[Paddlewise] FW: GPS failure

 -----Original Message-----
From: Sisler, Clyde [mailto:Clyde.Sisler_at_wang.com]
Sent: Friday, May 22, 1998 12:43 PM
To: 'paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
Subject: RE: [Paddlewise] GPS failure


> An odd thing happened a couple of days ago. I turned on my Garmin
> 12XL GPS unit to check it out and discovered that it would no longer
> retain data when turned off. It acts as if the lithium backup battery
> is
>
 I finally finished the docs on mine.  The only reference about
the lithium batteries I found was that they're there and used to for
retaining data.  Any idea how long they're supposed to last?  I presume
they're in the back by that round screw thingie.  I also assume that if
you open it up you'll void whatever warranty it comes with. I further
assume the battery gauge is for the alkaline batteries and not the
lithium one(s).  I also didn't see any reference to what kind of lithium
batteries are being used.
    
> The moral, if anyone here needs it, is that one should never depend on
> a GPS unit as one's sole means of navigation. Learn to use a compass
> and chart, and practice your dead reckoning skills.
>
 I'll be using one to check out the other since I don't do either
very well yet.


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As an ironic addendum, last Saturday my new GPS unit turned out to be
more reliable than my compass. We were putting in at Little Sand Bay in
Lake Superior's Apostle Islands National Lakeshore for a three-mile
crossing to the group campground on Sand Island when someone suggested
doing a compass check. To my chagrin I discovered that my Silva compass
was about 20 degrees off. If I had not had my GPS unit with me, or if the   
weather had been poor, I would have unpacked my bow to discover what was
throwing off the compass. As it was, we had a clear, sunny day with our
destination in plain view, so I waited till we had crossed to find out
what was throwing the compass off. It turned out to be a couple of
alkaline batteries in an electric shaver almost directly under the
compass. From now on I am going to note my compass reading both before
and after I pack the boat.

It was the first time I used a GPS on a trip, and I had a lot of fun
playing with it. I had preprogrammed the waypoints using position data
from the Topo program, and even though I had rounded them off to the
nearest second, I was never very far off my destination. I programmed
a route around Sand Island, and it was fun watching the GPS
automatically switch to the next waypoint as we rounded each major
point. I think that among other things, a GPS could be very useful
for finding poorly marked turnoffs when driving to a campground or
put-in late at night.

Social observation: Last Easter I was chatting with someone at the
Minicon science fiction convention in Minneapolis when I mentioned that
I owned a GPS unit. I received a blank look from the other person, then
he said "GPS -- geographic positioning system?" "Yes," I answered. With
a puzzled look, he said, "What would you need one of those for?" And
with that I realized what different worlds we lived in.

Chuck Holst


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