Try the GPS Store (thegpsstore.com). I currently looking to upgrade my map software for my nuvi and looking for a different mount than the windshield.Yesterday our refurbished Garmin 340 arrived. Total with shipping: $85. A little bigger than the newest ones, but that's not a problem. Schwarzenegger won't let us mount it to the windshield, so I'm trying to find a good mounting option that doesn't involve gluing that disk to the dashboard.
It works great. I'm totally blown away by this technology.
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CA law changed in Feb this year allows the GPS to be mounted in the tiny corner of the windshield
The other useful feature I've discovered is that it estimates when you'll arrive at your destination. That's good to know if you have to be somewhere at a specific time.
Anyone figured out the algorithm it uses?
- Uses speed limits?
- Takes into account your current speed?
- Takes into account your current speed in relation to speed limits?
I do not trust the accuracy of any of the GPS devices. Since I'd end up verifying what it told me against a paper map, might as well save time and money and just stick with the map.
One 'flaw' in the Garmin is that it 'thinks' you are at the location you last turned it off... so if you turn it off in Austin and back on in Houston, it thinks you are still in Austin until it gets the sat signals... but I guess that might be the same for the Tom Tom, not sure...
Good to know, thanks.
Next question: Burglary. Is someone likely to break into my car if they see a GPS mount or even the GPS device? (I've stopped worrying about someone breaking in to get my crappy tracfone.)
Good to know, thanks.
Next question: Burglary. Is someone likely to break into my car if they see a GPS mount or even the GPS device? (I've stopped worrying about someone breaking in to get my crappy tracfone.)
Amazing how far [-]satellite navigation[/-] GPS has come. Early seventies on board the research ship RV Vema, we had an antenna mounted on top of the mast, sucker weighed about 80 lb, had radials and a vertical sticking out of it for 3 feet. The receiver was 19" rackmount classified device with seals on it. With all sorts of rules on who can see it.
The pre-rocessor was another rackmount with about 40 plug in cards with discreet transistor flip flops, outputting data to a Freiden tape punch. Which produced typically an 10 foot long tape with holes in it representing the satellite orbit, ID, time etc.
To actually get the data, the receiver's speaker was always on. THe watch standers in the electronics lab had trained ears for the faint whistle, of the satellite coming up the horizon. When heard the nearest tech would leap to the control head and press the oscillator tune until the local oscillator matched the satellite doppler, and lock onto the signal. Then the receiver would track the doppler shift until the satellite disappeared over the far horizon.
During the satellite pass the Frieden punch would be clankin out the the punched tape with the satellie data.
At this point all we knew was that we had sat. data.
Now came the processing part. The good old DEC PDP8 with 2 Kilobyte of memory was standing by, or running some other program. We set the toggle switches on front panel to tell computer that it is to expect a program. Now, feed the program tape int the reader, hit the go paddle (switch), and the machine would read a punch tape with the proper holes, which had the satellite navigation program.
This completed, the PDP 8 would beep,indicating it was ready to accept data. Now we loaded the previously punched data tape ftrom the last satellite pass, hit the go toggle, and for 20 ro so minutes be rewarded with an entertaining sequence of flashing lights on the front panel as the computer was processing the data.
At the end of twenty minutes or so the winking blinking lights would stop for a moment, then the computer started to output the fix (our location) on a teletype machine. with a great amount of clanking.
THus we received four lines of data with latitude, longitude, confidence level and estimated time of next satellite pass. The fix was typically good for a 10 to 12 mile radius.
After all this we walked over to the chart table and plotted our location. And got on the intercom to the bridge and read them the fix.
Anyone for the good old days??
I now have a laptop in my suburban with Street Atlas, a surplus Rockwell GPS receiver, a puck antenna on the roof and can navigate on the go.
I like this newer version better.
I look at it as a feature more than a 'flaw'. By remembering the last location, the GPS can focus on the satellites it last saw so it can get back on line quicker. My Garmin 60Cx and V have the option allowing you to tell the GPS to forget its last location (Satellite page, Menu, New Location.) It might be available on your Garmin model too.
Sam
I leave the mount in place and just snap the Garmin unit out of the mount and stick it in my purse or hide it out of sight.
The other useful feature I've discovered is that it estimates when you'll arrive at your destination. That's good to know if you have to be somewhere at a specific time.
Anyone figured out the algorithm it uses?
- Uses speed limits?
- Takes into account your current speed?
- Takes into account your current speed in relation to speed limits?
The unit calculates distance from a satellite based on the time it takes the signal to arrive. The signals travel at the speed of light, so a distance change of 50 feet involves a change in signal delay of less than 53 nanoseconds (1/186,000 = 5.3 microseconds/mile. 50 ft = 1/100 of a mile). Am I understanding it correctly?