10 Years Ago, and More

 

The topic here about Zadmi got me thinking. In 1999, I was using a hockey puck receiver with Rand McNally mapping software on a laptop to navigate. I was driving an 18 wheeler. The maps were none to detailed, and actual addresses were hard to locate. It would get you in the general area. Sometimes it would take you exactly where you want to go.

I used this for a couple years, until SA, (Delorme) came out with the AAA series. The Rand McNally puck worked with it on the laptop. I eventually got an Earthmate puck receiver and this what I used for a number of years. It was certainly more affordable than the rudimentary handhelds that were out in the early 2000's.

A Street Pilot 530 was my first Garmin, and it was WAY more easy to use than a laptop and a puck receiver. Neither was more accurate than the other, but the Street Pilot was certainly a lot more convenient. But it still took a number of years to wean myself completely away from Delorme. I have the most recent version of SA, 2015, and use it for planning, To me, it's way more intuitive and easier to use and plan on than BaseCamp. If you have ever used Street Atlas, you will know what I mean.

I also have used SA's TOPO program alongside for all these years, also.

So, just to start another long and useless thread while we wait for the latest Garmin map update to come out, tell us your history of using GPS products.

--
Frank DriveSmart55 37.322760, -79.511267

what's

a hockey puck receiver?

I was pretty young then, bought my first new car in 1998. One of the first things I did was to go to Walmart and get a road atlas.

The funny thing is, that car is still a daily driver today, and I'm looking to replace it next spring.

I never thought I'd be old enough to say, they don't build them like they used to.

I Had A Similar Experience

I used Street Atlas with the serial port GPS receiver too. My first hand held was a Magellan Meridian Gold though. I've pulled it out recently and need to put on my reading glasses to see the gray scale screen. It's definitely NOT good for me to use while driving.

Look Like a Hockey Puck

johnnatash4 wrote:

a hockey puck receiver?

I was pretty young then, bought my first new car in 1998. One of the first things I did was to go to Walmart and get a road atlas.

The funny thing is, that car is still a daily driver today, and I'm looking to replace it next spring.

I never thought I'd be old enough to say, they don't build them like they used to.

the Rand McNally serial receiver was a round, black chunk of plastic, about 2" in diameter and about 1/2" thick. It looked like a hockey puck. It had a cord with an RS32 serial plug on it to connect to the laptop. The receiver Delorme came out with was a yellow, slightly rectangular, plastic box, and I think it actually had a USB connector instead of the RS32 plug.

--
Frank DriveSmart55 37.322760, -79.511267

introduction to garmin

My introduction to Garmin was on the water about 1997. We were sailing on Long Island Sound from Huntington NY east about 150 miles. We had a Datamarine Loran that worked using paper charts. The first day out, we were struck by lightning which fried the VHF radio but the Loran still worked.

To get to the nearest harbor we needed a good position. The Loran put us 30 miles inland! We landed at Bridgeport CT, took a taxi to the nearest marine store, and bought a VHF and a Garmin 45XL GPS.

dobs108 shock

Well....

My first GPS was a Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx. That model came with the microSD card slot and made the unit very useable and appealing. That was a great GPS. Bought it as soon as it was released. Sold it many years later. Then I went for the Montana 600. It was released well before it was ready. Many bugs in the firmware, which I revealed and helped Garmin remediate. The Montana tried to be all things to all people, and hence it never really was as good as expected. Sold that one too. Then I obtained the Garmin GPSMAP 64s, a great unit that picks up where the 60CSx left off. Garmin left out a couple features, added a few others. Now I use the Garmin N. America iOS app on an iPhone, and that is a pretty good option for general navigation. The GPSMAP 64s is weatherproof and used for outdoors. That's where I am today.

--
When you are dead, you don’t know that you are dead. It is only difficult for the others. It is the same when you are stupid.

My first experience with GPS

My first experience with GPS was on a motorcycle. We were doing a cross country ride, and one of the group had a Garmin, and we made him de-facto 'Navigator' (though not 'leader' as he kept referring to the screen which takes eyes off highway). He routed us, and informed us what and where to turn via CB Radio...
At first rest stop we went and gawked....
Later that night we watched as he entered next day's route..
We didn't partake until a few years later, and got our 660.

--
A 2689LMT in both our cars that we love... and a Nuvi 660 with Lifetime Maps that we have had literally forever.... And a 2011 Ford Escape with Nav System that is totally ignored!

Garmin GPSMap 76CSx

My first GPS was a Garmin GPSMap76CSx. I got it in 2005 and used it for geocaching. However, it also took maps and I installed the full North America map. I used it for cross country trips and it worked wonderfully. It would beep when I was getting close to a turn and then trill when I actually needed to turn. It got me through major construction zones in Reno where I had to take detours and would just keep recalculating until I got to a place where I could follow the directions. No voice and a small screen but the thing worked wonderfully. The only reason I ever replaced it was because I left it (one time too many) on the hood of my truck when geocaching. After bouncing down the road a number of times the compass got a bit wonky which made geocaching difficult to say the least.

--
GPSMAP 76CSx - nüvi 760 - nüvi 200 - GPSMAP 78S

First GPS ?

Way back in about 1990 my first GPS was a handheld Lowrance which ran on 4 AA batteries and ate them pretty fast. At the time I sailed and used Loran for positioning, but it was nowhere as easy to navigate as modern GPS receivers are.
With the handheld no more 8' antennae to use with the Loran.

Then I found a chart program called "Fugawi" and I found I could buy a cable to connect the handheld to my laptop and there was an additional 12 volt cable too. I thought I'd gone to heaven to actually see where I was on the water. Then I too found the "Hockeypuck" receiver which plugged into a USB port.

A bit later I found I could also use this setup in my car using Microsoft Streets and Trips on my laptop.

BTW: The name Fugawi is an old Indian name and derives from "Where the Fugawi"

--
Nuvi 2797LMT, DriveSmart 50 LMT-HD, Using Windows 10. DashCam A108C with GPS.

Came from a TV program

Melaqueman wrote:

snip

BTW: The name Fugawi is an old Indian name and derives from "Where the Fugawi"

Correct, that was the name of the fictional indian tribe on the old TV program, "F-Troop".

Fugawi

Somewhere on FB, in a Navy Group, someone posted a picture of his mother's certificate the got when she finished Navigation school, (Wave Officer). In the lower left corner was a picture of the Big Nose Indian with his hand on his forehead shielding the sun depicting searching, with caption underneath, "Fugawi Tribe Member", or something like that.

--
Frank DriveSmart55 37.322760, -79.511267

Delorme Street Atlas

My first was around 2005. For $70 I bought the Delorme Street Atlas package which included the software, maps and a USB hockey puck receiver for use on a laptop. Threw the puck on the dash, and the laptop on the passenger seat. The larger laptop screen allowed a split screen view, with a zoomed out map on one side and a zoomed in map on the other half of the screen. Turn by turn support, spoken street names, upcoming turn indicators, etc. It was a great system. The downfall was you had to take your eyes pretty far off the road to see the screen. There were companies that supplied a pedestal mount to mount the laptop so it was in front of the dashboard, but I never bought into that. Not so good for solo trips, but with a companion who could keep it on her lap, it worked pretty well. Tethered to a phone, we would have internet access, Google searching and more while on road trips. Actually, as I think back, I made her drive a lot of the time while I acted as navigator.

In 2006 or 2007 I purchased a Nuvi 550. I upgraded a couple years later to a 760 so I could do custom routing. A few years after that, upgraded to a 65LM when the 760 died. I've also owned an eTrex 30 and currently a GPSMAP 64s for hiking and geocaching.

Don't forget the response..

Melaqueman wrote:

BTW: The name Fugawi is an old Indian name and derives from "Where the Fugawi"

Don't forget the proper response to the indian word Fugawi. It's Fugino, as in "How the Fugino"

Being a Luddite

I still prefer maps but the GPS units are so much more convenient when moving. My first was a Garmin 330 followed soon after by the 530...I still think the 330/530 speakers were the best ever on any GPS.

--
"You can't get there from here"

I Still Use

my 350 & 370 for all my driving needs.
They still have the original batteries & can still run for hours without being on charge while using the GPS.
Garmin sure makes some good equipment!
Fred

660

I still use my 660 after 8 years. But the touchscreen stopped. Will be using it again as soon as I get it repaired. Tried the IPhone but miss some of the features on the gps. smile

--
johnm405 660 & MSS&T

Does this 1983 Version Count?

Does my 'Build-your-own CarPilot' count? This was my first ... pre-1984.

May also be interested in this 2007 POI-Factory thread, 'How Many Years Have You Had A GPSr?'.

RT

--
"Internet: As Yogi Berra would say, "Don't believe 90% of what you read, and verify the other half."

GPS history

Garmin 75 that I used mostly on boats.
Garmin 12
Garmin Rino
Garmin Nuvi 1490T (added memory and replaced the battery in this unit and it's still serving me well)

Almost ten years ago, I

Almost ten years ago, I bought a then-new 2007 Camry. The first year that model came out. I got a nuvi 350 shortly after, and discovered POI-Factory around the same time. I've been learning about GPS system ever since.

Now the nuvi has been updated (to 750, then to 2589) and Camry has been replaced after being rear-ended and declared a total loss.

And I'm still learning about GPS systems.

More things change, more things I get nostalgic about.

--
nüvi 750 & 760

hmmm . ...

oldpal wrote:
Melaqueman wrote:

snip

BTW: The name Fugawi is an old Indian name and derives from "Where the Fugawi"

Correct, that was the name of the fictional indian tribe on the old TV program, "F-Troop".

Duz tis' splain' it? razz

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Fugawi&amp=t...

--
Never argue with a pig. It makes you look foolish and it anoys the hell out of the pig!

Build your own CarPolot

retiredtechnician wrote:

Does my 'Build-your-own CarPilot' count? This was my first ... pre-1984.

May also be interested in this 2007 POI-Factory thread, 'How Many Years Have You Had A GPSr?'.

RT

That is great. Reminds me of my TI-99 years

--
Mary, Nuvi 2450, Garmin Viago, Honda Navigation, Nuvi 750 (gave to son)