Digital Rider Blog: The Trouble with GPS

I found this interesting blog the other day. I say interesting, because I don't have a GPS and am trying to figure out if I really need one (not want - need). I love maps and enjoy using them - even though most maps that are available for purchase do not include as much detail as I'd like. I see some of the advantages of a GPS, but they are not overriding the fun of exploring.



From: Road Runner Motorcycle Touring and Travel

http://www.roadrunner.travel/

Digital Rider Blog: The Trouble with GPS

Thursday June 10, 2010

Here, in a nutshell, is my problem with most GPS nav systems - they are about the destination, not the journey. Unless you arduously map out a scenic route yourself, or buy one from this august publication, you are typically presented with two simple options - "Shortest Time" or "Shortest Distance". Select "Shortest Time" and in the blink of an eye you'll be slabbing on the interstate while scenic country roads lay fallow. Select "Shortest Distance" and you'll shortcut through every subdivision and industrial park between here and Kenosha. That said, I've been using one since 2001 (RIP, Garmin eMap) and they've helped me find my way on three continents.

Maybe one day they'll have a "Scenic Route" button, but until then motorcycle-specific products like TomTom's Rider and Garmin's zumo will feature incremental improvements in other key areas, like a glove-friendly interfaces, Bluetooth headset compatibility, and illustrated views of intersections. Less useful, but very entertaining is the use of Darth Vader's voice on TomToms - www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ljFfL-mL70. Use the force, and turn left in 300 feet.

starwars.tomtom.com/voices/index-starwars.php?Lid=4

Dale,

I love having both, a paper map and a good GPS. I like to sprawl my map out on a picnic table and look down the road and also like the fact that the GPS can give me a bunch of good information like, nearest gas station locations and their phone numbers, Restaurants and their locations and phone numbers, motels, hotels and camp grounds, etc. GPS's are a great traveling companion, indeed, in my opinion.

I don't let my GPS tell me where to go or what road to take, that's why I have maps...But I do use and like both.

Dennis,

Those things you mention are some of the advantages I see, although I've never (yet) encountered a situation where I could not get gas, food or lodging even though I do not have a gps. I keep an eye on the fuel gauge and will fill up before it is empty if there appears to be a long distance before the next town. And I watch the clock, I'll stop for lunch early or late if we hit a town that looks like it has an interesting eatery. As for lodging, we'll roll until we find a hotel or stop early if we do not think we'll find one down the road. I do have a gps for Kim's car and use it on occasion.

To me the best feature a gps can provide is: Showing the road immediately in front of me (300 - 500 feet) to alert me to upcoming changes in direction. This would help in preparing and setting up for curves.

Dale,

An advantage is what ever a person wants....it being, none or every. I would say I'm in the middle of the road because I like to know where my next gas stop is or food.

There are people that just head out without any plan at all. True nomads, always on the move with no destonation except to ride to sunset and camp for the night, no map, cell phone, or GPS and then there are others that need to know every detail of the rout they plan to take to a givin location.

When the last bar starts to blink and according the last sign you looked at that said nextgas 60 miles, you do open the door to meet some new people along the way.

I was traveling back from Florida one time in a car ( I am still trying to figure out how to fit 6 people and luggage on an extended trip on the SWing ).

Every hotel was booked from Mississippi to Louisianna with the car GPS we were able call head to the hotels listed to see if they had any rooms. All of the hotels were booked because of Little League playoffs across the entire South. We would have wasted a heck of a lot of time stopping at every hotel finding there is no room. You never know when you will run into a local/regional problems ... but the GPS sure helps to overcome them.

We did not find any available hotel rooms till we reached the Texas
state line.

Not to mention road detours or closures even on secondary routes ... the GPS has helped us to quickly understand our options.

Alrighty then.

Anyone go look at the Star Wars component in the original post? I'm a logistics engineer and work in an engineering services world, in a town dominated by Aviation, Missile, RADAR, Space, and NASA workers. I may be the only engineer in this company that has never seen a Star Wars movie (I have no plan to change that). I guess I figured that more folks would be drawn in by the opportunity to have Darth Vadar speaking to them through their Tom-Tom.

I'll stay in a bed and breakfat at the drop of a hat. I've stayed in some motels that I'm sure most folks would turn up a nose at. (Remember this - I slept quite a few nights sitting in the commander's seat of a tank for a few months on end.)

I'm not saying GPS' aren't helpful.

Bill,

Was that before New Orleans was built?

Like Dennis I want both map and GPS.

In the UK we had Ordnance Survey maps, so detailed they were all that was necessary.
Here, there are no really detailed maps so the GPS is invaluable.

I used one of these until I bought my Zumo; I devised and printed routes with little maps on my PC and loaded them on to the roller which mounted on my bike: worth a look -

http://www.chalmet.net/

If your not thrilled with Star Wars, you can always get the Knight Rider version:

http://knightrideronline.com/news/2008/06/mio_knight_rider_gps_has_voice.php

Dale, Another nice feature of a GPS is this: Say you program it to get you to a certain town and along the way you see an interesting road....so you turn onto it, and the GPS will reprogram using that road to get you to your original destination...so in a sense...it's MAN PROOF!! billc.

I sometimes take off with no more idea of where I am going other than "North" or "East", etc. I tend to take turns at random because a road looks inviting. Eventually, I get to where I would like to return home, and dig out the map.

Between being on a road not listed on the map, and the fact that many of the maps have tiny little print, I have been looking at GPSs. At Best Buy a few weeks ago, the salesman pointed out to me that you can go into the menu and find a choice that allows you to avoid roads over a certain speed limit (you get to pick the speed). This would enable you to avoid Interstates and many of the divided highways. I don't remember which brand it was, but I just checked my wife's TomTom Go and, buried in the preferences menu five pages deep, is the same function. It allows you to avoid interstates/tollways or limit your speed. I have yet to try it, but will see how it works sometime soon.

If anyone has a Garmin or Magellan, could you check to see if the same feature is available?

Route Planning and Speed Preferences are available on SOME Garmin models but not all. I love my basic TOMTOM for my Swing mounted on a DennisB mount with RAM attachments...billc.

Excellent stuff, keep it coming. I had forgotten about the Knight Rider voice.

I do use the reroute feature of my MIO, but it's focus is to try and return me to my original route.

I think they will get better, but I'm likely to continue carrying my maps.

We already have Dennis' mounts on our bikes. I mount my camera on it.

Right now you can find TOMTOM 140s in lots of electronics stores for $70-80. IF you have the 12v connection in the glove compartment, just put it on DennisB's center mount and Go. Also, they will run on their own internal battery for 2-3 hrs. if not attached to 12v. billc.

In the past I was very anti GPS. Due in the main to my prolific use of maps in my aviation days.

However, as an aid to getting from A to B I think they are superb. Plan the route using a contepory map, use the GPS for the fine tuning. I. E. the last couple of miles in unknown territory. (Thats normally when I get geographically confused - that would be 'lost' in laymans terms!!!)

They have there place place but they should not be deemed to be right every time.

Where they do win with me is the speed camera warnings they give you - for that function alone - a life or should I say license saver.

All good points for a GPS.
Here is one no one has mentioned I can download routes to my GPS.

Here are some Motorcyle routes that I down load.
http://www.openroadjourney.com/

They have routes in most states. You down load to S&T or garmins Mapsource and then download to GPS. That way when I get to where ever I am heading I can then just hit routes and it takes me through the pretty roads that I would never find on my own states away from home. Pretty Neat.
Mine also has a trip log so that when I get back home I can download to PC the whole trip if I want , it also tells elevation and more. REally Neat.

So if you get one make sure it can download routes from your PC.

I have a Garmin 760 older model, and I am learning new things every trip.
It really came in handy sitting in a Hardee's in Roanoke VA and was able to call motels in the area and get their rates and book a room. (I was too tired to go driving around and asking.

MaxB (GPS convert , but still get state maps at boarders.)