couple stranded for 3 days after gps leads them astray

[ZDL]

*******

[bkb0000]

glad this one turned out better than the last Oregon GPS tragedy.

http://news.cnet.com/James-Kim-found...3-6141498.html

Oregon's climate is mild, it's true- but 2 weeks of snow on the ground in the hills will kill you, then melt away just like it never happened.

[ZDL]

*******

[SWATcop556]

That's why I teach new officers how to read a damn map. Use your GPS when you can get me around the county with your brain and an accurate map.

[bkb0000]

hmm.. just re-read the article- this one fails to explain that their GPS "shortest route" option led them up the BLM road that was snowed out. same situation as our seniors from Nevada.

[SeriousStudent]

That's why I teach new officers how to read a damn map. Use your GPS when you can get me around the county with your brain and an accurate map.

http://thelawdogfiles.blogspot.com/2...led-again.html

Now that you have moved further north, perhaps you'll bump into the man.

And I agree. As an old fossil, I don't own a GPS. I can get you through a jungle at night in a rainstorm with a map and compass, however.

And get my vehicle back home as well.

[Alpha Sierra]

That's why I teach new officers how to read a damn map. Use your GPS when you can get me around the county with your brain and an accurate map.

+1

I am not an LEO, but I have been involved in navigation since my teens. Included in that are navigation duties on Navy ships and flying private aircraft.

Out away from the beaten path, I would use a GPS only to obtain latitude and longitude and plot that on a topo map.

I am still old school when it comes to navigation. I learned marine navigation when GPS did not exist, SATNAV sets cost $3000 to $6000, radars had CRTs for display, and Loran did not (and still does not) reach the waters I navigated. Dead reckoning, pilotage, visual bearing fixes, radar fixes, and the occasional ADF fix is how I navigated all over the waters off eastern PR and the US and British Virgin Islands.

And when I was an active private pilot I still had a flight log with waypoints, ETAs, wind correction angles, and the whole nine yards as a backup to VOR/DME and RNAV (if available).

My truck has never been without a Delorme since I found out about them back in the early 90s living in Washington.

[glocktogo]

Moral of the story, never rely too much on tech. Always be aware of your surroundings and have a backup plan.

[Mac5.56]

That's why I teach new officers how to read a damn map. Use your GPS when you can get me around the county with your brain and an accurate map.

Thank you for stating the obvious. And there is no sarcasm intended in this statement at all!

I remember the other story that bkb posted too. Oregon's winters can be a killer, especially in that area, it can hit hard and fast. Good thing the couple in the OPs article were smart enough to be prepared.

[chadbag]

I read one of these stories as well. Seems like a little common sense is in order as well. If my GPS told me to get off the numbered highway (when going on long distance trip) I would ask it to rethink (maybe no longer "shortest path" and another algorithm instead -- most GPS systems I have seen have a few options).