[gps-talkusers] Re: focusing on decreasing destination distance
- From: "Sarai" <bucc7465@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <gps-talkusers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 7 May 2006 17:17:25 -0500
Mike:
Remember Madrid's streets and side walks are in a grid pattern. Plaza
del Sol is a main hub of Madrid. Enjoy the tapas at the cave restruants
and have fun!
Sarai D. Bucciarelli
-----Original Message-----
From: gps-talkusers-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:gps-talkusers-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Michael May
Sent: Sunday, May 07, 2006 4:55 PM
To: GPS-talkusers-freelists.org
Subject: [gps-talkusers] focusing on decreasing destination distance
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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