Hope you can update your GPS...

[hoosierdoc]

Planned obsolescence

 

[BigBoxaJunk]

When I was a kid, I remember my uncle showing my dad a radio he'd had since he was in high school. One of the knobs was broken and he wrote a letter to the company and they had sent him a new set of knobs for his (then) 20 year old radio.

 

[Cameramonkey]

Planned obsolescence

Meh. No, more like "poor planning." The problem is in the satellite design and method of computing the date. Not in the receivers.

Much like Y2K, the original designers Just didnt think out the plan to the Nth degree.

 

[dudley0]

Anyone have a suggestion for a good GPS? I have a few, but they are old and do not have current maps. My truck had onstar but it was a pain to get all the places loaded, plus the monthly charge with no map was a deal breaker.

I prefer not to use my phone as it eats batteries enough the way it is. Guess I could just plug it in while using maps, but I am lazy and think I would prefer a stand alone unit.

 

[Cameramonkey]

I'm partial to Garmin myself. I highly recommend getting a unit that has both lifetime maps and lifetime traffic. (I think the model designation ends in LMT) They are a little more, but well worth the investment.

And using maps on a phone is problematic. It chews up data because it is downloading all the map data. And if you get into a cellular dead zone like the mountains, you appear to drive off the edge of the world because it cant get the map overlay downloaded. Garmin also makes a full version for phones, but they tie up several gigabytes in storage space for the maps. If you have a cheaper phone with only 16gb of space, that data loss is painful.

 

[injb]

Nowhere in either of the 2 articles or in the homeland security memo is there anything about how this could affect position calculation. From what they're saying, it'll just show you the wrong time, that's all.

 

[JettaKnight]

Meh. No, more like "poor planning." The problem is in the satellite design and method of computing the date. Not in the receivers.

Much like Y2K, the original designers Just didn't think out the plan to the Nth degree.

There's a difference between "planning to the Nth degree" and making design trade-offs.

And just because the data doesn't provide the full picture, doesn't me the receiver of the data can't interpolated and make up for the shortcomings.

 

[HoughMade]

I'm partial to Garmin myself. I highly recommend getting a unit that has both lifetime maps and lifetime traffic. (I think the model designation ends in LMT) They are a little more, but well worth the investment.

And using maps on a phone is problematic. It chews up data because it is downloading all the map data. And if you get into a cellular dead zone like the mountains, you appear to drive off the edge of the world because it cant get the map overlay downloaded. Garmin also makes a full version for phones, but they tie up several gigabytes in storage space for the maps. If you have a cheaper phone with only 16gb of space, that data loss is painful.

On Google maps, you can download the route and then drive with the data off. the GPS signal doesn't use data. Turn the data back on if you have to re-route. I've been doing this for years.

 

[Cameramonkey]

Nowhere in either of the 2 articles or in the homeland security memo is there anything about how this could affect position calculation. From what they're saying, it'll just show you the wrong time, that's all.

But it all revolves around time. (and timing) I could see this causing some units to malfunction and stop working. Some might work, others not so much.

 

[cce1302]

"Planned obsolescence?"

They've been obsolete since apps like Waze were made for smartphones. Welcome to 2013.

(Yes, I realize there may still be people who don't own a smartphone )

 

[Cameramonkey]

"Planned obsolescence?"

They've been obsolete since apps like Waze were made for smartphones. Welcome to 2013.

(Yes, I realize there may still be people who don't own a smartphone )

I'll respectfully disagree. See post 25. (Ive driven off the edge of the earth many times and it is frustrating as hell)

 

[DoggyDaddy]

I'll respectfully disagree. See post 25. (Ive driven off the edge of the earth many times and it is frustrating as hell)

I remember Dad's GPS. It was Mom unfolding a map and telling him when his exit was coming up.

 

[cce1302]

I'll respectfully disagree. See post 25. (Ive driven off the edge of the earth many times and it is frustrating as hell)

Yeah, if you don't have $200 to spend on a 64 gb smartphone, then I guess $140 for a stand-alone Garmin with lifetime maps and traffic is a good investment?

 

[JettaKnight]

Yeah, if you don't have $200 to spend on a 64 gb smartphone, then I guess $140 for a stand-alone Garmin with lifetime maps and traffic is a good investment?

Especially if you travel to places where cell service is unavailable to you. e.g. overseas, deep forest.

 

[CampingJosh]

I'll respectfully disagree. See post 25. (Ive driven off the edge of the earth many times and it is frustrating as hell)

If you know in advance that you will be traveling in an area without cell service, Google allows you to download area maps in advance so that you only need the GPS signal to function. That's what I used to do when traveling overseas. (Now I have a Skyroam, so I just have a worldwide WiFi hotspot whenever I'm out of the US.)

And my experience has been that there's only one phone manufacturer who makes you pay $200 for extra storage. Android phones typically take micro SD cards, so a spare 128 GB is now only about $25.

 

[JettaKnight]

If you know in advance that you will be traveling in an area without cell service, Google allows you to download area maps in advance so that you only need the GPS signal to function. That's what I used to do when traveling overseas. (Now I have a Skyroam, so I just have a worldwide WiFi hotspot whenever I'm out of the US.)

And my experience has been that there's only one phone manufacturer who makes you pay $200 for extra storage. Android phones typically take micro SD cards, so a spare 128 GB is now only about $25.

Oh... I wonder if I can do that with my tablet and an SD card... is it possible to load up an entire country?

 

[cce1302]

Oh... I wonder if I can do that with my tablet and an SD card... is it possible to load up an entire country?

Sure. You might have to do multiple downloads depending on what app you're using. Google maps allows you to select an area that's pretty large.

I'm not using int'l data here (Norway), so I just download the region and use it in airplane mode. I guess you can do multiple downloads and cover as much of the world as you want, then just use offline maps to navigate.

 

[maxwelhse]

When I was a kid, I remember my uncle showing my dad a radio he'd had since he was in high school. One of the knobs was broken and he wrote a letter to the company and they had sent him a new set of knobs for his (then) 20 year old radio.

I'd much rather live in a world where I can 3D print my own new knobs in about 20 minutes. I hang on to the past quite a lot too, but this new fangled stuff is pretty awesome sometimes.

On Google maps, you can download the route and then drive with the data off. the GPS signal doesn't use data. Turn the data back on if you have to re-route. I've been doing this for years.

You can also download entire regions and set your device to only update the maps on WiFi. All of Indiana is about 5gb (which includes satellite view). With a 256gb SD card being about $50, this actually is a pretty practical approach.

----

I would think professional drivers would want stuff on tablets anyhow so they can run apps like Waze that a standalone GPS wouldn't?

 

[actaeon277]

Anyone have a suggestion for a good GPS? I have a few, but they are old and do not have current maps. My truck had onstar but it was a pain to get all the places loaded, plus the monthly charge with no map was a deal breaker.

I prefer not to use my phone as it eats batteries enough the way it is. Guess I could just plug it in while using maps, but I am lazy and think I would prefer a stand alone unit.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01A1HL70I/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Cameramonkey]

You can also download entire regions and set your device to only update the maps on WiFi. All of Indiana is about 5gb (which includes satellite view). With a 256gb SD card being about $50, this actually is a pretty practical approach.

Unless you are an iDevice user. Apple refuses to add external storage support.