[gps-talkusers] Re: Situation 13, Being a productive Co-pilot

Thanks for the wonderful tips.  I have a couple of questions:

You wrote:
"When I get near the destination, I pay attention to the names of the
last couple waypoint names and I figure out which side of the street our
destination is on."

I wasn't aware that the side of the street (on left or on right) was
announced.  I've heard this type of information from the Magellan system
which is quite useful.  It seems that it would not be hard for the
Sendero software to determine this information based on your direction
of travel and if the map information is accurate.  How is it that you
can determine which side of the street the destination is on when
traveling in a car or on foot?

You wrote:
"Once you are actually ready to begin following the route and you have a
GPS fix, load the route if you had saved it or press Chord N to set your
nearest waypoint to your GPS position once you are tracking 
satellites."

Can you explain why setting the nearest waypoint to my gps position
using chord n is useful?

Thanks,

-R


-----Original Message-----
From: gps-talkusers-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:gps-talkusers-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Michael May
Sent: Sunday, February 05, 2006 10:23 AM
To: GPS-talkusers-freelists.org
Subject: [gps-talkusers] Situation 13, Being a productive Co-pilot 


Situation 13, Being a productive Co-pilot

We are setting out on a Sunday drive and my driver has left it up to 
me to understand the best directions to our destination 100 miles 
away. I am in the co-pilot seat and as such it is my responsibility 
to alert the driver, plenty in advance, when and where to exit the 
freeway. We have agreed that it is okay to get lost, stuff happens, 
however, we don't want to wander too far off track

Question: Once I have asked my BrailleNote to calculate an automatic 
vehicular route, what are some of the important things I should do in 
order to alert my driver well in advance of turns, exits and street
names.


Answer: Before we even go out the door, I set a virtual starting 
point, set a destination and calculate a vehicular route. If my last 
GPS position is near my starting point, I can use it as a starting 
point rather than setting a virtual one.

Next, I use the Chord T command to jump from turn to turn in the 
route so I have a mental understanding of the route we are taking and 
what to expect at each turn. If I hear the word, "ramp" at a turning 
point, I press W to go forward to a street with a useful name. That 
street name is likely to be the exit name shown on the sign to the 
driver. I evaluate each turn in this way.

When I get near the destination, I pay attention to the names of the 
last couple waypoint names and I figure out which side of the street 
our destination is on.

I also check what landmarks are in the vicinity of the destination. I 
can do this by setting my destination as my virtual position and then 
pressing F to hear the nearest proximity points of interest. This is 
important because it is often the last few yards that are the hardest 
in accomplishing a route. Maybe the street numbers aren't posted or 
the business sign you are looking for isn't obvious. If you know 
other businesses nearby, you can have more confidence that you have 
arrived at your destination.

Once you are actually ready to begin following the route and you have 
a GPS fix, load the route if you had saved it or press Chord N to set 
your nearest waypoint to your GPS position once you are tracking 
satellites. Don't start driving until you are set to go. If you get 
off course later in the trip and are having a hard time understanding 
how to recover, pull over and recalculate the route while stationary. 
Advanced users may be able to quickly sort out changed routes on the 
fly but it is tricky for anyone when traveling on highways.

As you proceed, use the T command to keep posted on the distance to 
your next turn and make sure you know what happens just beyond that 
turn. If there are two turns in quick succession, you may not have 
time to listen to the BrailleNote if you wait until the first turn is 
talking and another turn is immediately afterwards. Keep at least two 
turns in mind at all times. Use the Chord T and W to investigate 
subsequent turns and Chord N to reset to your nearest waypoint.

Being a productive co-pilot means that you should be aware of your 
current position as well as the next couple turns. Inform the driver 
of information you are confident about and let him or her know when 
you aren't sure. For example, you might say, the exit is in the next 
2 miles but I am not 100% sure of the exit name. I do know it is 
within 2 miles.

Another technique you may employ is to set an explore position to 
your GPS position. Then, explore ahead of your GPS position if the 
route information isn't giving you the information you need. For 
example, the driver may say, "is that exit near a river?" You can 
either set the exit waypoint as your virtual position or use your GPS 
position. Then turn 90 degrees to your route and explore a few blocks 
to see what is to either side. Don't spend too much time in Explore 
mode or you may miss giving the driver a turning alert.

I can't emphasize enough the importance of agreeing it is okay to get 
lost before you set off on your Sunday drive. Review that route 
carefully before hand. This may all sound complicated but with 
practice, it becomes second nature and an incredibly fun and 
empowering experience.

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