Garmin

[raclow]

Well, this rant has helped me sorta figure this out. Just by taking raclow’s advice that, “Mapsource only wants simple things…†I was in fact able to find Georgia Ave NW in Wash DC. Raclow opened a door – you just have to think of yourself as a mindless, lazy, shiftless, pimple-faced, teenager who possess the logic and reasoning skills of a gastropod mollusk (slug), and bingo, you’re in, a whole new world opens up.
I also was able to figure out how to make a route file and have a couple of waypoints listed – again, not intuitive, but not bad if you put yourself in the right mindset (see above). I am mildly optimistic that I can actually use the MapSource program – I only hope that I am able to return to the world of reason, logic, and human interaction after each MapSource experience.

I stand by my comments that this isn’t “intuitive.†For instance, you need to list what city and state the street you’re looking for is in (sorry, bad English) – ok, then how come when the screen comes up it doesn’t ask for City, State, number, street in that order? No, it lists the data required in the “classical†mailing address order so one has to jump around to input required data - damn, there I go “thinking†again.

Thank you raclow – you are the Socrates of GPS!

What are you trying to say here???? You have to understand Garmin makes this program to be used by everyone. Not everyone thinks like you do.....I could really climb into a big pile of crap here. You will have to extract the point I'm making.

This would be a good program to mess with if you are looking to give your brain a break. So, consider again where this program has to be used and how many different people have to use it.

This is how you address a letter, right? Name, Street Address, City, State, Zip

No Socrates here. Just a person that believes every program isn't going to work the way I think it should. But since I didn't write the program, I better learn how to work the program to extract the information I know is in there for me and everyone else.

I know some great boat captains, but that doesn't mean all of them can use a plotter or GPS unit. Same with engineers, doctors, lawyers......etc. You get the picture.

As you continue to tink around in the program, it will become easier and easier. Do this for a week and this thread will be a joke to you.... :yahoo:

Take care and happy navigating!!!!

PS: Because Walter Reed is a governmental facility, and not open to the general public, Garmin doesn't add it to its programming. If you can't get in without some official badge, why send people there as a waypoint or general public facility?

 

[JimLor]

Raclow – I’m saying your comment opened the door to successful use of this Garmin product for me – I was trying to compliment and thank you. And yes, I was in, I thought, a subtle way continuing my comment thread that MapSource is not “intuitive” and is in fact more difficult to use than is necessary in the 21st century. We can clone friggin’ sheep, why can’t someone design software that is intuitive and easy to use? I would appreciate the answer from anyone out there who may happen to know it. I’ll go back to a previous comment I made that we, the consumer, are so used to accepting crap (in particular “computer” crap – think about it) that we continue to accept crap, and therefore it isn’t worth it to business to take the time and effort to produce well thought out products because (and here’s where the circle closes), we continue to accept - and buy – crap! To continue, because we know, we just know in our little hearts that, “They’ll fix it with the next iteration.”

Yes, that is how you write an address. However, one is not writing an address when one navigates this program – if in order to find a street, I need the State, City, Street, and number - why not have those fields come up in that order? No, instead, one has to figure that out and then jump to the bottom of the page and fill out St/City and then back up to do the rest. If this was a “user friendly” program, then fields would be in the order that they need to be filled out. For instance, address order is fine in MapQuest because you can type the street in the field – not so in MapSource, there you have to have the city/state completed or your street may not/will not be listed in the drop-down menu.

Your are right, Walter Reed is an Army facility and if you aren’t in the military system or civilian equivalent, you cannot use the facility for routine medical matters. However, if you’re riding down Georgia Ave NW and have and emergency – I’m pretty sure Walt won’t turn you away and let you die. A note, asterisk, or like wouldn’t seem to be too difficult to add when listing Walter Reed ARMC.

You and I seem to be at opposite sides of the spectrum. I think this system should be friendly to me and not require me to, in your words, “…I better learn how to work the program to extract the information I know is in there for me and everyone else.” I don’t want to work the program, I want the program to work for me. This one doesn’t.

My apologies for this screed, I’m done.

 

[raclow]

Nothing personal meant and nothing personal taken.

I hope your frustrations become less and your joys become more.

Have a great day and thanks for all your help, past...present....and future.

 

[Pjturbo]

I'm with Jim on this. Software, actually anything, should work for me. EASILY!!!!! Remotes are the prime example of this problem. Do the people that design them ever use them? Or maybe that's the problem. The people that design stuff are so intimately involved they think we all know as much as them. Software is written by geeks for geeks, not for users. It doesn't need to be so. My wife bought a paint program for our 4 year old grandaughter. I could use it straight away. So software can be friendly if the company wants to make it so. Now since we're on this subject of making things easy for the user, let's talk about changing fork oil.

Phil

 

[huron52]

Bounce - I would, in this instance, define "old fart" as anyone who graduated high school without ever using a computer. Or, if you ever played Pong and thought it was pretty cool, you may be an old fart. If you ever ever did math without a calculator (a calculator without a paper tape), you may be an old fart. Then again, remember, you're only as old as you are!

Oh Oh.... I'm an old fart

But like geezer said... I use my 2610 like a moving map to tell me what's around me... Have found some motels but there is a big difference in the mapping from Canada to the USA

 

[wheatonFJR]

Call me old-fashioned...but I jes' pull my gazetter out and look at it to plan my routes or figure out how lost I am. Comes pre-programmed with roads on it 'en everthin'!

 

[skyway]

I think Skyway is talking about GPSBabel. I haven't used it yet, still trying to just learn MapSource. Ugh. So far I can plan a route in MS S&T in about 1/10 the time of MapSource. Maybe it's time to try Babel.
Minutes Later: It looks like GPSBabel isn't quite 1 click, but the conversion is quite simple. I just downloaded it and converted a S&T file to a .gdb file. Easy. If I had my GPS here at work, I'd upload the file and see how it looks in my RINO.

Not GPS babel, https://www.gpsu.co.uk[/URL]/][URL="https://www.gpsu.co.uk"]https://www.gpsu.co.uk[/URL] it's called GPS Utility.

 

[Last Chance]

bump

 

[FJRocket]

Not GPS babel, https://www.gpsu.co.uk[/URL]/][URL="https://www.gpsu.co.uk"]https://www.gpsu.co.uk[/URL] it's called GPS Utility.

Just got a chance to test that program. NICE! Both programs are a little clunky, but the GPSU worked PERFECTLY! Thanks Skyway!!!

 

[dean]

so---what are some good alternatives to the garmin 2720? i'm a bit overwhelmed with the whole gps selection, even using cnet's reviews to try to make a decision...

 

[bramfrank]

so---what are some good alternatives to the garmin 2720? i'm a bit overwhelmed with the whole gps selection, even using cnet's reviews to try to make a decision...

My personal preference is for the 276/376/378/478 series. The 376 & up support the XM and weather features (376 includes the pod) and 378 & up have full road loads, where the 376 and below need a 'car kit'.

Others like the Zumo 550.

I've used them all - but the highest resolution, largest screen is on the 276+++ series and I don't like touchscreens, which tilts the scale in the 276+++ series direction.

One benefit of all those I've mentioned as options is that they have batteries - but the Zumo battery life is pretty short compared with the Dual-Mode 276+++.

In the end the choice is yours to make.

 

[Rogue]

so---what are some good alternatives to the garmin 2720? i'm a bit overwhelmed with the whole gps selection, even using cnet's reviews to try to make a decision...

My personal preference is for the 276/376/378/478 series. The 376 & up support the XM and weather features (376 includes the pod) and 378 & up have full road loads, where the 376 and below need a 'car kit'.

Others like the Zumo 550.

... but the highest resolution, largest screen is on the 276+++ series and I don't like touchscreens, which tilts the scale in the 276+++ series direction.

One benefit of all those I've mentioned as options is that they have batteries - but the Zumo battery life is pretty short compared with the Dual-Mode 276+++.

In the end the choice is yours to make.

+1