Why Older Folks Need a GPS:

[Nunthewiser]

The one and only time I used a dedicated GPS unit was in Italy in 2011. I bought a used Magellan loaded with European maps on ebay for about $20 and trucked it over. We used it for one day in Tuscany and it was just great as SWMBO is, frankly, not a good navigator and is easily flustered while I am floundering behind the wheel. Well, the second day, the blasted little pin in the socket that goes to power supply broke off and , without tools or parts, we were SOL and were back on maps.

Next time, I will likely be using one of the free Android apps like OSMand or Navfree that use open source maps. They work well without data, though they take some learning. The maps don't take all that much memory- IIRC the Florida map is about 120 gb

[audreyh1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuckanut Older folks need GPS I can read a map. Many of the millennials I know can't.

But your map doesn't know where you had decided to go when you started out. What do you do if you forget where you were going en route?

[aja8888]

Quote:

Originally Posted by audreyh1 But your map doesn't know where you had decided to go when you started out. What do you do if you forget where you were going en route?

I guess you have choices:

1. Turn around and go home,

2. Call Mom and ask her,

3. Ask yourself why you are still allowed to drive.

[explanade]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuckanut Older folks need GPS I can read a map. Many of the millennials I know can't.

Do you also use a typewriter instead of a computer with word processing software?


For that matter, what did people use before Internet forums?

[aja8888]

Quote:

Originally Posted by explanade For that matter, what did people use before Internet forums?

From what I can remember, we used to meet and talk in person.

[explanade]

Meet where though?

Cafes weren't a big thing, no Starbucks in every corner.

I don't think there was as much opportunity to meet and exchange with people with similar interests on just about every topic you can think of.

There used to be AOL but that was tiny compared to how things are today.

[NW-Bound]

Quote:

Originally Posted by easysurfer I'm totally dependent on my portable garmin gps. The best feature is when missing a turn, the thing recalculates. Try that with a paper map. Pre-gps days, one wrong turn could cost me an hour .

Wrong turns are still costly when you drive a motorhome towing a car, particularly as you can never ever back up with a flat-towed car. So far, I have driven only twice into dead-ends that require me to get out and disconnect the towed car so I can turn around.

Still, I turn off the navigation guidance whenever I miss a turn. It's because I would have to figure out how to get back on route by myself, and cannot blindly follow the guidance which may lead me down narrow streets or roads.

PS. What MS S&T does is to highlight the preprogrammed route in blue. When missing a turn, I would drive on my own trying to converge back onto that route. Quite often, it requires me to pull over, and reprogram a new route from the current position. This is particularly true when you need to get to a freeway ramp, as it may not be easily found by a cursory look at the map (by my wife!) while I am driving.

[NW-Bound]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RonBoyd Our ROADTREK is a Class B RV (Chevrolet Express Van), so there is insufficient room for anything larger than 6"-7". I do, however, keep S&Ts running in the back. I do this to log exactly where I have been. BTW, Microsoft stopped supporting S&T two years ago. What are we going to do when we have to upgrade our computers and cannot use the activation code? This will be like losing a part of the family.

Class C RVs are built on "cut-away" van chassis made by either Ford or Chevy for applications like RVs, ambulances, cargo vans, shuttle buses, and maybe their cabin and dashboard are larger than those of passenger vans.

Before the 10" netbook, I used to run MS S&T on a 14" laptop, and it rested comfortably on the dashboard in front of the passenger seat. It was far enough from me that it did not obstruct the view at all.

I still run MS S&T 2013, and did not know MS has discontinued this product. I guess I will keep using it until the map database becomes so obsolete due to new roads not getting updated. That may be a while though.

[Sarah in SC]

+2 on Waze. It is a great thing.

I also really like a feature on my phone where I can ask Google "traffic on x island" and get a real-time map to see what things look like ahead. That way, if it is all backed up, I know to make some happy hour plans before the bridge!

[RonBoyd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by explanade For that matter, what did people use before Internet forums?

We led very sheltered lives. (relative to today)

[ChiliPepr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by audreyh1 In case you forget where are you going while you are driving!!! That happened to us today. On the way somewhere I too a quick detour to the bank to check something. And upon leaving headed home. DH remarks that the GPS wants us to do a U-turn. Right - we forgot we were on our way to a favorite breakfast spot! Good thing the GPS knew where we were supposed to go!

I find it funny that you needed a gps to get to a favorite breakfast spot!

[RonBoyd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NW-Bound did not know MS has discontinued this product. I guess I will keep using it until the map database becomes so obsolete due to new roads not getting updated. That may be a while though.

Not just discontinued... abandoned. It is as if it never existed as far as they are concerned.

The bigger problem is the activation code which is limited to two machines. We have used up the codes with our copies.

[explanade]

Yeah I believe MS has to decide whether to try to acquire Here maps from Nokia, to support its mobile platforms going forward.

[NW-Bound]

Uh Oh! I hope my current hardware setup will work for a while.

Quote:

Originally Posted by explanade For that matter, what did people use before Internet forums?

And I have wondered how I found a restroom or was able to hold my bladder back in the days we did roadtrips without a motorhome. Sure, people manage but if you do not have to, isn't it better?

[explanade]

I remember there used to be little guides that you could load on iPods back around 10 years ago. So for instance, you could load language lessons as a collection of small MP3 files and navigate them.

One of the content you could get was a list of all the public restrooms in London, with ratings.

I'm sure there's an app. somewhere for that now.

[audreyh1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChiliPepr I find it funny that you needed a gps to get to a favorite breakfast spot!

I already explained that we were coming from an unusual direction and had to check for the best route. And then we got distracted when we passed the bank and I remembered I had something to do there.

[Chuckanut]

Quote:

Originally Posted by explanade Do you also use a typewriter instead of a computer with word processing software?

Yes. I connect my typewriter to my phone outlet using some scrap phone wire I picked up from a construction site. That's how I get my messages to this forum.

[Walt34]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Midpack I am comfortable with maps, but it sure is nice when you get turned around in some unfamiliar place and your GPS automatically recalculates your route for you IME.

That's where I am too. It is nice to have it recalculate a new route if I miss a turn and it does that much faster than either I or DW can do it.

[Ronstar]

I recently used DW's garmin nuvi to navigate my way from Phoenix to the Chicago area. I rarely took interstates so I heard "recalculating" quite a bit. But it made a few mistakes along the way. There was a section of Rte 89 south of Page, Az that was closed for some time due to a landslide a few years ago. It reopened while I was there. But the entire highway was missing in the Nuvi map, not just the part closed for road repair. Luckily I had a real map for a backup.

[48Fire]

I overheard a couple in their 80's talking to another friend. She couldn't see, and he couldn't remember anything. So he drove, and would describe what was coming - gas station, Denny's restaurant, etc. She would then say "Turn here!!". All were pretty entertained by their skill (or lack of).