gyork Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 To those who may have a SPOT system: would you be willing to rent it to me for a week this fall?BOARD MEMBERS: Might you consider a Club purchase, available to loan to Members for no longer than a week, 1X/year?New device ~$150; yearly subscription ~$99; Number of times I would anticipate using it in (the rest of) my lifetime-1.Responses are likely to include the word "liability", but please consider, even if w'all have to sign a waiver.gary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterB Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 (edited) To those who may have a SPOT system: would you be willing to rent it to me for a week this fall? BOARD MEMBERS: Might you consider a Club purchase, available to loan to Members for no longer than a week, 1X/year? New device ~$150; yearly subscription ~$99; Number of times I would anticipate using it in (the rest of) my lifetime-1. Responses are likely to include the word "liability", but please consider, even if w'all have to sign a waiver. gary Gary, We are a web based club and minimize our material possessions. As a matter of policy we do not get into the business of outfitting the club in any way. Information on outfitting, gear, and safety is freely exchanged on our website, amongst members, and in club events such as the CAM program, and generally part of the "fabric"of the club But NSPN providing, renting, or endorsing any one piece of safety equipment over another is not in our interests at this time. Here are some companies that already do SPOT rentals: http://www.lowergear.com/product.php/id/261 http://www.satphone.com/sat/spot-satellite-gps-messenger-1.html http://www.trackme360.com/ Edited April 28, 2011 by jason Fixed links/quote block Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EEL Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 Apparently among rescue/first responder folks the phrase "death by GPS" has come into use.I wonder it the phrase "death by SPOT" will follow.Ed Lawson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spider Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 Oh I don't know, but I use mine on each and every paddle. For me it is better than death by angry wife who hasn't heard from husband..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gyork Posted April 28, 2011 Author Share Posted April 28, 2011 Here are some companies that already do SPOT rentals: http://www.lowergear.com/product.php/id/261 http://www.satphone.com/sat/spot-satellite-gps-messenger-1.html http://www.trackme360.com/Thanks for the links Peter-I had no idea. gary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rick stoehrer Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 Apparently among rescue/first responder folks the phrase "death by GPS" has come into use. I wonder it the phrase "death by SPOT" will follow. Ed Lawson what's that mean? folks wander off and figure gps = deus ex machina? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EEL Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 what's that mean? folks wander off and figure gps = deus ex machina? Rick: I've heard it used to describe two situations. One, people rely upon GPS to provide info on where they are and how to get back only to have unit fail or batteries die. They are then lost without a clue and wander till they drop. Two, people rely on GPS to provide route info and they blindly follow route which leads them into dangerous terrain where they have accident or get trapped/stuck. It is a growing problem. A less serious example happens all summer locally. People trying to get to a resort rely upon the route provided by their in vehicle GPS. For some reason the route created by the GPS includes an old woods road at best passable only by high clearance 4WD vehicles. So at leas twice a week the folks are seen staggering out of the woods and their car gets dragged out of the woods after becoming hopelessly bogged down. The resort had to obtain permission to post big signs informing folks the road did not go to the resort. Ed Lawson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterB Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 Rick: I've heard it used to describe two situations. One, people rely upon GPS to provide info on where they are and how to get back only to have unit fail or batteries die. They are then lost without a clue and wander till they drop. Two, people rely on GPS to provide route info and they blindly follow route which leads them into dangerous terrain where they have accident or get trapped/stuck. It is a growing problem. A less serious example happens all summer locally. People trying to get to a resort rely upon the route provided by their in vehicle GPS. For some reason the route created by the GPS includes an old woods road at best passable only by high clearance 4WD vehicles. So at leas twice a week the folks are seen staggering out of the woods and their car gets dragged out of the woods after becoming hopelessly bogged down. The resort had to obtain permission to post big signs informing folks the road did not go to the resort. Ed Lawson Is there "Death by Y chromasome."? I.e. Lost male motorist is genetically incapable of asking for directiions so, he perishes in search of destination ? Seriously, though, are there truly documented cases of actual Death by GPS? Or is it just a loose general term to describe over-reliance on GPS? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EEL Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 Is there "Death by Y chromasome."? I.e. Lost male motorist is genetically incapable of asking for directiions so, he perishes in search of destination ? Seriously, though, are there truly documented cases of actual Death by GPS? Or is it just a loose general term to describe over-reliance on GPS? Peter: The answer is yes; people have died. Google the term for examples. Ed Lawson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spider Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 Google results Death by GPS 110,000,000 results... Saved by GPS 28,500,000 results...Surely there is a mathematician somewhere who can work out the ratio of the evils over the benefits of GPS, but is there actually anyone who can read all the results to double check ?? Personal favorite ...."Pecked to Death by Ducks" by Tim Cahill (I think) now there's a fellow who knows danger when he sees it :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmm81 Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 Are GPS used by seasoned sea kayakers at all? I've been considering purchasing one, but won't if it's a waste of money. I understand, and plan to learn, the necessity of hard-copy charts, but thought they'd be outmoded by today’s technology. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyson Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 Are GPS used by seasoned sea kayakers at all? I've been considering purchasing one, but won't if it's a waste of money. I understand, and plan to learn, the necessity of hard-copy charts, but thought they'd be outmoded by today’s technology.Chart, compass and situational awareness are your foundation and will be for a long time. Batteries run dead. Electronics fail. Charts and compasses keep working. I don't think I yet qualify as a seasoned kayaker, and I do use a GPS. However, most of the time it stays in a dry bag in a hatch and just records the trip for looking at later. In some cases I'll use it to make the task of tracking my position, speed and direction easier. ...but always cross correlated with the chart and compass so that I can pick up on them in an instant if the GPS fails. One of the things I find a GPS very useful for is tracking speed and distance. Some may find it easy, others may not care, but I find it difficult to estimate speed and direction of travel when far from land and when currents and winds aren't exactly known. The other problem with a GPS is that its screen is very small. You can miss the big picture and get into big trouble if you aren't paying attention to things further away than your immediate location. Cheers! Ty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 GPS is a fun toy to have. Like Tyson said, pretty tough to navigate with the small screen anyway. OK as a back up only and great to measure distance & speed of each trip. You can download it later on Google maps which is also nice. I do have an iphone with a big screen and Navionics detail charts for the ultimate toy.Nothing should be considered as a replacement for charts and compass.Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brambor Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 My GPS is usually turned off in the day hatch. Ready to be deployed when absolutely necessary (i.e. thick fog or throwing something at rabbid wildlife) GPS is a fun toy to have. Like Tyson said, pretty tough to navigate with the small screen anyway. OK as a back up only and great to measure distance & speed of each trip. You can download it later on Google maps which is also nice. I do have an iphone with a big screen and Navionics detail charts for the ultimate toy. Nothing should be considered as a replacement for charts and compass. Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spider Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 With a GPS I always mark where I launch from. Stated diffidently...where I parked. Usually I make a waypoint at any locations where I stop, for later viewing or just in case I need the reference point for a journey. I'll enter all the legal camping that will be located on the route. Also mark where the fresh water can be found. For paddling it's all compass bearings you've figured out ahead of time with the charts or on the fly.Once arriving close to your projected camping area you can take the GPS and see if there are several choices nearby that you entered previously , if so then you can fine tune which camp makes the most sense for the day, considering current conditions, fatigue etc, etc... ....as others have said great way to get an idea of your rate of speed. GPS is just another language and the more languages you know the better...I think yoda said that... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 An article about how our devices are getting in the way:http://www.silicon.com/technology/hardware/2011/05/05/robert-vamosi-gadgets-degrade-our-common-sense-39747325/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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