Gps Device As Place Reminder Options

[CorreCaminos]

My Garmin 706C is my best friend when I'm out riding in an area I don't know well. It gets me where I want to go without getting lost or wasting time.

But staying on the right track is only one of the uses for my GPS. It also reminds of places I want to revisit; it might be a restaurant I wanted to try when I was actually hungry, a scenic place I'd like to photograph under better lighting conditions, or any of many other reasons.

When I come accross one of these places, I can easily set a waypoint at the present location by simply pressing the "enter" button. I can then select from a list of waypoint categories to help me remember what it was. In addition to the default categories, I defined some special categories that suit my needs, such as "photos", "favorite hotels", "favorite restaurants", etc.

The next time I'm in that area, I have a list of things to see and do. All I have to do is search through my waypoints list or display them on the map.

Your GPS device might or might not have the capability or ease of setting waypoints at the current position but, if it does, setting place reminders is a great way to maintain a list of favorite or interesting places.

[Zarcero]

Your GPS sounds like a nice instrument. Personally I prefer maps. I also trace out my routes ahead of time on onion-skin paper and slide these into my tank bag window.

I do use SPOT however, which is the converse of GPS. SPOT tells others where you been, as opposed to telling you where you want/need to go. SPOT pings a satellite where my wife can track me on the internet. It captures your last fifty pings. This works nicely in places where I don't have cell phone coverage, plus it's just plain cool. For life insurance, helps with body recovery as well, unless the coyotes eat me out in the Mexican desert

Example:


The small orange device on top of the cargo net is SPOT.


This post has been edited by Zarcero: Aug 10 2009, 04:32 PM

[Gene]

Hey Mike;
This is the first time I've seen Spot and the map interface looks great. Wayne and I have used Google Latitude, which is cell phone based and updates a web server either by triangulating cell towers for your location (not real accurate) or using your cell phone's GPS chip (accurate to within 20 feet). A user anywhere with a Google account (free) can activate Latitude on their computer to see your location. The cell phone will also require a downloaded app. I use a Samsung Black Jack II Windows 6 cell phone, which will run Latitude in the background and update the web server automatically. However, it's not quite as functional as Spot seems to be. I believe Wayne is working on a short article about Latitude, but you can check it out on Google apps. It's free.

[Zarcero]

Gene,

Google Latitude sounds cool. I will have to research that more. SPOT also has different levels of service. Including an emergency dispatch service, provided you are in good enough shape to push the 'come rescue me' button. Hopefully I'll never need to test that option, but I did go ahead and get for family peace of mind.

Mike

[raksasas]

If you have a smart phone (iPhone, Blackberry, Windows Mobile Device) you may want to take a look at gpsed.com. I use it to track where I have gone on my bike.

[wmhendryx]

Well, after much resistance, I finally broke down and entered the world of GPS. It's the Zumo 550 by Garmin. Thank goodness for friends who HAVE to have the latest and greatest technology, as one of my buddies was upgrading to the newest Zumo, and he was kind enough to sell me this one at a bargain price.

I can't say exactly why I was so resistant to this technology, execept perhaps that I worried that it might take a notch out of that "freedom" sensation motorcycle riders (myself included) cherish. I didn't want to be "tied" to some electronic device.

The jury is still out on whether I'll fall in love with this gizmo, as I've lots to learn on how to use it, but my riding friends assure me I'll soon be wondering how I lived without it for so long. I'm hoping they're right.

To be continued...

[Gene]

Hey Bill,
The Zumo 550 is a very nice unit and if you were to buy any GPS, that's the one I'd suggest. The only "gotcha" would be the maps and how updated they are. Garmin makes a fortune off selling map upgrades (shouldn't they be free or at least nominal in price?). Speaking from experience, all I use are outdated maps. fortunately, most of the roads we are interested in don't change that offten - unless they revert to dirt!

[wmhendryx]

Hey Bill,
The Zumo 550 is a very nice unit and if you were to buy any GPS, that's the one I'd suggest. The only "gotcha" would be the maps and how updated they are. Garmin makes a fortune off selling map upgrades (shouldn't they be free or at least nominal in price?). Speaking from experience, all I use are outdated maps. fortunately, most of the roads we are interested in don't change that offten - unless they revert to dirt!

Hey, Gene! Thanks for that bit of encouragement on the Zumo 550. It's a nifty gadget, that's for sure, but I'm still on the learning curve of trying to figure out how to use it properly. Like you, I don't see much need to upgrade the map with any regularity. The government can't seem to maintain the roads we have, much less build new ones.

Another cool thing about buying it from my friend: He and I have very similar taste in music, and he had 1000 tunes already loaded on the unit.

[Gene]

Holy Macaroni Batman! 1,000 tunes? I'd say you got a bargain!

[wmhendryx]

Holy Macaroni Batman! 1,000 tunes? I'd say you got a bargain!

A bargain indeed! I'm talking B.B. King, Norah Jones. Led Zepplin, etc. On his last ride before selling to me, he rode to Daytona Bike week and back and tells me he never heard the same tune twice!!! How 'bout that??!!!!