GPS receivers and time zones

[wfooshee]

OK, obviously I'm a little bit out of date with my GPS equipment, but I have a severe case of mental inertia, and don't like to change things around just because newer stuff exists, when the older stuff works just fine. I have a Streetpilot 2820 that i got years ago, second hand, so I could use my Bluetooth headset and my phone, and the receiver gives me the display to know what the phone is doing while it sits in my pocket unhandled.

My big gripe with the Streetpilots (I've had 3 over the years, 2610, 2720, 2820) is that you have to tell it what time zone you're in. Why do I have to tell a device that KNOWS WHERE IT IS what time zone it's in??!?!?!??!

It displays my estimated time of arrival for whatever time zone it's set for, not the time zone of the destination. Even airlines are smarter than that!!! Since I now travel frequently between the Central and Eastern time zones, because I got a hankering for this lovely lady what lives in Orlando, this has caused confusion when I once announced my arrival time and missed it by a bit more than an hour. "Where are you??? Are you OK? I was getting worried!!" "No, baby, I'm right on time. Oh! I'm still on Central time! Add an hour to what I said before. Sorry....."

So do Zumos, should I trouble to get one, know about time zones better than this? Does it know what time zone it's in? Does it know what time zone my destination is in? Will it show my ETA in their local time? Can I travel between time zones without having to dive into a menu and fix it?

That is my ONLY gripe with the StreetPilot. Well, that, and the 2008 map is getting a bit long in the tooth.... I don't use it for music, as I don't ride with music; I find music distracting, especially on the Florida Turnpike where everyone wants to kill you. I need GPS and Bluetooth. Done.

 

[Ignacio]

It displays my estimated time of arrival for whatever time zone it's set for, not the time zone of the destination. Even airlines are smarter than that!!!

Airlines land at a relatively small number of locations and have determined the time zone of each airport...not each individual point or the boundary lines in the world where a time zone changes. Time zones are sometimes decided at state or even more local level domestically. Time zones getting even murkier internationally. Multiply that to the hundreds of countries and it's not one that GPS receiver companies attempt to manage.

To exercise that point--show me a definitive online source that shows the survey boundary lines for time zone. I've looked and there isn't one...even domestically.

And don't think cell phone companies have it licked either. If you live or dabble in areas that timezones change within range of multiple cell towers...it can get dicey. Ask folks that live in some parts of Indiana about time travel.

It's really not that hard to just make it a habit to set your time zone on your GPS when you travel.

 

[BigOgre]

I've fallen victim to the time zone thing once or twice, usually thinking I only had x amount of hours to go when really I had x+1. I don't know if this will help you with your SteetPilot but on my Zumo I can change and display several different data fields. Usually showing is Time of Arrival but there is also an Arriving In field showing how much total travel time is left. I believe the former takes into account time zone changes but I know for sure the latter doesn't. If your model GPS has these fields available you can use both together for a pretty good idea of where you stand - or sit as the case may be. (Ex. The current time is 1:15. Your Time of Arrival shows 2:15. Arriving In shows two hours of travel time left. You now know you have a zone change somewhere ahead and can probably tell just when you cross it.)

 

[TomInPA]

Modern GPS units from Garmin all change the time precisely at a time-zone boundary, and even show it as a dotted line on the maps. The estimated time of arrival on my Zumo 590 takes into account a change in time-zone. If you display time-of-day, it changes as you cross between zones.

 

[Ignacio]

Modern GPS units from Garmin all change the time precisely at a time-zone boundary, and even show it as a dotted line on the maps. The estimated time of arrival on my Zumo 590 takes into account a change in time-zone. If you display time-of-day, it changes as you cross between zones.

Hmmmm..... I don't recall seeing that happen on my 590LM, but I haven't done an IBR with it. Thx for the head-up....then I'm guessing it was either a model-specific point of change and would seem GPS companies do (now) manage time zones.

 

[dravnx]

It is model dependent. Some do, some don't, I would imagine it has to do with the capabilities of the processor and the size or the data bases.

 

[TomInPA]

I have done several long trips crossing multiple time zones in a single day with that unit. I usually can beat the ETA, but you have to be moving with only fuel stops.

 

[sapest]

Modern GPS units from Garmin all change the time precisely at a time-zone boundary, and even show it as a dotted line on the maps. The estimated time of arrival on my Zumo 590 takes into account a change in time-zone. If you display time-of-day, it changes as you cross between zones.

+1Stay @ The Baker Inn near Baker NV, and watch your Zumo 66x go a bit crazy as you drive thru the parking lot. The property sits on the PST/MST border. I think the rooms are in MST (UT), and the casino is in PST (NV).

-Steve

 

[HotRodZilla]

My Zumo 660 changes time zones automatically. I've never seen a time zone line, but it does show state lines, which is where a lot of time zones around here change. FUBAR, anyone remember him, lives three miles east of the eastern/central time zone boundary. It was awesome leaving his house when heading home, because I immediately gained an hour. I never saw a line either approaching or leaving his place. I just noticed the time suddenly changed. The 660 gives you actual arrival time in the time zone of your destination location. It's kind of nice, not having to do the math. Using the "Time To Via" option enforces exactly how far timewise I am from my target.

You gotta upgrade man. Using an 8 year old GPS map is just crazy! Lol...

 

[DaJuice]

I remember traveling once upon a time with my Zumo 550 and my new yet still cheapo nuvi in a ziplock bag. The ETA was well off between the two but that wasn't unusual. Then, as I crossed the time zone line according to the sign on the road I saw the Nuvi update time... After digging in I noticed the Nuvi was showing my arrival time for the destinations timezone and the Zumo 550 was not. Score another for the $100 nuvi. My Zumo 590 does show timezones correctly like the cheapo Nuvi... My Montana still doesn't know what time zone its in!

When I'm rallying I grab the latest tracks from ontimezone.com. Once imported into basecamp/mapsource/S&T it throws down a track along the time zone boundary. They had been updating often but based on what I'm seeing on the website it might be a couple years old now.

 

[bigjohnsd]

My Gen 3 TomTom Rider doesn't change on it's own.

If you are headed West to East you are going to be an hour late if you believe what it tells you.

 

[Mudslide Miller]

Question has already been answered about if Zumos change, which they do. I went from a 2820 to the 665LM and never looked back. As Zilla said, time to dump that dinosaur.

 

[TomInPA]

One thing that Dinosaur is good for is a significant discount on a new model 590 or 595. I called Garmin tech support with a bluetooth problem on my 2820, and was offered an upgrade discount of 20%. I have heard of up to 40% with trade-in. Worth a try.

 

[RichDoyle]

Just because I like to fill my head with mostly useless information (aka trivia), I did a little digging. Ignoring the effects of Daylight Saving time for the moment, I knew there were several US states where the time zone boundaries were not limited to state borders. It turns out there are 14 such states at the moment. Some of which I already knew, others were news to me.

The biggest "offender" is actually the Mountain Time Zone, which "invades" 5 nominally CST states and 2 PST states. And I did note my 590 last March appropriately tick over at the appropriate point in Eastern Oregon, not at the Idaho border.

Another worthwhile set of stuff to help me out if I ever have a serious challenger at Trivial Pursuit

 

[rbentnail]

I like how everyone is so encouraged to spend someone else's money

. How come one of yoose isn't writing the man a check yet?

I've never used a StreetPilot but can you set the time zone as a separate setting (like my nuvi)? When I'm going to cross a time zone "today" I set the dash clock to where I am and the nuvi to where I'll be. Having the phone mounted between the handlebars helps as it's the only thing I own that switches time zones automatically.

 

[eflyguy]

And don't think cell phone companies have it licked either. If you live or dabble in areas that timezones change within range of multiple cell towers...it can get dicey. Ask folks that live in some parts of Indiana about time travel.

Ha! Many years back on a cross-country sailplane flight, we were thermalling over the runway at Pine Mountain (middle GA) which is about 20 miles from the border with AL (Central time).. every time we circled, my phone would flip between central and eastern time. We were there for a while, trying to gain enough altitude to head North, so it happened over, and over, and over...

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

The estimated time of arrival on my Zumo 590 takes into account a change in time-zone. If you display time-of-day, it changes as you cross between zones.

+1 ^^^

My 590 changes time automatically (spring ahead, fall behind)...

 

[Joel S.]

My Gen 3 TomTom Rider doesn't change on it's own.
If you are headed West to East you are going to be an hour late if you believe what it tells you.

my rider 400 does change correctly