls
below the planned 24.

--

Dominic Sexton