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Satellite Navigation Vs Map & Compass

Satellite Navigation Vs Compass

Satellite Navigation
15
11%
Compass (with map)
34
25%
Both
88
64%
 
Total votes : 137

Re: Satellite Navigation Vs Map & Compass

Postby tilley hemp th5 » Sat Aug 07, 2010 1:40 pm

[quote="HighlandSC"][quote="tilley hemp th5"].........6. beg borrow or steal lots of cash and buy a gps (probably means no holiday that year)..................

A basic but very good GPS can be purchased for about the same price as a good compass. Regardless..you must have cheap holidays! :D


Amazon price for satmap plus gb card is £500 !!!!!
are we talking about the same thing here ?
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Re: Satellite Navigation Vs Map & Compass

Postby HighlandSC » Sat Aug 07, 2010 1:46 pm

Satmap is top of the range with on screen mapping.

Something like a Garmin Etrex can be bought for about £50 - even that has many features, but ultimately is just as good at giving you a grid ref of where you are
https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=144&pID=8705
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Re: Satellite Navigation Vs Map & Compass

Postby Michelle » Sat Aug 07, 2010 1:58 pm

tilley hemp th5 wrote:compass does not work correctly on skye Cuillin Hills , and assume gps would...... so i can see a benefit here for gps.....
(are there any other places where compass gets 'magnatised' by the rock ??)


Ben More is one... the rock on Mull has magnetic properties which can interfere with readings. I'm sure there must be other spots as well!

tilley hemp th5 wrote:my friend takes his gps golf course planner with him when we play golf.


:lol: Phones do that nowadays too! A friend of mine was recently very excited to download that as a Blackberry app, lol
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Re: Satellite Navigation Vs Map & Compass

Postby colgregg » Mon Sep 06, 2010 1:31 pm

Map and compass, why? Just imagine youself miles from anywhere in thick fog at the same time as North Korea decides to down a few of our satellites or an asteroid enters our atmosphere wiping them out. What you going to do now. O.K. daft answer but I'm bored, skint and have 10 days stuck at home because its a marginally better option than being at work and losing my holidays!!!!!!!
Sorry rant over.....
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Re: Satellite Navigation Vs Map & Compass

Postby derwent2 » Thu Sep 09, 2010 9:33 am

There is nothing wrong with using GPS. Why does everyone feel that they have to justify themselves to the map and compass brigade by adding , but i do carry a map and compass just in case.
Such snobbery!!! As long as an individual is confident in the method of navigation- does it matter?
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Re: Satellite Navigation Vs Map & Compass

Postby davidmhodgey » Thu Sep 09, 2010 10:16 am

*Dons helmet*
*Awaits trolluddites*
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Re: Satellite Navigation Vs Map & Compass

Postby rabthecairnterrier » Thu Sep 09, 2010 11:12 am

derwent2 on Thu Sep 09, 2010 9:33 am

There is nothing wrong with using GPS. Why does everyone feel that they have to justify themselves to the map and compass brigade by adding , but i do carry a map and compass just in case.
Such snobbery!!! As long as an individual is confident in the method of navigation- does it matter?derwent2
Mountain Walker

Might be Ok where you come from as descending into a valley you'll soon find a house or at least a road. It's a different matter if your GPS suffers an infestaion of electronic gremlins of the batteries die on you up here NW of Inverness. Come down off the "wrong" side of the hill and you can be a long way from anywhere else, especially in winter (batteries don't like the cold of course).
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Re: Satellite Navigation Vs Map & Compass

Postby sloosh » Thu Sep 09, 2010 11:30 am

Oh, and a counterpunch finds it's mark! The opponent is reeling, can he come back from it?

davidmhodgey wrote:*Dons helmet*
*Awaits trolluddites*

lol :lol:
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Re: Satellite Navigation Vs Map & Compass

Postby davidmhodgey » Thu Sep 09, 2010 1:07 pm

rabthecairnterrier wrote:especially in winter (batteries don't like the cold of course).


That's actually an excellent point and the very reason I carry a paper map. Last winter I spent a day in the Fannichs. My car said it was -20something when I parked up! Throughout the day my fully charged camera, GPS and head torch all failed.

When I got back to my car, quite late, I found that the immobilizer on my car keyfob wouldn't work - it's battery was deed too! I put it in my pants and sat on it for a while which brought it back to life. Anyway, aye very good point Rab.
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Re: Satellite Navigation Vs Map & Compass

Postby Hendos van » Thu Sep 09, 2010 8:58 pm

I prefer using a map and compass, but like my Garmin Etrex to let me know my position in Clag, if and when I need it. I also use the GPS to mark the position of my rucksack when leaving it occasionaly. I also download my route and view it on Google Earth, great piece of kit.
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Re: Satellite Navigation Vs Map & Compass

Postby brpro26 » Fri Sep 10, 2010 10:51 am

If possible it's best to have both...it's not snubbery, it's just sensible. Have been on group walks when the Map & Compass brigade have convinced each other that their heading in the right direction and the GPS guy at the back is saying "guys were heading in the wrong direction...GUYS I SAID WEre...". He's double checking the loaded route and sees that it's going off track. Prompts a recheck and right enough..Oops soory...eh thanks for that. :oops:

If it's a pea-souper the GPS waymarked route is a life saver, especially in difficult more remote areas where a wrong turn can go pear-shaped quickly and have serious consequences.
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Re: Satellite Navigation Vs Map & Compass

Postby Happy Tramp » Fri Sep 10, 2010 4:51 pm

I use a pine cone for navigation.......... more reliable and accurate than a GPS or Map and Compass.

Attached to a ball of string it can also measure the elevation of any point.

Can the bar chart be amended to include votes for the pine cone as I am sure there are many other members who rely on it for navigation?
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Re: Satellite Navigation Vs Map & Compass

Postby derwent2 » Fri Sep 10, 2010 6:20 pm

rabthecairnterrier wrote:
derwent2 on Thu Sep 09, 2010 9:33 am

There is nothing wrong with using GPS. Why does everyone feel that they have to justify themselves to the map and compass brigade by adding , but i do carry a map and compass just in case.
Such snobbery!!! As long as an individual is confident in the method of navigation- does it matter?derwent2
Mountain Walker

Might be Ok where you come from as descending into a valley you'll soon find a house or at least a road. It's a different matter if your GPS suffers an infestaion of electronic gremlins of the batteries die on you up here NW of Inverness. Come down off the "wrong" side of the hill and you can be a long way from anywhere else, especially in winter (batteries don't like the cold of course).


Bin there and done it time and time again in NW of inverness. Just a few little hills up there.
Not as many sheep either. :shock:

Spare batteries taped under my armpits to keep warm have always worked well if needed!!!.
Maps can blow away, Compasses can reverse polarity or at worse can fall off the carrier.
In short it dont matter what method you use it can still go tits up. :lol:
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Re: Satellite Navigation Vs Map & Compass

Postby Hendos van » Fri Sep 10, 2010 6:42 pm

derwent2 wrote:
In short it dont matter what method you use it can still go tits up. :lol:


I, always prepare for the worst. My main map is laminated, and my spare is folded and wrapped up in a plastic bag. Main compass always near at hand, spare compass in the rucksack. GPS batteries fully charged the night before, spare batteries in rucksack. And after all that, Ive still made mistakes in navigation, the trick IMHO is to prepare as best as you can, and when the Clag comes down, just relax and take a minute to compose yourself, panic probably causes the most problems.

Anyway just get out there and enjoy the outdoors. :D
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Re: Satellite Navigation Vs Map & Compass

Postby davidhbrodie » Sat Sep 11, 2010 8:13 am

Morning

Just new to the Forum & very impressed with the web site.

I am a map and compass man, however use a Foretrex 101 / 201 as back up, i.e pinging waypoints in bad vis for escape routes.

The GPS comes into its own for MTB, the habdle bar cradle is superb.

Regarding downl oads etc, can anu one advose what soft ware they use when using the website free GPS Planner and the 1:25 000 maps.

I do not seem to be able to upload the gpx files

Many thanks

David
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