Maps, GPS, signs...what do you rely on, when, and why?

Started by westerninterloper, October 31, 2017, 02:13:06 PM

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jakeroot



kalvado


jakeroot


kalvado


jeffandnicole


kalvado


jeffandnicole


roadman

#57
When planning a trip, even into relatively known territory, I use Streets and Trips - mainly for the fuel calculations to remind myself about gas stops (Rule # 1 - analog fuel gauges are only an approximation of fuel use).  If my route involves major junctions I've never traversed, or I know have been reconfigured since my last trip through them, I "drive" through them on my computer (using GSV) a couple of days before my trip to familiarize myself with the signs and the configuration.

On the road, I have a GPS, which I use mostly for the time and distance remaining information.  The "you're going too high above the speed limit" feature (bell that goes off when you reach a certain speed that's above the posted limit - mine is set for 75 mph) is also nice.  I also carry a printout of the Streets and Trips directions, and a Michelin road atlas I picked up in 2014 for 99 cents at an Ocean State Job Lot, as backup.

Although it's not navigation related, my other main pre-planning effort for a road trip is to go to RadioReference and download the applicable State Police and DOT frequencies for the states I'll be traveling through, which I then download into my scanner.  Sure beats the early days of road trips, where I would have to manually input every frequency by hand - and have to change the frequencies every third day or so on longer trips.
"And ninety-five is the route you were on.  It was not the speed limit sign."  - Jim Croce (from Speedball Tucker)

"My life has been a tapestry
Of years of roads and highway signs" (with apologies to Carole King and Tom Rush)

J N Winkler

Quote from: roadman on November 16, 2017, 12:14:04 PMWhen planning a trip, even into relatively known territory, I use Streets and Trips - mainly for the fuel calculations to remind myself about gas stops (Rule # 1 - analog fuel gauges are only an approximation of fuel use).

No trip computer with distance-to-empty indication?  Personally, I use the rule of up to 10% error in indicated MPG (arising from fuel pressure regulation being considered in spec if it varies no more than 10% from the designated value) and also check wind speed and direction.

Quote from: roadman on November 16, 2017, 12:14:04 PMIf my route involves major junctions I've never traversed, or I know have been reconfigured since my last trip through them, I "drive" through them on my computer (using GSV) a couple of days before my trip to familiarize myself with the signs and the configuration.

I try to do this but often fail to do so through laziness since a 600-mile trip can easily run through 15 or more system interchanges--e.g., downtown Wichita to downtown Houston involves 25 via the most direct route.  In some cases the StreetView imagery has little value because construction has rendered it obsolete; I've learned the hard way to try to do 511 checks online before departure.

Quote from: roadman on November 16, 2017, 12:14:04 PMOn the road, I have a GPS, which I use mostly for the time and distance remaining information.  The "you're going too high above the speed limit" feature (bell that goes off when you exceed X mph above the limit - mine is set for 75 mph) is also nice.

I rely on cruise control for speed limit compliance.  Often I set it a few miles per hour below the posted limit.  This ensures that any speeding I do is deliberate, confined to a discrete interval in space and time, and is generally part of a structured adjustment of my position in traffic.  Admittedly, the vast bulk of my driving is in parts of the country where LOS on rural freeways seldom dips below C.
"It is necessary to spend a hundred lire now to save a thousand lire later."--Piero Puricelli, explaining the need for a first-class road system to Benito Mussolini

7/8

Google Maps is my main tool for planning road trips, and mob-rule's county-lines map is great for checking which counties I can try to visit. I've been using paper maps on my current trip, since I don't want to spend the money on using data in the U.S., but I planned my route on Google Maps.

Even though paper maps aren't really necessary in this day-and-age, I find them fun to look at around the house before trips. It gets you pumped up! Highlighting maps during/after a trip of your travels is also great too.

GPS is a nice backup, but I prefer to memorize my route, which is usually doable. GPS can be a pain if I'm trying to trick my parents into taking a detour to clinch a road or add a county to my map :-D

roadman

Quote from: J N Winkler on November 16, 2017, 05:22:07 PM
No trip computer with distance-to-empty indication?  Personally, I use the rule of up to 10% error in indicated MPG (arising from fuel pressure regulation being considered in spec if it varies no more than 10% from the designated value) and also check wind speed and direction.

My previous car didn't have a distance to empty indication.  Plus, it's good to know approximate range to fuel stops before hand.


QuoteI rely on cruise control for speed limit compliance.  Often I set it a few miles per hour below the posted limit.  This ensures that any speeding I do is deliberate, confined to a discrete interval in space and time, and is generally part of a structured adjustment of my position in traffic.  Admittedly, the vast bulk of my driving is in parts of the country where LOS on rural freeways seldom dips below C.

My current car, a 2012 Focus SE I bought used in 2014, doesn't have cruise control.  When I was shopping for cars, the dealer had a 2012 Focus Titanium that had it, but the car also had almost 29,000 miles on it, as compared to the 7,800 on the SE I ended up buying.  Plus, when I did have cruise control on my previous cars (1988 Prelude and 1999 Contour), my nickname for it was "traffic creator."  This is because it always seemed that, when engaging cruise control on even a relatively empty road, I would almost immediately encounter traffic that became heavy enough I'd have to disengage it.

As for speed control, I normally drive at or around the speed limit.  However, on the open highway, I've increasingly found I tend to go faster than I think I'm going, especially in light traffic.  Hence the reason I use the "alarm" feature on the GPS when I'm on longer trips.
"And ninety-five is the route you were on.  It was not the speed limit sign."  - Jim Croce (from Speedball Tucker)

"My life has been a tapestry
Of years of roads and highway signs" (with apologies to Carole King and Tom Rush)



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