Posted: 5/16/2009 6:57:21 PM EDT
| I am wondering about GPS's for bugging out. Is it a good idea? I mean GPS units can Be Tracked. |
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I just bought a Garmin Nuvi 760 from Amazon to have in case a bug out was needed. The price on these toys has really come down. For about $200, you can have a unit that comes with maps for all of the US and parts of Canada.
I think this is a great accessory to invest in. |
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... GPS units can Be Tracked. No, they can't. that is correct- Global Positioning Satellites send out a signal only, and your GPS device only receives, it does not transmit however, most GPS devices do record a log of where you go- including the car ones I do not worry about it, but with the car ones I do not use my home address as "home" and do not have the unit on when immediately leaving or arriving home this is simply in case it gets stolen, I do not need anyone backtracking me or simply hitting "go home" I am not worried about the .gov |
| Speaking of GPS security, many GPS units you can set so they require a password after turning on (at least my 1 yr old, $150 unit does). This protects you from the 1000x higher chance of a common crook breaking into your car and then learning where you live, your sister lives, etc. |
| I did not know they could not be tracked. The reason I was under this assumption is the fact that onstar can track you. There are also some emergency devices for hikers that allow them to be found. I figured all GPS systems could be tracked. I have a cheap Garmin etrex that I used to mark hunting and fishing locations. I am considering one with more detailed maps. |
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Yes, a gps would be a great idea for a bug out.
I can wholly recommend a garmin 60csx for this. They're great little units. If your only going to buy one gps, id buy a handheld. You can use it in your vehicle or in the woods, it runs on AA batteries with a good run time, you can run topo on it, it will do routing (not as well as a nuvi) and fits in your pocket. Edit, they're also waterproof. |
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Yes, a gps would be a great idea for a bug out. I can wholly recommend a garmin 60csx for this. They're great little units. If your only going to buy one gps, id buy a handheld. You can use it in your vehicle or in the woods, it runs on AA batteries with a good run time, you can run topo on it, it will do routing (not as well as a nuvi) and fits in your pocket. Edit, they're also waterproof. leaarn to read a map and compass. depending on the problem/reason the . gov can disable the gps system at any time. |
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Yes, a gps would be a great idea for a bug out. I can wholly recommend a garmin 60csx for this. They're great little units. If your only going to buy one gps, id buy a handheld. You can use it in your vehicle or in the woods, it runs on AA batteries with a good run time, you can run topo on it, it will do routing (not as well as a nuvi) and fits in your pocket. Edit, they're also waterproof. leaarn to read a map and compass. depending on the problem/reason the . gov can disable the gps system at any time. Lensatic compass and pace-count beads FTW. |
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I purchased a Magellan Triton 400 last week, against mixed reviews......
The software is a little buggy to start, but I have had no problems at all. The unit appears to work flawlessly. You just have to be a little computer savvy to get it all together, and get the updates installed from their website. Installed on the unit was a "base" map. Also, in addition, my unit came with the National geographic Topo USA program, which is 1:100,000 scale. Also came with it was 25 "credits" to purchase maps at 1:24.000 scale. One credit=one map. Some of the people who wrote bad reviews didn't seem to know their way around a computer, or a GPS for that matter. With the software, case, SD card, and 25 map credits, it was a solid buy at $160.00. I'm totally pleased, and in addition, impressed by it's satellite acquisition time....almost "instantaneous". |
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I did not know they could not be tracked. The reason I was under this assumption is the fact that onstar can track you. There are also some emergency devices for hikers that allow them to be found. I figured all GPS systems could be tracked. I have a cheap Garmin etrex that I used to mark hunting and fishing locations. I am considering one with more detailed maps. GPS is a term that is tossed around too much Onstar is through cell signals- your car is a phone there are several locating devices for hikers, such as spot (2way satelite communication, only trasmits when you want, too much power consumption to always transmit) and the 406mhz Personal Locator Beacon (PLB). The PLBs send out a signal when you push the correct buttons. Some also have a gps unit in them to send out your exact location, and some allow a gps signal to be synced and the sent. If they dont have a GPS lock, they will still transmit your emergency signal, and the rescuers will have a "block" to search, like 1/4 square mile or something (dont remember how big on average) |
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My Blackberry has GPS and for normal SHTF needs that is adequate combined with Google Maps. I also have a modest Tomtom unit for the BOV and maps/compass. I want to buy a handheld GPS but the Blackberry works so well I have not had a need yet.
If TEOTWAWKI strikes, yea I would take the battery out of my Blackberry and I might wish I had an alternate GPS beyound the road only Tomtom but I see that is a minor gap in my preps that maps and a good compass cover. |
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I bought my first in-car GPS just before Katrina. Two co-workers from my department went to NOLA with FEMA. One of them snagged my streetpilot as a last second thought, and later reported that it was a Godsend. Street signs were gone more often then not, and navigation was a bitch.
I also had a chance to use it when driving into a tornado strike area in my POV. Kept running into downed trees and such over the road, and my GPS would cheerfully re-route me without my having to pull over on pitch dark roads to dig through the atlas. The Garmin Nuvi series now has a 'where am I' feature that allows you to give your exact location to a 911 dispatcher. Traveling cross country and happen on a motor vehicle crash? Too handy. Nowdays, for a hundred bucks you can have a device that can not only give you turn by turn directions to pretty much anywhere, but that can also find the closest hospital, gas station, barbaque joint or hotel. I'll always have decent maps. I remember my pace count and can still terrain associate pretty well. But an in-car GPS is too handy to be without. |
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IF you actually know how to use a GPS, then they can come in handy. My gues is that since you have to ask, you don't really know how to use one.
Paper maps still work rather well. Their batteries don't die, there's nothing really at all to break, especially if you laminate them, and they're not nearly as confusing (fewer options, I guess). IF you actually know how to use a GPS then it can be a very handy tool. If you don't, and try to rely on it, then you are likely to get lost. Or you can just get an iPhone, and download Topo Maps. Then you've got all sorts of bases covered... But make sure and get hard copies for maps of areas you're serious about, because machines do have a tendency to crap out at the worst times. Oh, and make sure you're up on your map reading and land nav. You'd be surprised at how many people can't read a map... |
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Most people never actually read the manual for their GPS units and never learn what they really are capable of or how to get the most out of them. I will definitely have a GPS with me after SHTF.
If nothing else, I'll have a road map of the entire NA continent that fits in my pocket. |
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IF you actually know how to use a GPS, then they can come in handy. My gues is that since you have to ask, you don't really know how to use one. Paper maps still work rather well. Their batteries don't die, there's nothing really at all to break, especially if you laminate them, and they're not nearly as confusing (fewer options, I guess). IF you actually know how to use a GPS then it can be a very handy tool. If you don't, and try to rely on it, then you are likely to get lost. Or you can just get an iPhone, and download Topo Maps. Then you've got all sorts of bases covered... But make sure and get hard copies for maps of areas you're serious about, because machines do have a tendency to crap out at the worst times. Oh, and make sure you're up on your map reading and land nav. You'd be surprised at how many people can't read a map... What's that you say? You actually need to learn how to use equipment instead of just buying it? Figuring out how to use a GPS isn't rocket science, and activities such as geocaching make for good practice. I can teach someone how to use a GPS in less time then I can teach them how to compensate for declination. A GPS should always be backed up by basic land nav tools and skills, but it's a very worthwhile tool. |
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I bought my first in-car GPS just before Katrina. Two co-workers from my department went to NOLA with FEMA. One of them snagged my streetpilot as a last second thought, and later reported that it was a Godsend. Street signs were gone more often then not, and navigation was a bitch. I also had a chance to use it when driving into a tornado strike area in my POV. Kept running into downed trees and such over the road, and my GPS would cheerfully re-route me without my having to pull over on pitch dark roads to dig through the atlas. The Garmin Nuvi series now has a 'where am I' feature that allows you to give your exact location to a 911 dispatcher. Traveling cross country and happen on a motor vehicle crash? Too handy. Nowdays, for a hundred bucks you can have a device that can not only give you turn by turn directions to pretty much anywhere, but that can also find the closest hospital, gas station, barbaque joint or hotel. I'll always have decent maps. I remember my pace count and can still terrain associate pretty well. But an in-car GPS is too handy to be without. I have the nuvi and love it. That said i can handle land nav but why not use a gps when driving in unfamiliar areas with heavy traffic trying to read maps? The disaster area thing is something i hadn't considered and a very good point. Great post. |