Re: compass or gps?

Peter Clinch wrote:

because they prefer the familiarity of what they're used to.

This is true. Which is why the new way really has to make things
clearly better.

It does. Why do you think pilots and sailors rely on them so much nowadays?
Why do the military rely on it so much? In fact, why would they have spent
billions of dollars developing it in the first place if it wasn't going to
be clearly better than a map and compass?

If you don't have any particular issues with
navigating by map alone with an occasional compass hint then however
whizzy GPS navigation is becomes a moot point. It's like being sold
on the merits of a car that can go 20 mph faster than the one you
have when you never actually drive the old one flat out in any case...

Okay then, continuing that comparison, I bought my new "car" because I *do*
want to go 20mph faster!

Really, there's a genuine advantage for me. That 20mph faster translates
into time saved. In the old days every walk was interspersed with regular
map stops. This was primarily because I never did much pre-planning in those
days. My idea of planning a walk back then consisted of ...

1. Where shall we go? (e.g. which mountain shall we climb?)
2. Where shall we park?
3. Don't forget the map.

Then I'd basically plan the route during the walk. Don't get me wrong, it
was a lot of fun, but it did waste time. I've never timed it, but all those
map stops probably added up to quite a bit of "wasted" time. Nowadays I
waste virtually zero time on navigation, so all the time I've saved I can
now "waste" on something else (i.e. photography).

As we all know, practice makes perfect, so if you spend enough time
using a new method or technology, it will become easier and
eventually it will become just as familiar as the old method was.

Also true, but back to needing to be clearly better, you need to be
careful about defining "better". if you're arguing that a good
mapping GPS provides better objective location and ease of navigation
than just a map you're on pretty solid ground,

Yes, that is what I'm arguing. My definition of better is if something does
the job for which it was designed, more easily, more efficiently and more
effectively than the alternative. I'd say that makes a GPS better than a
compass. Not only does it do the same things better, but it does additional
things that a compass can't do at all. I don't think there's any doubt that
a GPS is better.

but you need to
consider that people don't necessarily go out with those as their
primary objectives. I don't climb a hill just to be at the top, I'm
out there for the journey too, and making it as objectively simple as
possible isn't actually part of my agenda. So why is something that
makes it as simple as possible "better"?

Because it *is* simpler! It does the job more effectively and efficiently.

The issue here is that you don't want to use the best method, you want to
use the one that will give you the most challenge and excitement. Nothing
wrong with that, but it doesn't make a compass better. In fact, it's more
challenging and enjoyable precisely because it *isn't* better. It's harder
to use, that's what makes it more fun. You don't want to use the best
method, you want to use a more challenging one (note that I didn't say
"most" challenging).

And I completely understand, I used to enjoy navigation too. I still do, in
the context of my flight sim, so for my next example, let's consider some of
the different ways that flight sim can be used:

Scenario 1: Efficient modern navigation. I'll start by creating a flight
plan and loading it into my GPS. After take off I'll switch to auto-pilot,
link it to the GPS and let the plane fly itself. Meanwhile I'll make a cup
of tea, watch some TV, maybe have quick nap, and basically wait until I
reach my destination. Then I'll turn the auto-pilot off and land the plane.
Actually, when I do this I usually do it so that I can look at the scenery
without worrying about flying the plane.

Scenario 2: The bad old days. I'll choose to fly at night, or in bad
weather, or preferably both. I'll create a flight plan, but won't load it
into my GPS (maybe I'll use an old plane that doesn't have GPS). Instead
I'll make a note of radio frequencies for the various navigation beacons
enroute. As I fly I'll input the frequencies by hand and try to maintain the
correct heading manually. If I can make it to my destination in one piece,
without ever looking at a map, I feel a great sense of achievement, even
though I didn't see any scenery at all.

Scenario 3: Use a really old plane with no auto-pilot, no GPS and not even a
nav radio! All you've got is a compass and a stopwatch! Nah, forget that...

The first scenario is like using a GPS on a walk, you can basically forget
about the navigation and simply enjoy the scenery (and the photography). The
second scenario is like map and compass navigation, a fun challenge. The
third is probably comparable to micro-navigation with a compass and counting
paces.

At the end of the day, the best method is the one that works best
for you, which is the one you're most comfortable with and most
practiced at.

No. It's the way that best lets me get out of my trip what I want
from my trip.

I think you're confusing "best trip" with "best navigation method". A
compass may give you the best trip, but that doesn't make it the best
navigation method.

I mean, what's the best way of getting to the top of a mountain, as in most
efficient and effective? Probably flying there in a helicopter! Walking is
*not* the best method, but it is more enjoyable.

When I'm walking, I'm walking for enjoyment, and
I enjoy myself more with my head looking after where I
am than a GPS looking after where I am.

Again you're implying that I stop thinking when I use a GPS. I also use my
head to look after where I am, I don't switch off part of my brain and
transfer that responsibility to an electronic device - "Duh, I don't know
where I am, but my GPS does..." Not at all, I'm fully aware of my
surroundings and where I am in them. The GPS helps *me* to understand where
I am. It's a tool, nothing more. It provides information that I use, but it
doesn't tell me where to go. It reminds me of the route that I planned, but
there's no guarantee that I'll actually follow that route once I get out
there. I'm in charge of my own destiny, not a machine.

I presume by "GPS looking after where I am" you're thinking of the "plot a
route and blindly follow the arrow" school of GPS use? I don't do that.

I'll use the one that works best for the situation I'm in, but "best"
will depend what I'm doing and what exactly it is that floats my boat
in that particular situation. "Knowing where I am and where I'm
going as easily and accurately as possible" is not actually /that/
high on my agenda, so it doesn't factor that significantly in "best".

Again, you're talking about "best trip" or "best challenge", not "best
navigation device".

Paul
--
http://www.wilderness-wales.co.uk


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