GPS Reccomendations

Heavy fog, sure. How about after a nasty snow fall where every sign is 'whited' out? Or roads that are poorly marked or not at all. Construction detours or confusing intersections where the road may fork. An atlas is a must, I agree, but those who decry a GPS are fooling themselves. Even if you aren't following it's routing, they're useful in far too many ways not to have one. I wont be without mine.

 

That is your prerogative my friend, but something to consider, how do you think we did the same thing back in the days before the technology got to where it is now?
Paper Atlas and maybe a CB. That was what we had, and we got the job done.

Ya feel me?

 

I've used both the Garmin and the TND. They both have some features that are good and they both have features I would change or refine a little better if I could.
That being said, I find the TND to be an all around trucker GPS. Better map view, faster route calculations, but the best feature is route comparison.
You set the preferences and the GPS will calculate both possibilities.
The other nice thing about the new generation of TND is that you can change the way the face looks and the view.

 

In my day I used a rand GPS reciever in the mid to late 90's after Bill Clinton made executive order declassifying military GPS to use by Civilians like myself with sufficient accuracy to maintain the middle interstate lane in the worst of whiteouts (Not recommended... you kill people who are stopped in such storms..) That reciever tied into the laptop made enough precision based on physical address of the actual dock itself you are going to get loaded or unloaded at. Everything else was still taken care of on paper motor carriers atlas and in certian areas a complete paper map stack of everything in the 5 boroughs come to mind. Down to alley way level and ramp directions plus all clearances adjusted away from the NY's one foot too #### low. =) There was a lot of planning that went on over dinner in the 76 before you turned a wheel.

Qualcomm to me was just like using the Deaf Relay TTD or TTY or even teletype, a monster 90 pound chatter box from the cold war era. That satellite comms to dispatch eliminated the one trouble I had, telephones and the time wasted waiting on hold. It was literally money. Plop it into your lap with her settled in the grooves at 70 and read what dispatch had to say. Anything besides call me. (Reserved for rthose whose last day on the job has potentially dawned) I understand laws have been written fining trucking 8000 dollars for texting on the move or whatever. It's a shame.

Some 76's maintained library card catalogs of shippers and recievers with routings to and from. Those were the most valuable. FFE issued a book that contained all of their customers in three Nations so you could find anyone you were dispatched to any time. That GPS simply made it tighter as it were.

Tech is nice. But God gave you a brain, use it please. That way you will never be the Zero being jeered at on tonight's TTR you tube running into a neon yellow day glo painted low bridge. There is one that destroyed a freaking fire truck that came out of expensive repairs back into service. Well, it went to salvage instead. LOL. Of all people you think they would know better.

 

Old man, you can get old and be old if you want to. I'm probably out here longer than you. But we also used to get by "just fine" with horses and a Town telegraph operator. You can force yourself to think you're somehow protecting and honoring the "good old days" by hanging on to antiquated means, if that somehow makes you feel better but you can do so by yourself. You feel me?

 

How did you did make phone calls back in the days?. Hope that pocket with all those quarters for the pay phone isn't too heavy for ya seeing as how you eschew the modern technology of them new fangled cellular telephones.

Kinda makes me wonder how you are posting on this forum since you are so old school.

 

I have always used Garmin Products as the owner of the company and my wife were in Jaycees together. I run both a Desi Cam and a 770. My plane has the 1000 series. Use whatever you like and get the job done safely. Carrying a map will let you make quicker routing choices.

I have had to call the building and planning commission to get an address that the Garmins will pick up and have had it point me down a street that wasn't built yet. Of course, I question things when that happens.

 

Mid 2000s I was running a Garmin Nuvi model for cars but it had a bus option feature. It usually routed for state roads and highways. I only used it to supplement my hagstrom county street atlases and dispatcher directions. Thing is, those street atlases are no longer in print and running local they were a must have. Can't find em anywhere.

 

I use a sextant. The rest of y'all are a buncha steering wheel holders!

 

I hope you're using a hands free one if you're using it while driving. Better not be fiddling with it when you're driving around me. I'll drop a dime on you.