GPS Helpful?

[Wino]

A GPS is very helpful in helping with directions, although the shortest distance setting really caused trouble for this couple. The GPS also saved the day. Here is the story.

By JEFF BARNARD, Associated Press Writer GRANTS PASS, Ore. – A Nevada couple letting their SUV's navigation system guide them through the high desert of Eastern Oregon got stuck in snow for three days when the GPS unit sent them down a remote forest road.

On Sunday, atmospheric conditions apparently changed enough for their GPS-enabled cell phone to get a weak signal and relay coordinates to a dispatcher, Klamath County Sheriff Tim Evinger said.

"GPS almost did 'em in and GPS saved 'em," Evinger said. "It will give you options to pick the shortest route. You certainly get the shortest route. But it may not be a safe route."

Evinger said the couple got stranded Christmas Day and a Lake County deputy found them in the Winema-Fremont National Forest outside the small town of Silver Lake on Sunday afternoon and pulled their four-wheel-drive Toyota Sequoia out of the snow with a winch.

John Rhoads, 65, and his wife, Starry Bush-Rhoads, 67, made it home safely to Reno, Nev.

"It will be (a Christmas) we remember the rest of our lives," Starry Bush-Rhoads said in a telephone interview from her home. "They said if they didn't find us 'til this time next spring, we wouldn't be happy."

The couple was well-equipped for winter travel, carrying food, water and warm clothes, the sheriff said.

"Their statement was, being prepared saved their life," he said.

The couple had been in Portland and followed their GPS as it directed them south on U.S. Highway 97 to Oregon Highway 31, which goes through Silver Lake and Lakeview before connecting with U.S. Highway 395 to Reno, Evinger said.

In the town of Silver Lake, the unit told them to turn right on Forest Service Road 28, and they followed that and some spur roads nearly 35 miles before getting stuck in about 1 1/2 feet of snow near Thompson Reservoir, the sheriff said.

"For some reason, they finally got a weak signal after 2 1/2 days," Evinger said. "They called in. They alternated between two different cell phone numbers."

A GPS-enabled phone is able to send its coordinates to 911, and eventually one of the couple's phones sent its location to the dispatcher's console, the sheriff said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091229/ap_on_hi_te/us_stranded_motorists

[lvdkeyes]

Not likely to happen here in Thailand. he he he

[rucus7]

I have GPS on the new car we bought, it seems to work fine although it is a distraction. Plus it is partially in English and partially in Thai.

[Wino]

I have a GPS at home. It is helpful but routes you in some wacky ways when you use the shortest route mode.

[lvdkeyes]

I use Google map and print out the directions.

[Wino]

I have used map quest and google map, as well. GPS is nice because it talks to you and can give new directions if you make a wrong turn. Prices have come down and models are very affordable. I paid around $1,300 for a GPS about a decade ago. Now, I have seen them as cheap as $125.

[rucus7]

I have used map quest and google map, as well. GPS is nice because it talks to you and can give new directions if you make a wrong turn. Prices have come down and models are very affordable. I paid around $1,300 for a GPS about a decade ago. Now, I have seen them as cheap as $125.

Yes as with most electronics, ten years later they are less expensive and more user friendly.

[Thaimo]

I drive a car in Thailand. I love my GPS. I wouldn't want to be without it. It is easy to drive from city to city, but once you reach the destination city it can be very difficult to find where you are trying to go without a GPS. The software includes listings of most hotels, restaurants, filling stations, bank and ATM locations, shopping centers, convenience stores, and much more. Only last month I used my GPS to get me to a hotel in Udon Thani. Not only did the GPS take me right to the hotel, but it accurately predicted how long the trip would take, to the minute, even from hundreds of km away. Same results for recent trips to Khorat, a boondocks location in the Chaiyaphum province, and a boondocks location in the Khon Kaen province. Also, I would hate to try to drive to a destination with which I am not familiar in Bangkok without my GPS.

Sometimes the GPS can get you close to where you want to go, but doesn't have the precise location among its listings, such as someone's home or various locales where you might want to return some time. Once you get where you're trying to go you only have to touch a button to add in that location.

I also like the fact that if you miss a turn or decide not to go down some obscure road the GPS tells you to use, it quickly and automatically recalculates another routing to your destination. Also, since one of the first things you do with a new GPS is to store your home location, at the touch of a button the GPS will lead you home from wherever you are.

On my GPS the added locations, and I have loads of them now, are stored on an SD card. I can easily insert the SD card into my computer and save all the locations to Google Earth.

For me, the GPS is one of the best investments I've ever made in Thailand. If you drive in Thailand, I highly recommend buying one.

[Wino]

I agree 100% Thaimo. I have not used a GPS in Thailand, but once you use one, it is hard to go without. For about $150 you can have the world at your fingertips.

[lvdkeyes]

I will have to look into getting one.

[Thaimo]

I will have to look into getting one.

If you drive in Thailand, once you have one you'll wonder how you ever lived without it.

[Wino]

Well worth the investment.

[lvdkeyes]

Any recommendations on brand to buy?

[Thaimo]

Any recommendations on brand to buy?

Yes. I definitely recommend Garmin. I also recommend their 'Nuvi' series. I use their 'StreetPilot' model myself, but if I knew at the time I bought it what I know now, I would have gotten a Nuvi. I think the Nuvi is a better platform. I suggest a GPS that is easy to remove from your vehicle when not in use to avoid theft. Also having it handy when planning a trip is quite helpful. You live in Pattaya. You'll find several places at Tuk Com that sell the Garmin GPS models. In Bangkok, Pantip Plaza has a wide selection. I'm sure there are other places, but those are the only ones where I've looked.

I did have to buy some extra equipment. My GPS came with a cord that attaches to the GPS and plugs into my computer via a USB port. The battery can be charged via the USB and that's also how to connect the GPS to your computer. I bought a kit that contains a plug for the car's cigarette lighter and a plug for a wall outlet. Maybe the newer models come with those (mine is two years old), but mine didn't. I think you definitely want the cigarette lighter plug for long trips. A fully charged battery will last about 5 or 6 hours, not nearly long enough for some trips. I've never really needed the wall outlet plug. So far, for the last two years all it's done is take up space in a drawer. But in my opinion the cigarette lighter cord is essential if you're going to make long trips. Nothing is worse than seeing that battery charge indicator down to nearly nothing when you're out in the boonies in the middle of the night and having no idea where you really are or watching the battery die just as you are arriving at your destination city and now need to find your hotel. I think the cigarette lighter cord is an essential peripheral and considering that the GPS is sold to be used in a car, I'm surprised they didn't include one along with the USB cord.

If you buy any of those items, make sure you have the GPS with you when you make the purchase so that you can be sure you're getting something that fits your GPS.

I have discovered one negative feature, but it is relatively easy to overcome. The most popular software for GPS use in Thailand comes from a company in Bangkok called ESRI ( http://www.esrith.com/Eindex.cfm ). When you are trying to spell out the name of a place you wish to go, quite often ESRI has their own spellings, non-standard and different from more common spellings. As you start getting used to your GPS you will become accustomed to their spelling quirks and learn to play around with the spelling. Most of the time, after trying a few spelling variation possibilities, what you are looking for will eventually come up. It can be a little frustrating, but it doesn't take long to get it all figured out.

When you first get your GPS it might seem very complex and confusing to use. But you'll play around with it and hopefully go through the instruction manual. I would guess that within 2 to 3 weeks you will be familiar with and know how to easily use all the features. After a while it becomes second nature. Of course, in the meantime you can always post questions here and we'll very likely be able to answer them.

There is a Yahoo group for GPS users. Many of the posts are the kinds that assume a great deal of prior knowledge, but many of the posters there are quite cooperative and helpful to people new to GPS use. But for most of your questions, we should be able to handle understandable answers for you right here on this forum.