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Navigation - Maps, Compass, GPS How to find your way - traditional map, compass and road signs, or GPS and more
Photo by Marc Gibaud, Clouds on Tres Cerros and Mount Fitzroy, Argentinian Patagonia

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Photo by Marc Gibaud,
Clouds on Tres Cerros and
Mount Fitzroy, Argentinian Patagonia




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  #1  
Old 6 Jan 2011
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buy or borrow
"Personally, I've never used one......" I think that quote answers your GPS question. If you had used one then you'd know the answer.

Buy one or borrow one, that is one of the questions out there that you need to answer yourself!
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'Security is a product of one's own imagination, it does not exist in nature as a rule, life is either a daring adventure or nothing.'
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  #2  
Old 6 Jan 2011
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good quote
geoffshing

good quote.

'Security is a product of one's own imagination, it does not exist in nature as a rule, life is either a daring adventure or nothing.'

enough said. Indeed, that quote, very true quote, helped me make a decision on incorporating that technology into the trip i'm on now. For my reasons i feel a GPS will work against my objectives. A day ago i was going to buy a gps for the reason of feeling more secure in my travels.

The imagination is a powerful thing as your chosen quote suggests, indeed, one can extrapolate and make decisions without practical experience.

Thanx
Wrong way Troy
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  #3  
Old 6 Jan 2011
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I can see both sides.

I have a SatNav and, in towns / unfamiliar centres, it's a Godsend! However, I'm coming more round to the idea that a map and getting lost is more adventurous and opens you up far more to more interesting experiences.

Have fun on your rides . . .
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Old 6 Jan 2011
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To take a GPS or not was a question I pondered for a long time.

In the end I decided to take one for Geocaching, Geotagging photos, and so at some point I can use the waypoints and overlay my track on a map so I have something to look back on in the future.
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  #5  
Old 6 Jan 2011
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I took a GPS and a cut-out from a world map that went from the UK to Mongolia (my route).

I never used th GPS once, it just stayed in my panniers. The map lived in my pocket and caused a lot of amusement for the locals everytime I stopped for directions an dgot it out.

I think that if I had been travelling with others not getting lost might have been more important but as it was everytime I got seriously lost it just added to the fun!
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Old 6 Jan 2011
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Hmmm
Yes it is an oft asked subject and there are many threads on this site about this very same subject. Having said that it is an entertaining one and worth repeating every now and then! My own sense of direction is so bad it is legendary and those who have ridden alongside me know I will get lost at some point

The thing about being lost is that even with a map if you dont know where you are and the map does not have a big X on it saying "you are here" then what is the point of having one? I also find that trying to read read them at anything over 30 MPH tends to cause them to blow everywhere, especially those big Michelin buggers

I wont leave home with out my GPS and a mobile phone to call for help should I need it, but that is just me. If you can get by without the expense of them then go for it and use maps, they have worked for centuries for the likes of Magellan, Drake etc.
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Old 6 Jan 2011
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IMHO how some people interface with GPS is odd. I like them. I now own one that talks. My wife thinks the GPS is some sort of electronic overmistress to be obeyed at the risk of falling off the end of the world. We have an intercom and I need to switch the GPS to a different accent as the conversation goes:

Female voice "Take the next turn on the left"
Me "No, this road is fun"
Female voice "Where possible make a U-turn"
Me "I told you..."
Female voice "Did she say to turn left?"
Female voice "where possible make a U-turn"
Me "**** off"
Female voice "Did you just tell me to **** off?"



Seriously, just because the GPS says to turn, if the road ahead looks fun ride that way. Treat it like the tool it is, it'll sort itself out. I'm sure map users have just ridden until they ran out of time, then used the map to find out where the heck they are? If you want to talk to people ask about the road ahead, no need to be lost.

Maybe it's the voices that make people think GPS changes anything? It's just an automated map, use it how you like. If you feel the need to obey electronic voices, maybe you should avoid them . Maybe I need a GPS voice recording that says "buy the bloke on the outfit more in two minutes"... "now buy the "

Andy
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Old 6 Jan 2011
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funny guys
Maybe getting lost is the Point. People are always telling me to get lost. If i bought a GPS i wouldn't be honoring there advice.

I didn't know that GPS bitched, nagged, and scolded. I'm sure it's got a button to turn that off.................Wouldn't that be nice?

People who have a tendency to get lost probably are just driving from one shiny object to the next. oooo shiny.....ooooo shiny , etc... Or destracted by thoughts of whether or not to get a GPS. Hmmmmm? Sounds like me.
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