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[quote=CountZero ]True, the OS map on a phone display will show you exactly where you are at any given moment, even if visibility is down to twenty meters in the middle of Dartmoor, when a (paper) map and compass become very difficult to use accurately due to there being no landmarks to sight on.
Well hello technophile.
Maybe in that situation a GPS would be useful - I doubt it's a situation most people on here have ever been in. I've spent a lot of time in the outdoors on a bike or on foot (including real wilderness fighting through the bush where no paths exist) and very rarely found myself in that situation (even then if you know what you're doing a compass works fine). Personally I can't think of a situation ever on a bike when I've wished I had a GPS (or used one for navigation when I've had one with me).
Off you go and plan a route on the screen of your GPS.
[i]Personally I can't think of a situation ever on a bike when I've wished I had a GPS[/i]
A while back I had the use of a Garmin which at the push of a couple of buttons would come up with a route for me. All I had to do was to tell it how far I wanted to go, and it would direct me turn by turn. It was ace TBH.
Only a moron would find themselfs in that situation without a map and a compass and the skills to use them,
Technology fails - often for no reason .... A flat battery , got wet - even in your wondercase. , dropped it , signals bouncing off geological features and giving wild readings and folk following it religeously leading to you walking off a cliff, (happens in the cairngorms reasonably often)
visibility only required with your map and compass if your lost or did it wrong., its good practice to know where you are on the map and do period checks and take bearings/headings
Technology reliance is a big factor in many mrt responses these days - in some cases it can be an advantage also but it can also get you into alot of trouble.
My rant for today , stay safe in the hills folks. Gps for backup.
I don't have a smart phone. Or a GPS . I love maps , have a good sense of direction and am a confirmed luddite.
However , a few weeks ago I had to get 2 trains and bus through france into Geneva , at 5pm on a Fri. I eventually got the right bus but wasnt sure how far to travel . I got off after maybe 10mins , no idea where I was or where my destination was. My friend cannot use her phone in work so cant ring her , My French isnt good enough for the Genevois to bother helping.
A smart phone, Googlemaps and 30 seconds would have very helpful , but as it was I walked along the bus route to the next stop, read the list of stops and realised I was halfway ish to my destination , bought another ticket just as the next tram arrived.