Re: Google Earth vs Garmin 2610

Seagull wrote...
Anyway I'm afraid I can't take any GPS product seriously that presents
you
with geodesic coordinates without any mention of the datum being used
either
in the unit or its documentation and no way of customizing the coordinate
output to your location!

*eyeroll*

The datum used by the 2610 is WGS84. As to why you'd need to customize
the datum in a street navigator is beyond me. It's not a general purpose
GPS nor is it intended to be used as one.

You can roll your eyes as much as you like but it doesn't change the fact
that a navigational system that can't tell you where you are is totally
rubbish! Maybe it's beyond you to understand that there are some people
that wish to find their way to places ON ROADS that are not waypointed on
the rather dubious maps included with these devices and are nowhere near a
convenient MacDonalds to give you something to aim for. If I can't enter my
destination in the coordinate system used by the national mapping system in
the country in which the bloody thing was sold, how on earth am I going to
find my way to an unmarked point along an unclassified road in North Wales,
which is the start of a mountain walk - or how about finding an unmarked
entrance to a woodland where I'm supposed to be meeting colleagues to carry
our a bat survey. The answer is to turn the bloody thing off and go back to
using an Ordnance Survey map!

It's not as though including the functionality to handle local coordinate
systems is terribly difficult - the most basic Garmin GPS receiver ever made
has had this ability from the moment that it was released onto the market!
All a "general purpose" GPS has to be able to do is tell you where you are
in coordinates that are actually useful so that you easily transfer to using
a map when the stupid gadget can't help you any more. That should be
baseline capability for any GPS receiver!

David





.

Relevant Pages

  • OziExplorer questions
    ... navigation, charts, map projections, great circles and such stuff. ... If the GPS receiver is switched off, ... if the PDA is placed into standby (with the usual power ... the file to someone who also nought the same printed chart, ...
    (sci.geo.satellite-nav)
  • Re: Courts cannot travel through time
    ... traffic consult the screen of a GPS receiver and then react in ... usually check a map to see what to expect. ... side-mounted mirror. ... My Garmin does not show speed limits, nor does it have lane assist. ...
    (alt.usage.english)
  • Re: Courts cannot travel through time
    ... traffic consult the screen of a GPS receiver and then react in ... Speaking of labyrinthine streets, I was using a TomTom GPS in the ... usually check a map to see what to expect. ... I have placed my Garmin on a sight line that is as direct as to the central rear view mirror, and more direct than that to the side-mounted mirror. ...
    (alt.usage.english)
  • Re: Which GPS
    ... summer and I will be buying a new GPS Receiver for the trip. ... I have got Memory Map ... adequate accuracy and the MR, if your navigation is so poor you've ... and small and perfectly adequate. ...
    (uk.rec.walking)
Loading