[gps-talkusers] Re: Excited about my GPS Weekend

Hi,
I remember how excited I was when I first put Sendero GPS to real practical use. I'd been out doing field work for a nonprofit organization, and had been using local taxis to do it. Prior to obtaining Sendero GPS I was at the mercy of cabbies who took inordinately long routes to get me from point A to point B and they were really sticking it to me farewise. So when I got the GPS, I started keeping tabs on those cabbies. Finally, one day I nailed this guy who took me to an incorrect destination. Turns out there were two potential destinations with identical street names and numbers, one in Downey, the other in Pico Rivera. I told this particular cabbie that he'd gotten me to the right street name and street number but the wrong city and that I wasn't going to pay for the error. He got really irate , and tried to insist that I didn't know what I was talking about. I calmly told him that I most certainly did and showed him the Sendero GPS. To make a long story short, when he realized that I had him dead to rights, that I'd busted him big time, he shut up in a hurry, got me to the right place and only charged me the proper fare for the shorter route. Revenge never tasted so sweet and even though the cab fare that I'd saved didn't nearly cover the cost of the GPS, which I'd paid for out of pocket, it felt like the GPS paid for itself with that one incident alone. 

Tom
----- Original Message ----- From: "Chris Grabowski" <chris@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> 
To: <gps-talkusers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, June 18, 2007 6:49 PM
Subject: [gps-talkusers] Re: Excited about my GPS Weekend



hi,
that's exciting, I remember my first time using gps in the car.
I went out with my better half and her mom.
Mom and daughter were in the front gabbing away and I was in the back
using my gps.
I had the restaurant set as a destination.
the distance was increasing so I told them they were going the wrong
way.
this was before we had maps back in version 1.0
Chris
On Mon, 18 Jun 2007 17:35:59 -0700, you wrote:


Hi All,

I wanted to share my GPS weekend with all of you.  As a new user,
just about a week's experience, I set off on a train trip with a
friend, also blind.  We listened to my Sendero as it kept us
updated on the train speed, the points of interest, the towns we
passed and on and on.  How fun it was to know where we were along
our trip.

When we reached the end of the run, we took a taxi to our
destination and I used the GPS with a route open between the
train station and the destination.  I told the driver that I was
practicing and he was impressed that I was able to tell him where
I thought we should turn.  I told him that I knew he knew his
way, but I was learning the new system.

I was able to record some user POI's for the college campus where
I spent the weekend.  When it was time to go, one participant
wanted directions to the bus stop.  Knowing that I had lots of
bus information available, I found stops and she confirmed the
one she needed.  I also learned that the numbers that had seemed
irrevelent before turned out to be the bus numbers.  Never mind
that my search from our known location was only 313 feet, I found
what I thought should be the bus stop and, low and behold, there
sat the bus.  She would have missed it if she had waited where
others told her it should be.  It was already parked and the
driver soon came out from the building and boarded the bus.  He
would not have seen her waiting about 300 feet behind him.  I was
thrilled with my GPS.

Later, after the return train trip, when my husband met and drove
us home, I set a route to my friend's house.  The Sendero told us
where to turn.  This was not news for my husband, but it was
certainly fun for me.

I noticed that the WAAS satellite was intermittently available.
I wonder if it is turned on for brief periods or if it is
intermittent because of my GPS changing view of the sky.

This coming weekend, my husband and I will be traveling to new
territory and I am hopeful that I will have enough experience to
help him with directions as we go.  Very excited,

Joleen

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