[gps-talkusers] focusing on decreasing destination distance
- From: Michael May <mikemay@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "GPS-talkusers-freelists.org" <GPS-talkusers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 07 May 2006 23:55:11 +0200
Because the BrailleNote English synthesizer clobbers the Spanish street names,
I have relied less on automatic route following and more on the old fashioned
getting warmer method here in Madrid. This has worked pretty well as there seem
to be a labyrinth of streets that eventually connect with another street going
in the direction you desire.
I am very impressed how well the Holux is picking up satellites among these
tall buildings, very close together, with a very poor view of the sky. The down
side of this is that there is a lot of multiple path as the weak signals bounce
around among the buildings. This means I am getting a position fix but my
heading is not at all reliable.
No worries, I just focus on a decreasing destination distance. So, even if I
hear that my destination is at 9 o'clock one second and 5 o'clock the next, I
am paying attention to the distance to my destination getting less. This is
what matters. Eventually the heading straightens out but I don't count on it.
If the destination distance is decreasing, all is well.
In this fashion, I have found my way to numerous restaurants, museums and back
to my hotel without ever asking for help. My Spanish is mediocre and still if I
do ask for help, it is like sighted people anywhere, they don't give very good
directions. So, I might as well not ask.
I did get a little worried tonight when my battery announced it was at a
critical low level and I was among the maize of small streets in central
Madrid. I realized that the power to the plug in my hotel room last night must
have been turned off. Having used the BrailleNote PK for a good 10 plus hours
yesterday and again today, I was close to losing power. I kept switching it off
until I really needed it and managed to make it back without having to resort
to a cab or questionable sighted help.
Remember, when traveling in an urban canyon or when first learning the GPS
program, the one thing you want to pay attention to is the decreasing
destination distance.
Mike
Michael G. May
CEO Sendero Group
Developers and distributors of BrailleNote GPS
Distributing BrailleNote, VoiceNote, Talks, Miniguide, The Tissot Silen-T
tactile watch, and the ID Mate bar code reader
MikeMay@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.SenderoGroup.com
1-888-757-6810, Fax (530) 757-6830, Mobile (530) 304-0007
Sendero Group, LLC
1118 Maple Lane, Davis, CA 95616-1723, USA
Latitude, 38 33 9.239 North
Longitude, 121 45 40.145 West
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