I have got a lot of flack for being outspoken about people giving bad advice when people ask the "what GPS shall I buy" question.
I speak a lot to people about GPSs, and I am often distressed to learn how little some people really know about the use of GPSs, and yet they seem to have no problem in giving advice - and often bad advice.
So, here is my suggestion for a checklist of skills that I believe a dual-sport rider needs to have before they are can be a "WildDog certified GPS adviser". ;D
I believe if you cannot do the following things with your GPS and PC, then you either:-
- Have the wrong GPS for our sport.
- Do not know how to use your GPS for our sport.
. . . and should not be quick to give a newbie advice. :nono:
Skill 1.
A ride "planning thread" says that the meeting point for a ride is at S29 49.206 E30 51.941 (or S29 49 12.3 E30 51 56.5, or S29.82009 E30.86568)
- can you load the coordinate into your GPS and ride to the meeting point?
Skill 2.
You are out on a ride and find a magnificent view site, and you want to mark the point and publish the coordinates in your Ride Report. Can you do that?
Skill 3.
Do you understand, and can you explain to a fellow dog, what the following words mean in the GPS context?
- Waypoint
- Route, Routepoints or Via Points
- Track & Trackpoints.
Skill 4.
You go exploring with your bike and GPS and find a really nice tweespoor between Stinkwatergat and Poepolsvlei that is on no map known to man. Six months later a guy on a planning thread needs to get between the two points. Can you get the track off your PC, clean it up, filter it and publish it on the forum so that he can ride the track you did six months earlier?
Skill 5.
A forum member posts a track of the Daggarookerspas, which appears on no map. You happen to be going to that area and you decide to ride a section of the track. The published file is in .GPX format and the pass track has 2000 trackpoints. Can you clean and load the track into your GPS and then ride the pass on your bike?
So, are the above skills reasonable? Are there more skills you feel should be included? Have I set the bar too high or low ?
I speak a lot to people about GPSs, and I am often distressed to learn how little some people really know about the use of GPSs, and yet they seem to have no problem in giving advice - and often bad advice.
So, here is my suggestion for a checklist of skills that I believe a dual-sport rider needs to have before they are can be a "WildDog certified GPS adviser". ;D
I believe if you cannot do the following things with your GPS and PC, then you either:-
- Have the wrong GPS for our sport.
- Do not know how to use your GPS for our sport.
. . . and should not be quick to give a newbie advice. :nono:
Skill 1.
A ride "planning thread" says that the meeting point for a ride is at S29 49.206 E30 51.941 (or S29 49 12.3 E30 51 56.5, or S29.82009 E30.86568)
- can you load the coordinate into your GPS and ride to the meeting point?
Skill 2.
You are out on a ride and find a magnificent view site, and you want to mark the point and publish the coordinates in your Ride Report. Can you do that?
Skill 3.
Do you understand, and can you explain to a fellow dog, what the following words mean in the GPS context?
- Waypoint
- Route, Routepoints or Via Points
- Track & Trackpoints.
Skill 4.
You go exploring with your bike and GPS and find a really nice tweespoor between Stinkwatergat and Poepolsvlei that is on no map known to man. Six months later a guy on a planning thread needs to get between the two points. Can you get the track off your PC, clean it up, filter it and publish it on the forum so that he can ride the track you did six months earlier?
Skill 5.
A forum member posts a track of the Daggarookerspas, which appears on no map. You happen to be going to that area and you decide to ride a section of the track. The published file is in .GPX format and the pass track has 2000 trackpoints. Can you clean and load the track into your GPS and then ride the pass on your bike?
So, are the above skills reasonable? Are there more skills you feel should be included? Have I set the bar too high or low ?
