Used my Nuvi on high speed trains
Wed, 10/29/2008 - 4:27am
|
17 years
|
Just returned from a long trip in Europe and thought I would share my train stories. I did intend using on the flights but seating (and power availability due to flight times) made that little use.
However - I found that the Nuvi made high speed train travel interesting - French TGV and Eurostar. Both achieved speeds over 300kph! Lots of local trains often get over 160kph.
The only caution I need to add is that it is difficult to get an initial fix from inside a train when moving so start with a clear fix before starting out. I figure that the problem is that all the electrical overheads do not help.
Does tend to confuse the software at times as it is always looking for a road to drive on....
Off Road
I guess you forgot to put it in "off road" mode so it connects quicker and stops trying to snap to a street.
Too busy...
I guess you forgot to put it in "off road" mode so it connects quicker and stops trying to snap to a street.
Should have thought of that! You get busy watching the country flash by! So fast that you snap a photo and catch a tree in the foreground that you just did not see - at all!
pchinote wrote: ...it is
...it is difficult to get an initial fix from inside a train when moving so start with a clear fix before starting out. I figure that the problem is that all the electrical overheads do not help.
The speed of the moving train and the electrical overheads would both be factors, and also, if there's special thermal E glass with a metallic reflection coating, as a lot of new windows have, that may reduce the signal inside the train car as well.
Also, see this thread from the Travel forum which has a good explanation of some of the problems GPS units have initially orienting themselves when moving and also when they've been relocated to a different city while turned off:
http://www.poi-factory.com/node/9354
Does tend to confuse the software at times as it is always looking for a road to drive on....
at 300kph yet! Yeah, GPS units tend to bounce the map around a lot when not on the road and when going fast. Zooming out reduces confusion.
JMoo On
on planes?
have you used your gps on a plane before? i am always afraid to try since the gps' are on the list of things not to use on the plane
"he who sit on pot all day have ring around but" -supposedly Confucious
Planes
have you used your gps on a plane before? i am always afraid to try since the gps' are on the list of things not to use on the plane
I use mine all the time on planes. If it is not allowed and you ask they say no. I just don't ask and no one has ever said anything. You really need the window seat though, zoom way out, put it in off road, and turn the volume all the way down.
It's nice to know when you are looking out a window what is below you, your rate of speed, altitude and how much longer it will be. If you want, just bring headphones and it's you mp3 player.
http://www.poi-factory.com/node/2590
http://www.poi-factory.com/node/13364
re: is GPS allowed on planes?
have you used your gps on a plane before? i am always afraid to try since the gps' are on the list of things not to use on the plane
It depends on the airline. Some never allow it because they're afraid you could be up to no good if you want to know exactly where the plane is, or perhaps because you could cause problems by informing other passengers that the plane was deviating from its planned route before the pilot wanted to make that info known. But other airlines allow it as a permitted electronic device above 10,000 feet altitude. If you look in the airline's in-flight magazine, it will usually tell what devices are and aren't allowed. And pilots and have the final say on prohibiting a device the airline generally allows. If a flight attendant tells you to turn your GPS or other electronic device off, and you don't, you could be subject to arrest when the plane lands for not following crew instructions.
JMoo On