Re: 10 Ways to Use Your New GPS

On Mon, 24 Sep 2007 07:02:02 -0700, rb608 <junkmail608@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:


The use of a GPS is,
in my experience, not that difficult to master, but there is a minimum
level of reasoning required to understand entering waypoints and
landmarks, then learning how to navigate to those global coordinates
from where you are.

You mark a spot, then follow the arrow that leads you back to that spot. It's
no harder than following a dog and in some cases, much more reliable.

It is my hypothesis that most people with
sufficient cognitive skill to learn the use of a handheld GPS unit are
far less likely to forget where they left their car, even in a strange
city.

Wait till you hit 50, then tell me that again.

If you can remember it. Better yet, go to a city where you've never been, and
hit three different malls in one day. Go back to two of them. Remember every
place you parked. Or push one button and forget about it. Your call.

I don't mark my parking spot when I'm in my home area, but if I'm in another
state or country where there could be some confusion, I do. I rarely need it.
But in the cases where I do need it, it's too late to mark the parking spot when
you can't remember whether you parked outside Sears or Kmart, on the north end
or south end of the mall, at the north end zone or south end zone of the
stadium. Or if you park to hike in an unfamiliar area, and you come out of the
trail onto a public road. Do you turn left or right to find your car? It's
easy to get turned around in an unfamiliar area.

I once carried a deer for a mile in the wrong direction, being absolutely
certain the truck was just around the next bend. That was in the days when a
reliable GPS would have been roughly the size of the truck, so it wasn't
practical to carry one in my shirt pocket.

I keep a waypoint on my GPSs (currently use 4, gave away a couple of others)
called PARK and when I get out of my vehicle and need to be able to navigate
back to it, I call up that waypoint and reposition it to my current location.

Don't get me wrong, I think a GPS is an outstanding tool; and I use
one myself for navigation in unfamiliar and remote areas; but to find
my car?

It only takes once and you'll start doing it. The other option is to wander
around in the parking lot until everyone leaves and then take whatever vehicle
is left.

I suppose you've never used your remote key fob to locate your car in a crowded
parking lot? Is there really a difference?

--
Jack
.