Re: RC: Re: RE: Marking an Endurance Ride with a GPS

[Lynne Glazer <lynne@glazer.org>]

Well, you can't always depend on your maps either.  Ask anybody who 
has ever raced (not cruised) the Norco Riverdance Ride.  There is 
little chance of riding at speed and looking at a GPS unit without 
ramming something or missing a turn, the twisties are so tight.

We get vandalized every year despite mounted trail monitors.  Less 
this last year, though.  GPS would be handy for the folks not going 
very fast in the late afternoon when the monitors might have wandered 
off to their coolers.  The trail was verified with GPS because it's 
all off limits to vehicles.

Lynne
Rem-member Me (the mare who goes out of her way to avoid knee 
knockers and low-hanging branches)
& Celesteele (trail virgin)

At 8:48 PM -0700 11/15/01, Sandy Bolinger wrote:
>PHEW!!!!!!!!!!! I'm glad an expert says it's probably not the "thing" for
>endurance...sounded like a horrible idea to me.  I learned how to read
>maps...if ride managers give out really good maps and people learn how to
>read them...voila.  If the trail markings are vandalized...rely on your
>maps..
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: Truman Prevatt <tprevatt@mindspring.com>
>To: Bob Morris <bobmorris@rmci.net>
>Cc: <ridecamp@endurance.net>; K S Swigart <katswig@earthlink.net>
>Sent: Thursday, November 15, 2001 7:22 PM
>Subject: RC: RE: Marking an Endurance Ride with a GPS
>
>
>>  No Bob you are not old fashion - just old, but you are correct. The GPS
>>  technology is absolutely fantastic and our military superiority is
>>  enhanced by it. It can guide a bomb through a window. However, it cannot
>>  be guaranteed to help mark an endurance trail!
>>
>>  I've been associated with the NAVSTAR GPS program off and and on since
>>  the mid 70's. I've been working precision geopositioning programs for the
>>  past 25 years - GPS being only one such program.
>>
>>  Any technology needs to be understood as for as it's limitations before
>>  it is embraced as gospel. GPS does have limitations. It was designed for
>>  one particular mission - marking endurance trails was not it.  My spouse
>>  keeps telling me I should write an article for EN on GPS - what it is and
>>  what it isn't. Of course I don't listen to her, maybe I should start.
>>
>>  Bottom line is for normal terrain on the earth, with forest, with
>>  canyons, etc. we cannot depend on GPS estimations of distance to be
>>  accurate. In fact there is no specification on the GPS program for
>>  accuracy of measured distance. The specification or on location and time
>>  transfer with three spacecraft visible for 5 minutes and a separate
>>  specification for location accuracy and time transfer accuracy with four
>>  spacecraft visible for 5 minutes.
>>
>>  These conditions may or may not have anything to do with the world of
>>  endurance trails.
>>
>>  Truman
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>  Bob Morris wrote:
>>
>>  >
>>  >
>>  > Perhaps I am being old fashioned but I have GPS'd many
>>  > hundreds of miles of trail with survey grade instruments and
>>  > am very aware of the problems. Had to sit waiting one day
>>  > for over an hour to get readable satellites. Would you want
>>  > to do that during a ride?
>>  >
>>  > Bob Morris
>>  >
>>
>>
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>
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